Business owners often view “website marketing” as “website makeover.” In fact, your website marketing may be fine just the way you have it now.

Every so often I get invited to critique a solo-preneur’s website… and I end up saying, “Hey, this website is terrific! Why on earth do you want a makeover?”

Here are 3 of the most common reasons you may think you need a makeover, when you may need some strategic website marketing planning … or maybe nothing at all.

A “free evaluation” from a marketing coach, web designer or copywriter.

At the risk of stepping on a mountain of toes, I’ll say, “You get what you pay for.” Busy writers, designers and coaches rarely have time to offer in-depth consultations without charging.

You may pick up a few tips, such as “Don’t use italics in the body copy.” You may get chosen for a makeover that will be used as a demo to promote the resource.

The truth is … your website alone doesn’t tell the story. You have to look *outside* your website to decide if you need one.

You hire a business coach, copywriter, or marketing coach who says, “Let’s start with a website makeover.”

[Insert red flag and warning buzzer here.]

Before recommending a website makeover, your consultant needs to review your strategy and your current programs. I’m a great believer of fixing things only when they’re broken and building new things only when you have (a) a realistic objective and (b) a reason to believe the new site will move you towards your objective.

When I work with clients as a consultant or coach, we don’t discuss websites for 2 or 3 sessions – longer if my client is starting a new business or a new business direction. It’s easy to start with the website but painful to make changes as the business plan and strategy evolve.

You’re getting *good* clients and you enjoy working with them. But every so often someone says, “You know, your website is awful. You really should fix it.”

The printable part of my response is, “Take a hike.” Some of the ugliest websites are the most successful.

A website makeover is not a magic wand. Without a strong underlying purpose and strategy, the makeover won’t do anything for your business. But sometimes, you will notice a difference in your revenue almost immediately, so here are …

3 GOOD Reasons To Get a Website Makeover

You’ve outgrown your website: your current clients and business are not reflected in your current.

 You constantly get asked, “I didn’t know you offered this service…” and it’s your signature program.

You attract interest and queries from prospects who are the wrong clients for your business, so you end up wasting time.

If you’d like a consultation about your own website marketing goals, or your online marketing strategy in general, let’s begin with a Laser Marketing Makeover. It’s like adding a jolt of espresso to a cup of coffee: you get an immediate lift! Learn more here.

Just what is an online presence, anyway? Is it just a website?

If you’re a busy professional, your online presence becomes a way of extending your marketing power without investing additional hours. You market more productively without reducing your billable hours or your personal life.

I used to encourage readers to think of the effect they created when they walk into a room at a networking event. Your movement style, walk, clothes, hair and general aura all create a professional presence.

But now I think your online presence goes deeper.  Let’s think of your presence as having  dimensions.

Depth - This is the element of presence that’s like walking into a room. It’s sharp, immediate, focused and subjective as well as objective. You create this depth by the look and feel of your materials: your header graphic, type face, colors and (if you add one) logo.

Those are the obvious components of depth. Your words also become your signature. Think of people you follow on the Internet. If you had to describe their conversational style, you probably could.

“Girl next door.”

“Edgy.”

“Sarcastic.”

“Light-hearted.”

“Always serious and businesslike.”

Breadth - This dimension refers to the distribution of your online presence. Do people say, “You’re out there in a big way?” Are you everywhere, within the realm of your target market? Do a lot of people know about you?

I recognized my own breadth when I went to a conference where I knew almost no one. Several people came up, saw my name tag and said, “Cat Chats! I’ve been there.” Love when that happens.

Height - This dimension refers to your status or stature. Does your online presence signal credibility? Are you seen as strong, powerful and competent?

I just heard from someone who heard me speak on a teleseminar a few months ago. She remembered me and she wrote, “I was impressed. I will want to work with you soon.”  That’s my dream version of height.

If you like this topic, check out my free Report: 3 Essential Steps To Create Your Fabulous Online Presence.

Schedule a Laser Marketing Makeover to transform your own online presence – fast!

