Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] Shelley: Hello, Playful Mompreneurs and Playful Business Owners everywhere. I'm Shelley Tonkin Smith, your host here on the Playful Mompreneur Podcast. And today, I want to talk about your website. Because if you want to have time for play, both in your life and in your business, you're going to need some support and one of those supports is your website. A good website can help you sell your service packages while you are busy doing life, or working for your existing clients and billing your hours out, or honestly while you're sleeping. Isn't that the ultimate dream? To have your website selling in your sleep.
[00:00:46] So I like to consider my website almost like an employee, as having a list of jobs to do, just like an employee would have. It's something that I'm now thinking about as I think about AI and using ChatGPT and other AI tools, is that they are like a junior employee in my business.
[00:01:05] And I think your website is the same kind of thing. But writing that website and actually setting that website up can seem like a huge undertaking. So today, I'm going to be breaking down how you can start small with building your website. And maybe you've already started building your website.
[00:01:26] So then I'm going to show you how you can continue taking small steps to add to your website so that it can do those jobs you need it to do in your business. Because I've realized after being in business for over 15 years, Your website is not a one and done thing. It's a constant iterative process.
[00:01:47] So the way I'm going to be doing this is by going through each of the pages that you could have on your website and the jobs that those pages will do for you. I'm approaching this topic as a copywriter who writes website and sales pages for a living. And I'm also in the midst of another website revamp of my own.
[00:02:10] So, I've got all the industry copywriting best practices to share with you, and know that I'm also in the trenches of rewriting my own website as well. Because as my business has evolved, the job description of my website has expanded and it's evolved with that business.
[00:02:29] And honestly, my website has got more work to do for me as a playful mompreneur who is juggling this business thing alongside mothering and homeschooling and all the other things of life. And so I feel like I've got to get this website. If I see it as an employee, I've kind of got to get it set up and onboarded for success and working for me.
[00:02:53] So, are you ready to get that website of yours working for you too? Coming up in this episode, I'm going to give you a lay of the land of all the web pages you might need on your website, or just about all of them. I'm also going to talk about the jobs those pages need to do for you. And I'm going to give you a step by step plan of when you'd probably need each page and need to start thinking about adding those pages in the evolution of your business.
[00:03:22] So we've got all that coming up in the show, but before we carry on, I just wanted to let you know about a hot off the press new venture that I'm doing. It's called the Words Web and Wisdom Program. It's a program that I'm going to be running in beta testing mode. So you have a really great opportunity to come and join me and co create this program.
[00:03:44] And what the program is, is to equip you to write your own website. I'll be sharing all my copywriting expertise. So, that's the Word site. All my ideas and knowledge of all the tech and website builders that require no code and that you could do yourself, so that's the web bit. And along the way, provide as much business wisdom as I can to you in terms of positioning, strategy, even a little bit of pricing because what we're going to do is there's going to be teaching elements and then there's going to be live hot seat sessions where you get to come and present your writing that you've done for your website to me and the rest of the group which will be limited to just eight people.
[00:04:29] So you're going to be getting A lot of individualized and customized attention, and because I'm running this program in beta launch mode, I have reduced the price of what it will be when I launch it as my signature course. So if you are interested in the Words, Web and Wisdom program, WWW for short, then go and have a look at wwwbeta.shelleysmithcreative.Com for the sales page
[00:04:58] and details about the program and how you can apply.
[00:05:02] Okay, now, back to the show. Let's dive in to those five big jobs that you need your website to do and the pages that are going to make them do it.
[00:05:11] Upgrade 1: A Splash Page "Website" (The Receptionist)
[00:05:11] Shelley: All right, so essentially, you need a home on the web, a home on the web, that's not your Instagram profile or your Facebook page or anything else that's on somebody else's land, shall we call it internet land.
[00:05:24] You want your own home on the web and that is your own domain name with a website. And you might think to me, Oh my goodness, Shelley, this is like, you know, this is too much for me right now. I'm just getting started. But all you need is not actually a website, but just one web page.
