📖 The Go-To Guide for All Things Website Strategy With Sandra Houseman 💰

Sales and marketing have become deeply entrenched in the digital world. Forget about making a ban; if you don't have a website these days, it will be difficult just to get the word out. Website strategy is the name of the game in this episode as Adrienne Hill discusses web marketing and sales with Sandra Houseman, a website designer and performance strategist. Sandra talks about the importance of a website in your business strategy and gives a few tips to help you get started on your website. Learn more about building websites and internet business strategies by tuning in to this interview.

Helpful links:

✅ Connect with Sandra Houseman: https://sandrahouseman.com/

✅ Sandra’s Lead Magnet Quiz: https://quiz.tryinteract.com/#/617066bb24c63200182ec6e8

✅ Book a 6-Figure Strategy Session - Adrienne’s free gift for you: https://www.adriennehill.com

✅ Adrienne’s Entrepreneur Community on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/groups/profitablepassiveincomestrategies

#impactfulentrepreneurshow #guestinterview #websitestrategy

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Impactful Entrepreneur Show Guest Interview

As you’re building out this business, you’re getting your foundation set and all your ducks in the row. How do you know when it’s time to start a website of your own? If you have one, how do you know if it’s time to refresh that website? Which platform is the best platform to build the website on if you’re experienced or inexperienced? Let’s talk all things website.

In this episode, we’re going to clarify all of these questions. Even if your network is affiliate marketing, you need a website and we’ll tell you exactly why, how do you know you need one, when you need one, how to know when it’s time to refresh it, and which platforms are the easiest and best to use depending on where you at in business. Let’s do this.

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I'm here with Sandra Houseman. She is a Website Designer and Performance Strategist, and so all things websites and all things conversions on those websites, which is a perfect topic. You might meet those people on social and you might network with them on social, but ultimately the point of sale when someone pulls out a credit card is probably on a webpage of some sort. I'm super excited to have you here with us, Sandra. Welcome.

Thank you. I'm so excited to be here. This is awesome.

For those who don’t know you yet, tell us a little bit about your story and what your business is about.

I am a mom of two boys. I have a Design degree from college. I got into Corporate America and did the whole design thing for a few years. I got into marketing and then decided when my first son was born, I was like, “I want to be home with him. I want to have the ability to create my own schedule. I want to ditch the 9:00 to 5:00.” That's what I did.

I started my business online and it has been a journey. I've pivoted more times than I can count. Getting here has been a journey, but it has been worth it. I am in my sweet spot. I've arrived at that place where all the things that I've gone through have been preparing me for this. I help people create not only beautiful websites but websites that convert and work really well for their business and bring in profits. That's my passion.

Throughout your journey, you dialed in on your zone of genius and that's great. For those readers who don't have their own website yet, what are some signs or some clues that they might be experiencing that it's time for them to get one?

If you are trying to sell something online and it's an online business, one of the first things you need is a website. Your website is like the front door to your business. It's like the legitimizer. People are out there looking for what you do and they'll find you on social, but they often want that website as proof of credibility. If you don't have a website, you're trying to sell things online and you have an online business, you need a website ASAP. It's the front door of your business. Google Analytics and Google SEO, getting that going is very important.

For example, if you've been around longer online, Google rates your website as a little more credible the longer you've been around. Even if you're thinking, “I don't know what to create that about,” you create a blog and you start putting something out there, get a domain name. That's going to be beneficial because you're getting that credibility built now versus waiting. Of course, having that place where people can purchase so you can automate a little more of your business, you're not having to do everything manually. It can be a game-changer for your business as well. I would say as soon as possible.

I felt that pain early in my business. When you're brand new, you are doing everything manually, but there's only so much you can grow. There's only so much one person can do. That's so true. We may have some readers who are either affiliate marketers or network marketers, and they're selling some other company's product or service. A lot of times, if you're in one of those types of business models, they provide you with a website. Is that enough or do they also need a website of their own?

Even if you're a network marketing, I always recommend that you provide a website to create your own brand and stand out uniquely. Let's say that something changes and you have to separate yourself from that network marketing business. If you have that established brand, you can then pivot however you want, whether it's getting into a different network marketing business or maybe even starting your own business. I cannot tell you how many network marketers I've seen that have branched, not away from network marketing.

They still continue to do it but they branch into something else that they're super passionate about. Establishing that personal brand and identity for themselves is so important and even being able to do that. If you're out there and have a network business, establish your brand and your identity, get yourself a website up, and then think about what you want to contribute to the world you can be showing up for.

Establish your brand and identity, get yourself a website, and then think about what you want to contribute to the world that you can be showing up for.  

For those who are reading who already have a website, what are some signs that they might need to do a little work on it, refresh it a little, and give it a little TLC? How do you know when it's time to do some work?

IES 18 Sandra Houseman | Website Strategy — Website Strategy: Google rates your website a little more credible the longer you've been around online.

There are a few things. The first thing is that if you have a website that's a little bit older if it's not mobile-responsive, that is a huge deal. Now, a huge majority of people are viewing websites and getting online on their phone, on their tablet, or some mobile device. Mobile-responsive means that when someone views it on the phone, it's going to automatically rearrange that website a little bit to where it shows up well on the phone, so it's easy to read and navigate. If your website is not mobile-responsive, it's definitely time for a refresh. That is super important.

