A Kick-Ass Guide to Building an Awesome Website

THE KICK-ASS GUIDE
TO BUILDING AN
AWESOME WEBSITE
WEBSITE DESIGN STRATEGY
EDITION 1

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Converting your website visitors into buyers can be a bit difficult in today’s competitive day and age. No
matter which industry your business is in, there are always dozens upon dozens of others competing for
your clientele. Because of this, everything you do must be ahead of the curve. You need a superior product,
outstanding service, and an up-to-date website with plenty of aesthetic appeal. This short e-book covers
the 10 features that are necessary for your business website and, ultimately, your success.
INTRO | INTRODUCTION
PAGES 1
CHAPTER 1 | UP TO DATE DESIGN
PAGE 3
CHAPTER 2 | MUST BE RESPONSIVE
PAGES 5
CHAPTER 3 | WELL-WRITTEN COPY
PAGES 8
CHAPTER 4 | AN INVITING LOGO
PAGES 10
CHAPTER 5 | A CONSISTENTLY MAINTAINED BLOG
PAGES 13
CHAPTER 6 | GOOD IMAGES
PAGES 15
CHAPTER 7 | CALLS TO ACTION
PAGES 17
CHAPTER 8 |
WEBSITE NAVIGATION
PAGES 19
CHAPTER 9 | ONPAGE SEO PAGES 21
CHAPTER 10 | USER EXPERIENCE PAGES 23

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CHAPTER 1
UP TO DATE DESIGN

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“IT’S NOT JUST A “WEBSITE”, IT’S THE FIRST POINT OF
CONTACT. MAKE IT COUNT.”
Website design is certainly subjective. Your
particular industry may actually help to define not
only how your website looks, but also how it works.
Nonetheless, there are a few modern elements
that you should consider in order to convert your
visitors into buyers. Here are some of the current
trends that are proving successful for business
owners around the world.
#1 – Simple Hero Images
When a visitor to your site sees large blocks of text
from the start, he or she may opt for another site
in order to get the information he or she needs. A
“hero image” is essentially a single, large image
that makes up your landing page. You can overlay
a small amount of powerful text to get your point
across and compel your visitors to scroll down, or
you can overlay other content, too. In short, a hero
image tells your story in the simplest way possible
and it keeps visitors interested.
#2 – Videos
Many times, business owners have videos
embedded throughout their websites, whether
for tutorial purposes or advertisement. One of
the most popular trends in today’s website design
includes using a background video to tell your
story. This video will play automatically, as soon as
a visitor gets to your page. It should be concise and
simple, and it should also compel your visitors to
click through to the rest of the site.
#3 – A Flat Design
Although today’s technology can allow for some
pretty sophisticated 3D effects, it seems that
website visitors actually prefer a flat, 2D design
instead. Flat design is a term used to describe
elements, such as shadows, that do not give the
visitor the overall perception of three dimensions.
What’s more, because these elements can load
more quickly than their 3D counterparts, website
visitors are more likely to stick around since the
website repsonds much quicker.
#4 – Hidden Menus
When it comes to designing your site, you have
a couple of different options available to you.
You could make your navigation bar visible at
the outset, but the trouble is that the navigation
buttons take up some pretty valuable space on
the user’s screen. A hidden (or “hamburger”)
menu is by far a better choice. This menu is
incredibly simple for users to find, and it frees up
more space, allowing you to keep things simple.
#5 – Huge Images of Your Product
Consider the purpose of your website. If your
ultimate goal involves selling a product to the
people who visit your site, then why not make
the product itself the main focus? Huge product
images are making their way into dozens
upon dozens of websites, and they give you an
opportunity to show off a bit. By ensuring that
your images are responsive (meaning that users
can turn them, zoom in or out, and even click
a part of the image for more information), you
have given your visitors the next best thing to
actually holding the object in their hands.
Today’s website design is not all about cramming
as much information as you can onto the landing
or home page of your site. Rather, it is about
creating an interactive page that loads quickly
and tells your company’s story as simply as
possible.
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CHAPTER 2
MUST BE RESPONSIVE