[00:05:46] So if we're going to follow through with this metaphor of your website being an employee of your business, this to me is like hiring a receptionist, like someone to answer your phones.
[00:05:57] This is a great place to start is with what I call a one page splash page that is going to just put you and your business out there on the internet. You can think of it like a business card on the internet.
[00:06:10] And for this reason, I would recommend the tool, and I'm not talking tooling as such in this episode, but I can't help but recommend the tool Carrd CARRD.co It's a really great one page website builder. I'll put a link to it in the show notes. But the idea with Carrd came about because of this idea of like a one page profile business card page.
[00:06:36] And it's also gotten more sophisticated than just that, but at its core, that's what COD is and it's very low priced and a really great way for you to get your website out there onto the internet.
[00:06:47] So if you're just starting in business, and I'm going to get to those of you who've already got a website in a minute.
[00:06:53] But if you're on day one, you might just have a profile page with a picture of you, your basic elevator pitch of what you do and who you do it for, and your contact details. Really simple. And then, once you've gotten into motion there and gotten your own online home on the internet, you can then start upgrading.
[00:07:15] So, to that one page, you could start adding sections, like for example, maybe you have a services section, where you outline maybe three different levels of services that you offer. You could add some testimonials, which are always great for social proof. Maybe some examples of your previous work that you can link out to.
[00:07:36] Okay, so You can upgrade that single page web page. Okay, I was going to say website, but it's a web page effectively functioning as your website. Now, if you need some help with this and you need a framework for expanding out your profile page, I have got a product called Sales Page Step by Step in my store.
[00:08:00] Again, I'll leave a link to that. You can find that at ShelleySmithCreative. com in the Word Nerd store. And you can use the structure that I give you there and the prompts that I give you there to sell your business and sell yourself. And honestly, this might be all that you need for your next season of business for the next quarter or the next even year of your business that you just put out this one page website that gives people an idea of who you are and just stakes your claim , in the industry and, makes clear your authority.
[00:08:37] Now an interesting story from my business development is that I had a Squarespace website, which was a more fuller, comprehensive website, but I got annoyed with their pricing and, I didn't need all the features that they had. And so in 2022, I decided to just simplify and strip down my website from that whole Squarespace setup to just this one page Carrd site.
[00:09:04] But the priority in my business at that point was to get one on one copywriting clients. So it was a showcase of the various copywriting service packages I offer. I just led with a photograph of me with the very direct headline I write stuff so you can sell stuff. And really, that's the job I wanted that site to do.
[00:09:27] That page has done really well for me, but I'm now at a point in my business where I want to do more content marketing. I want to sell digital products like I've just mentioned, the copywriting templates, and I'm selling workshops that you can go and purchase off of my websiteI'm looking g to offer more of that kind of DIY support to you so that I can share my copywriting knowledge without you having to invest in my services as a done for you copywriter. And so I need my website to now do a bigger job because it now needs to be a bit more of a salesperson for me.
[00:10:07] So really, I'm in this interesting position now where I am going to take myself on as my own clients and rewrite the copy for a new expanded and comprehensive website.
[00:10:19]
[00:10:24] Upgrade 2: Expanded Static Website (Personal Assistant)
[00:10:24] Shelley: Okay. So this is where we get to our next upgrade. So this is the second upgrade. And here, what we're going to do is we're going your one page website into a more comprehensive website with various pages. So if we were thinking that our one page website was like a receptionist, now we're upgrading to more of like a personal assistant.
[00:10:48] But at this point, I would say the pages I'm going to tell you about here are all static pages, pages that you would write and sure you're going to need to update them, but less about content marketing and dynamic content and more about. Static content.
[00:11:03] So for example, page number one will be your homepage. So your homepage is going to make this memorable first impression. It's going to hook your visitors, grab their interest, and then guide them across to key sections of the website. For this reason, never write your homepage first, because you need to write those different sections of your website first in order to guide them and take them on a particular journey. So leave the homepage till absolute last.
