A challenge to see your website the way a potential client does and to make sure every page says “you’re in the right place”.
This week, Regina Howland introduced a different kind of website audit, one that has nothing to do with code or rankings. Her challenge was simple: open your website today and ask yourself honestly, “If I were a customer, would this look appealing?” Your site shouldn’t feel like something built five or ten years ago (or, as Regina joked, in 1985). It should feel fresh and relevant, where your services page should reflect what you actually offer right now, not something you used to do or planned to do last year. She pointed out that small details matter, too. When she lands on a site that still shows an outdated year, like 2022, it’s an immediate turnoff because it signals the business isn’t paying close attention.
Beyond looks, Regina emphasized your content needs to speak directly to the people you serve. Using her own practice as an example, she explained that if she’s trying to reach people struggling with depression and anxiety, her website needs to use language that reflects their experience, such as “Are you feeling really down? Do you feel alone?” If visitors instead find content that doesn’t relate to what they’re going through, they’ll think “that doesn’t sound like me,” and they’ll click away within seconds.
Her advice: do a mini content audit alongside your website audit, and don’t do it alone. Ask a few trusted friends, or fellow NRG members, to look at your site and give honest, helpful feedback. The goal is a website that makes the right visitor think, “Yes, that’s the person for me”.
Today’s Marketing Minute is brought to you by Regina Howland of Beyond Sessions Mental Health Counseling Services.
Image by RDNE Stock project.