Couples aren’t inquiring to work with you? Here’s what to check on your website
If your audience is landing on your website, but no one is reaching out, you might have a conversion problem.
Obviously there are a ton of different moving parts that play a role in getting you more leads for your business, but there are some very common and easy-to-fix website mistakes that I wanna help you avoid.
No matter how pretty your work is, no matter how great of a personality is, and yes - even if your website is stunning - you can still lose out on potential clients due to poor website structure.
The goal is to help your audience find all the info they need to be ready to work with you, and then make it super easy for them to do just that!
There are 5 basic website elements I ALWAYS look for when doing a website audit. Because they’re more important than any other part of the design. Yep, I said it ;)
These are what I’m calling the 5 C’s for Conversion:
Clear identity
Clean navigation
Calls-to-action
Contact methods
Cell phone usability
Let’s dive in!
1. Clear identity
First things first: are you making it CRYSTAL CLEAR what you do and who you serve? Don’t assume that people can figure it out from just your logo & your photos.
I can’t tell you how many websites I’ve seen with a business name like “Majestic Events” (I just picked a random made-up name ok don’t come for me). But a name like that requires more context. Are you an event rental company? A designer, coordinator, florist, or photographer?
The same goes for your images; having photos of beautiful event decor and happy couples doesn’t really tell me anything except that you work in the world of weddings.
If you don’t tell me precisely whether you have what I need, then I’m not going to bother getting in touch.
So make sure these KEY identifiers are spelled out plain-as-vanilla at the top of your site and throughout:
Your business name
Your full personal name
The location(s) you serve!!!
The exact services you offer
Your niche or specialty
This will help your website visitors easily identify if you are the vendor they’re looking for.
2. Clean navigation
A very common place to lose people in the website journey is in the navigation menu.
Now I KNOW you’ve been to the Cheesecake Factory, looked at the mile-long menu and either done one of two things:
Took about 3x as long as usual deciding what to order
Or immediately gave up and just chose something random to eat
And this is essentially the same thing that happens when we give our website visitors too many tabs to choose from in the main menu! When you have ten or more menu tabs, it just takes way too long to figure out what to click on next - and a lot of people just won’t bother.
The only pages you should feature in your navigation bar are the ones you want to “sell” to a potential client. This means PLEASE (and I’m begging here) do not use long drop-down menus, either! Combine pages where you can, to make the experience easier for the potential client.
You also need to ensure your tab names are straight to the point. We humans always like to know exactly what we’re going to get out of it, so no cutesy or confusing page labels.
3. Calls-to-action
Now you’ve shown your visitor all the important information, but what are they supposed to do next? This is another area where we tend to assume they’ll just know what to do - but they sure don’t!
Every business has its own way of securing sales; some want you to fill out a form, some want you to sign up for a consultation, and others want you to contact them by phone. So don’t make your audience figure out your process on their own.
As clients & customers, we feel most comfortable when someone is holding our hand through the buying journey. You’ll want to list out the steps for how to work together (no more than 4 steps max), and make inquiring with you a piece of cake for them.
Here’s where to include your call-to-action:
At the top of every page
At the bottom of every page
Anywhere else where it makes sense
4. Contact methods
If you’re not getting any inquiries through your website’s contact form whatsoever, the first thing you should do is test it out for yourself. Submit a fake inquiry and check if you’re receiving the email!
Once that’s sorted, you can reevaluate your form fields. Are you making it too difficult for people to quickly get in touch? Here are some suggestions for your form:
Don’t use more than 10 fields. If it looks too cumbersome, people won’t take the time to complete it.
Instead of having fields for Bride or Groom, use ‘Name’ and ‘Role’. Not only is this more inclusive, but sometimes the person getting in touch with you is the planner or the mother-of-the-bride, etc.
Studies have shown that requiring a phone number prevents many people from submitting a form, so make it optional.
Check that all the fields are formatted properly and easy to answer (for example, if you’re requiring an answer in the form of a number for the guest count, but the couple isn’t sure what the guest count will be, then they won’t be able to submit the form).
Then add other methods of contact just in case. This is great in the event that someone has an inquiry which doesn’t fit the mold of your client contact form.
For example, if another vendor wants to connect you with their client or just has a question, they would probably need your email address. If you’re great at winning people over with your voice, then you might want to offer your phone number. And you can always encourage people to stay connected with you on social media.
5. Cell phone usability
Last but certainly not least! When was the last time you checked on the mobile version of your website??
Cuz GIRL I have seen some stunning websites and then when I go to them on my phone it’s like 😱
This is SO SO important not to neglect because over half of internet traffic at any given moment is coming from mobile devices! And I know you’re probably using some sort of social media to promote your website… which most people are browsing on their phones… so yeah. Let’s talk about it :)
Start by opening your website up in an incognito window on your phone, and look through every page to see if anything jumps out at you. Here are some things to look for:
Pretend you’re a warm lead that’s ready to work with you. Is it easy to find a contact link?
Are all words legible? Are any words competing with the image behind it? Words getting cut off the screen, text that’s too small, etc.
If you have a popup, is it easy to exit out of it?
Is the screen sliding all over the place as you scroll? Do you have to pinch and zoom to click links or fill out a form?
Then, any time you make changes or updates on the computer, just be sure to check it on your cell phone!
Those are my 5 C’s for Conversion for your website. Now I recommend downloading The Website Floorplan for Wedding Pros and run a full audit on your website. If you need any help, I’m here!
Hay! Don’t leave without checking out these other guides for wedding pros:
How to book more clients with easy email marketing for wedding businesses
Portfolio: Fine Art Wedding Planner Squarespace Website (behind the design)
The #1 way to keep people on your website (a factor that many top designers ignore)
How to move your website up in Google - An ultimate guide to SEO for wedding pros
