‘Cause having a website is just the start.
It seems very basic to do a post on what needs to be on a website, but here’s the thing: websites are diverse!
You can have a one-page author site, or one like mine with a few other menu items. Or you can run an ecommerce or other service-based company with a hundred different pages.
Regardless of where you need to end up, there are a few key elements that are good for any solopreneur or leader to keep in mind if they’re creating or updating their personal website.
1. A moving video or professional photo above the fold
Last month I spoke with an actor who wants to create a new website for themselves, and we started comparing other actors’ sites. What I didn’t see on most actors’ sites was a moving video. Which is bonkers because in most movies, actors fuel the stories!
Here are a couple of websites with moving videos above the fold:
Whether you’re a speaker, actor, or other professional, a video shows you in action. And when you’re in action, people are riveted, intrigued and more likely to engage with you.
If you don’t have this kind of video footage, the next best thing is a pro photo. You’ll see most folks running a personal brand have this, including me.
Make sure your head is high enough so that your face appears before anyone has to scroll down on a desktop browser. I made the mistake of having my face down too low in the photo, so you could only see my forehead before scrolling.
2. A positioning statement
If a video or photo tells a thousand words, your positioning statement says it outright. I covered this in last week’s blog post. It’s important to have this close to, if not right at the top of your website homepage so that it’s the first thing that search engines & AI apps pick up about you.
3. Impactful moment or attention-grabbing statement + one-liners
Here’s a great example from Maggie Sellers Reum on HotSmartRich.com: “Women are done shrinking themselves to fit inside rooms they’ve already outgrown.” Don’t I effing know it!
One-liners? See all the quotables media have given Mel Robbins.
4. Messages, topics, and how you solve challenges
Here’s your copywriter’s favourite middle of the sandwich. On your homepage body copy (or other pages), you should have:
- The strongest messages that demonstrate your thought leadership
- Key topics you’re an expert in
- How you solve challenges
If you’ve been featured in media or spoken at well-known events, those logos help here. This is where you show proof of the pudding. You walking the talk. (And all those other metaphors about action and integrity.)
5. A video of you in action or speaking to a live audience
So if you used a photo instead of a video above the fold, here’s where you can supplement your page with one.
On my homepage, I put the video of my 2024 keynote from Planted Expo there, because even though I’m not looking for speaking gigs, my offers change every so often that instead of a new promotional service video, you can just see me talking and get a feel for what I’m like IRL through the video.
Videos are very good to have on a website because people like to get to know you before they follow or choose to hire you.
Here’s what you see around the middle of Camille Moore’s site. It’s not a video, but it’s a great photo of her speaking (and there is the ability to play her video right at the top of her homepage, above the fold.)
6. Benefits of connecting with or hiring you
One step better than you talking about how great you are is other people doing so. This is where testimonials and those media quotes come in.
You have to show the transformation you deliver or why people should pay attention to you, even if you can’t show exactly how you deliver that magic yet.
7. A call to action
This may seem obvious—obviously you want people to contact you, right? But if you want them to purchase right away, this could be a purchase button. Or a lead magnet offer that gets people on your email list. Buy the book.
No matter how great your site looks, you gotta tell people the action(s) you want them to take.
8. Contact information
Some will argue that you should always have your contact information (email address or a contact form, at the very least) somewhere in the footer of your website so it doesn’t matter what page visitors land on, they can always contact you.
For solo operators, I might disagree and say that it’s worth the click or two to go to a contact page and have someone message you. Y’all are getting as much spam as I am, right?
After all, a person is not a brick & mortar business that needs to show its location and hours of operation right away. Make ’em work for it a little.
After all, you have a specific CTA that doesn’t include emailing you.
Hope those 8 tips were helpful!
I’m Sandra Nomoto, a personal brand manager for established ethical female leaders. Contact me if you need someone to manage and amplify your brand for the next 20 years. Or sign-up to my email list to get monthly whispers in your inbox.
