One VIP Day to implement simple, but powerful website changes to boost online visibility, conversion rates, and brand presence for Nebraska-based photographer Rebecca Marie.
Like many creative small business owners, Rebecca had a long list of updates she wanted to make to her Showit website—a perfect VIP Day project. Her priority? Adjusting the Experience page to reflect a recent shift in her photography services. Her offering had shifted and now the messaging on her website needed to follow suit.
On the surface, Rebecca’s project seemed straightforward: adjust this copy, take that out, add this in. However, wonderful clients like Rebecca don’t just hire us to push pixels on a page. They hire us because we are brand strategists as well as website designers.
After our discovery call, it was clear that her vision and concerns touched on these much bigger problems. Big-picture problems that every small business owner faces:
- How can I improve online visibility for the website?
- How can I better communicate with my audience with more than just words on a page?
- How can I make taking the next step to work with me as easy as possible?
Ultimately, her VIP Day website updates fell into 3 main categories: Visibility — Conversions — Brand Enhancing
Watch the before and after website transformation
Visibility: Improving online visibility by optimizing the SEO foundation
When it comes to boosting online visibility and SEO, you can think in terms of short-term and long-term strategies. Our VIP Day focused on the short-term strategy of making sure the SEO foundation of the website was set up correctly. Initially, we noticed several areas for improvement, including:
- SEO keywords missing from headings and other copy
- Improper use of text tag structure
- No page titles or meta descriptions for any pages on the site
Why are Page Titles and Meta Descriptions Important?
Adding a page title and meta description is important because it communicates what your page is about to both users and search engines. Think of it as a short snapshot of the page that should invite the user to click through. The title in particular can directly impact online visibility and organic traffic.
Thankfully, this is an easy fix but one that is often overlooked when customizing a Showit website template. Template designers intentionally leave this blank, so if you’re DIY-ing your website it’s up to you to add this in. This is one of the important steps we took as part of optimizing the SEO foundation of Rebecca’s website.
How to add page titles and meta descriptions to Showit website
Inside the Showit platform, simply click on the page and go to the SEO Settings panel on the right. There you’ll see the option to add in a Page Title, Meta Description and Share Image for each page.
Adding SEO keywords to website copy
Infusing website copy with your SEO keywords is another way to boost online visibility. Naturally, you don’t want this to read awkward or forced, but we noticed a few areas on Rebecca’s site where it made sense to lean into her target keywords, improving the page’s relevance for those terms. Since her business operates locally, we also made sure to highlight the location she serves on her primary website pages.
Cleaning up text tag structure
First off, what is a text tag? A text tag simply refers to how your website copy is labeled: Heading 1, 2, 3 or paragraph text are most commonly used in Showit. We humans distinguish text structure by it’s style and size. For example, headings are typically larger and more prominent while paragraphs are smaller. This visual hierarchy is important for creating website copy visitors can easily skim—one of the many reasons I believe typography can make or break your brand.
However, search engines are machines and they don’t interpret your website text the same way. Text is labeled with a “tag” that tells them how to distinguish between the heading and the paragraph. Proper text tag structure is important because it helps search engines understand your page and determine it’s relevance to search results.
Showit templates that have been built properly typically have the text placeholders labeled correctly with the proper tags from the start. However, believe me when I say, this can quickly get out of whack in the messy middle of customizing a website. This is another clean-up we did to lay a stronger SEO foundation for Rebecca’s website—and boost online visibility going forward.
Conversions: Improving conversion rates with these simple adjustments
A clearer navigation — make the next step as easy as possible!
Improving website conversion rates starts with having a website that’s easy to navigate. If your people can’t easily find what they are looking for or know where to take the next step, they won’t. They’ll click away in a hot second.
Because Rebecca is shifting away from lifestyle photography to embrace headshots and branding, this was a prime moment to bring these to the forefront. Previously, these pages were rather hidden, requiring the user to navigate confusing hover effects or click through multiple pages to find them.
Instead, we added both of these sales pages to the main navigation, making it easier for prospective clients to learn more about these services. We also built out more prominent sections to highlight each service on Rebecca’s Experience page.
The trust-building section your website needs
One essential, conversion-driving piece was missing from Rebecca’s Experience page and sales pages: Testimonials.
When it comes to building trust, testimonials carry a lot of weight. They help paint a picture of what it’s like to work with you and can comfort prospective clients who are on the fence about working with you. More than that, client feedback can also help you write compelling website copy and better connect with your audience!
The importance of buttons
Buttons are closely tied to having an intuitive navigation on a website. They are essential in guiding your audience through your website. To do that effectively, placement, color and functionality all play a role.
In Rebecca’s case, we noticed her Experience page missed having multiple CTA buttons (or calls to action), so we focused on adding more action opportunities in the right places. Where specifically? We added one prominent button above the fold before the user starts to scroll (because hey, you never know how long they stay on the page). We also added several others halfway down the page, particularly around the description of her unique process and services—all logical places where the user might be ready to take the next step.
Brand Enhancing: Polishing the brand identity without a redesign
Brand color psychology
Changing her brand style wasn’t on Rebecca’s radar at all, but a few suble shifts flowed naturally as we worked to achieve her other goals and create a more polished online experience.
One of those stylistic changes was leaning in to the warm gold in her brand color palette. Rebecca’s brand colors are predominantly dark neutrals, so adding the gold creates great contrast. This works extremely well to make her buttons pop against dark backgrounds (another strategy to boost conversion potential).
Gold also evokes an optimistic, friendly vibe which adds warmth to an otherwise moody color palette—aligning perfectly with Rebecca’s revised messaging which speaks to her ability to help her clients feel comfortable in front of the camera.
See this article if you’re interested in learning more about how to choose brand colors that align with your business.
Spacing
Oh how a little white space can instantly elevate the look and feel of a brand! Nothing undermines credibility faster than wonky spacing that screams “amateur!”
So while we tackled the primary tasks for Rebecca’s VIP Day, we also cleaned up the spacing throughout the site. A little white space between a canvas ending and a new heading beginning. Balanced space between photos and text boxes. More breathing room helps the viewer feel more relaxed as they experience the site. Small shifts, but exactly the kind of refined touches that support the message Rebecca wants to send to her audience: that she can help them feel at ease in front of the camera.
Simple changes to improve online visibility and credibility all in one day
Rebecca’s VIP Day serves as a great example of how simple, but strategic changes can make a big difference in how your brand shows up online.
Your online presence is never set it and forget it. It’s moving along with you as your business grows and shifts—or at least it should! There’s a time to completely overhaul and explore a custom redesign or new Showit website template. Then, there’s a time to simply refine what’s already there with the done-for-you experience of a VIP Day.
So what’s at the top of your website updates list? Learn more about how we can take that overwhelm off your shoulders and create a stronger online presence for your business in just one day.