[00:11:32] Then the next page that you could write, I think I would suggest, is to write your services page. So this will be an outline of the range of services that you offer, including a description of the kind of features of the product or service package. And then, very importantly, the benefits. What that person is actually going to get from that particular service package. And so, at this point, you can have all your services on one page. The upgrade later on is to give each separate service its own page. Because if you selling a one hour workshop, As opposed to six months of business coaching, for example, that's going to be a very different ideal customer avatar that is going to buy those two different products or services. But for now you will outline your services in a services page.
[00:12:28] The next page I would suggest writing is your about page. So the job that your about page has got to do is it needs to bring a bit of personality so that the people reading it can start trusting you, building trust in you, not only as like an authority who has got a lot of credibility, but also someone who they like .
[00:12:50] So on your about page, if you are familiar with, Donald Miller's Building a Story Brand, you are demonstrating your empathy with the problem that your customers are facing, as well as showing the authority and credibility that you bring to the table.
[00:13:07] So that will all happen on your about page and the trick with the about page is that it's often less about you and more about the customer and it's just more setting you up as the guide where the customer is the hero of the story.
[00:13:23] The next page that I would add to a sort of more personal assistant kind of website, I can just picture this person guiding a visitor through all the wonderful things that you can offer them, would be your portfolio page, which I would then include testimonials and reviews and that kind of social proof.
[00:13:44] So we want to see evidence of your work. So it could be a gallery if you're into the visual arts and photography or that kind of thing. Or it could be a portfolio of your work. If you're a copywriter, you could put examples of the different, types of copy you've written for different clients and yeah, ideally get the names of the clients, ask their permission to use their stories as case studies so you could present them as case studies.
[00:14:11] I love to see a little bit of background, a bit of behind the scenes of the various projects that you've done because then you can showcase that past work and let the work speak for itself and you're You don't have to boast, right? You just let the work sell itself. And people will be like, this sounds amazing and she seems to be serving clients who are like me, or that she's got some kind of idea of the kind of work that I want.
[00:14:39] And also, that's it. I think a website's job is just as importantly as attracting clients. It's also repelling the wrong kinds of clients that are honestly going to waste your time and theirs.
[00:14:49] Then I would add a contact page. Now your contact page, often we just think, Oh, it's just like putting my digits and my email address and that kind of thing.
[00:15:00] But the job the contact page has to do is to get those ideal customers to engage further with you. So it's more than just leaving your contact details and more about inviting ideal clients to engage further. So this could be where you include an intake questionnaire, where a person gives you more information about their requirements and then you can use that information to do a semi custom proposal for them, for example.
[00:15:30] This is part of your call to action, you know, the contact page is actually starting to make a sale. And so your website's done the job of drawing that person in, getting them to engage, and then you come in and do the, the hard part of the sale, which is actually closing the sale if it's an ideal customer, which again, if the website's doing its job, it's bringing you ideal customers.
[00:15:54] The last page that I want to mention in this section of the second level upgrade, let's call it, is an FAQ page. So this is not essential, but I like an FAQ page because again, it's like that personal assistant who's answering common questions, common concerns and that ideal customers might have So that you don't have to do it, you know, like all those questions get answered in one, let's call it touch points on this website.
[00:16:24] And you can also use your FAQ page to put little videos. It could be the start of a little bit of content marketing, which I'm going to talk about shortly. Where you are answering questions, but instead of a full blog post, you're giving a shorter answer. So I think this can be a nice little bridging way into doing a little bit more content marketing.
[00:16:45] All right. So just to summarize your upgrade number two, which is in the sort of personal assistant kind of level job, you're going to have your homepage, your services page, your about page, a portfolio page with testimonials. An FAQ page, optional, and a contact page. I would say if you're going to upgrade your website to that sort of level two kind of level, those are the kinds of pages that you need there.
