How to Make Your Website Stand Out

If you clicked on this post because you’re thinking “I really want to succeed in my business, but in order to succeed, I need to stand out online. And it’s just so hard because there’s so many people doing what I do already.” I totally get it. I really do. I mean, I’m not the first person to be a website designer! But believe me when I say that you CAN get noticed and grow your business. Right now, I’m about to share with you 3 tips on how to make your website stand out from other people in your industry.

The best part is a lot of it has to do with just being yourself and infusing that into your brand and how you serve.

You’re your greatest superpower.

You already have all the strengths and the skills that you need to stand out. It’s just about presenting that in a way that your audience understands and resonates with.

Don’t feel like reading right now? Watch the video version of this post! 👇🏾

#1: Make Your Audience Feel Seen And Understood 

If you want your website to stand out, you have to make it about your audience and you have to make your audience feel seen and understood.

One of the most common mistakes that we often make with our websites as business owners is that we’re so eager to share about our business and this amazing service or product that we have.

How to Make Your Website Stand Out: Think audience first with every decision that you make

But the truth is your website is about how you can help your audience. It’s not just about you and the business. I know this can take some rearranging your head to think of it this way, but you really want to think audience first with every decision that you make on your website.

You don’t want it to just be like, “here’s what I do and here’s why it’s amazing.” You want it to be empowering for your audience, meeting them where they are. I know that can seem a little backwards if that’s the first time you’re hearing it.

I highly recommend a book related to this idea called Building a StoryBrand by Donald Miller.

In the book, he explains that you’re not the hero of the story. Your client is the hero and you’re just their knowledgeable guide. Think Yoda in Star Wars.

4 Quick Action Steps for Getting to Know Your Audience

Now you might be thinking, “how do I make my audience feel understood?” This has a lot to do with your copywriting.

You want to write content for your website that addresses the different needs, wants desires, pain points that your client is facing that has led them to your website.

In order to figure out what your ideal clients are needing and wanting, there’s several different things you can do:

• SEND OUT A SURVEY to your email list. You can also share about your survey on Instagram, be sure to put the link in your bio!
• INTERVIEW PEOPLE who fit your ideal client. You can do this via Zoom, over the phone, or ask if you can email a survey directly to them.
• READ TESTIMONIALS and questionnaire responses from your past clients, if you’ve already worked with clients before. This provide helpful insight on why they decided to work with you and what they got out of it.
• JOIN FACEBOOK GROUPS that your ideal client is in and see what kind of questions they’re asking and what they need help with. I also recommend following people who fit your ideal client on Instagram. Build genuine relationships with them, and pay attention to the content that they’re sharing / questions they ask.

Once you know your audience better, you can focus on creating website content that better serves them.

#2: Showcase Your Brand Personality on Your Website

Like I said earlier, you’re your greatest superpower in your business!

You are the thing that sets your business apart the most

There might be lots of photographers, lots of coaches, lots of bloggers out there, but there’s only one of you. I know that can sound kind of cheesy, but it’s true.

So if you are a service-based entrepreneur, it’s typical that you’d have a personal brand where you’re pretty important part of your business. People want to see your face and get to know you and your personality.

This is true on social media, and it’s true on your website as well.

Real-life Example of a Personality-Packed Brand: Jenna Kutcher

One well-known example of someone who has a lot of personality on their website and in their branding overall is Jenna Kutcher. Her personality is all over her website.

When you read her copywriting, it sounds like she’s sitting right beside you talking. There’s lots of photos of her and her family. So when you’re on the website, it really feels like you’re getting to know her.

That’s kind of the feeling you want to inspire in your audience. You want to make it feel like they’re your friend.

Quick Action Step: Answer These Questions to Reveal Your Brand Personality

If you’re thinking “well, that’s great, but I have no idea how to start putting my personality into my brand?” Here are a few questions to ask yourself:

• What three words do you want people to use to describe your brand?
• Fill in the blanks: Your brand is always ______________ and never ______________. (Feel free to list as many words as come to mind).
• If your brand were a person, how would they make your ideal client feel when talking with them?

Keep your answers in mind and start infusing that personality into the way you write content for your website. Carry it throughout the colors and the pictures you choose to kind of create that feeling, too.

#3: Your Website Needs to be Well-Designed for a Positive User Experience

In order to have a website that stands out, you really want it to be well-designed and have a good user experience.

Your design is the foundation on which your content and all of your brand personality will be able to shine.

If your website’s super confusing, it’ll be a turn off right away. People won’t even get stick around and get to know you because they’ll be too overwhelmed and confused by whatever’s not right with your design.

Quick Action Step: Define Your Website Goals, then Design to Support Them

Here are a few questions to ask yourself to help you out with making your website stronger:

1. What’s the overall goal of your website?

Maybe you’re a photographer and you have a website because you want more people to inquire about booking you for a photo shoot. Or maybe your coach and your website is to help you book more people for your group coaching program. You get the idea.

Whatever your “big main goal” is for your website, keep that in mind. You’re going to want to carry this throughout your entire website.

2. What secondary goals do you have?

Besides your main goal, there might be other, smaller actions you want people to take on your website. Things like getting people to sign up for your email list, or consume your free content on your blog, podcast, or YouTube channel.

I call these actions that support your main goal secondary goals. Keep these goals in mind as you design your website, too.

3. Design Your Website to Support Your Goals

Once you’ve done those first two steps, the third step is to look at your website and see how it aligns with your goals.

Make sure that you have a clear, simple navigation that supports these goals. Then, make sure that each page has it’s own goal that aligns with your overall goals for your website. You should include clear calls to action (buttons) throughout your site to guide visitors in taking next steps.

For example, maybe your goal for your about page is for your reader to get to know you better. Then, they’re more likely to want to click through and check out your services.

Ready to Take Action?!

So those are the three things that I think really matter when it comes to making your website stand out! To recap:

• Make your audience feel seen + understood throughout your website copywriting and content
• Showcase your brand personality on your website
• Your website needs to be well-designed for a positive user experience that supports your goals

If you liked the tips that I shared in this blog, check out this Instagram carousel! It guides you in a DIY audit of your current brand and website so that you can see what’s working and what needs improvement.

When you’re done, you’ll have clarity on how to make your brand and site work better for your business.

P.S. – I hope you remember what I said: that you’re your greatest superpower

Even when it feels hard to stand out in this noisy marketing world, the world needs what you have to offer. So just don’t be afraid to be yourself and show up for the people that will want to connect with you. They need what you’re offering!