Most business websites make one huge mistake and it’s costing them money.

Your website is the front door of your business online. When clients live far away or don’t interact with you face-to-face, it’s how they learn about your business and how you serve them. 

If you don’t capture their attention, they’ll turn around and shut the door behind them. 

Here at Hughes Integrated, we’ve been in the business long enough to know why websites don’t work.

There’s one big mistake you can avoid to prevent potential clients from leaving your business website before taking action. 

Your Business Website Talks About Itself Too Much

Most business websites make one huge mistake: they talk about themselves too much.

“What?” you might ask. “Isn’t that the point of a website? Clients need to know who I am. How else are they going to do business with me?”

Clients will want to do business with you if your website tells a clear story. But it’s not your story — it’s your customer’s story.

What Customers Care About On Your Business Website

Scientists say the human brain is designed to do two basic things: Survive and thrive. We only care about what’s going to help us live better. Everything else is unimportant. There are trillions of bits of information in the world and so our brains have to be picky in selecting what we think about. If a piece of information doesn’t help us survive and thrive, it gets tossed right out the window.

So the biggest mistake businesses make when writing their websites is they talk about themselves too much. They try to position themselves as the hero and their audience hates it. 

You might have a good company, but talking about your greatness doesn’t help your clients live a better life. If that’s all your website does, everything on it is getting tossed right out the window. 

The truth is, clients don’t care if your great grandaddy started the business with nothing more than a $20 bill and a dream. They do care if your company helps them live a better life.

The Dos and Don’ts of Your Business Website

We’ll give you a quick field guide of how to talk about your business on your website. The biggest challenge is the shift in mindset this requires. Let’s break it down.

Do Position Yourself as The Guide (Not the Hero)

There’s only one hero in every story—and everyone sees themselves as the hero of their own story. Is the hero able to overcome every challenge himself? Usually not. He needs a guide to get what he wants. Enter you—the guide of your customer, who is the hero of this story. 

Don’t Talk About How Great You Are

Instead of trying to be the hero, position yourself as the guide. But that doesn’t mean you get to ramble on for three paragraphs about your company’s history. If you want a website that converts buyers, don’t talk about your business ad nauseam. Talk about your customer. Step into their shoes. Anticipate their problems. Help make their lives better. Understand their story and feature it front and center. 

Do Talk About How You Can Help Your Customer

This is called empathy and authority. Demonstrate your empathy for your customer by emphasizing that you understand their problem. Then, establish authority by explaining why you can guide them through their problem. Again, don’t immediately jump into how great you are. Describe your authority—your credentials, your guarantees, or your expertise—in a way that clearly benefits your customer. 

3 Things You Can Do Today To Improve Your Website

Now that we’ve talked about the dos and don’ts, how do you go about implementing them into your website? Here are three tips to help you get started: 

Create Headlines that Are Customer-Focused

An expert copy team can help you with this. Changing headlines to be focused on your hero—the customer—can be as simple as a language shift. Here’s an example. 

Business-focused headline: Family-Owned Retirement Planning for 50 Years Running

Customer-focused headline: Retirement Planning Expertise for Busy Families 

Your customer can see themselves in the second headline, but not in the first. 

Talk About Your Customer’s Problem

Talking about your customer’s problem is the little bit of salt that goes into your recipe—too much salt, and it tastes bad. Just enough, and it adds to the flavor. When you talk about your customer’s problem front and center on your website, you’ll have their attention. 

Tell Your Customer What to Do Next

Your website should include a clear call to action. You shouldn’t be afraid to ask for the sale—that’s why customers are on your website! If the next step you want them to take is to call you, download a lead generator, or purchase a book—tell them!

Create A Message That Transforms Your Business Website

Your business’ website is one of the most important assets you can have. But it only works if it has a clear message that benefits your customer. At Hughes Integrated, we are experts in creating messages that appeal to your customers, saving you the time and money of building a beautiful new website—only to receive dead-end leads. Schedule a call with our team today to discover how a clear message can transform your website—and your business!