[00:17:13] And by the way, I said testimonials on the portfolio page, but don't be shy to scatter testimonials all over your website. People love seeing that kind of social proof and that's why I also don't recommend only putting testimonials on one page of the website.
[00:17:29] Upgrade 3: Legal Pages (Lawyer/Legal Team)
[00:17:29] Shelley: All right, are you ready to make the third level upgrade?
[00:17:35] This one's an interesting one and it's probably one that you do need to do in conjunction with the other upgrades. Upgrade number three is the job of your legal team. So as you are doing upgrade number two, and I would say even just putting one page up on the internet, you do need to think about the legalities.
[00:17:54] So here we're thinking about things like your Terms of Service page. So just like the usage of your actual website. Any kind of legal agreements and, things like your cookie policy. There are services that you can use to do a cookie banner. And then the other thing is your privacy policy that then links to it.
[00:18:16] And you can, you can write your own privacy policy, but I almost wouldn't recommend it. I think I'd rather recommend going to use a service. You can get various online, template shops that will sell a privacy policy template. And I think that's well worth the investment.
[00:18:34] Okay, for the legal team for this upgrade, number three, in summary, the pages that we're looking at is a terms of service page, and a privacy policy page. You might also want to think about adding Terms of service, if you're selling digital products. Of, not just using the website, but actually purchasing those digital products, what's the guarantees, that kind of thing.
[00:18:56] Okay, so as I said, it's like an upgrade number three, but I think it might be more like a 2a that you need to add to your website. So just making sure that you're protected and that you're operating within the bounds of the law. And this also applies internationally.
[00:19:13]
[00:19:16] Upgrade 4: Content Marketing (Teacher + PR Team)
[00:19:16] Shelley: Okay, maybe you've heard me talk about all of this and you're like, I'm ready to make more of an upgrade. I want to add some more content marketing. to my site. So things like blogs, podcasts, YouTube videos, and it's all happening within the website.
[00:19:34] And it's all kind of like housed within the website. Even if you've got the YouTube videos, it's still kind of directing traffic back to the website. And it's a content marketing play. All right. Now, a lot of you would have started here, right? A lot of you would have started by actually writing a blog and that turned into a business.
[00:19:52] So. Although I've numbered these upgrades, it might not be the order in which you go, so maybe you are quite far along in the content marketing side of things, but you actually need to go and add more of those static pages that I've been talking about, the more the personal assistant type things.
[00:20:11] The content marketing job here, I would equate this to a teacher and a public relations team.
[00:20:19] So it's like educational marketing. That's the job that the website needs to do here is that of teacher and public relations. So here is where you will have your blog. If you've got a written blog, or it could be a resources page where you share helpful resources, anything that's going to establish your authority and knowledge of the field and the topic that you are operating in.
[00:20:46] And this is again where you can add your podcast. Perhaps you have a podcast page within your website and a YouTube channel like with all your videos. I would have a page on your website just committed to your YouTube channel so that you can concierge and talk about your YouTube channel without completely taking them off of your website and out into the YouTubes.
[00:21:09] Rather like, oh, these are some of my top videos. These are some of the videos on this particular topic. And. Sort of guide your people around your YouTube resources.
[00:21:19] All right, then if you go in the content marketing route, you'll likely want to have some kind of opt in so that you've got your content marketing and SEO kind of getting people in. And then you want those people to stay in your ecosystem of your email. Okay. So we talked about the website being your home on the internet. Your email list is then like having those people as your buddies and your friends and like on a WhatsApp group together.
[00:21:45] So that is like you having the right to communicate with your people. So you'll likely want an opt in or just a newsletter sign up form. And so you'll need a landing page for that so that people know what are they signing up for. What are they getting? Even if it's just a few bullet points and they know it is that they're opting in for.