A few blocks from where I live, an optometrist posted a sign:

A year of manicures and pedicures – $186

One eye exam to save your sight – $45

Wow. That’s a show stopper! An eye exam seems expensive … until you think about what we pay for manicures or even getting our hair done.

The truth is: we hear numbers differently, depending on the context. If you’ve been in the Internet Marketing world awhile, $97 seems very reasonable for a Report related to business; $37 seems like a giveaway. To someone who’s accustomed to bookstores, the number $37 seems high because you can get a hardcover book for $25.

Internet marketers understand this principle so we often promote numbers to gain an advantage. If you’re selling, you may be able to do well by turning large amounts into smaller fees. As far as I know, you’re doing nothing illegal or unethical, by most standards, as long as you disclose everything. If you are buying, you need to be aware of what you are getting.

Example 1:

You get two quotes for copywriting. One quote sounds outrageous: $2000. Another copywriter quotes $40 an hour. Many business owners will grab the $40 an hour copywriter. Sometimes you get great copy. But sometimes that copywriter ends up taking 20, 40 or even 100 hours to write your content. My own rule for most services is, “If you can’t give me an upper limit, I can’t hire you.”

The exception? Most VA’s can’t quote by the project. Each task is just too small. That’s another article.

Example 2:

Your design company offers to create a website free (or for a shockingly low rate). When you read the fine print, you discover you also pay hosting for a year or more. From the designer’s perspective, it’s a good deal. It might work for you, too.

But … does the hosting company offer 24/7 support for hosting issues? If not, you won’t know what to do if your site mysteriously disappears at 3 AM on a weekend. If you’re with a good hosting company you probably clicked the wrong button when you uploaded content and it’s an easy fix. If your host isn’t available, you’re stuck.

Sometimes the hosting company promises to help you with maintenance. Frankly, most sites just don’t need that much maintenance, other than updating content. Modifying WordPress content is about as hard as sending an email, once you’ve learned the basics, or you can hire a VA for updates. If you’re making major changes or adding new pages all the time, you need to find affordable support (and you’re hopefully making decisions that lead to a healthy return on your investment).

My own hosting company, hostgator, charges less than $8 per month for hosting. So if you’re paying $40 a month, you’ve got almost $400 to spend on services you really need. You can choose the services so if you’re not happy – no problem.

My newest service – express websites – doesn’t require ongoing maintenance. You pay one time. For some businesses, it’s exactly what you need. Learn more.

So many business owners have asked for a website they can get FAST. They don’t want to invest the time in developing a whole set of pages. Frankly, they say, they just need a simple but professional online marketing presence. I offered a special in November and all spaces were filled. You can see details of the new program here.  

Service business owners often express a legitimate concern about website development: how much information do you have to share so prospects get to know you – and at what point are you giving away too much?

As a first step in addressing this challenge, I will introduce a cliche from journalism. Every story needs to answer the Big 5 questions: Who, What, When, Where and Why. I’m not sure journalists still think this way. But when you analyze your own website marketing content, you may find this system helpful as you assess the effectiveness of your copywriting. I’ll illustrate with an example.

Let’s say you are a fitness trainer. You work with clients who want to get in shape to lose weight and enjoy more energy.

WHO: You introduce yourself to answer the question, “Who will help me reach my fitness goals? Is this person (or team of people) qualified? Why should I trust them?”

WHAT: It’s not about specific actions you take to get results. It’s more like, “What do I have to do?”

Your home page includes some “what” info, especially in the bullet points. The “what” focuses on features. For the fitness program, you might say, “You learn techniques to move your body differently. You get systems to choose high-energy “fuel foods” that increase your energy (and you don’t have to give up coffee and chocolate).”

This information also belongs in your info products, with considerably more detail.

You have to use the “What” info carefully. Readers will get frustrated if you offer a giveaway or a series of blog posts where you promise how” info but offer “what.” Website visitors can be scared away with too much detail

WHEN: How often? What times of day? What season? These are the questions related to your service. For instance, an exercise pro might say, “as little as 60 minutes a week.” (I’ve seen ads for those programs but I must admit I’m skeptical!) Do you provide service evenings and weekends?