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“IF YOUR WEBSITE DOESN’T RENDER PROPERLY ON
ALL DEVICES YOU WILL LOSE SALES.”
Now that your website design is up-to-date and
modern, it is time to consider everyone who might
use your site. Remember that a huge percentage of
the people who will find your website will do so on
a mobile phone, so it is important to make sure that
your site is completely mobile-friendly.
What Is Responsive Web Design?
The best way to describe responsive web design
is to imagine a website with a layout that changes
based on the size of the viewing screen. For
example, a user on a computer can see a vast
amount if information all at once. On the other
hand, someone using a smartphone may only be
able to see a very small amount of information
at the same time, and you have to make certain
that the text, pictures, and links are scaled down
appropriately. There are four reasons why your
website absolutely must be responsive in order to
convert your visitors.
#1 – Customer Support
Imagine that you want to buy a new lawnmower,
so you go online from your desktop, find a local
business, and review their offerings. You find a
lawnmower you really like, and you decide to
show your spouse over dinner. Later, while you are
out at a restaurant, you pull up that site on your
smartphone – but you cannot find the lawnmower
because the website is not responsive to your
mobile device. You may feel tempted to search
anew for a local company that suits your needs.
The same thing can happen to your customers if
you do not think about the responsiveness of your
site.
#2 – One Site is Better than Many
In the past, many business owners have
attempted to design and update two separate
sites – one for desktop users, and another for
mobile users. Although this can certainly work, it
gets expensive and frustrating over time. This is
why a single responsive website is best. The site
itself can actually determine whether someone
is visiting from a phone, a tablet, or a computer,
and optimize the viewing experience based on
that information. What’s more, you only need
to design and maintain a single site. It is just
simpler for everyone.
#3 – Improve Your Search Engine
Rankings
If you have paid attention to website design and
conversion over the years, then you know that
Google is always changing the criteria by which
it ranks your site. Things like SEO and relevancy
are incredibly important to Google, but starting
this past April, they added another set of criteria
– mobile friendliness. With that being said, if
your website is not mobile-friendly, it is having
a detrimental effect on your search engine
ranking.
#4 – Roll with the Changes
Finally, a responsive website is already about
as modern as it gets. This means that later,
when huge technology providers like Apple
and Samsung release even more sophisticated
devices, you will be ready. After all, the main
benefit of a responsive site is its ability to scale
based on the size of the screen being used to
access it, and when you already have that benefit
in your corner, your site will handle any size
phone or tablet that a manufacturer can throw at
it with ease.
To put it simply, when your website is as
responsive as possible, it is available to more
people than ever before. The more people you
can reach, the more likely you are to convert
your visitors into buyers.

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“WITH RESPONSIVE DESIGN YOU ARE MAXIMIZING
YOUR ABILITY TO CONVERT CUSTOMERS”
How does responsive design look?
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CHAPTER 3
WELL-WRITTEN COPY

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“YOUR WEBSITE COPY CAN MAKE OR A BREAK A NEW
CONVERSION.”
A picture says a thousand words, but if your
website copy is not up to snuff, then no amount of
pictures will make up for it. In fact, your text should
be much more than informative and grammatically
correct – it should also be incredibly convincing.
Here are a few ways to make sure that your copy is
well-written and powerful.
Who Is Your Reader?
The first thing you need to do before writing
website copy involves visualizing your ideal reader.
What kind of person is going to visit your website?
Who is your product intended for? In fact, many
experts recommend considering your ideal reader
an imaginary best friend – someone you can start a
conversation with, ask questions, and even flatter
from time to time. When you can imagine that
you are writing to an imaginary friend, it becomes
easier to be interesting, persuasive, and charming.
These traits will convert your visitors to buyers.
What Are the Benefits to the
Reader?
One of the biggest mistakes you can make involves
writing all about your product, services, or
company. To put it plainly, your visitors care about
one thing and one thing only: themselves. They
want to know exactly how your product or service
is going to benefit them, and you need to tell them.
A list of product features and specifications is very
helpful (and necessary) but so is a list of objections
that people may have and ways that you can
overcome them.
You Need a Pick-Up Line
they will ultimately convert.
Say No to Spelling and Grammar
Errors
Whether you are writing your own copy or hiring
someone to do it for you, make absolute certain
that there are no spelling or grammar mistakes.
Typos are easy to overlook, so be sure that you
pore over your content with a fine-toothed
comb. If a reader catches a simple spelling or
grammar error that you have overlooked, it
makes you appear less credible. If you can allow
such a simple mistake on your website, then how
careful are you with your product or service,
anyway?
Make Google Happy
Finally, not even the best content in the world
will do you any good if people cannot find your
website. You need to make sure that it is SEO
friendly, and there are a few different ways to do
this. Once again, think about your reader – not
your industry. Think about the language that
your readers are likely to use when they search
for information about the products or services
you offer. Think about your area of expertise.
Then, write all about your industry in the
language that your visitors will understand.
Well-written copy ensures that your visitors can
find your site, and that they can understand
what you offer when they actually visit. It draws
them in with tantalizing language, and it makes
you a true authority in your industry with
informative text.
Not unlike a guy in a bar trying to come on to
a pretty girl, your website needs a pick-up line
to snag the readers’ attention. This pick-up line
should be a value proposition, or a very brief
statement that can start an actual conversation
with your visitors. People who come to your site
want immediate gratification, and if your headline
captures their interest and tells them exactly what
they want to hear, then they will stick around, and

