Every website needs a variety of elements based on their industry, goals, CMS, etc. But, I’m going to share five things that EVERY website needs.

1. Contact Information

• It needs to be easy to find
• It can be in multiple places (header, footer, on a contact page)
• It can be in multiple forms (phone, email, contact form)

I’ve heard people say having the same information in multiple places is redundant and in general that’s a good rule. But with contact information you want to make it ridiculously easy to find because if people have to search too hard for it, they will just stop looking and leave your site.

So make sure you’ve made it easy for your audience to contact you!

2. Every website needs a call to action.

A call to action is a short phrase that prompts immediate action.

• “Buy Now”
• “Request an Estimate”
• “Contact me”

Characteristics of a good call to action:

1. Extremely visible.

I would recommend having a call to action on each page of your site.

2. Make them low stakes.

People may not be ready to buy from you yet, and that’s okay! You just want to get them in your funnel by capturing an email address or getting them on a call. You can do this with a free download, video, consultation, etc. Once you make an initial contact, you can continue to build trust with them until they ARE ready to purchase your product or service.

3. Use action words.

“Download, try, request,” let them know specifically what they are doing.

3. Every website needs…security!

Now I know this isn’t the most exciting thing in building a website for your business or blog, but my gosh is it important! WordPress sites ESPECIALLY get a bad reputation because they are easily hacked. This is because WordPress makes it so easy to do it yourself that everyday people are building sites without knowing how important security is. So here are a few things good security does for your site:

1. Let’s you know when a plugin is out of date.

A very easy way for hackers to get into your site is through outdated plugins. So a good security plugin or web designer is going to alert you to outdated plugins so you can get them updated.

2. Let’s you know when people are trying to hack into your site.

Just the other day, I noticed the same person (same location and IP address) kept trying to hack into one of my client’s site. This hacker would literally try to login 20 times, get locked out, then tried again the next day. So I worked with the host to blacklist his IP address. Done! But I never would have known without the security measures in place.

3. Keeps a backup of your site.

So let’s say the worst has happened. You’ve been HACKED! If you have your site backed up regularly, this doesn’t have to be a headache. You can simply roll back to an older version of your site (hopefully within a 24 hour period) and then put in place some more security measures to make sure this doesn’t happen again.

Bonus: One thing you can do RIGHT NOW for your WordPress website is make sure you’re not using “admin” as your username. This is exactly what hackers are using to login to your site. They assume you have this username and then all they have to find is your password. Make it hard for them guys! Use something else as your username.

So make sure you’re doing some of these basic things to secure your site.

4. Every website needs…to be mobile friendly!

As of 2019, 53% of web traffic is from mobile devices. That’s more than half! Many web design DIYers forget this important tidbit and only design sites to be viewed on a desktop or laptop. Here are a few reasons you should make sure your website is mobile friendly:

1. Easier to read.

A mobile friendly site makes it easy for your customers to read your information which keeps them engaged longer.

2. Easier to contact you.

If they can read your information they can easily find your contact information.

3. Keeps you competitive.

If they haven’t already, you’re competitors are probably working towards making their sites mobile friendly so you need to jump on the bandwagon!

4. Build trust.

A well designed site (which more than includes your mobile site) is a site people can trust and recommend.

5: Every website needs…to make the consumer the hero.

This idea came from the book Storybrand. A lot of times we write trying to make ourselves the hero. “I can save the day if you just buy my product or service!” But a consumer wants to be the hero and is looking for that one thing to overcome their obstacle. So instead of being the hero, you need to be the guide and your consumer needs to be the hero.

Think of it like Harry Potter. Harry was the hero of the story and Dumbledore was his guide. Dumbledore gave him the tools he needed to overcome obstacles. You are Dumbledore and you’re website copy needs to reflect that. Help meet your client where they are on their journey and serve them with the exact thing they need to overcome the obstacle in their way to becoming great. Be Dumbledore!