Build a High-Converting Website

What are the differences between a typical small-business website and a high-converting website?

Unfortunately, too many small business websites lack fundamental elements that end up killing their growth and sending their potential sales to their competitors.

A typical, low-conversion website:

• Lacks clarity about what the company does and how it benefits the customer
• Don’t have a clear Call to Action (70% of small business websites lack a Call to Action or CTA on their homepage 🤯)
• Use generic, vague photography
• Aren’t optimized for mobile design and speed

The following website technically has a few elements: it explains what they do (if you can read it) and there’s a button to schedule an appointment.

But there’s a lot of messy, overlapping widgets. You can’t read the logo or name of the company very easily, and there’s a lot of awkward dead space. Nor does it contain any pictures of a massage or the location. (It also contains links to Christmas gift cards, even though this screenshot was taken in February…)

But you’re savvy…

You’re not like those typical small business owners or marketers. You probably already have some key elements in place if you have a website, but we can all grow, right?

Take a look at the Step-by-Step checklist in the next section to see how your website stacks up.

Step 1: Focus on a Great, 1-Page Website

Most entrepreneurs overcomplicate their first website. They think they need an elaborate, multi-page site. Truth is, you only need one page to start.

Your one-page website should include:

• Core Offer & Messaging – State what you offer and the problem you solve (from Module 1).
• Social Proof – Simple testimonials or trust badges.
• Clear Call-to-Action (CTA) – What’s the next step for the visitor?
• Contact or Lead Capture – A way to get their info and continue the conversation.

• Headline: “We Help Local Businesses Double Their Leads in 90 Days—Guaranteed.”
• Problem → Solution: A few lines about the pain points you solve.
• Proof: Quotes from happy clients or star ratings.
• CTA Button: “Book Your Free Strategy Call.”

Step 2: Craft a Homepage that Sells

If your homepage doesn’t instantly tell visitors what you do and why they should care, they’ll leave. You have about 5 seconds to grab attention.

1. Clear, Bold Headline
   • Avoid fluff like “We Make Awesome Websites.”
   • Instead: “We Help Service Businesses Triple Their Leads—Without Wasting Money on Ads.”
2. Highlight the Transformation
   • Paint a before-and-after picture.
   • “Are you struggling to find new customers? Our system automates lead generation so you can focus on running your business.”
3. Social Proof & Trust Builders
   • Quotes from real customers or partners.
   • Badges, certifications, or awards.
4. One, Simple CTA
   • Examples: “Get a Free Estimate,” “Start Your Free Trial,” or “Schedule a Demo.”

Step 3: Make It Fast and Mobile-Friendly

Over 60% of web traffic comes from mobile devices. If your site looks off or loads slowly on a phone, you lose potential customers instantly.

• Load Speed: Compress images, use reliable hosting. Aim for under 3 seconds.
• Responsive Design: Test your site on both your phone (multiple screen sizes if you have access to multiple phones).
• Personify Integration: Personify’s templates are automatically mobile-optimized and tested for speed.

Step 4: Essential Conversion Elements

1. Contact Forms – Keep forms short (name, email, maybe one custom question).
2. Chat Widget – Offer a quick way for visitors to ask questions.
3. Lead Magnet Opt-In – Link your lead magnet (we’ll cover more in the coming modules) to capture emails.
4. Tracking & Analytics – Install Google Analytics (or use Personify’s analytics) to track hits, bounce rates, and conversions.

How do you know your website is converting well? Track:

• Bounce Rate: Target under 50% (means half or more of your visitors stick around).
• Conversion Rate: Aim for 5% or higher (5 out of every 100 visitors take your desired action).
• Time on Page: More than 30 seconds suggests people are actually reading or engaging.
• Qualitative Feedback: Just ask people! Show your website to several friends or trusted clients/customers and ask them if they think you have a winning design on your hands.

Want to check your speed? Here’s a free tool you can use.

Additionally, if your pictures are too big and slow, but you don’t have access to professional software like Lightroom or Photoshop, this free image optimizer should do the trick.

