How to Build an Engaging Website
Hello and welcome to AAR Partners’ new biz quick tips shared exclusively with our AAR Partners Agency Growth Program Partners.
Your website… I have lost count with how many agencies have asked me over the years to take a peek at their website and give them my quick thoughts. I want to give you more than just my quick thoughts because your website is more than just a website. It is the face of your agency and it instantly establishes credibility… or not. Since 90% of prospects start their buying journey with an online search (and especially now with the pandemic pivot to just about 100% digital), it is vital to make sure your website is up to snuff.
So, what makes for an engaging website?
There are many tactics that make up a great website but there are three critical elements that are musts for an engaging website.
- Navigation and design.
- Content, content, content.
- Branding.
Let’s break these three elements down a bit.
Navigation and design
A well-designed website is one that has a simple and clean user interface with easy to navigate menus and links. It is the foundation for a great experience that is engaging without getting lost in the site. And it must be search friendly allowing the visitor to be able to search for information on your site. When websites get too complicated and links are everywhere taking the visitor all over the place with no easy way back, it is completely disengaging. The viewer should always know exactly where they are on the website and have easy access to where they would like to be. In terms of a clean design, make the site easy to read and easy to view. Knock out text or too much flash, for instance, is hard on the eyes after a while.People are visually oriented creatures, and using great graphics is a good way to make your website more appealing. Your website has about 1/10th of a second to impress the visitor and let them know that your agency is trustworthy and professional.
Content. Content. Content
The whole point of your website is to provide critical information about your agency, services, people, experience, and resources to allow prospects to make informed decisions or at least engage them to ask for more. AND, the content should keep changing in order to give the visitor a reason to keep coming back to you as a reputable resource. Some pieces that must be included are:
- Capabilities – highlight in simple terms your expertise and competencies.
- Experience – highlight your experience in the form of mini case studies; most important highlight key sectors and marketing challenges that are your forte. And please be clear about the type of work and the tenure of the work you do or did for your clients. Showing a bunch of client logos that are no longer active clients can disqualify your agency thinking that you have a conflict.
- Thought Leadership – highlight your innovative industry thinking by linking your blog and other resources to the site. And make it simple for visitors to share thought leadership on social media by having social media share buttons.
- News and Accolades – highlight your credibility with trade mentions, client testimonials, award-winning work and give your visitor a sense of confidence.
- Contact Information – please, please, please do not use some abstract or no name email address as the contact email. Include a person’s name and title with a direct email and phone number to make it easy for a prospect to contact you directly.
- Fact Sheet – highlight your main logistical information and “why you” in a downloadable fact sheet that the viewer can print and/or share easily.
Branding
And finally, why and how is your agency unique? Why do you exist? What kinds of agency are you? What do you stand for or against? What is your positioning? Your philosophy is a sweeping statement of your beliefs and your process helps to get to the heart of your philosophy. Your positioning is how these beliefs translate into value for clients and your process activates it. Nearly 50% of prospects leave agency websites and are not clear about the kind of work they do. Showcase your expertise with regard to targets, discipline and category but highlight why and how you go about doing what you do – have a clear positioning.
Most of all make every word count. Prospects want to see insightful thinking; short cases that show experience and business solutions; talent behind the team and the resources that you can bring to the table… And remember, your website should be a never-ending project with new content consistently being added preventing it from becoming stale! Finally, your website must be mobile-friendly… Be sure to pull up your website on your phone and see what pops up.
If you’d like to sample some awesome websites, take a scroll through Airbnb; Boosted Boards; Adkins Parker; Loomo and I think the team page on Agence-SBA is adorable (this one is a French agency).
There you have it. That’s my counsel on this topic and I hope it helps. Look out for more of my new biz quick tips shared exclusively with AAR Agency Growth Program Partners…
