Oftentimes when I meet with a new client, their main concern is price. A custom website especially can come with what feels like a hefty price tag. But the difference is in how you view your website. After all, it’s not an expense. It’s an investment into your business.
When you’re looking at creating a website for your business – whether you choose to go the DIY route or hire a custom website developer – you know that you need to actually make some money back in return.
Otherwise, what’s the point of having that website at all?
But can a website for your service-based business really get you an ROI?
Can a Website Provide a Return on Investment?
The short answer to this ever-popular question? YES!
Absolutely yes.
In fact, if your website doesn’t get you some kind of ROI frankly it was a waste of everyone’s time.
Your website is the foundation to your marketing. It’s where all your social media posts should lead back to. Where you link all of your ads. It’s where people should be going to learn about you, your services, and decide whether or not they want to work with you.
In plain English – your website should be your #1 salesperson on your team.
So yes Virginia, a website can provide a return on investment.
(I know it’s after Christmas, but go with me here….)
Improving Your Website for an ROI
So you know that it’s possible to get an ROI with your website, but uh, how do you do that exactly?
I could bore you with a lot of technicalities of course, and obviously there are some technical things that do help with ROI (like how fast your site loads – that’s super important!), but I want to show you that you can actually do a lot of this yourself.
It’s not all about being a web developer extraordinaire. It’s more about being a marketing genius.
(You’ve stopped reading at this point haven’t you?)
Make the Purchase Process Easy
Can someone buy from you directly on your website?
Make that process as easy as possible.
Do they need to schedule a call with you first, so you can weed them out and make sure they fit into your own schedule?
Make scheduling a call super simple.
Whatever your “purchase process” is, the best way to get an ROI with your website is to make that as simple and seamless as possible.
For instance, in my own business I prefer to have a call with a prospective client. But you can literally book a Clarity Call with me automatically through my Start page that’s linked everywhere throughout my site, including the footer. They just have to fill out a simple form so I’m prepared for the call and then they can get right on my calendar.
Simples! (That joke only works if you’re familiar with British commercials.)
Focus on On-Page SEO
One of the most technical things I can recommend? Make sure you’re focusing on good on-page SEO.
While this can include how the website is coded, it mostly means following a few key steps.
These can include using the right heading sizes, adding ALT tags to your images, and even adding internal links to take customers around your site.
If you want to dig deeper into SEO, I’ve got a great article with my 5 best SEO tips you can check out.
(Check out that internal linkage!)
Design for Your Customer’s Needs
Perhaps one of the absolute best ways to get an ROI with your website is to focus first on your customers’ needs.
It’s really tempting to put all your eggs in Google’s basket, but Google isn’t the one buying from you.
Your customer is.
So make sure that you’re writing headlines that get your customers’ attention, appealing to their pain points, and showcasing how you’re solving their problems.
Make your entire website about how you help your customers and why you’re uniquely qualified to be their saving grace.
You’ll be raking in the sales*.
*Legally, I have to tell you that this is not a guarantee. My attorney is careful.
Invest in ADA Compliance
If not everyone can use your website, then you’re simply going to lose out on potential revenue.
Are you following ADA guidelines and digital accessibility best practices with your website?
This, unfortunately, is a bit more “niche” but I’ve loved seeing it gain steam over the last couple of years.
I’ve personally been specializing in digital accessibility for several years and can see how much it’s helped my clients.
Not only are they protected against ADA lawsuits, but they can reach everyone in their potential dream audience.
Starting with something easy like adding ALT tags to your images, providing transcripts and captions for videos, and being mindful of your color choices can go a long way to improving your website’s accessibility.
But of course I’ve got an article where you can dig into digital accessibility further.
Take it Further with Regular Content
Building a great, foundational website is awesome for your ROI.
You have to keep people coming BACK to it, though.
Imagine your website is Rose’s Apothecary from the brilliant show Schitt’s Creek. David and Patrick launched to a crowd, but found after the novelty wore off that they were struggling to get people back through their doors.
So they launched open mic nights, community activities, and special events to bring customers back and engage with the community.
You can’t really throw an open mic night with your website (well…you could, but…), but you can write helpful, entertaining content to get people excited to come back over and over again.
Writing in your blog regularly – like once a week regularly – can bring customers in consistently. After all, there’s going to be something new to discover!
And when you follow SEO best practices with those articles, you’re able to get found by new people thanks to Google.
Getting a Website ROI Takes Time
The most important thing to remember with ROI and your website?
It’s going to take some time.
Websites very rarely turn a profit right away, especially for a service-based business. Over a few months, however, you can easily sell enough services to make that money back and more.
Implementing a few helpful changes to your small business website can go a long way to helping you get invigorated sales and leads right into your inbox.
