Chapter 7: Websites
Your Owned Media Fortress
In an era dominated by rented land—social media platforms where algorithms can silence you overnight—your website remains the only digital territory you truly govern. It is the nucleus of your "Owned Media" strategy. Yet, too many businesses treat their website as a static brochure rather than a dynamic engine for conversion.
As I often advise clients at Finn Partners, a high-performance website is not an art project; it is an architectural endeavour. It must be structured to answer three fundamental questions within seconds of a user's arrival:
- What do you want to say? (The Value Proposition)
- Who do you want to say it to? (The Target Persona)
- What do you want them to do next? (The Call to Action)
If your site fails to answer these questions instantly, you are not just losing traffic; you are hemorrhaging credibility.
Architecture Before Aesthetics
The 3-Step Design Process
The most common failure in web development is rushing to "design" before solidifying the "plan." At Aleksandra King Agency, we strictly adhere to a three-step process that prioritizes function over form.
1. The Sitemap (The Hierarchy): Before a single pixel is colored, we must map the hierarchy. A sitemap is the skeleton. It forces us to decide exactly which pages exist and how they link. This clarity is essential for both user experience (UX) and Search Engine Optimization (SEO).
2. The Wireframe (The Function): This is the blueprint phase. We design the layout in black and white, stripping away the distraction of color. We focus purely on the user journey: Where is the button? How does the eye travel?
3. The Visuals (The Skin): Only once the structure is approved do we apply the brand aesthetics. This ensures that beauty never compromises performance.
Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO)
The Science of Persuasion
A website that looks good but doesn't convert is vanity. Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO) is the discipline of turning visitors into revenue. It moves marketing from an art to a science.
Consider the classic case study of the Obama Campaign. By treating their donation pages as living experiments, they segmented their audience into 40+ micro-personas. They didn't just guess what would work; they tested it.
"A marginal improvement in conversion rate from 2% to 3% does not yield a 1% increase in revenue. It yields a 50% increase."
To optimize your own site, focus on the four levers of CRO:
The CTA: Is it commanding? ("Get Your Audit" vs "Submit")
The Copy: Does it address the pain point?
The Imagery: Does it support the trust signal?
The Targeting: Are you speaking to the right segment?
The Sniper vs. The Shotgun
Landing Pages vs. Homepages
There is a critical distinction between a Homepage and a Landing Page. A homepage is a "shotgun"—it caters to general traffic, offering multiple paths (About Us, Services, Blog).
A landing page is a "sniper." It is designed for one specific campaign, one specific audience, and one specific action. If you are running paid ads (PPC/Social), you must never send traffic to your homepage. You will lose them in the noise.
The Strategic Lesson: As you build your digital estate, remember that every page must have a job. If a page exists without a clear purpose or a measurable goal, it is dead weight. Your website should be your hardest-working salesperson, operating 24/7 without a break.
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