3 website mistakes you can’t afford to make!
Website visitors click away from your site in microseconds!
And you’re left like Nancy Kerrigan screaming, “Whyyy?!”
Fear not - I’m here with answers & simple fixes.
Q: What website mistakes am I making?
A: I hope nothing below👇
1️⃣ Your site doesn’t sound like YOU!
This is a two-parter.
Website copy likely doesn't sound like you because:
Your writing doesn't carry your tone of voice.
and
You're too focused on grammar.
The simple fix: turn up the personality & dial down the rules.
(I need you to know that 4th grade me is currently cringing as I write this blog.)
As the dependable straight-A student of my class, I got down with grammar like there was no tomorrow!
The structure & rules worked for me.
But there was a point where I noticed,
You can be too focused on grammar →
It helps to know the rules so you can break them.
Dare I sound like a character straight out of Frozen for a moment: Let. It. Go!
Your web copy needs to make the reader feel like they're having a conversation with you.
If you're hung up on the grammar rules you've learned -
You're going to miss out on readers (meaning = potential clients)!
There are times you should focus on grammar, and others where you can loosen that leash a bit for the greater good.
Give yourself breathing room with words on your website so you can make the impact you dream of!
Clients want to come back to see you because - you're awesome!
You have to let the newbies (potential clients) see that sparkle on your site.
If they don't - they're going to click away & land at a practice with a provider where they'll be unhappy.
The 🔑 key takeaway:
Write like you're talking with an actual client!
Every piece of information you share on your practice website should sound 1) like you and 2) be clear.
Use your words - it's THE best way to give potential clients the feeling of being in your office -
Without actually being in your office yet.
2️⃣ You aren’t keeping it simple.
We as providers have a tendency to (as one chiropractor I worked with said) throw the entire candy jar at them.
Even though we imagine it's helpful - it's usually not.
You and I both care about our patients + clients so much that we often overwhelm them with information.
It happens in person, and more often online.
I cannot tell you the number of websites I've clicked on, and - yes - left in a hurry because of ALL. THE. WORDS.
The simple fix: be more concise & give clear next steps.
Use simple language - rumor has it it's best to write at about a sixth-grade level.
This is especially key for all my healthcare providers. Chiropractors, physical therapists, dentists, OBGYNs, & beyond → I'm looking at you.
As much as we love talking anatomy & using the language those expensive degrees earned us the right to use -
Practice websites need to speak to patients & clients - not healthcare peers.
Patients are more concerned with what your office is like, if you seem nice, and if they can afford the visit.
Pro tip: I love using Hemingway App to check my work.
It helps my writing follow some grammar rules, but keeps it fun to read and easy-to-understand!
Main goal 🥅: Keep your message simple.
You not only need to consider your actual word choice, but what you tell readers with those words.
Directing visitors isn't a job left to the nice people with bright vests & big smiles at concerts.
It's something we unwittingly agree to when we create healthcare websites.
Brain exercise 🧠 → how do you treat new patients in your practice?
If we're as similar as I think we are, a new patient visit to your physical therapy, chiropractic, or dental office might look like this:
👉 Person arrives, you greet them, smile at them, & maybe offer coffee or water.
👉 You make sure intake forms are complete & give a brief office tour.
👉 The new patient makes it back to your office where you share your findings & discuss next steps.
Are you doing that on your practice website?
Your site is an extension of your physical practice.
If you welcome new clients in person, why would you not do the same on your website?
Closing arguments:
Don’t make your readers trip over words.
Welcome them, share with them, and give them a clear next step.
3️⃣ You don’t revisit your own website.
A website isn’t a set-it-and-forget it kind of business tool - for several reasons.
One of the biggest starts with "G" and ends with “oogle.”
You - yes, you - are responsible for telling Google what’s important, and what it needs to pay attention to.
And you have to constantly tap Google on the shoulder to remind it to talk about you + share your site.
Search engines are like infants - they're needy, not self-sufficient, and if it's quiet - there's a problem.
A quick and easy way to soothe that baby: blog posts!
Blog posts kill two birds with one stone (I should have Googled another analogy)...
With a blog, you 1️⃣ write little informative letters to your clients and 2️⃣ feed Google website updates.
They could be long blogs, short blogs - even video blogs (I'm trying out a vlog soon myself!).
Blogs are a tool that can help your site rank for SEO keywords (search engine optimization).
This is important for websites!
Blogging allows you to ease into writing words that sound like you
...and learning what that is in the first place.
The point is:
You have options! But you must do something to grab Google's attention.
If you don't want to blog -
Make little updates on a regular basis to any page on your business website.
Update your headlines, clean up clunky sentences, or work your SEO (titles & descriptions).
What if you don't want to blog or make website SEO updates?
Hire out these tasks!
⭐️ Find a copywriter (like me - wink) who enjoys writing blog posts & pay them to do the work.
(While you get all the credit!)
⭐️ Pay someone to manage your website - like a marketing agency.
⭐️ Or work with a VA (virtual assistant) to periodically update photos or SEO descriptions.
Start with some action - and know you can always go back to make changes.
Websites are always evolving. There are new trends that pop up, services you stop offering, and links that lead to nowhere.
The good news is -
It will be there when you're ready to tackle the task.
