How to Build a Better Website Part 1: Why the Foundation Isn't What You Think
Are you building a website for the first time, or do you simply want to make the one you've got work harder for you? I hear you, and I'm with you — as a fellow small-business owner, I know exactly how important a website is when it comes to attracting dreamy clients and turning interested parties into brand-obsessed loyalists.
Here's the thing though: the number one thing I hear from people when they start talking about building their brand is that they need to create a website. Logical first step, right? Wrong.
The foundation of your website isn't your homepage layout. It's not your navigation. It's knowing who you are when someone lands on your page — and making sure they feel it before they read a single word.
Building a website without first developing your brand identity is like asking someone to make you soup without telling them what flavor, which ingredients, or your dietary preferences. Without direction, you might get a spicy fish soup when you wanted comforting chicken noodle. Very different results.
Your website is the final product. Your branding elements are the foundational ingredients. You can't tell your story in a meaningful way without those components in order first — and that includes your voice, not just your visuals. A website can be visually flawless and still fall flat if the person behind it hasn't decided who they are when they show up.
Now that we've established this critical precursor, here are four things to keep in mind when building your site:
Four tips for building a better website:
1. Use your brand assets EVERYWHERE
Your site should be dripping in your personality — bold, bright, maximalist, or cool, calm, minimalist, whatever your identity actually is. Visitors should pick up on that feeling immediately.
2. Add testimonials throughout your website
People love knowing you're trusted and beloved by the people who've worked with you. Sprinkle testimonials throughout your site as ongoing credibility.
3. Have really clear CTAs
Make it obvious what you're asking of people, and make it easy to take action. Don't bury your CTAs, and don't limit yourself to just one or two opportunities to click.
4. Say more with less
Resist the urge to launch into every reason someone should hire you. Figure out your messaging hierarchy and key communication touchpoints, then give visitors just enough to want to take the next step. Save the full process breakdown for the call.
So, what’s next?
In Part 2 of this series, I go more in-depth on design strategy. In the meantime, make sure your foundational branding elements — voice included, not just visuals — are actually decided. Those are the soup ingredients.
Your website gets built in Week 10 of BrandShift Method — after identity, voice, and positioning are already clear. That sequence is exactly why it works. Learn more about BrandShift Method.
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