5 Questions Your Website Needs To Answer (If You Want More Customers)
Your website is one of the most important sales assets for your business.
It does most of the heavy lifting when it comes to persuading customers to choose your business over a competitor’s.
And if you’re wondering if it’s really that important, ask yourself:
“When was the last time I bought from a business that had a boring, confusing website?”
Yep…me neither.
So how are you actually supposed to persuade people to buy with your website?
In this guide, I’ll outline the 5 crucial questions your website needs to answer, in order to get people lining up to buy from you.
Question 1: Who are you?
There’s one immutable rule in business:
People buy from people who they know, like and trust (Appropriately called the ‘Know, Like & Trust Factor’).
If your customers don’t know who you are, how are they supposed to trust you?
And if they can’t trust you, how can you expect them to be willing to part with their hard-earned money? You can’t.
A key factor in letting people know who you are, is being open and authentic—sharing your likes, dislikes, values and beliefs, and being real with your customers.
This will repel some people, sure, but we’re not interested in the people who were never going to buy from you anyway.
We’re interested in your ideal customers—your tribe of people who resonate with your message, who genuinely need what you’re offering, and who you love working with.
Being open and sharing your true nature with your customers will attract the right people for your business. It’s how you build a loyal customer base who know, like and trust you.
Question 2: What do you do?
How many times have you visited a website, only to be left with more questions than answers?
Too many businesses have a confusing offer and lose customers by the hundreds, all because nobody knows what they actually do.
The best way to share what you do is through a simple exercise that I like to call the “ESP” (Elevator Sales Pitch).
It goes like this:
”I help [ideal customer] achieve/get [desired end result] by/with/through [what you do].”
All you need to do is fill in the blanks, and slightly adjust to your specific offer.
Here are some examples:
”I help service-based businesses attract new customers with clean, user-friendly Squarespace websites.”
“I help middle-aged men lose their gut in 60 days with a diet and training accountability program that doesn’t sacrifice their lifestyle”
“I help busy professionals lower stress from their desk with a daily 5-min sitting yoga practice”
Every single one of those examples makes it easy for the customer to identify what you do and how you do it, making it easy for them to see if you might be the right fit to solve their problems.
Many businesses get this wrong, and waste an entire page talking about nothing. By simply doing this exercise, you can make yourself stand out to new customers.
Question 3: Who do you help?
This ties into “What do you do?” because if it’s not clear who your offer is for, nobody is going to buy from you.
Your customer should know at first glance, whether your offer is for them or not.
This is why the ESP is such a powerful exercise, because it helps you convey what you do, who you help and how you help in a single sentence.
You can put this right at the top of your website before they even need to scroll, and let customers know in an instant that they should keep reading—because it’s relevant to their needs.
But if they don’t know who you help, they’re just going to exit your website.
Nobody is going to waste time on something that isn’t relevant to them.
Question 4: What’s in it for them?
The number one question in your customers’ minds is this:
”What’s in it for me?”
If you don’t answer any of the other questions, you need to answer this one very clearly. Your customers need to know what’s in it for them.
In other words, what do they get out of working with you?
Do they solve a specific problem?
Achieve a specific end result?
Whatever it is, let them know exactly how they benefit from your offer. The more specific, the better.
Let’s take a look at 2 examples…
You can decide which one you’d be more likely to buy if you were looking for this solution:
“I’m a personal trainer for women”
“I help new mothers lose pregnancy weight and get their old bodies back with a 12-week, low-impact nutrition and exercise program.”
There’s no question about it…if you’re in the market to lose pregnancy weight, you’re choosing the second offer.
Even if it’s more expensive, you’ll still choose the second offer simply because there’s no confusion. You know that this is the exact solution you need to solve your specific problem.
This is why it’s so important to get clear on your offer and let your customers know exactly what’s in it for them.
Question 5: Why should they trust you?
This goes back to the know, like and trust factor. Your customers need to know that they can trust you.
So how can you let them know that you’re trustworthy?
Social proof!
Testimonials, reviews, awards, case studies…whatever it is, you need to show your customers that you have experience producing the results you promise, and also that people are happy with your service.
The truth is, nothing sells your product like other people.
You can have the best offer in the world, but people will still be sceptical if you don’t have the proof to back up your promises.
This is why it’s so important to ask customers to leave a review.
Pro Tip: It’s a good idea to display social proof near a Call To Action.
If someone is about to get in touch with you or book a service, you can increase the likelihood of them taking action by displaying a gleaming review from a happy customer right next to the ‘Call Now’ button.
This gives them confidence that they’re making the right decision with you.
Need help refreshing your website?
I’m Alex Edwards - a Squarespace web designer, and owner of Edwards Design.
I make it easy for service-based businesses to stand out to their ideal customers with clean, user-friendly Squarespace websites.
If you need help refreshing your website, or you need a brand new site, let’s chat!
Click here to schedule a free consultation with me to chat about how I might be able to help you.
Alternatively, you can email me at: alex@edwardsdesign.com.au