This info typically belongs on the service page. Most clients realize you won’t be available 24/7 but I occasionally requests for appointments at 9:30 PM on Friday.

WHERE: How will the service take place? Virtually? If live, your place or theirs? If your offering is unusual, you might consider highlighting the “where” info on your home page. If clients want to have this info before proceeding, make sure it’s on your home page.

For instance, many people have strong preferences about services like fitness and massage. You want the provider to come to your home … or you absolutely don’t! Trust me – a person with multiple pets (who yowl loudly when you lock them up) will not get a peaceful massage at home.

WHY: “Why do I need this service? Why are you the best?” These questions absolutely have to be answered on the home page, with supplemental information on your About page and perhaps Services page.

The “why” information also belongs in the first part of nearly every info product and teleseminar you provide. It’s critical to remind those who download or purchase your info products -but you can’t go on too long. Otherwise your reader gets annoyed.

Of course, neither your site nor any specific page will be organized along the 5W lines. But an understanding of the type of content you are writing will help you create a stronger marketing message.

HOW: This understanding is especially critical when you get into the “HOW” dimension. When you write content for your website, you are often advised, “Tell readers WHAT to do, but not HOW to do it.”

The truth is, you may have to reveal some “how to” info to keep your readers interested and to demonstrate your own credibility. No recommendation can be universal. But generally I recommend including information about how to do something.

For instance, a fitness professional might offer a free giveaway like, “How to do a sit-up without hurting your back.” This type of giveaway would accomplish several purposes. First, prospective clients could try out the method to see if it worked. Alternatively, some clients would be turned away because they want a program that doesn’t include sit-ups or crunches. That’s fine: they’re not a fit for this program.

Would you like to learn how to set up your home page so you create content that motivates readers to keep reading so they get interested in working with you? Check out my mini-workshop starting next week: http://budurl.com/homepagerun

Copywriting for a service business requires creating a compelling website marketing presence. You have a presence when you walk into a room. Now your website has to create a presence when visitors stop by.

One way to create a website marketing presence involves creating your Free Report and promoting it on every page -especially your Home Page.  This step is your gateway to list-building. Therefore your report’s title represents a critical element of copywriting: you need to communicate that you offer a genuine difference.

I don’t recommend reports like,   “101 things a coach [accountant, consultant, speech coach, office organizer or virtual assistant] can do for you.”

These report just aren’t interesting.  Who wants to wade through a list of 101 items?

If you’re an accountant, your visitor won’t be astounded to discover you’ll prepare her taxes. If you’re a virtual assistant, she’ll expect you to help with mailing lists and phone calls.

Often these lists are prepared by a central service. You find the same giveaway on a dozen or more websites.  Your visitor’s eyes start to glaze over. She decides maybe she should forget the whole thing.

How can you prevent the bleary-eyed visitor blues?

(1) Create a problem-solving Call for Action – before you design the rest of your web site. “How-to” titles work best because you demonstrate that you understand the problem and showcase your unique approach.

• A Virtual Assistant: “How to delegate the 10 most critical tasks that keep your business alive and profitable.”
• A speech coach: “Five techniques that tell your audience you’re a professional speaker”
• An office organizer: “It’s 9 AM – do you know where your Top Priority is?”

(2) Make it easier for prospects to figure out why you’re different from the competition on the other 43 websites your prospect just visited.

A hairstylist: “Curly hair is my specialty (and we’re never late with appointments).”

A virtual assistant: “I can program the Internet’s top shopping cart system to save you 5 hours each month.”

A speech coach: “Five clients I coached last year are now listed with speaker bureaus.”

(3) Identify benefits your prospect may not have anticipated.

For instance, prospective clients may not realize that some office organizers can help them choose furniture to make their lives easier. Others employ feng shui principles.

Bottom Line: Visitors who see a big grab-bag list of offers will tune out if they recognize the first few. “Ho hum. I know that.”

Instead, find ways to showcase yourself and your expertise –professionally.  You’ll be taking the first steps to creating a powerful online presence.

