One phrase to ban from your website | Where to describe your process | Too many content sections

(If you're reading the "ultra-short tips" series for the first time, these are the tips I send out every second week to give you a break from the in-depth stuff)

Ready to improve your website today?

Of course you aren't!

You probably just saw the notification of a new email in your inbox and was like, "I need to click on this email because I hate having unread emails in my inbox."

No?

#liar #liar #pantsonfire 😄

Anyhow.

Whether you're all fired up to learn new things you can improve on your website right now or want to come back to this a bit later, here's what we'll be talking about today:

  • Should have a page called "How I work"?
  • Why you shouldn't split your content into too many sections
  • How it's all about not saying this phrase ever again on your website

Shall we?

Tip #1: Should you have a page called “How I work”?

One thing for sure: If you sell your services, you should describe your process somewhere on your website.

The main question is, where.

On a separate “How I work" page? On a service page? On your About page?

Only in specific cases. Definitely. Definitely not.

Glad we talked about it. Bye.

Just kidding. Here's what I think.

1) It belongs on a service page

The process of how you work - how you deliver a service - is inseparable from that service.

Why?

Because:

“We hated the way she works, but hey, the final result was fine, so 5 stars”

...said no client ever.

Your service is not only the “what” but also the “how” aka your process.

Especially if you offer multiple services, you need to describe the relevant “how” parts right there, on a corresponding service page.

This will:

  • answer the potential questions of your clients on the spot
  • help them imagine working with you.

2) It belongs on a separate page ONLY IF

  • you offer only one specific service (for ex., only website reviews, only website copywriting), and, thus, have only one process to describe

AND

  • your service page would explode if you described your (obviously, super-duper fancy-pancy) process there

3) It never belongs on your About page

I can’t think of a case where talking about your process is better placed on an About page than on a service page or a separate page.

Tip #2: Don't split your content into too many sections

A 7-line long paragraph is bad. 7 one-line paragraphs in a row aren't better.

No visual highlights are bad. 3 font families in 4 sizes and 3 colors are probably worse.

How to know if your well-meant improvement backfired?

I’m afraid a full answer won’t fit this email. But one common “don’t do it like this” example & an explanation of how to do it better will.

Exhibit A:

A description of what happens after a client gets in touch broken into 9 colorful blocks arranged in a matrix (happens also for services).

9 steps arrange in a 3x3 matrix

3 problems here:

  • No unique reading direction: A content matrix doesn’t indicate a unique order in which your visitors should read, as opposed to one column, a bullet list or one row => friction
  • Visual overload: Even if you use colors to indicate the right direction to read, you now have too many colorful blocks close together that are screaming “look at me” making it hard for visitors to maintain focus => more friction
  • Feeling of overwhelm: With so many elements that scream for attention, you’re risking the feeling of overwhelm => many visitors will scroll past this section without reading => So. Much. More. Friction!

What to do instead

There are two ways to do it better:

  • Either remove all the colors (and icons) and put everything as a numbered list highlighting only a step / service title bold.
  • Or combine related elements into groups to have fewer separate blocks. For ex., make 3 phases out of 9 steps of your process, or combine web copywriting, case studies & press releases under “Copywriting Services”. Then, you can arrange those 3 blocks either sequentially or in 3 columns but just one row.
Don't split your content into too many sections

To clarify:

If your sections aren't numbered (i.e. it's not important in what order your prospects read them) you can arrange them in multiple rows and columns. 2 x 2 is common and still easy to process.

Yet, you should be careful if your matrix is larger not to create visual clutter or overwhelm your prospects.

Tip #3 It's all about never saying this phrase on your website

It's all about progress.

It's all about your peace of mind.

It's all about distributed leadership.

*bangs her head on the table*

*counts till 10*

Dear website owners,

I don't know what you're trying to communicate with this sentence, but I can tell you what your visitors are thinking:

So bloody what? "It's all about progress", aaaand...? Besides, what is that thing that is about progress?

I don't get it, but it sounds like there's something I'm supposed to know.

Am I stupid? I suddenly feel stupid.

There's zero information in this phrase. Zero specificity. Zero emotion, wit or even entertainment value.

So why the hell is it up on your website?

What to say in stead

I don't know. What were you trying to say?

Describe your service? Mention a benefit? So just say just that.

It's all about progress.

The weekly coaching sessions hold you accountable to help your business grow faster.

It's all about your peace of mind.

With our bespoke security system, you can sleep peacefully at night and not worry about the intruders.

It's all about distributed leadership.

Learn how to become a successful leader by distributing responsibilities among your staff more effectively.

Sure, there are more words on your page now. But now they also mean something to your prospects.

#missionaccomplished

Gill Andrews

***

This would be all from me for the week.

I-went-swimming-and-now-everything-hurts greetings from Germany,

Gill

P.S. This email may contain typos, and I'm fine with them because cloning humans is, unfortunately, still impossible. Spending more time proofreading my emails would mean I'll have to share fewer tips with you. And sharing more and better tips is more important to me than sharing tips that are grammatically perfect. I hope that's fine with you, too.

Gill Andrews