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CHAPTER 4
AN INVITING LOGO

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“A GOOD LOGO CAN KEEP PEOPLE CHATTING ABOUT
YOUR BUSINESS.”
Your logo says a lot about your business, and it is
one of the most important parts of your website’s
overall design. In fact, there are entire games
centered around guessing the name of a company
based solely on its logo. The goal here is to make
sure that your logo is memorable and that it
accurately reflects your vision.
Keep It Simple
Take a moment to think about all of the places
where your logo will appear. The list includes, but is
not limited to:
• Business cards
• Websites
• Social media sites
• Product packaging
• Flyers
• Banner advertisements
• Brochures
• T-shirts
• Applications
A complex logo may look great on a piece of paper,
but will it look as nice on your website or social
media page? The best way to ensure that your logo
looks perfect in all of the aforementioned places is
to keep it simple. This way, you can avoid potential
conflicts with its surrounding environment.
Your logo will be the ultimate expression of your
brand for years to come, so it is important to focus
your time and energy on developing the perfect
one. Consider things like color, font, logotype,
and more to make sure that you get your message
across clearly and invoke the emotions that you
want people to feel when they view your website.
Color Is Important
Although you might choose a color for your logo
based on your own personal favorite or even some
aspect of your business or industry, you may need
to rethink things a bit. People have subconscious
emotional reactions to the colors they see, so
the color you choose has a direct impact on how
people perceive your logo.
Here are some examples of the different emotions
that colors can cause:
• Black – Powerful and authoritative
• White – Simple and clean
• Pink – Fun and flirty
• Yellow – Optimistic and happy
• Orange – Creative and young
• Red – Sexy, bold, or energetic
• Purple – Spirituality and wisdom
• Brown – Historical and dependable
• Green – Organic and educational
• Blue – Professional and trustworthy
Once you understand the psychology behind
colors, you can decide how you want people to
perceive your business and use the appropriate
colors.
Symbol or Logotype?
A symbol consists of an image that portrays a
message, such as Apple’s iconic logo. A logotype
is a symbol along with a wordmark, such as
Coca-Cola’s signature logo. A symbol is not always
necessary, but it helps if the name of your company
seems fairly generic. Conversely, a logotype is
a great way to play up a unique company name
without overly complicating things. Avoid “trendy”
fonts or those that might come across as gimmicky
since these will quickly become dated. When in
doubt, Helvetica is always a good choice.
Updating Your Logo
Many companies firmly believe that changing their
logos is absolutely forbidden, but this is not the
case. In fact, it may actually help you generate
business if you modernize your logo every few
years. Some examples? Think about Pepsi, one of
the world’s largest providers of soft drinks. This
company has changed their logo every so often
over the years, but only slightly to make it more
modern. The result? It is the same logo, only with a
brand new flair that keeps customers interested.

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“COMING UP WITH A HANDFUL OF VARIATIONS WILL
ENSURE YOU PICK THE RIGHT ONE.”

