Whether it's your first time building or you're a seasoned pro, creating a website is easy with Zibster! Here are our best tips for building (or refreshing) your site so you can get more customers online.
1. Pick a template
Templates make it easy for you to build quickly and have a great site that works well for customers.
Your template needs to be :
- Fast Loading
- Mobile Responsive
- Easy to build on
- Bea-utiful!
- With a company you trust
With Zibster, every template does all this and more. All templates are included for free, and you can change with a click without starting over. Templates are completely customizable, so you’re not locked into layouts or colors, fonts, pictures, spacing. You can change and fine-tune everything so you build.
Quick tips for first-timers:
- Pay attention to the logo & menu position.
- Choose a layout your customers will like.
- Just start building! Once you get content in, you can tweak the design and even change templates entirely! You have a lot of flexibility, so don’t get too hung up on it now.
2. Plan your pages
Making a plan for your website will save you time and make your website perform better. That's because when you make a plan, you can build a website that is focused on your true goal!
Q: Wait, what’s my goal?
A: To get customers and make money! (Sheesh!)
For 99% of websites, your goal is to make money. It's just a matter of how.
Ask yourself, "What does my customer need to see to make a purchase, book an appointment, or use my contact form?"
Let’s say you’re a professional painter. Your site needs to:
- Welcome people who need to get something painted. = Home page
- Show them great before and after photos. = Gallery
- Convince them you’ll be great to work with. = About page
- And let them book you. = Contact Page
Of course, you want to create an experience and make it wonderful... but you can get stuck building pages forever and ever.
Your website needs to convince casual browsers to become engaged customers. Every page needs to move customers toward your goal. So sit down and think, "What pages do I need to have so my site gets me sales?" And then go from there!
Quick tips for first-timers:
- Templates include pre-built pages for you to customize.
- If you’re stumped, just start with the basics – Home, About, & Contact.
- Most of the time, you can do everything you need with only 3-5 pages.
- ONE is better than NONE! If you need something up right now, start with a one-page website and grow from there.
Pro tips for refreshing your site:
Take a step back and really think about how your website is set up, and what can make it better.
Too many pages can let a visitor get lost in the weeds. On the other hand, beefing up your content might get customers more excited to buy.
Feel free to experiment, you can always add to, rearrange, or trim down your pages.
Make sure your funnel is clear & uncluttered.
3. Put in pictures
People shop with their eyes. Great photos are going to make a huge difference no matter what your website is about.
If you need photos, get them NOW. Do you need product shots, headshots for your site, before and after photos? You need them on your site!
On each page, don’t overwhelm people. An average customer will only scroll through a dozen or so photos, so don't waste time or resources dumping a hundred or so shots on a page. Instead, show your best images first.
Quick tips for first-timers:
- I mean it. ONLY choose your BEST photos.
- Having 6 AMAZING photos is better than having 30 so-so shots.
- You can always add more photos later.
- The bigger your pictures, the better, especially if you want to use them as banners.
Pro tips for refreshing your site:
It's probably time to change up your photos!
Google likes it when you update your content, and so do your visitors. It gives them a reason to keep coming back!
4. Add text
Text is hugely important for a successful website.
Your customers are going to read what you put on your site… and so are search engines like Google. So you need to tell your story using words that resonate with people and include keywords that will help you get found on google.
You don’t need to write a book... just a few sentences per page will do.
Even on gallery pages or contact pages, the text is tremendously helpful for telling about your business, establishing a voice, and building a rapport with clients.
Quick tips for first-timers:
- YES, you need words.
- If you're pen-shy, ask a friend or hire a pro.
- Shoot for 200 words per page... but even a sentence or two helps.
- If you can write more... do it!
- Consider blogging. Text-rich pages provide more points of entry & ramp up your Google juice.
- Use keywords to help search engines send you the right customers.
Pro tips for refreshing your site:
Read over your text to make sure it's accurate, compelling, and tells the story you want to tell. Make any updates as needed!
Did you add any services, or have any stories to tell? You may have an opportunity to add valuable content or start a blog!
Think about the kind of Google searches your customers make, and work in those keywords. Make sure your text still sounds natural, compelling, and fluid.
5. Make a way for people to buy or contact you!
HERE IT IS
THIS IS WHAT IT’S ALL ABOUT
Remember your goal? Now's the time to give people a way to buy your stuff, contact you, book an appointment, or otherwise get you PAID.
- Add a Contact Form so visitors can get in touch.
- Set up a Store to sell products if you have them.
- Create Order Forms that take payments.
- Set up services for customers to book you.
With Zibster, everything's included so you can make money with your website in lots of different ways. We never take a cut of your profits, and have always offered ways to sell with no commission fees! You can build unlimited forms to drive subscriptions, make contracts, and even take payments.
Once you have your forms & store items, drop-in buttons, and CTAs (Calls To Action) to help people navigate around your site and accomplish your goal!
Quick tips for first-timers:
- A contact form goes on the contact page. No-brainer, right? But you can also save customers a click and put one on the Home Page, too!
- No dead ends. Always give your customer something else to do. Add buttons to "See My Work", "Get in Touch", or "Shop Now!"
- Don't be afraid to ask for what you want! Use CTAs to spur readers into action. "Contact me and book an appointment!"
Pro tips for refreshing your site:
Look for ways to make it easier for visitors to get in touch or buy.
Short forms can work better than long ones. Adding a button or CTA can work wonders.
Sometimes it's good to get a fresh set of eyes on your site. Watch a friend use your site to see how people click around. Ask for feedback. Making simple changes can be really helpful for getting more sales & form submissions.
Now... launch your site!
Ready to launch? Let’s put it up!
Our 5-Star support team is here to connect the wires and launch that site! If you have a URL, tell us and we’ll hook it up for you. If you need a URL, we can help you get one!
Once your site is live, blast it on social to tell your customers. Sign up for a Google Business Page. (It's free!)
And when your site has been up a while, evaluate and see what's working and what can improve. You can always grow, change, evolve, refine your website to work better and harder for you online.
Need a hand? Want to stay on top of stuff?
We are always adding new tools, designs & features. Give us a call at 844.353.3412 if you want to know what's new, or keep reading the blog! Our team is here to help however we can so you can build the best website possible for your business.
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