FROM ORDINARY TO EXTRAORDINARY: TRANSFORM YOUR WEBSITE INTO A STAND-OUT SUCCESS

By Ivana Katz

I WOKE UP ONE MORNING TO A MESSAGE FROM A NEW CLIENT, MAT, WHO WAS ABSOLUTELY THRILLED WITH HIS NEW WEBSITE. "I LITERALLY GOT A CHILL ON HOW GOOD IT LOOKED!" HE EXCLAIMED IN HIS EMAIL. AS A WEBSITE DESIGNER, THERE'S NOTHING MORE REWARDING THAN HEARING THAT KIND OF FEEDBACK.

In this article, I'll share some key strategies for making your website truly exceptional. Whether you're a startup entrepreneur or an established business owner, these tips will help you take your website to the next level and leave a lasting impression.

Start with a benefit driven tagline

By using a benefit-driven tagline, you can communicate to potential customers what they can expect to gain from working with you. This can help you stand out in a crowded market and connect with customers on a deeper level.

For example, let's say you run a cleaning service. A benefitdriven tagline might be something like "Relax in a clean home - let us do the dirty work!" This communicates the benefit of a clean home, which is a feeling of relaxation and peace of mind, while also emphasising the convenience of having someone else take care of the cleaning.

Another example might be for a fitness trainer, who could use a tagline like "Transform your body and your life with our personalised training programs." This highlights the benefit of transformation, which is often a primary goal for people seeking fitness training, while also emphasising the personalised approach of the trainer.

Don’t sell products & services, solve problems

When it comes to designing a website, one of the most important things you can do is to understand your customer's problems and work to solve them with your products and services.

Your website is not about you, it’s about how you can help your visitors. To start, you need to identify your customer's pain points and obstacles that might prevent them from achieving their goals.

For example, if you are a business coach, instead of selling your coaching services, offer solutions to your clients’ problems, such as:

▶ Lack of clarity or direction in their business goals and strategies

▶ Inability to effectively manage their time and priorities

▶ Difficulty with decisionmaking and problem-solving

▶ Struggles with communication and leadership skills

▶ Challenges with marketing and promoting their business effectively

▶ Difficulty with managing and motivating employees or team members

▶ Struggles with work-life balance and personal fulfilment in their business pursuits.

Focus on user experience

Creating a great website is like building a house. You want to make sure that it's not only aesthetically pleasing, but also functional and comfortable for the people who will be living in it. Similarly, when designing a website, it's important to focus on the user experience.

User experience (UX) refers to the overall experience that a person has when interacting with a website. It encompasses everything from the layout and design of the site to the ease of navigation and the speed of the page load times.

Just as you want your house to be comfortable and inviting for your guests, you want your website to be easy and intuitive for your users.

One way to improve the user experience on your website is to focus on simplicity. Just as clutter can make a house feel cramped and unwelcoming, too much information or too many design elements on a website can be overwhelming and confusing for users.

Another important aspect of user experience is speed. The same way a slow water flow can be frustrating in a house, a slow-loading website can be frustrating for your visitors.

People have become accustomed to getting information quickly and easily, so it's important to make sure that your website is optimised for fast load times. This can include compressing images, embedding videos instead of uploading them and minifying code (the process of removing unnecessary characters and whitespace from source code to reduce its file size).

Be authentic

Using authentic imagery and language that reflects your brand personality and values can help your website stand out in a sea of generic corporate messaging.

Think about what sets your brand apart from others in your industry.

What values and principles do you stand for?

What makes your brand unique?

Incorporating these elements into your website can help you create a strong brand identity that resonates with your audience.

Let's say you own a fitness studio that offers personalised training programs and a community-focused approach. To showcase what makes your brand stand apart, you could create a website that features photos of your studio and clients in action. You could also include a page that explains your personalised training approach and communityfocused values.

On your homepage, you could use messaging that highlights your unique selling proposition, such as "Experience the personalised training that gets results" or "Join our supportive community of fitness enthusiasts." By using language that reflects your brand personality and values, you'll create a connection with your audience that goes beyond just selling fitness programs.

Offer valuable content

Creating valuable content is a powerful way to connect with your audience and build trust with potential customers. By providing them with relevant and helpful information, you're not only showcasing your expertise, but also demonstrating your commitment to their needs.

For example, if you run a business that sells organic skincare products, you could create a blog post about the benefits of natural ingredients in skincare. This content not only educates your audience, but also positions your brand as a knowledgeable and trustworthy source for information on natural skincare.

Similarly, you could create howto guides that demonstrate how to use your products effectively or provide tips and tricks for solving common skincare problems. By sharing valuable information, you're not only building credibility, but also fostering a sense of community and connection with your audience.

Case studies and videos are other examples of valuable content that can help to establish your brand as a thought leader in your industry.

For instance, if you offer a service such as social media marketing, you could create a video that showcases a successful campaign you ran for a client.

This type of content not only highlights your skills and experience, but also provides real-world examples of how your services can benefit potential clients.

Use engaging visuals

Use visually appealing graphics, images, and videos to make your website stand out. This can help capture visitors' attention and keep them engaged with your brand.

For example, if you're a hairdresser, you can showcase your expertise and skill by including before and after images of your clients to demonstrate your ability to transform their hair. Or create videos showcasing different styles or techniques, or even tutorials which teach how to create certain hairstyles.

Incorporate interactive elements

By adding elements like quizzes, calculators, or surveys, you can create a more fun and interactive experience for your visitors.

Not only does this make your website more engaging, but it can also encourage visitors to spend more time exploring your site and learning about your brand.

Be consistent

Being consistent in your branding, messaging, and visual design is a crucial element of building a strong and recognizable brand. When your website and marketing materials look and feel consistent, it helps to establish trust with your audience and builds brand recognition.

consistency across all its marketing channels.

From their website to social media and event sponsorships, they use the same distinct and recognizable branding elements such as the iconic red bull logo, vibrant colour scheme, and adventurous and extreme sports imagery.

This consistency has helped to build trust and brand recognition with their audience, allowing them to stand out in a crowded market and become a leader in the energy drink industry.

Transforming your website from ordinary to extraordinary can be a challenging task, but it is well worth the effort. By focusing on user experience, being authentic, offering valuable content, using engaging visuals, incorporating interactive elements, being consistent, and utilising benefit-driven taglines, you can create a website that truly stands out from the crowd.

The end result? Professional, custom-made sites that give your business the extra oomph it needs to stand out from the competition and make an impact.

Whether you’re a brand-new business or an established one ready to improve your digital presence, Ivana makes it easy to get your business online very quickly. Her websites are professional, tailored to fit your budget, and give your business a serious boost.

Red Bull is a great example of a brand that has successfully implemented design