If your website is not mobile responsive, it's definitely time for a refresh. That is super important.

A lot of times, I will meet with potential clients or chat with people online who have a website that doesn't reflect where they're currently going in their business, so maybe they had it designed at one point or they went in and did it when they first started their business. They created that website, but now they've shifted and pivoted and their website doesn't quite reflect exactly where they are headed. If that's the case, if your website is not in line with where you're going, then you need a refresh if elements aren't working or even if it simply looks outdated.

Design is a thing of your website that catches that attention fast and your copy and your content are what keep them clicking. That design part is so important. If people are going to look at your website and if it looks outdated and old like it's from the 90s, that is a reflection of your business. If that's the case, I would recommend a refresh.

If you don't have systems set up, automations, integrations, or if you're thinking, “What does that even mean?” If your website does not work for you and make your life easier in your business, then it's time for a refresh. It's time to get a little help figuring out what that even looks like because it's a game-changer for your business to be able to offload some of that responsibility and things that you're doing manually on a daily basis or weekly basis to put that on your website and let it be automated.

Most people start businesses at least some element of why is to have freedom of some sort. Be away from home, be with their family, travel, and whatever that may be. Automations in the right ways and right places are definitely called for. Which web platform is your favorite one to use and why?

I started in WordPress. I designed WordPress websites for a few years. There's nothing wrong with WordPress because some people will be like, “WordPress is the best,” but I was finding that my clients were having a hard time managing and maintaining their own websites. They would try to get in and change things, add pages or move things around, and they would contact me and say, “I know you've trained me on this. I even have video trainings, but I cannot figure it out.” I started looking into other platforms because there has to be something for my clients.

My clients are online entrepreneurs. They're moms and women who want to get their passion and their business onto the world. There has to be a platform that we can use that will make this easier for them. I landed on Squarespace. I love Squarespace. I found that all of my clients have moved from WordPress, Squarespace, Wix, or other platforms. They absolutely love it. It's what I've stuck with. It's what I've become an expert in and helping people get that set up and running. Most importantly, my passion is helping them manage their own websites, so they're not constantly running to a designer or having to wait on changes. They can go do it themselves if they want to.

Being friendly is huge because the last thing you want to do is build a website and then every time you want to touch it, you spend hundreds of dollars trying to refresh or change it. That makes sense. As you're building your own business and you're getting leads and sales, which social media platform is your favorite?

I love Instagram. There are so many reasons that I love Instagram, but I just love that. You can make a genuine connection with people. You've got the direct messages. I know you have private messages on Facebook, but for some reason, Instagram is like the place where I loved to hang out. If we're being honest now with all of the stuff going on in the world, I can go to Instagram and see pretty pictures and positive things. I enjoy hanging out there now. I also like Facebook. Those are probably my top two.

For the readers who are loving this, maybe they're realizing, “It might be time for me to get a website.” I understand that you have a free gift that might help make that easier. Do you want to tell us a little bit about it?

I have free video training that they can go grab and watch pretty instantly. It is how to create your own client-winning website without losing your run in the process. That's the one thing that I hear people say all the time. They're like, “I'm trying to build my website, but it's driving me crazy. I can't figure it out.” I created this to help in those instances. I'm going to show you the top website mistakes that I see people make and how you can avoid those mistakes.

I'm going to give you my four-step formula. It's the formula to follow if you want to create your own website that’s not just pretty but also converts viewers and how I turned those viewers into leads and ultimately buyers. That's the goal. That free training will be helpful for anyone who wants to get started on the website journey.

If people are looking for a DIY type of thing, that's what this is.

Yes.

A lot of people know in the back of their minds because I used to be in that camp before when I was thinking about getting a website. I knew I needed one, but in my mind, it was going to be too expensive to hire out. It was also going to be too frustrating to do on my own, so that's super helpful to have the DIY shortcut.

There's definitely a difference between if you're ready for a website built for you. I recommend that a lot of people do build their websites, but it depends on your position and the stage of your business. Maybe you have been in business for a while, like 1 year to 3 years and are confident in the direction of your business. You know where you are headed, aligned with that, love that, and you also are at the place where you are have clients. If you have things to do where you don't need to be working on your website because you can be making money in other areas, then maybe it is time to hire that out.

Until you're at that place, I recommend that people dive into building their websites themselves. My goal is to cut out that overwhelm, make it easy for them to get in and to build that but to also set them up on the right foot, so when it does come for them to scale that to hand parts of that off to someone to help them with it, they're set up correctly instead of having to totally redo the entire thing when the time comes. That is my goal. I do help both sides. If they're like, “I want you to do it.” I do that as well. I have a program where people can get in, help them and support them in building their own website.

For the readers out there, be sure to grab this free gift. As we said before, you're going to network on social, meet people and build relationships there, but the point of sale probably happens on a webpage somewhere. You do need to have at least something out there for you. This nice DIY shortcut free training could be your ticket to get exactly get up to times and get ready for the holidays and make more sales.

Important Links:

About Sandra Houseman

Sandra Houseman is a website designer and performance strategist helping women entrepreneurs build client-winning websites that convert viewers to followers and buyers in their online business.