To learn more about copywriting for a compelling online marketing presence, check out my website marketing workshop starting October 20:

http://www.CopywritingWithCathy.com/homepageworkshop.html

Many service business owners find themselves putting “website makeover” (or even “website development”) on the back burner because they just don’t have time – even though they know they are leaving money on the table.

The truth is, most website development projects take too long and cost too much because they’re engineered to go backwards. As a copywriter, I work with designers regularly and have learned how to get the greatest benefit in the shortest possible time.

Strategy #1: Create your content – all your content – before you even think about developing your logo, color scheme or website layout.

Many business owners call a web designer or even a web development company as their very first step. After all, most of us are conscious of what a website looks like. We’re often taught to associate “website development” with “web design.”

My clients have been surprised to find how much time and money they can save by starting their website makeover by writing content, either as a DIY or by hiring a copywriter first. Here’s why.

– You can lose your place in the designer’s queue if you do not have your content ready. Your web designer can’t complete your project without content. When your designer has to wait for your content, he or she moves on to other projects. When you finally call to say, “Content is here!” your designer may be in the middle of another project. She needs more time to re-learn your requirements and you probably will be charged for the extra time. Besides, she can’t stop work on her current project. You may wait a month or more to get your project going again.

– Your designer relies on your content strategy to create a header graphic and choose the colors. Otherwise the design you choose will not support your message and may even clash with your USP (Unique selling Proposition). For example, I worked with a client who had paid for a high-end graphic of a relaxed beach scene. When we reviewed her niche, she realized she needed an image that was stark and strong. Mountain cliffs and stormy waves would have been more appropriate. My client was then faced with a choice to keep a graphic that didn’t fit her strategy or acknowledge that she had paid for an online presence that would be confusing rather than compelling?

Strategy #2: Develop content to communicate exactly how your audience will benefit.

When it comes to websites, many business owners focus on eye-popping graphics and they agonize for hours over website colors and typefaces.

The truth is, when you stand out from the crowd, you earn more revenue with a whole lot less effort. You can command higher fees because prospects realize you are unique. However, they won’t respond if you just LOOK unique. Are you offering a purple cow?  Your prospects and clients want to be sure you haven’t just taken an old brown cow and slapped on some purple paint.

That’s where expert copywriters make the difference, as they can paint word pictures and introduce you as a 3-dimensional, standout professional. Your copywriter can set up the content so your designer can’t help developing a website that’s your own version of a purple cow.

Strategy #3: Put your players in the best positions to win the profit game.

Often, business owners expect the web designer to win the whole online marketing game single-handedly with color, design, traffic and navigation. The truth is, if your website were a football game, the content would be the quarterback and the design would be your offensive line.

On the football field the quarterback calls plays and makes sure the ball gets down the field to score points. The job of the offensive line is to make sure the quarterback gets through, unharmed, without interference.

On your website, your designer’s job is to make it easy for visitors to read your copy. Just as good linemen protect their quarterback, your web designer makes sure your graphics support your message and your site is easy to read.

Your copywriter calls the plays: How do you identify your niche so you know how to reach them easily (and motivate them to take action on your offer)? Which pages get featured on the main menu bar? What metaphors and stories will frame your content?

Once you’ve created compelling content, it’s time for your web designer to implement the technical and visual components of your site. Some copywriters will even guide your designer and manage the entire project, just as a football quarterback is the coach on the field.

Get More Clients When You Begin Your Web Design By Writing the Content

The simple strategies described in this article will multiply your marketing efforts, whether you are a beginner who’s trying to develop a website while creating a new company, or a seasoned veteran who is busy seeing clients but desperately needs an upgraded website to keep prospects in the funnel. Now you can skip the hassle and time-consuming detours that many business associate with online marketing.

Ready to get started?

I’ve got a 5-point checklist you can download to assess your own online marketing strategies. And for an in-depth analysis and plan, start with a Laser Marketing Makeover.

These days we’re all talking about going green. We’re recycling and cutting back on energy. So … do you have a green website too?