[00:22:07] Once you've got the person opted in, I think one of the pages that we forget about is that thank you page. Often we just send them to ConvertKit's thank you page, default thank you page. But that thank you page is the opportunity to really show a lot more of your personality and maybe showcase some of your other opt ins, resources, and introduce them to your paid for products.
[00:22:32] So Inject a lot of personality into that thank you page and provide that next step that they can take after they've opted in. Because you can imagine, like it's, You're at a dinner party and somebody comes up towards you to speak to you, you then will need to reciprocate. You can't then stand there all quiet. You need to reciprocate and actually have a conversation with that person. By opting into your newsletter or by downloading one of your resources, a client has stepped closer towards you and so then you need to reciprocate by just showing a little bit more of you and your personality.
[00:23:11] Okay, are there pages you could have on your website, again on a little bit more optional, but like if you regularly run webinars or workshops or like events, you might want a page dedicated to those upcoming events.
[00:23:24] If there are time sensitive and training sessions related to the services that you offer, you might need a page dedicated to that. Also thinking about this public relations team, you might want a press and media page. So this could Both showcase, if you've been mentioned in the press or been featured on someone's podcast or any kind of media coverage, if you've gotten awards, that kind of thing.
[00:23:51] But it also could have the resources. If you want to do podcast guesting or speaking, it could have all the resources that people would need, your headshot, your bio, topics that you talk about, that kind of thing. So that could be media resources as well.
[00:24:06] And then if you're going the content marketing route, you might want to start setting up a community or forum page.
[00:24:12] Now, a lot of people will do this on Facebook, but I'm creating my website now through Podia, and they have got a membership feature, which you can make free or paid for. And you could have then a community or forum page, if it makes sense to build that kind of space for customers to connect with each other and connect around your products.
[00:24:34] Okay, so upgrade number four, for the teacher and public relations team function or job. We are looking for a blog page or a resources page. pages for your podcast or for your YouTube channel. These are all ORs. You don't need to do all of them. Then if you're looking to expand your content marketing, you're gonna need landing pages for all of your opt-ins.
[00:24:57] A thank you page, you can usually do one thank you page, but you might want to do thank you pages for each of your opt ins. An events or workshops page, and a press or media page, and then optional is to have a community or forum
[00:25:12] So that's the fourth level upgrade, that kind of PR team, that educational marketing, content marketing, where your website's doing the job of teacher and public relations team.
[00:25:24] Upgrade 5: Sales Pages (Sales Team)
[00:25:24] Shelley: Now the sort of fifth level upgrade that I would see in terms of building your website and making this more manageable and sort of building chunks of the website is to add a sales team.
[00:25:38] And your sales team is going to actually close the sale for you, ideally. My favorite way of course of doing that on the web is by creating sales pages for distinct offers or service packages. If you can close a sale and deliver the product, In one sales page and in one sort of customer journey, that's ideal.
[00:26:01] Now, of course, you can't always do this with high touch services, but a sales page is focused on one product and one product only. Typically, there's no way to kind of navigate out of that sales page other than clicking, buy now, or book a call. But there's a lot more persuasion on a sales page.
[00:26:20] You're persuading your visitors to take action. By highlighting the problem that this product solves, you're outlining the solution that you're going to offer, you're introducing yourself as the expert in this particular product sphere, and you're calling your people to action. Again, to write a great sales page takes quite a lot of thought and quite a lot of investment of time.
[00:26:45] But I do have a resource to help you remember that Sales Page Step by Step that you used or could have used as your starter website, it now can be used to sell a particular service package. So you can go and have a look for sales page step by step in my WordNerd store at shelleysmithcreative.com.
[00:27:04] Then, this is the position I'm in now, is that I need a digital product storefront. So I need to be able to showcase the various digital products that I've got, eBooks, Workshops, templates, mini courses. We're going to have a signature course coming soon, but I need a digital product storefront to kind of showcase all of those products, and then I need pages for each of those products, and those products will need a A sort of mini sales page in the product description page.
