Your website is a critical part of your business.

It’s your digital calling card and a 24-hour salesperson rolled into one.

So, if you’re struggling with website shame, it will hold you back in all sorts of ways.

Think about it…

If you can’t stand the look and feel of your site, would you want potential clients and customers looking at it and judging YOU and your skills based on what they see?

Would you feel excited about sharing your URL at networking events?

Not a chance!

Unfortunately, lots of entrepreneurs suffer from website shame and have no idea how to deal with it.

Luckily, there are 5 relatively simple tweaks you can make to improve the look and feel of your site so that it’ll start converting more visitors into leads and buyers!

Here are 5 of my favorite tips and tweaks that will get your website off its virtual “butt” 🙂

Tweak #1: Update Your About Page

After the home page, the About page is the #1 most-visited page on any site.

I call it the “make or break” page especially for solopreneurs and small business owners.

If people like what they see on your About page, they’ll stay and maybe even subscribe to your newsletter or sign up for your free opt in gift so you can nurture them into clients.

But if they don’t like what they see, chances are you’ll lose them forever.

Updating your About page doesn’t have to be complicated. You can do it effectively by focusing on 2 key areas:

1. Infuse your page with your unique personality — Use words and images that reflect who you are. Allow your readers to see the real you.
2. Highlight your credibility — Include certifications, qualifications, testimonials or experience that can demonstrate to your prospective clients that YOU are the perfect person for the job.

World-class media coach, Joel Roberts says, “Credibility is a combination of expertise and humanity.”

Always remember: you can’t bestow credibility on yourself. It has to be in the eye of the beholder.

Tweak #2: Pay for Pro Pics

So many talented entrepreneurs “hide” behind their work. They think it’s all about what they do, how they showing up and how they make their customers feel.

So they take a couple of random pictures of themselves, upload them onto the About page on their site and think they’re done.

But here’s the truth…

Attracting great clients is as much about who you are as what you do. 

So here’s my advice: never underestimate the unspoken power of your images to give visitors a window into who you are. A picture speaks a thousand words! 

So don’t skimp on this one — hire a pro photographer to take great pictures of you… pictures that make you feel comfortable, happy and proud.

And while we’re on the topic, please do not upload old college photos of yourself when you’re pushing 40, 50 or 60!

Your potential clients and customers want to see what you look like now, not what you looked like when you were co-captain of the cheerleaders, no matter how good you looked 🙂

Tweak #3: Create an Attention-Grabbing Hero Banner

I can’t stress this enough…

The top hero banner on your Home page is prime digital real estate and it has to be a major attention-grabber.

Use this simple formula to create a hero banner that’s a show stopper:

1 x attractive “hero shot” of yourself (or your key product) + 1 or 2 lines of short, snappy copy that captures what you do.

You can see this formula at work on the home page at Live Your Message:

 There’s a “hero shot” of me + this enticing question…

 There are 5,267,967,868 people online right now. But only One You.

How do you stand out from the noise of a billion websites?

You can also use the top banner on your site to share a call to action (or CTA) that inspires website visitors to take the next step with you, whatever that looks like in your business.

See Tweak #4 below for examples of great CTAs 🙂

Tweak #4: Get Crackin’ on Those CTAs

A CTA is a copywriting term that literally means what it says: call to action!

It’s typically a few lines of copy that’s designed to motivate your visitors to take one, very specific action. The trick is making this an action that builds your business and supports your current business model. 

We have a free Masterclass that will lead you step-by-step through the process of choosing the right kind of CTAs so you can turn your website into a Lean, Mean, Money-Making Machine.

Here are 3 examples of powerful CTAs:

1. Netflix

Unlimited movies, TV shows, and more

Watch anywhere. Cancel Anytime.

[ Ready to watch? Enter your email to create or restart your membership ]

2. Talking Shrimp

Get the ONLY emails anyone likes anymore*

Emails that make you a better writer — become a Shrimper and drink ’em up!

[ me want ]

*According to an unscientific but totes accurate study

3. Live Your Message

What’s Your Secret Entrepreneurial Superpower?

Identify your entrepreneurial superpower in just 60 seconds, and discover how it affects the kind of business you should build.

[Take the Superpower Quiz]

Make sure the CTAs on your website feature:

• Easy-to-understand words or phrases
• A crystal clear message, question or next step
• Action words or verbs such as “discover”, “buy”, “subscribe”or “download”
• Words or phrases like “zero cost,” “complementary” or “free” when your CTA is for a free opt-in gift 

Tweak #5: Make it Mobile-Friendly

Over 50% of your website traffic will come from mobile visitors — people who visit your site on their phone or tablet.

If your site was designed for desktop computers without mobile phones in mind, it may appear wonky on a cell phone and could cost you leads and sales.

So, here’s what I want you to do…

Take a moment to visit your site on your smartphone or tablet and take note of what happens. Are the pages loading correctly? Is the font readable? Can you easily switch between pages?

If you find that your site is anything but mobile responsive, you have a couple of options…

You can choose to work with a designer or you can go the DIY route. 

Whatever route you choose, it’s definitely worth optimizing and maximizing this resource.

Because if your website looks unprofessional or incongruent with who you are, it could hurt your reputation and put off potential dream clients.

The 5 tweaks I’ve shared will go a long way to improve your site but if you’re ready for more, I want you to check out my complimentary online Masterclass for loads of actionable tips and techniques to turn your website into a lean, mean, money-making machine 🙂

Before you go, I’d love to know…

Do you struggle with website shame? If you could wave a magic wand, what would you change about your site right now?

Share your thoughts in the comments below, I’d love to hear from you!