Recently I was working with a business strategy client. He is a brilliant photographer whose work is breathtaking. But his website needed work.
Many folks in the artistic field recognize the value of showing their work to the web-browsing public. After all, if you’re an architect, an artist, a photographer, etc, how are people going to know how immensely talented you are if you don’t show them?
However, a few things entered into the portion of our strategy session discussion that centered on his website.
One was that his home page was purely visual. There was no text to read, outside of text that was part of the photograph he showcased. The other was a common pitfall we all slip into and need to recognize – the text on the home page must be all about the client, not about you. You have to earn the right to talk about you.
Challenges:
The home page photograph itself was stunning but did not clarify or educate the audience. We don’t know what message that photo was supposed to deliver. Just assume that your audience confuses easily! So add text to tell your client a story.
Google can’t read images. I need to say that again. The technology of Google bots, skimming the internet looking for CONTENT looks for words. It’s image-blind. Go ahead and showcase your photography, your structure, your painting for us humans, but make sure that Google has something to READ.
On the about me page, the photographer let us know all about his style, his experience, his unique value and his desire to make his clients happy. Because the home page had no text, I had him move this text to the home page. AND — while describing his unique style is terrific, he needs to first address his potential clients in order to earn the right to talk about himself.
This goes for ALL of us, no exceptions.
The Star of Your Home Page
Let me make this crystal clear – the star of your home page is your IDEAL CLIENT – not you.
- Who do you serve?
- Why do you serve them?
- What challenge do they want you to solve?
- How do you solve that challenge?
- What is the clear and direct benefit they will get when they choose YOU to solve their challenge?
Your About Us page is where you can talk about YOU. Here’s where you tell us about
- your mission,
- your core values,
- your experience, specific skills,
- your personal story, and more.
Show me that you understand me and my challenges and that you understand how I’m feeling right now on the home page – and then you’ll earn the right to introduce yourself and how I can benefit from working with you on the about me page.
By all means, showcase your visuals, but make sure Google has some nice yummy KEYWORDS and Key Phrases to consume. It helps to think of Google bots looking like Pac Man, chomping up those dots……..
Do you need help with content? Whether it’s content for blogs, emails, a website, or simply an overall content marketing plan, I would love to discuss this further. My clients have gotten so many revelations out of our strategy sessions, it’s saved them huge amounts of time, energy and frustrations. A strategy session clears the path in front of them so they can truly make progress toward growth.
Reach out and let’s set a time to chat.