A good website that stands out and brings in customers?

Do you know that? You're going away for the weekend and looking for a nice place to eat, so you google something on your mobile. When you click on the search results, you first have to work through a number of questionable sites, which don't necessarily increase your appetite, to end up with the one restaurant that looks slick. Judging by what you see and read, your mouth is already watering. Yes, reserve quickly!

Another example: you are looking for an accountant. Not the most exciting activity, but you do want to choose a reliable professional with peace of mind. So you can orientate yourself online to bookkeepers in the area. You'll come across multiple sites, but instead of clarity about who's right for you, you only get more questions. The information on the sites is far too vague, long and complicated. Let alone get a good feeling about the person you might hire for your financial affairs. Luckily, you'll end up on a site with a clear story that describes exactly what you're looking for. You are enthusiastic and fill out the contact form quickly. Fjuuuw, glad you found someone suitable!

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What is a good website and what is the use of it?

As an entrepreneur, you've probably come across this statement before: a powerful website is important for your company. “Nice,” you think, “but what exactly is a powerful website and how do I set it up for my business? Easier said than done! ' It may seem complicated, but luckily it doesn't have to be. The examples above show that your website is your most important business card, no matter what industry you're in. Think about what you're like as an exploratory consumer; 9 times out of 10, your search starts online. And when do you become enthusiastic and convinced? Right, if the whole picture of information and appearance is correct.

However, we still see a lot of websites that look alike, are unclear or are simply full of mediocre content. At least they're not convincing. A shame! Of course, there are plenty of reasons for this. There are many entrepreneurs who are good at their job, spend a lot of time doing it and are therefore less interested in online. Or choose the “easy way” by basing a site on a standard WordPress template or having their neighbor build a website. It may seem like a time- and cost-efficient solution, but your website will be far from standing out, let alone convincing. And if your most important business card doesn't convince your (potential) customers, how are you going to make money? Exactly, no.

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Step by step to a good website

Don't worry, we've got your back. Because we think there are already enough mediocre websites, we wrote this article. Here we explain step by step what you need for a good website that stands out and attracts customers. Here we distinguish two parts: your communication strategy, and how to translate this concretely into a strong website. In this section, we focus on your communication strategy.

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Step 1: a rock-solid pitch

You are probably good at explaining what you do and how you can help your customers. But can you do this in one minute or even a few seconds? That's how quickly your visitors decide whether they find your website relevant or not. So there isn't much time.

A powerful way to get to the core of your business is the “3 beer coasters” method. A simple but effective approach that we, as a business coach Tibor have learned. The name says it all - you have to answer three questions in one sentence per question, so that each answer fits on a beer mat. This forces you to make a choice, and choices are good. Because to sprinkle with another common quote from marketing land; “those who don't choose won't get chosen”. After all, you can't serve the whole world with your company. And that's a good thing, because that would be an impossible task. Let alone explain that briefly and concisely on a website.

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So make choices! Here are the three questions to ask yourself:

• Who is your ideal customer?

  You probably have multiple target groups, but which of them do you prefer to serve? You want to address this group on your website so that you attract as many people as possible. Be specific, because keeping it “nice and broad” only ensures that no one feels addressed.
• What problem do you solve for that customer?

  Again, pick one, the most important one, of course. If you really have several problems that you solve, you can discuss them in step 2.
• What is unique about your solution?

  Why should someone choose you and not the competition? This is where your distinctiveness comes in - this lies in how you solve the problem for your ideal customer like no other does. Make sure you focus on what's unique about your solution instead of what's unique about you as a person.

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Step 2: a comprehensive mind map

So, now that you have completed the 3 beer coasters, you have a solid basis for your communication strategy. But your business is so much more than three sentences. That's why, in the next step, you'll create a mind map of everything that comes to mind when you think about your business. Write your company name in the middle of a big sheet, think out loud, and write down anything you care about remembering on the sheet.

This mind map is a comprehensive overview of all things related to your brand identity. Not everything you write down will eventually return to your website, but it is the ideal basis for all your future communication. In addition, with a mind map, you can clearly brief your graphic designer, website builder, or anyone else you work with about what your business is about.

Don't worry if your mind map seems comprehensive and maybe even cluttered. In step 3, you combine the 3 beer coasters and your mind map into a clear communication model of just one page; the perfect summary.

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Step 3: a thorough communication plan

Okay, you know who you want to reach, what you can solve for them and how you're different from 'the rest'. In addition, you have listed all the key words that describe your company. But how do you translate that into a unique story that concisely conveys what you want to convey? You summarize steps 1 and 2 by completing the 1-page communication model. A mouthful, but don't let the length of the name fool you - this model is highly effective:

Download all models at the bottom of this page.

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This' onepager ', as this model is also known in flashy marketing terms, is the support you need for effective communication and building a good website. The 1-page communication model (also from Tibor.nl) is also the perfect structure for your homepage and other site structure. Bloomon and Swapfiets do it that way too.

We explain how to concretely translate your communication strategy into a website using clear examples in part 2 of this article, which will be online in April.

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In our view, these are the three steps towards a concise and effective communication strategy. This way, you are guaranteed to lay a solid foundation for a good website that tells your unique story and convinces (potential) customers.