#5: The 4 Traits of a Winning Website – Idea Validation Challenge (Day 5)

What is a website that sells?

Welcome to Day 5 of the Idea Validation Challenge!

This challenge is for those who have a great business idea, and they want to make sure it will WORK before you invest time and money into it!

It is also for people who already started a business, and they want to revisit their target audience to increase their reach.

Join the conversation at our Facebook Group:

WHAT IS A WEBSITE THAT SELLS?

A website that sells is one that keeps your target audience engaged and gives them what they need right when they need it.
We are not even talking about driving traffic to your site yet.
We are talking about when someone lands on your page. Does it help them? Does it make them want to keep clicking through to find out more?

THE 4 TRAITS OF A WINNING WEBSITE
A professional website that sells must have the following components:

#1 PERSONALITY:

YOUR personality.
Unless you are a faceless corporation, your audience will want to know who they are buying from.
What’s your story? Do you have a kind smile or a no-nonsense face?
People are drawn to people they can admire. Be that person. Don’t hide behind your product.

#2 OPPORTUNITY TO JOIN A COMMUNITY

When someone lands on your site, they may click around, and leave. Then forget they ever visited. You just lost a potential customer or advocate.
Your goal should be to keep them engaged beyond their visiting your site.
The best way to do this is to provide something (for free) that they cannot help but click on, and add themselves to your mailing list.
If you are going to build an audience, you must have a mailing list that you can nurture and inform about what you have going on.

#3 GREAT FREE CONTENT

Ever notice how your website just doesn’t get a lot of traffic? Do you ever wonder why?

The reason some websites get traffic and some don’t is related to how much great content the site has AND how many ways there are for people to find it.

People will visit your website from any of these sources:

• Google search
• Pinterest
• Facebook posts
• Facebook ads
• YouTube videos
• YouTube ads
• You speaking at an event
• You posting on someone else’s blog
• You being a guest in someone’s podcast
• You email your mailing list with a GREAT blog post they MUST check out
• Someone forwards it to them

The question for you is: how much effort are you putting into being found through any of these ways? If the answer is none, then that explains the crickets.
What you want to do is have this list up on your wall (your physical home wall) and look at it every single day, and every day do something to put your great content out in one of those channels.

Over time, and faster if you are smart with your search keywords, people will start finding your site.

And every single time you put content out there, you must come back to your blog and add it there as well.

Your website must be the central hub for all your content.

This allows your audience to have solid bearings around what you are doing, and where to find all your content.

Before we reveal the last trait of a winning website, I have an announcement to make.

At 12pm EST on Friday, July 13th I am opening the cart to my course: WP FOR COMPLETE BEGINNERS. This course is for you if you are ready to set up your online presence and make your idea a reality!
The Early Bird Price will expire by midnight (EST) on Sunday, July 15th.
Got questions? We got answers! PM me on Facebook!

Super exciting, right?? I can’t wait to tell you more about it! Visit the sign up page to learn more.

Ok, back to the challenge.

And the final trait of a winning website is: (drumroll)

#4 AN IRRESISTIBLE HOMEPAGE

The first screen your audience sees when they visit your site may be the last one they will ever see.
For this reason, it should be packed with visually appealing information without being too wordy, and it should offer a reason to click through, such as offering a freebie right there front and center.

YOUR ASSIGNMENT

Visit multiple websites from competitors of your idea. Try to find similar size businesses or sites from similar entrepreneurs.

Things to watch out for:

1. What do the photos, fonts, colors, say about their brand?
2. What is their free offering to sign up for the mailing list, and where is it located on the website? How enticing is it?
3. When was the last time they updated their blog? How often do they post? Are they good posts?
4. Observe what you first encounter when you go to their homepage. Does it make you want to stick around for more?

ANSWER THESE QUESTIONS: In terms of the 4 traits…

• What are they doing right?
• What could they be doing better?

Then go to the Facebook group and post your answer with the hashtag #day5.