More True than Ever: A Website is a Stage Not a Billboard
- Deah Curry PhD
- Nov 18, 2016
- 2 min read

A lot of solopreneurs have related to their websites as if there were gigantic billboards they needed to stuff with just the right photos and headlines. Make the phone number prominent, and then you're done. You can sit back and wait for people crusing the highway of the internet to see your billboard and give you a call.
Notice the flaw(s) in that idea?
What a website really is, is an ongoing dance on a performance stage -- or even better, right out in the neighborhood.
Nothing much happens until you show up and the action starts. If that takes too long, the audience leaves, and rarely returns.
What does it mean to show up on your own website?
First of all, it means knowing who is buying the tickets or gathering to watch your show. By that I mean, knowing who your ideal client is, and having content and images that are specifically directed towards their experience and needs.
It also means to connecting with the audience -- not just throwing information at them -- by giving them a compelling reason to check out your message.
Ask yourself: Why have they come to see you in the first place? They had an interest in ending, starting, healing, improving, or changing something that bothers them. To keep their attention, you need to know (or assume) what their desired end result is, so at least one of your stage acts, aka web pages, will serve that to them.
Only in rare cases do typical ideal clients want academic exposition on the psycho-social-neuro dynamics of the impersonalized topic that they are currently having a personal struggle with. Imagine how well such an academic approach goes over out in "the hood".
They want an empathetic mirror on that struggle so they can begin to trust you enough to reach out for help. You need to start from speaking their language about the things they care about.
So, the action your audience is looking for can take several forms:
a video about the problem they suffer from
a blog post with tips on initial self help or self screening
a page that creates trust and rapport and motivates to call you
a page that gives the nitty gritty details of fees and process, etc -- (faq page)
a way to contact you by email, text, or phone
a way to sign up for your newsletter, class or group
pleasant music that fits the mood of the website, on a loop
By all means, write the more academic sounding content for an e-book or special report. But also give your website visitors something that connects with them emotionally, because it is the emotional connection that motivates people to call you for an appointment.
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