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CHAPTER 5
A CONSISTENTLY MAINTAINED BLOG

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“A CONSISTENTLY MAINTAINED BLOG BUILDS TRUST
AND ALSO ORGANIC VISIBILTY.”
In today’s day and age, when people want
information, they turn to blogs. These are usually
conversational articles of sorts that provide
solutions to everyday problems, give advice, and
provide the perfect opportunity to truly let your
expertise shine. Maintaining a blog is good for your
business and your website in a few different ways.
Blogs Drive Traffic to Your Site
How do people find your website to start with?
They could type your website address into their
browser bars, but this is limited to your current
audience. You could buy an email list, but that is
a black hat tactic that might give your business
a bad name. Finally, you could place paid ads on
sites like Google, which is incredibly expensive. You
might get some traffic, but the quality of traffic you
receive is usually not worth the money. Blogs are
an organic, simple, inexpensive way to drive traffic
to your site.
Chances are good that you do not update the main
pages of your website all that often. You won’t
spend much time revising “About the Company”,
after all. Every single time you post a new blog, you
add another indexed page to your site. This means
that you provide yourself with more opportunities
to appear in popular search engines and drive
traffic organically. What’s more, you can even share
your blog posts on your social media accounts,
which drives even more traffic.
Blogs Convert Visitors into Leads
If you want to convert your visitors into buyers, one
of the most important aspects of blogging involves
adding a call-to-action and some sort of free offer,
even if it is just a consultation, in every single post.
Why should the reader come to your website?
What can you offer that reader that someone
else can’t? How can you solve the reader’s
problem? Here’s an idea of how it might work:
• Susie’s friend posts a link to your blog on her
Facebook wall.
• Susie clicks the link and reads your blog.
It solves an issue she is experiencing, so she
follows the call-to-action to your website.
• Susie gets to a landing page on your site that
contains a simple form to fill out for a free offer.
• Susie provides her information and receives
the free offer.
It really is that simple, and it gives you an
outstanding opportunity to build rapport with
people who read your blog.
Blogs Make You Authoritative
Think about your product or service. Then, think
about any possible objections that people might
have as you attempt to sell your product or
service. Think about the questions that people
might have in regard to using your product.
Then, write your blog posts in such a way that
they answer these questions. For example, if
you run an auto repair business, you might write
a blog entitled, “Car Batteries 101: What Every
Driver Should Know.” Then, provide information
about how to maintain and extend the life of
batteries.
When you do this, people who are not even your
customers will stumble across the blog. Your
blog will help them. Then, when they really do
need someone to help them with their auto
repairs, they are more likely to remember your
name – all because your blog established you as
an authority in your industry.

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CHAPTER 6
GOOD IMAGES

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“IMAGES SHOW YOUR COMPANY PERSONALITY. MAKE
THEM STRONG.”
Many business owners make the mistake of
turning to a stock photography site to find images
that correlate with their industries, blog posts,
and more. While these sites certainly provide an
affordable solution, chances are pretty good that
your competitors are using similar sites – and very
similar images. You need solid, unique pictures that
make your business truly stand out.
Choosing the Best Images
There are two types of images that consumers see
when they scour the web for information. The first
is a graphic, which is a computer-generated image
that portrays some sort of message. Graphics
are best for providing technical information. The
second is an actual photograph, which can be quite
powerful depending on its source and meaning.
Photographs are more personal and tend to
resonate with viewers on an emotional level, so you
should use them anywhere you can.
Don’t Be a Cliché
How many times have you been to a website
that offers some sort of strategic service, only
to discover an image of a chessboard lines with
chess pieces? This image is a symbol of strategy,
of course, and while it is certainly powerful, it has
been overdone to the point that it no longer means
much to visitors. This is a prime example of what
you need to avoid – being a cliché. If you offer a
strategic product or service, include images of the
people who best represent your intended clientele.
People form the best connections with other
people, not objects.
Using Stock Photography Sites
Stock photography sites can be a blessing and a
curse. They give you access to millions of affordable
images that you can incorporate into your website,
which is certainly a blessing. However, chances
are good that your competitors had the same
idea, which can be a curse. You want your website
to be completely unique, so avoid using stock
photography on your main website page, which
needs to be completely unique and interesting.
Of course, there is nothing wrong with using
stock images on the inner pages as long as you
do so selectively.
Creating a Unique Site
Regardless of whether you choose to use
graphics, stock photography, or photographs
you took yourself on your website, think about
the experience you want to provide to your
visitors. Here are some examples:
• A visual product tour. Consider hiring a
photographer to take pictures of your product
in such a way that you can essentially guide your
viewers through the way your product works
using only minimal text.
• A team introduction. If your business
is service-based, you gain credibility by
introducing yourself to your audience. In this
way, your potential customers can put a face to
the name, which makes your company feel more
personal to them.
• An animated experience. Animated landing
pages are becoming quite popular these days
because they keep the visitor engaged, which is
more likely to result in a lead.
• Tell a story. You can use images and
photography to tell a story about how your
product or service can solve a problem for your
visitors.
Whether you choose to use stock images or hire
a photographer or graphic designer, there are
three important things to keep in mind. First,
your images should be unique enough to stand
out from your competitors. Second, your images
should resonate with your audience and spark
emotion. Lastly, your imagery should provide
some sort of experience to your visitors in order
to keep them engaged.

