It starts slow – a text here, an icon there, and soon you’re left with a haphazard brand that doesn’t quite represent who you are. This blog post looks at why this can happen and what you can do about it.
1. Your target audience has changed.
This is the real, big reason you may need a brand refresh. Maybe when you started your business, you started out with a simple logo and it looked cool at the time, without thinking about your brand’s message of the ‘why’ behind your business. Now that you’ve settleed a bit more into your brand, and know the true target audience, you want to connect with them through strategic brand design that will help you attract the right people.
2. Your branding has become inconsistent
Maybe you feel your brand is outdated, not as quite modern as it once was, or you don’t like the overall feel of the brand. You feel slightly embarrassed to send people over to your website or hand them your business card because you’ve introduced different fonts and colours that weren’t part of your brand identity. Branding inconsistency can make your business look and feel unprofessional. But hey, that’s okay! Every business evolves and that’s very normal! If you find yourself in this predicament on a regular basis, it may be time for a brand refresh!
3. You feel like your business doesn’t stand out
Ever since the pandemic, small businesses and personal brands are growing at an unprecedented pace and that is pretty awesome! But it can be easy to get lost in a sea of businesses that delivers similar products or services. If you feel like your business doesn’t stand out, it may be time for a rebrand. The best way to solve this problem is dig deeper into your inner work on your business, discovering your unique value propositions by revising your brand’s story, mission and vision. And this can be accomplished by brand strategy.
4. You have a change in business direction
When you first started your business you focused on, for example, a providing a service. But as time went by, you find that a lot of your customers are now approaching you for, your digital workbook, for example. When you’re making big changes in your business like this , you definitely require a rebrand as your old/current brand’s value proposition may not be portrayed correctly, or you may not be attracting the right clients or customers.
5. You want to raise your price
You feel like it’s high time you raise your prices. However, changing your price while your customer’s perception of your products or services hasn’t changed may be tricky and challenging. By rebranding strategically, you can reshape the way your customers perceive you and raise the asking price for your products or services.
Take the Quiz !
If you’re still not sure, whether it’s time for a rebrand or not, take this easy quiz to self diagnose and check how strong your Brand is at the moment.
Five website tips that keep your visitors on your website longer
As a business owner with a website, what do you really want?
No, not more pageviews.
You want visitors that stay on your website longer, get to know you and your business better, and hopefully come back for more. There are website tips you can do that will make a huge difference for your visitors and put a smile on their face when they arrive there!
Think of it like your first date. They get a chance to observe you and decide if you are a good match for their needs, whether they’ll remember to come back in the future, or whether they’ll convert into sales. Your website can’t just look good, but has to also build trust in your customer.
Attractive Website Design
Imagine your date shows up messy. That’s going to be your first impression of them because it’s the first information you have to go on. The same goes for your website. Whether you invest on a web designer to design your website for you or do it yourself or buy a template, you need to pay attention to the website layout and visuals. Make sure your website looks attractive in a professional way, reputable and trustworthy. Make it easy to read and leave negative spaces when needed. A visitor’s eye can only handle so much stimulation so try to go easy with the animations and resist using every colour in your brand colour palette. I do suggest looking for inspirations to mix a few ideas to make your own and learning the best website layout hierarchy and the grid system.
Show them what they came for (Clear Navigation and Call to actions)
Your visitor has finally landed in your website, so what would you like them to do next? They most probably are ready to buy or hire you, they just need to be directed where to go next. If you would like them to buy from your online store, have a clear navigation at the top of your website and different sections in your website reminding them to visit your shop. If you want them to hire you for a service, show them where they can view your services, read reviews, book a consultation call by adding buttons leading to those pages or sections. To know if your website have a clear navigation, give your website to a friend or a family member to test it out and observe if they can manoeuvre easily through your website.
If you want them to sign up for a newsletter or an email list so they can build a deeper connection with you, say so with a clear and captivating call to action. You can have a pop up that appears at the end of a blog post, a simple section highlighting a email list sign up form, or even a simple button. It’s even better when there’s a cool incentive for them after they sign up, for example, a freebie, exclusive content, etc.
Show up with better visuals
Remember, a visitor is more apt to relate and trust a “real” person. Have images, GIFs and videos of yourself and your team in your website. These days, people are more drawn to moving pictures, so have GIFs, slow motion videos of you, in your website to make it more alive. Better visuals can also be pictures or videos of inanimate objects. For example, a coffee brand’s website can have a video background of a hot cup of freshly brewed coffee by a window on a rainy day, a retro themed sunscreen brand can have images of swimming pool and 80s themed summer, just to evoke the sensories and depict the brand visually.
