Every website has a purpose. That purpose is generally the same; to inform the viewer. Are you informing the viewer about an available product or service? Or, do you have the best insight into how to clean the dryer vent at home? Whatever your message is, make sure to include the basic essentials they need to make a knowledgeable decision.
The homepage:
The homepage is where your purpose makes its first impression. Whether the viewer sees a snazzy logo, large hero image/slideshow, and a contact form or a simple layout with an image and text, make sure if the viewer only sees the homepage, they will get a snapshot of your full story. I recommend that you capture your audience's attention with an overview of information about your "purpose". Let's go back to the dryer vent example. If your viewer looks at the homepage of your website but there is no mention of a dryer or a dryer vent, you missed the opportunity to inform them of your purpose. Shout it with a pictures, words, a little color, or a combination of these to show that this is your passion, your purpose for them to look at your website. Give them a reason to click on your call to action button to learn more.
P3 (Primary Purpose Page):
The P3 is the bread and butter of your website. If you are a retail store, you want your customers to have a place to go to look at your products and see what you have to offer. If you are an informational website, this is where you expand on your specialty. To use our previous example, your P3 will show a detailed explanation on how to efficiently and effectively clean the dryer vent. Make sure to add icons or images of your purpose.
Share Testimonials:
Do you have awesome customers or clients that adore you? Ask them to write up a review about you and your purpose. They will send you a testimonial to add to your website. This will help other customers feel more secure in choosing to go with your product, service, or believe your insight.
Another way to look at this is from your perspective as a customer. When you are thinking about buying something or believing a person online, do you consider other customer's opinions? I sure do! If there is a testimonials or reviews section, I make spend a few minutes looking through the opinions.
About the person behind the purpose:
Who doesn't like to read about the person or people that make up the company? Give them a glimpse of who is behind the purpose. Writing your story, short or long, will help develop and build a relationship with your customer.
Contact Us:
The contact page is important for potential or current customers to get ahold of you. At a minimum, include your name, a phone number, and email address. A contact form is helpful for some customers but not all. If you are on any social media (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, etc) platforms, this would be a place to share that information. Give your customers a few ways to get ahold of you.
The bonus - write away:
A blog is an added bonus to help support your purpose. This will provide additional resources and insights into this area. You are the expert in your purpose, so show your customers that you are willing to take the time to write about it. The only caveat is, you have to keep it current! Writing one blog post, every five years does not count as having a blog. An out of date and ignored blog is more disappointing to a customer than to not include a blog in your website.
The Takeaway:
So what does this mean? Overall, the most important thing to remember is to keep your purpose at the forefront of your website message. If this gets lost or overlooked, it won't matter if you include all of these essentials or not; you're still missing the key ingredient.