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CHAPTER 7
CALLS TO ACTION

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“YOU MAY BE MISSING OUT ON HUNDREDS OR
EVEN THOUSANDS OF POTENTIAL SALES.”
A call to action is a specific request for your
website visitors to do something. Depending
on your niche or industry, your call to action
may compel someone to buy a product,
contact you for more information, or even
fill out a form for a free trial or sample. Calls
to action play a vital role in the success of
your website.
Calls to Action: Good vs. Not-
So-Good
Before you even consider how you want to
word your call to action, you must first think
about what you are asking your visitors to
do. For example, “Call Now for a Quote” is
not a very good call to action. How often is
someone going to pick up the phone and
call you based on a visit to your website?
“Fill Out This Form for a Free Quote” is
a better option because it is softer and
requires less action on the visitor’s end. All
he or she has to do is provide a name, an
email address, and some basic information.
In turn, you get to provide regular
information via a newsletter that may solve
this person’s problems.
Getting People to Sign Up for
Your Mailing List
A mailing list is by far the best way to reach
more people. What’s more, it gives you
multiple opportunities to actually reach out
to them. There are three things you want to
do in order to get people to sign up for your
mailing list:
1. Tell them what to do. This may
seem a bit blunt, but people need clear,
straightforward instructions if they are
going to take any kind of action at all.
“Click HERE”, for example, is about as
straightforward as it gets. Be sure to
implement similar tactics throughout your
website.
2. Give them an incentive. Unless someone is
genuinely interested in what you have to offer
them, they usually need some reason to give
you their names and email addresses. Offer a
small sample of your product, free information, a
consultation – anything that suits your industry –
in return for their permission to add them to your
mailing list.
3. Show them the value. People won’t sign
up for your mailing list if there is no value in
doing so. Be sure to tell them exactly why they
should give you their information. If you are
offering something for free in exchange for
this information, make sure they understand
the dollar value normally attached to the free
product or service. Let people know why they
need your product or service.
Choosing Your Words Carefully
While it is important to be brief and generally
firm with your call to action, you never want
your visitors to feel as if they are being bullied
into doing something. One of the gentlest and
simplest ways to create a call to action involves
asking a question, and then providing a solution.
For example, if you have run a landscaping
service, you may say something like:
“Tired of dead spots in your lawn? Fill out the
form below and learn how to bring it back to life.”
In this manner, you have addressed a problem
that your visitor is likely to have, and then you
have given them a solution. They want to know
how to revive the dead spots in their lawn; after
all, that’s probably why they are on the page to
start with. By promising them this information
in exchange for their email addresses, you have
created a powerful call to action.
In a nutshell, you need to use calls to action and
you need to use them often throughout your
website. However, it is important that you choose
your words carefully and give your visitors a
reason to do what you are asking them to do.