[00:27:36] So often these would appear as like the checkout page. So if you did have a sales page, you then would check out and then you'd see the description of the product that you're buying. So you've got to like really think about How to make the customer know that they have made a good decision because they've clicked buy now and often it's at this point where it's like sealing the deal and they actually need to put in their credit card details and buy the product.
[00:28:01] That's when you need to be very thoughtful about how you describe that product and the benefits it's going to give the person buying it.
[00:28:09] And then one last page that I'd suggest is an affiliate or partner page. So, this could be if you've got a long term partnership with someone, like I've got various partners where I affiliate their courses and it's like a joint venture, and so that could have its own sales page.
[00:28:28] But you could also create a resources page where you have links to affiliate products so that can generate additional affiliate revenue for you or you can take that a little bit further even and almost make it a bit of a product of your own.
[00:28:43] So for upgrade five, the sales team, the pages that we're looking for here is sales pages for every distinct offer or service that you offer. You then need to think about a digital product storefront, if you are going that direction. Each of your digital products need a product description, and then you could also think about an affiliate group page, or affiliate pages for each of the products that you are affiliated with.
[00:29:10] All right, so I think that is over 20 different kinds of pages that you could have in your website. But, if you're just getting started, you just need to start with one splash page promoting your service and offer. If you're further along the line, either in the blog and kind of content marketing stage, or if you're, you've set up a static website, but want to expand it into more dynamic content marketing kind of content, you now know the little steps that you can follow.
[00:29:42] So I'll include a resource in the show notes that you can go and opt into and download the list of the various pages in the various stages for your website.
[00:29:53] And if you've thought to yourself, Oh my goodness, I have got so much to do on my websites and you're feeling a little bit overwhelmed, please don't feel overwhelmed. I've got that WWW words, web and wisdom program that I think would be ideal for you. If you've got those big dreams and audacious goals for your business, But your website is that pesky problem, that undone thing on your to do list that keeps getting pushed to the bottom of your to do list.
[00:30:21] I really believe that WWW will be able to help you and it will be able to provide you with the accountability and the knowledge that you need to write and develop your own website in six weeks. This is the most cost effective way that I can offer my services to you because you'll be bringing. Some of the magic yourself, you'll be bringing your knowledge of your audience, of your products, and of your business.
[00:30:47] And I'll be providing you with my expertise in the copywriting and web tech space. So whether you need to set up a starter website, or a more comprehensive website, whether you're looking to add content marketing, or a digital store, all of those you'll be able to do. You could do through the WWW program.
[00:31:07] So as I say, it's launching in beta mode, which means small group personalized kind of attention at a group rate price. And I've really drastically reduced the price that I will launch the course at when I've, once I've tested it and worked through it in a group setting.
[00:31:25] So if you're thinking about launching your website or sprucing your website up, this is a really great opportunity to join the crew that I'm going Put it together and let's get your website out there on the internet. So to go and apply for the program because it is an application process, you will need to go to wwwbeta.shelleysmithcreative.com and there you'll find the details of the program and you will be able to apply for the program which is going to start in July 2024.
[00:31:58] But I've got lots more cool website stuff coming your way on the Playful Mompreneur Podcast. I'm going to be isolating a few of these pages that we've talked about and dive in a little bit deeper into some of the questions that those pages need to answer and how you can write your various pages on your websites in a way that they really do their job.
[00:32:19] So make sure you subscribe to the Playful Mompreneur Podcast and then those episodes will automatically come into your podcast player. And you'll be alerted about them. I'd love it if you'd also sign up for my email list so that I will also be able to share with you when new episodes drop. All right, my Playful Mompreneur friends, it's been great talking through websites, a topic that's very close to my heart and very much the core of my business. I wish you all the very best with your website and lots of selling while you sleep in. I'm Shelley Tonkin Smith, the Playful Mompreneur. I'll see you next time.
[00:32:58] Bye!