Ugh, you can literally smell the coffee from your screen. So relaxing
Just make sure your media isn’t huge sizes so your website can load faster. (Better website speed, better ranking on Google search…more on that later.)
One of my absolute favourite places online to find high quality free-copyright stock videos is Pexels .
Fresh Quality Content
Majority of your website is going to be written content (unless if it’s just a photographer’s portfolio). You want the content to be written in your brand’s tone of voice and personality – that can be authoritative and formal, friendly and funny or romantic and classic. You can show personality through text and that way you’ll attract the right audience. Have a simple, efficient content without jargons or words from the thesaurus.
I definitely suggest getting a good website copy writer to work with your website designer so that your website can confidently address about what you do and how useful your service or product is for your visitor.
If you have a blog and your last blog post was five years ago, it’s time to write a new blog post to let people know you’ve not abandoned your blog. Having fresh content will let search engines like Google know that your website is still alive. Additionally, go easy on the ads. Monetising your blog is cool, but do consider your visitors. Having too many ads can make your website look distracting and spammy.
Responsiveness throughout all screen sizes
Last but definitely not the least, you want your website to be mobile and tablet friendly. To be honest, most of my visitors (maybe including you) are viewing my website right now, on a phone or tablet. We use these devices more than a laptop or desktop and they’re always with us on the go. You want your visitor to have a good experience navigating, reading, viewing and shopping your website, even on a small screen.
Most website builders these days have the feature of editing the mobile version or the tablet version of your website because you might want to make a couple of tweaks so that your website is user-friendly. For example, a section that has two columns side by side on the desktop version, may need to be reversed so that one column is on top of the other. Or another common example, is having a hamburger menu icon (the one that looks like three lines stacked on each other) that opens your menu list on your mobile and tablet version instead of displaying the whole navigation bar.
Desktop version – Two columns, side by side
Mobile version: Reversed, Each column now on top of each other
Again, it’s always nice to have other people test out your website, this time on different screen sizes. You can check out my previous blog post where I listed down the pros and cons of each popular website design platform for more website tips.
If you require an expert’s help to build your website, I’m here to lift that burdenoff your shoulder! I offer flexiblepackages that meet you where you’re at: whether you’re just getting started or on the path to a 7-figure business. If you’re struggling to DIY your website, contact me today to find out how I can best support you.
Whether it’s what to wear on Wednesday morning, how you should invest your money, or what platform to use for building your website, there’s a lot at stake when choosing one thing over another. Hey, even I was in the weeds trying to figure out what platform would be best for my business and struggling with all of the different programs I came across like WordPress, Wix, Squarespace, Shopify and Showit! I’m sure you know the feeling: You spend days or even weeks weighing the pros and cons of each platform and ultimately, you choose one – only to wonder if you picked the best option. 🤦🏾♀️
If you're a business, your website is the front door to your business. It's the place where people go to learn about what you offer and how you can help them solve their problems.
When it comes to choosing a website design platform for your small business, there are many options and the list keeps growing. Most of them are either free or very affordable. But not all of them are as easy to use as others.
Here are some tips for picking a website design platform for your business:
👉🏾Identify Your Needs
Before choosing a website design platform, you need to identify what your needs are and how you want to use the site. For example, if you’re looking for an easy-to-use interface that allows users to create their own content and blog posts, then Squarespace may be ideal for your business. If you need more control over how things look, including fonts and colors, then WordPress might be better suited for your needs
👉🏾Think About How You’ll Use It
Once you’ve identified what kind of platform will work best for your needs, think about how you’ll use it. For example, if most of your customers come from social media networks like Facebook or Twitter, then having an integrated social media feed is important so they can easily share posts with their friends and followers on these sites without leaving your site and going somewhere else first (as well as making it easier for them.
Below I’ve listed the Pros & Cons of each platform, because I think it helps to see what exactly makes them different from one another and what is right for your business depending on your needs, your business, your priorities & your future growth!
01. WordPress
PROs
Virtually limitless options of Plugins .
Great SEO capabilities
Can be completely custom
Lower Cost for hosting (complete ownership of your website)
Best Blogging Platform
Great ecommerce plugin (Woocommerce)
CONs
Hard to customize without page builder plugins
It can take a little while to get the hang of using WordPress backend.