Never fear, I’m not suggesting you adopt green as your theme color. It’s not for everyone and anyway a few leading marketers already grabbed on to green as their branding color.

A green website conserves energy – your energy! With a green website you recycle what you can (without compromising quality) and you continue to renew yourself.

That’s the definition of a green website. When you learn a few techniques (which we discussed yesterday), you’ll get a better website faster. You won’t think of a website as just one more hassle.

And the benefits are …

(1) Your competitors and associates go green with envy … because your website is up and running while theirs is just a glimmer on the horizon. And your website functions smoothly and efficiently.

(2) Your website bursts with fresh energy, like the earth turning green in springtime. You keep your content fresh and your excitement can’t be hidden.

(3) You add more green to your wallet (if you live in a country with green money). After all, why create a website if you’re not investing in a business asset?

Check out my recent teleseminar replay:
5 Strategies For Creating An Energy Efficient Website
http://budurl.com/august30

What do you say when a client says, “I’m not finding our coaching helpful. I want to end.”

In an ideal world, you’d say some or all of the following:

“Let’s talk about what’s happening and how I might help you.”
“You may be right; I’m not for everyone.”
“You’re smart enough to make a wise decision. How can I support you?”
“Maybe we can be JV partners in a future venture.”
“If you need anything else, I will be there for you.”
“Of course and I m happy to refund the unused portion of your service [depending on your agreemnt].”

Instead some coaches and consultants say things like:

“We’re very upset that you didn’t even want to try.”
“It’s not my fault that you didn’t see results. The economy is making it hard for everybody.”
“We spent so much time working with you.”
“You’ll have to refund the money for your bonus ]which was a fraction of the whole coaching agreement].

What I don’t understand is, why would anyone recommend a coach or consultant – let alone return for more – when that coach was defensive or even insulting?

I admit it is hard. I remember when someone demanded a $97 investment back, after scooping up all the bonuses in a workshop … and then showed up in a more expensive course taught by someone else. What irked me was that she could have told me openly and let me collect a referral fee; then she could have had both courses! But I should have been more gracious and next time I hope I will be. I also learned not to give away bonuses till the refund period has expired.

I’ve heard other marketers get exasperated when someone attends an event and then asks for a refund … after assuring the host that everything was fine during the course of the day. As a client you do have an obligation to share your frustration and give your resource a chance to fix things. Sometimes it’s hard to be direct (“I didn’t find that comment helpful”) but we all need to do it.

What’s your take? Have you ever “quit” a program early? Have you had this experience with your clients? Comment on the link below.

And check out my Special Report on customer service.

OK, you need your first website and you need it now! If you are creating your first website (or first website for a new niche or product), you probably don’t want to invest hundreds of hours and thousands of dollars in website development. What are some of your options for creating your first website – fast, affordable and ready for action?

(1) Sign up for site builder software.

NOT a good idea: The biggest problem with most site builders is that you, the business owner, lose control of your host, domain and even website. When you pay a single fee, you often discover that the site building company owns your domain and your hosting account. When you want to go out on your own – i.e., expand your website – you don’t have passwords and you may not have the knowledge you need. Sometimes the site itself has been set up for “easy content creation” in an arcane form that will baffle most designers and copywriters.

I’ve had clients who had to threaten legal action to get these companies to take action. Some waited weeks and even months to get their sites up and running.

(2) Find a website promising, “Fast websites done here.”

Better- if you get to own your own domain name and web hosting. Make sure you are working with a strategist or copywriter as well as a designer. Look at the website owner’s samples. Do they include service businesses like yours? What platform will they use? Who will maintain the site when you’re finished?

(3) Get a done-for-you WordPress site.

This option is new and I just heard about it. You actually get a FREE WordPress website. However you have to pay for hosting and domain name – which is good – and you pay separately for training videos. Even so, it seems to be a good deal and I may use it for some clients. Check it out here.

If you’d like something in between a basic site and an all-out website, I am currently (and probably temporarily) offering a Fast Website service at rates considerably lower than you’d pay for full-service website copywriting. Check it out here and let me know what you think. (This link can be slow for some reason but it does work.)