You and a couple of friends have been tossing around an idea for years. Maybe now, the timing is finally right to set the wheels in motion and bring your idea to life. A startup can be an exciting adventure, especially if you’re finally able to live out some of your dreams.
Startups are also very competitive and the first five years of a startup are the hardest and riskiest. Rather than worrying about failure, it’s important to focus on the things you can control and the things that will foster your success. Creating a website is an important first step in gaining visibility.
Here are some tips to help you effectively communicate your startup’s vision, culture, and services or offerings:
Reconsider Your Mission Statement
How many websites have you visited that have a mission statement? Have you read it or do you even care? A mission statement is usually filled with abstract language and often just reads like a “filler.” In many ways, a company’s mission statement is just a fancier version of an “About Us” section.
Before you jump to defend or ditch a mission statement, it all comes down to personal preference. If you can write a statement, using language that will connect with the visitors to your page and make them interested in you, as a startup, go ahead.
Stick To The Basics
Unless your startup is only designed to attract a specific demographic of internet users, you should strongly consider making your content easy to read. The average American has a reading level of about 8th or 9th grade. You don’t have to “dumb down” your page, just make it easy and interesting. Make your points, don’t make your visitors search or ask.
Some good “basics” to consider when creating your site might include how long you had the idea for your startup, what you did before the startup and other information that makes your customers feel more connected.
Break Up Your Text With Images
Words are important but images are just as essential to website building as they can be aesthetic, break up blocks of content, and tell a story without words. Do you have a brick and mortar shop? Post pictures of your renovation process. Your customers will see how hard you’ve worked to attain your dream of a startup.
Have an interesting logo? Tell a story or show the image that inspired the logo. People love a good story and pictures can help to make information stick.
Make Yourself Memorable
When building your startup’s website, don’t forget that you have less than a minute to impress a visitor to your page. Don’t let this statistic worry you or make you work faster, just keep it in mind.
Add content that you might share in a face-to-face chat with a customer or friend. Choose images that are relevant and mean something to you. Every piece of information you put on your site should have a purpose, whether it’s a contact number or a price list for your products. To be a successful startup, your goal is to be memorable enough to visit again and again.