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CHAPTER 8
WEBSITE NAVIGATION

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“AN OLDIE BUT A GOODIE. EMAIL IS STILL ONE
OF THE MOST POWERFUL FORMS OF MARKETING
WHEN DONE RIGHT.”
When everyday internet users are asked what
frustrates them the most about the websites
they visit, navigation is an overwhelmingly
popular response. While there is nothing wrong
with your website having dozens of different
pages, organization is the key.
A Map to Your World
Your website’s navigation system is essentially a
map to the world that is your site. With it, people
should be able to get anywhere they want to
go within your site with ease. For example, if
someone comes to your website, reads your
landing page, and then decides to check out
a certain type of product you offer, they will
inevitably leave your site for a competitor if they
cannot find what they want in just a few seconds.
With that in mind, remember that you need to
draw a very, very clear map to every single page
and resource on your site.
Three Navigation Types
You may choose to incorporate one or more
types of navigation into your website. Simply
put, there are three main types of navigation to
consider when building your site.
• Hierarchical – This simply means that the
entirety of the website is laid out in such a way
that users can see each page, starting with the
most generic and ending with the most specific.
For example, if your business is a bakery, a
generic page may be “Cakes”. Further down, you
might list “Pound Cakes”, “Angel Food Cakes”,
and more. To expand even further, you may list
flavors under these specific cake sections.
• Global – In the global setup, you simply show
the top level sections of your website on every
page. Using the example above, if someone
clicks the “Cakes” link, global navigation would
then show them the individual subsections
under the Cakes category on every single page
within that category.
• Local – Local navigation allows you
to backlink to other pages within your
website within the text of each page.
For example, if a visitor is viewing a
section on Red Velvet Cakes, you may
also choose to show them a link to Red
Velvet Cookies on your site.
Important Qualities of a
Good Navigational System
Every single website needs to maintain
a high-quality navigational system in
order to be effective. Some of the things
you need to keep in mind include:
• Consistency – Make sure that your
navigation system is exactly the same
from page to page. This way, no matter
where a user ends up on your site, they
know exactly how to go to the next place
because they learned via repetition.
• Grouping main links – The main areas
of your website will generate the most
traffic. As a result, you should be certain
that you keep the main links – Home,
Products, About, Contact Us, etc. – in
the same location on every single page.
• Keeping clicks to a minimum – A user
will get frustrated by having to navigate
through six different pages to get to
the information he or she wants to see.
Keep things as simple as possible. For
the best results, try to keep every bit of
information on your site no more than
two or three clicks away.
In essence, creating a good navigational
system is like drawing a tourist a
detailed map from one point to another,
all while showing them additional points
of interest as they go. This way, your
visitor can find exactly what he or she
needs with a minimal number of clicks,
but may also discover other interesting
tidbits along the way.

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CHAPTER 9
ONPAGE SEO

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“SEO IS ALL ABOUT BEING EFFICIENT IN THE WAY
THAT GOOGLE VIEWS YOUR WEB PAGES.”
Many business owners are in such a hurry
for their websites to go live that they
completely ignore SEO, or search engine
optimization, only thinking about it once
they realize that their site is not generating
enough traffic. It is important to consider
SEO through the entire process in order to
start building your search engine rankings
from the start.
Do You Have Enough Copy?
SEO is about much more than simply
throwing a few keywords around. Google,
the search engine industry leader, looks at
many, many factors when ranking websites.
One of these signals is the actual amount of
copy that your website contains. Although
you do not want to overwhelm your
visitors with an awkward amount of text
on the landing or home pages, your inner
pages need to contain enough text to be
informative.
Did You Tag Your Images?
When you add your images to your website,
make sure that the tags are relevant. Aside
from simply scanning the text on your
site for relevant keywords, Google and
other search engines will also take into
account the tags for your images and their
relevancy. As an example, if you run a pet
grooming business, one of your keywords
may be “dog shampooing”. You may choose
an image of a cute, sudsy puppy, and while
it certainly fits the context, you need to tag
that photo with your chosen keyword in
order for Google to deem it relevant.
Is Your Site Slow?
Something else to consider when it comes
to SEO is how long it takes your site to load.
Google places a lot of value on the overall
user experience these days, so if people
have to wait for 20 seconds for your site to fully
load, their satisfaction level goes downhill. Make
sure that the pages on your site load in under five
seconds for the best results, even if you have to
limit the number of banner ads you place.
Is Your Site Mobile-Friendly?
Mobile friendliness is another huge factor in
SEO these days. After all, being able to view your
webpage clearly on a variety of devices adds to
the overall user experience. If someone can view
your site at home on their computer without
a problem, but has an issue trying to find that
same information when browsing your site from
a mobile phone, you may lose that visitor to a
competitor with a mobile-optimized site. Google
tracks this information, and it may reflect poorly
on your site.
Did You Choose the Right
Keywords?
No matter what sort of business you run, and
regardless of its industry, you have to think of
it from the consumer’s point of view in order
to choose the right keywords. In fact, the best
way to choose keywords is to ask yourself what
you would type into Google’s search bar to find
the information that you want to provide. For
example, if you run a pest control company and
you want to give people advice, think about what
people will ask most often. Keywords like “how
to get rid of roaches” and “best mousetrap”
are excellent choices. Be sure to tailor these
keywords to your content, too.
When many people think of SEO, they think of
cramming their text with keywords, and in all
actuality, many people think of SEO too late
in the game. However, SEO is about many,
many different things, all of which relate to
the user experience. For the best results, you
need to consider search engine optimization in
everything you do, right from the very start.
Learn more about SEO here.

