046: Why I purchased something from a website that has a sub-par design? (and what you can learn from it)

Some weeks ago, I wanted to buy a birthday gift for my friend and I wanted it to be a massage session so she could relax after some exhausting photography projects.

The challenge: I am in North Carolina. She is in Toronto. 

This location difference meant that I had no idea where a good massage studio was in Toronto. I had to rely on google searches and scanning various websites that popped up in the results. It was nice to see a good selection of massage studio websites close to her home.

I found some lovely sites with nice photography showing the studio and its services. I also found some not so aesthetically pleasing sites.

You may be surprised by this. It turned out that I ended up buying a massage package from a studio that was not my first choice. It was a website that didn't hit all the marks in terms of stunning, credibility-building design.

Why would I buy from a website that I myself would rate as "sub-par" design?

Simple. Functionality.

Design is important but without functionality, your site is not making the deals it ought to make.

Watch the video to see the full story where I show you the actual websites in question: 

There are some useful nuggets that you take from this story and make your website more conversion-friendly a.k.a. sell more products, services, events, online programs, and workshops.

This is why it is super important to know what your #1 goal is for your website. This #1 goal will help determine what functionality you need for your site and how to go about designing your site as a result. The functionality of a site cannot be overlooked. It is important to create clear pathways for your audience to easily do the things that you want them to do.

This is what will set your site apart. And this is the difference between a stunning, beautiful website and a stunning, beautiful website that also converts.

All of this is given to you in the pre-workshop prep material when you attend my workshop that teaches you how to build a website.

If you'd like to know how to think "conversion" when building your website, come to my next workshop, "Create a Website that Converts". I will show you how to build your own Squarespace website with conversion in mind. Check out the details here: Create a Website that Converts