I’ve just done a nice little upgrade on my Get Organized Wizard site. It made me think afresh about how to simplify and improve my customer and reader experience. Here are 4 cool things I did – things that will enhance your website too.
1. Segment your customers and readers
If you have a single, clearly defined customer/reader profile, then that makes life easy for you. You know who you’re talking to, what their concerns are, what they’re looking for. But many of us have a more fragmented customer base. For us, it’s a great first step to divide the site into segments. That way each section of your readership can find what they want and not get distracted or frustrated by irrelevant stuff. I worked out my segments based on the comments on my blog and on my Facebook page. It was clear that there were 4 groups – so I completely re-designed my site around these groups.
2. Have a Start Here place for newbies
If your site is super simple, then you may not need this at all. But if you write about or sell anything that needs explanation, or for people who like to feel oriented before they feel comfortable, then invest some site real estate in a Start Here page. Share a little about you, the site, and what newbies might like to do while visiting. If, like me, you need to orient readers who are also divided into segments, then think about having a Start Here page for each segment, as I’ve done.
3. Make your newsletter sign-up easy and enticing
If you’d like site visitors to subscribe to your newsletter, then make it super-simple. I ask for their email address and that’s all. Not even a name. If your newsletter sign-up is overkill, streamline it. And consider offering a relevant enticement. Um, that adjective there was ‘relevant’. I offer a 72-page workbook on organizing, because this appeals to people who would be interested in my organizing programs. If you’re offering something fabulous but only vaguely related to the people you want on your list, then consider revising your offer.
4. Tell your story
About pages are hard. You have to talk about yourself, which is not fun for many of us. Worse, you have to come across as both fabulous and modest – a writerly feat beyond most of us. The way I get around this is to tell my story rather than give my bio. The same story I tell friends when they ask how I got into this. Okay maybe some wine is involved when I tell that story. People are less interested in your date of birth and list of accomplishments than your story – the why, the real you, the juicy stuff. They’re more likely to keep reading than if you offer a standard bio. And you can pepper the story with achievements and credentials so you get credibility in there too. I’m a lot happier with my site now that I’ve made these changes – and my readers and customers tell me they love it too. Do you do any of these things on your site? Will you make any of these changes?
