Today I want to talk about design\/build. When I say design-build, I mean your website\u00a0design\/build. When we build websites, we try to make sure function wins over form. We pay attention to design aesthetics, but your website has a job to do, and that is to convert readers into clients or customers.<\/p>\n

I don’t have to explain form or function to you, but I always like a good example<\/strong><\/p>\n

Designing a website is like having a chair or a fork and an alien came down from space, looked at one of the two objects, and had a pretty good idea what they were supposed to do with it, right?<\/p>\n

A chair gives off a distinct vibe that you should sit on it, and a fork looks like something you would poke something with and put it in your mouth.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The best real-world example I can give you is the Apple iPad. Pick up the iPad and you immediately just KNOW how to use it. The intuitiveness that is built into the device makes it simple to use. There are videos all over YouTube of babies and monkeys just using the device.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s how your website has to be!<\/strong><\/p>\n

First of all, it HAS to be responsive. If your prospects can’t see it on their devices, you’re dead. Your website also has to have a natural flow that moves people through the site, getting them from point A to point B, point B being your contact page.<\/p>\n

Anything that takes away from that experience needs to be removed. Links to reports, links to white papers, links to suppliers and vendors, links to some association or links to an article in some magazine you were featured in should be removed.<\/p>\n

None of that helps you sell<\/strong><\/p>\n

Handing your prospect a hard copy of the article when you\u2019re sitting across the table from them, that\u2019s when it helps you sell.<\/p>\n

You want to remove friction from your website<\/strong><\/p>\n

When you create friction or resistance, by adding too much material to your website, that\u2019s when people get confused and click away. Remember, if it doesn\u2019t help in the sales process, get it off the page.<\/p>\n

The object your website isn\u2019t to sell them on a new kitchen, it\u2019s to sell them on picking up the phone and calling you or sending you an email. That\u2019s it. Your job is to sell the kitchen.<\/p>\n

So let your website do the job you hired it to do. Let your social media do its job by driving traffic BACK to your website and let your blog posts do their job and help convince people that you\u2019re the right company to call by making you the expert.<\/p>\n

Get everything else out of the way and don\u2019t interfere with the sales process on your website, which is just to deliver the phone call or email. Everything else is noise!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Today I want to talk about design\/build. When I say design-build, I mean your website\u00a0design\/build. When we build websites, we try to make sure function wins over form. We pay attention to design aesthetics, but your website has a job to do, and that is to convert readers into clients or customers. I don’t have […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":14921,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[8,34],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-12837","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-articles","8":"category-contractor-websites","9":"entry"},"yoast_head":"\n