Using Personify: Leverage Personify’s built-in analytics to see where visitors click, how they navigate, and when they drop off—so you can make data-driven improvements.

• Immediate Impact & Clarity
  The homepage opens with striking visuals and a simple mission statement—“We’re on a mission to bring clean water to everyone”—instantly showing visitors the “why” behind their work.
• Transparent Approach
  charity: water highlights 100% of public donations fund clean water projects, which builds credibility and lowers skepticism. Simple infographics and real-life success stories further prove the impact of each donation.
• Focused Call to Action
  Prominent “Donate” and “Join The Spring” (monthly giving) buttons guide potential donors. Short, engaging copy makes it easy to understand how a one-time or monthly contribution changes lives.
• Result
  By combining compelling storytelling, trust-building transparency, and a clear path to donate, charity: water converts visitors into supporters who feel confident that their money is making a tangible difference.

FMCC’s website is both clear and compelling. Here’s a few highlights to note:

• Clear Headline: “A Better Model for Women’s Healthcare”
• Compelling Description: “Your body is made unlike anyone else’s. At Fertility and Midwifery Care Center, we are committed to knowing your story and providing exceptional care that is scientifically and morally sound.”
• Simple Call-to-Action: “Make an Appointment”
• Beautiful Design: bright, hopeful, and easy to navigate

Want to implement this right away? Here’s what we call an MVP (Minimum Viable Product) that will set you up for success both now and in the long run.

• One-Page Site: A simple homepage stating your offer and how to get it.
• Real Pictures: Whether you have a decent camera or you just want to start with your phone, it’s time to get some real pictures of your work, service, product, or location.
• Basic Information: Don’t make people search high and low for obvious questions. Make things like your location, services, features, or hours easy to find.
• Short Contact Form: Name and email is totally fine to start.
• Basic Mobile Optimization: Ensure it looks good on a phone.

If you’re pressed for time and budget, that’s enough to start capturing leads.

• Multiple Pages: Add additional pages like “About” and “Services” as you grow. Adding more information on additional pages will help Google and other search engines find you.
• SEO Content: Include blogs or articles to attract organic search traffic.
• Split Testing: A/B test headlines, images, and CTAs for higher conversions.
• Advanced Integrations: Add e-commerce if you sell products or membership portals if you offer exclusive content.

Looking for a custom-built website from a trusted agency? A great way to go 2.0 with your website or landing page is by working with experts who build great marketing websites for a living. We’re partial to Crown Jewel Marketing (who built this website), but you can use any agency that prioritizes clarity over “just cool web development ideas.”

People ask us all the time what tools we recommend for getting started with building a website. Here’s several for you to look into.

Website Builder
There are several popular and dead-simple website builders out there today. Lots of people like to start with Squarespace or Wix because of the simplicity of their drag-and-drop interfaces.

For those up to more of a challenge and more freedom without needing to learn to code, WordPress is a great tool. We recommend installing a drag-and-drop builder as a plugin to WordPress to make it easier to customize. Installing a plugin to your website is a lot like installing an app on your phone. We recommend Elementor or Salient theme builders for most people.

If you prefer to keep all of your tools “under one roof” for a more cohesive approach to your marketing, Personify includes a drag-and-drop website builder built in. It’s just as simple as Squarespace or Wix, but it’s directly connected to all of your other sales and marketing tools, like your forms and contact database which we’ll talk more about in Module 3).

Website Analytics
Tracking how people use your website can be a good indication of how well your website is gaining traction. Google Analytics is a free tool to track response rates on your website. Other website builders like Squarespace and Wix even have built-in basic analytics like page visits and audience geography.

Stock Photos
Let’s say you need some decent photos to supplement your personal ones, but you don’t want them look like “stock photos.” Unsplash and Pexels are both great free photo libraries, and you can even download smaller versions to keep your website snappy.

Performance
Pingdom or GTmetrix: Test load speed and pinpoint performance issues.