A Kick-Ass Guide to Building an Awesome Websitecom
23 // 25
CHAPTER 10
PERSONALITY AND USER EXPERIENCE

A Kick-Ass Guide to Building an Awesome Website
24 // 25
“MORE CUSTOMERS ARE ACCESSING
INFO ON THE GO. DON’T FORGET ABOUT
A MOBILE STRATEGY.”
In previous chapters, you have gathered a
lot of information about what you should
and should not do when designing your
website. With all of this in mind, it is quite
easy for you to get so wrapped up in
technical details that you forget to give your
website a bit of personality. Remember that
the success of your site relies almost solely
on user experience, so if your visitors have
a good time, your rankings will improve
organically.
What’s Your Personality?
Before you can allow your company
personality to shine through in your
website, you first have to decide what kind
of personality you want to give to your
business. Do you want to be fun? Do you
want to make your visitors laugh? Do you
want to tug at their heart strings? Whatever
you decide, it is important to choose a
direction and stick with it throughout your
site. Think of the Progressive television
commercials, for example. What is the first
thing that comes to mind? If you thought of
Flo, the Progressive mascot, then you are
right on the money. Flo gives Progressive
personality with humor, which makes
Progressive seem down to earth and
relatable.
How Do You Want People to
Feel?
Take a few minutes to jot down some of
the traits that best describe your brand. Do
you want people to think you are smart?
Do you want them to relate to you? Think
about how you ultimately want to portray
your brand to your visitors, and go from
there. For example, assume that you are
a divorce lawyer who wants to generate
more business. You could portray your
personality as a “heavy hitter”, or someone
who will fight tooth and nail for clients.
Conversely, you could also portray yourself
as having an empathetic personality in
order to make the visitor feel important and
like his or her needs matter.
Incorporating Humor
Although humor is not appropriate for all
industries, it can certainly be a powerful addition
to your website’s personality. When you can
make someone laugh or smile on your website,
it creates a positive association in your visitors’
subconscious minds. It also makes your brand
much, much more memorable.
Imagine viewing two websites for two tax
preparation companies offering the exact
same services. The first is dry and bland, but
informative. The second is also informative, but
it contains a hilarious clip of Average Joe being
knocked over by piles and piles of paperwork,
ultimately being rescued by a qualified, friendly
tax preparer dressed in superhero garb. Which
website are you most likely to remember? The
one with humor, of course. In fact, you could take
things a step further and make the superhero
your company mascot.
Your website should be well designed,
informative, and easy to navigate. These things
are all very important. However, if you spend too
much time focusing on the technical details, you
may forget to include some personality – and
your website may suffer as a result. Be sure that
you make your site memorable in one way or
another by incorporating the type of personality
you want for your business.
When it comes to designing a website that
ultimately converts visitors into leads or buyers,
there are some things that you need to be doing
along the way. Whether you are only beginning
to design your site or your current site is not
generating the traffic you need, paying attention
to certain aspects of your website design can
make a huge difference. If your website does not
have all of the features listed within this book,
you are doing it wrong. In the end, it is all about
getting your website ranked highly, generating
traffic in the form of visitors, capturing those
visitors’ attention, gaining their trust, and giving
them a memorable experience that is centered
on instant gratification. Anything less, and your
visitors will turn to your competitors.

THANK YOU FOR
READING!
If you have any questions regarding what you read or you would like to learn a bit more about our services
please don’t hesitate to contact us below. Thanks again!
CONTACT
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Naples, FL 34101
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