125 | Fix this BEFORE spending hours creating content
Why creating more content is pointless until your website is set up to convert (the checklist you need!)
So many of us pour hours into content - more Reels, more carousels, more TikToks - convinced that's the thing that'll finally grow our business.
But if all that traffic lands on a website that isn't set up to convert, you're missing out on that warm audience you’ve worked so hard to build. In this episode I'm sharing the simple website fixes that actually turn your hard-won content traffic into paying clients.
Why your website matters more than making more content
You’re pouring hours into content (more Reels, more carousels, "maybe I need to start a YouTube channel" etc) and have convinced yourself that's what'll finally get you more clients - while barely touching the one thing that actually converts all that traffic: your website.
What would actually happen if you went viral tomorrow? Would your website be ready to turn those people into paying clients, or would they land, get confused, and leave? 👀 As a website designer of over 11 years, I know I’m probably a little biased, but honestly this is a huge gap that so many business owners leave in their marketing.
Before you make another piece of content, follow the checklist in this episode to make sure your website is ready to do the work for you!
LINKS MENTIONED IN THE EPISODE:
The Sell With Your Site Kit (a template + prompts for every page of your website): https://www.byrosanna.co.uk/sell-with-your-site-kit
My Flodesk setup guide + tutorial (get started with email marketing): https://www.byrosanna.co.uk/flodesk
Sign up to my weekly ‘Re:Fresh’ emails: https://www.byrosanna.co.uk/newsletter
Say hi on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/by.rosanna/
More about byRosanna (website design & business resources): https://www.byrosanna.co.uk/
The golf analogy (bear with me, I know nothing about golf)
Here's how I think about it: all your marketing, all that content getting you traffic, is you taking those first big hits to get the golf ball closer to the hole.
Occasionally, if you're really good, you'll get a hole in one where someone finds you, gets warmed up by your content, and hires you straight away with no extra nudging.
But most of the time, for most of us, content gets the ball very close to the hole, and then you need one final little putt to get it in. That final putt is your website. It's what takes someone from interested and warm to actually over the line and becoming a client.
So many people neglect that final step! You've done the hard part, getting traffic from your social media over to your website, and then you leave all your golf balls scattered around the hole without tapping them in. (I'm aware this analogy is getting slightly away from me, but we're committing.)
Don't get everyone right up to the finish line and then abandon them. Here are the simple things your website needs to do that final push…
1. Make it instantly clear what you do, who it's for, and why you
Anyone landing on your website, from a viral Reel or anywhere else, needs to immediately understand three things, before they scroll, before they click anywhere else:
What you do (your services, offers or products)
Who it's for
Why you (what makes you different, your unique angle or approach)
Those three elements need to be wham, bam, right there on your homepage.
It's essentially a positioning statement, and there's a real art to summarising all of that into one or two short sentences (you may need a few goes and some feedback to nail it.)
And yes, you want your website to deter the wrong people as much as it attracts the right ones. If someone lands from your content and instantly thinks "yes, this is exactly what I need", brilliant. But if someone thinks "ah, not the right fit", you want them to happily leave too, because time-wasters filling in your enquiry form is a waste of everyone's time. Clarity does both jobs at once.
2. Make your navigation effortless
Basic, but so important. Your top navigation menu should let someone understand exactly how to find what they need, and get there in as few clicks as possible (ideally one!).
Don't name your menu items fancy, confusing things. Reduce friction.
Don't hide your contact page out of the menu just to squeeze other things in.
Don't overload people with a million options.
The ideal number of top-level menu items is around 7. There have been loads of studies on the optimal amount that gives people enough options without overwhelming them, so keep it to 7 max, and use dropdowns or mega menus if you genuinely need more (a website designer can help you figure this out 😉).
And navigation isn't just the menu. On your longer pages (home, about, services), you need clear calls to action buttons directing people to the next step throughout the page and especially at the bottom, so nobody gets to the end and thinks "cool… now what?" Always direct people where to go next.
Crucially, check how this reads on mobile. A page that looks fine on desktop is much longer on mobile because everything stacks into a smaller space and people scroll far more. So you may need extra calls to action dotted through your content, because mobile visitors get bored quicker on that longer scroll.
3. Keep your content up to date
This is the most common one I see. People spend hours on content and driving traffic to their site, but haven't actually updated the website in months. Their latest offer isn't clearly linked, their pricing is out of date, their listed availability is wrong, or there are no recent projects in their portfolio.
Make sure your website info is as up to date as your Instagram. You don't want someone arriving all excited from your content, only to think "hang on, this seems out of date" or "this doesn't match what she's been posting lately."
While you're at it, highlight your best, freshest stuff: recent projects, your best recent blog posts or podcast episodes, current photos of you. It should feel like someone's actually spent time in there recently.
4. Give people a low-commitment next step
This is the bit that really pushes new leads over the line (back to our golf hole analogy). Someone probably isn't ready to enquire about your thousands-of-pounds offer straight away, that's a big leap. So give them a lower-commitment way to stay connected and keep warming up.
An email list or newsletter is the classic. It costs them nothing but their email address, lets them go deeper into your world, and gives you a way to nurture and even pitch to them over time. (If you want to start email marketing but don't know where to begin, I use and recommend Flodesk, and I've published a full step-by-step setup tutorial, plus a discount link, to get you going).
A lower-cost offer is the other option, a stepping stone that lets people get a taster of working with you before committing to your full service. Think an audit or a strategy session: lower commitment, lower risk, and a great way to build the trust some people need before they spend hundreds or thousands with you.
Don't let your hard work leak away
There's no point spending all that time and energy on content that sends people to a website that isn't ready to convert them. They'll land, feel confused or underwhelmed, and leave, and all your effort leaks straight out the bottom. Your website needs to be doing the hard work behind the scenes too.
This is exactly what I help clients with, but if you'd rather do it yourself, my Sell With Your Site Kit gives you a template of everything you need on each page of your website, with prompts to write it all (your positioning statement included) so it's built to convert.