Domain and Hosting are Not Included
Plugins have to be up to date so that the website don’t crash
WordPress is best for you if ...
You are willing to invest in your website, and want a completely custom design without code using page builders with unlimited number of plugins.
WordPress may not be for you if ...
You have a limited budget and can’t afford big monthly fees, you want complete design control, and an easy to use backend and platform for updating.
02. Squarespace
PROs
Drag & Drop
E-Commerce Built In
Domain and Hosting Included
Great Support Team
Lots of awesome modern themes
Requires very little maintenance
Lower Monthly cost
CONs
Customization is limited
Can’t customize mobile view, usually requires a bit of custom code
Not many features like WordPress plugins
SEO capabilities can be limited
Not made for large e-commerce sites
Squarespace is best for you if ...
You have a Smaller product-based business and/or are okay with using a template, care more about functionality and less about design & customization.
Squarespace may not be for you if ...
You want more design control to look/feel custom, you have a lot of products in your store, Or if you want to grow your blog.
03. Wix (specifically Editor X)
PROs
Drag & drop
Has mobile and tablet customize options
Allows selling on social media (eCommerce premium plan)
Quick to create & launch
Has hosting, email, analytics built-in
Advanced design platform
Good Support
Good SEO capabilities
CONs
Speed – Wix sites load slowly which can affect your website ranking on Google search
Can get expensive with ecommerce pro plans
Can’t export blog or subscribers
Must use Editor X instead of regular Wix to get more design control
Wix is best for you if ...
You want a quick and easy to learn platform and your website launched quickly, with all the necessary capabilities and use Editor X.
Wix may not be for you if ...
You want more complex functionalities, have a lot of products to sell or want a more powerful SEO blog platform like WordPress.
04. Shopify
PROs
Easy to setup shop
Easy to use platform
Great E-Commerce capabilities
Great for larger shops
Unlimited add-on apps
Linkable to sell on social media
CONs
Custom design is limited
Few templates & code needed for more customisation
Higher cost plans
Blog is limited
Shopify is best for you if ...
You want an easy to use ecommerce platform, analytics and have a higher quantity of products to manage.
Shopify may not be for you if ...
You care more about design, have less products and want more design control.
05. Showit
PROs
Drag & Drop
Customizable Mobile & Desktop
Great Support Community
WordPress Blog Platform with plugins
Good SEO capabilities
CONs
No E-Commerce or website analytics built-in
Non responsive (if you view the website on a smaller laptop, everything would just get smaller, instead of rearranging the elements.)
Domain hosted separately
Showit is best for you if ...
You want a fully custom website with complete design control, easy to update, and the power to grow your WordPress blog.
Showit may not be for you if ...
You need an E-Commerce website or someone who may not care as much about full customisation.
What I personally recommend
I would recommend Editor X for smaller businesses that are just starting out because it’s an advanced website builder that has everything all in one for businesses that want a quick ecommerce website launch, with lots of design capabilities and an easy to use platform.
However, if you prioritise function over design, and care more about having a purely e-commerce based website with a large number of products, then Shopify is best for you.
WordPress is the website platform I use the most when creating websites for my clients. Here’s why: As a professional web designer nad web developer, it’s important for me to have complete freedom when designing websites and ability to add plugins and custom codes whenever necessary. My clients get the most value out of their website when it’s completely unique to their brand and optimized for their specific goals and needs.
At the same time, if you’re a photographer, a designer like me and just need a website that showcases your work and lists your services, you really cannot compare the creative freedom you get when using Showit compared to the other website builders. It kind of reminds me of Adobe Illustrator or Canva – you have a blank space where you can do whatever you want and add functionalities to it, without needing to know any code. Although, they don’t have built in ecommerce plugin, it does allow you to use third party plugins, like Shopify Lite.
There are so many more website design platforms out there that I haven’t yet played with. Ultimately, the quality of your content and design will outweigh most of the pros and cons discussed in this post. Let me know in the comments, what website design platform do you prefer? How did it help your business to grow?
If you require an expert’s help to build your website, I’m here to lift that burdenoff your shoulder! I offer flexiblepackages that meet you where you’re at: whether you’re just getting started or on the path to a 7-figure business. If you’re struggling to DIY your website, contact me today to find out how I can best support you.
