Blog Articles.

Membership websites are an ever more popular way to share valuable content and teachings with your audience. They provide a great source of passive income, once they’re all set up, and they allow you to own your own platform (as opposed to hosting training sessions on Facebook etc.) With so many moving parts to a membership website, it’s important to keep it simple and functional from a users perspective. The customer journey is paramount - it’s vital that we do everything we can to keep their attention and deliver a memorable experience, end to end. Having built membership sites for audiences big and small, we know what your audience would like to see from their devotion to you. Simple log in If your membership website is accessed via your business website, make sure the ‘Log In’ navigation is easy to find. We’d recommend that you link to it in the main navigation menu. Once they’ve found the ‘LogIn’ button, ensure that the credentials page is also streamlined and easy to use. Ask for a username and password, perhaps offer a ‘Remember me’ checkbox and don’t clutter this page with a tonne of information. Instant navigation access Poof! Once inside your membership platform, make it as easy as possible to get stuck in! Use main headings and subheadings in your navigation menu and make sure that each section leads onto the next, seamlessly. If you can, always offer the next piece of content readily, helping your members to stay on your site for longer. Spend some time considering the user experience. It’s a bit of forward planning that’ll pay you back tenfold. Search bar Ever wracked your brains to remember just where you saw that great piece of content? You remember the website but you can’t remember how you found it - it’s infuriating, right? Well, spare your website users that experience and include a search bar in your website header. What’s more, you can track the most searched for items and then move them to a more obvious place on your site, or dig into what kind of content your audience is hunting for and create it ! With everything we do, we’re always striving to improve the customer experience, especially if they’re paying for the privilege. Graphics and on brand design Just because your platform exists to educate, doesn’t mean it can’t be as beautiful as your homepage! Fill it with quotes from members, gorgeous imagery and on brand graphics. Make headers stand out in complementary colours and fonts, and don’t be afraid to use images of yourself around the place. Remember, your members have signed up because they want to hear from you! They connect with your personality and your ethos… so make sure you are evident in everything they consume - that’s what they came here for! Privacy statement In the cyber age, we’re a little more concerned about our credentials than we used to be. Make sure that your privacy statement is easily found and contains your GDPR statement. If you’re concerned about the implications of such a statement, have a chat with your web team or get in touch with us! There are loads of templates out there and lots of advice to ensure that you and your wonderful members are protected. If you already have a website you love, rest assured that you may not need a new one in order to create a membership site. We work with WordPress - most WordPress sites can be upgraded as you uplevel. Your site can also be integrated with recognised course platforms such as Teachable. Of course, if you do want a new website too - we can create them alongside each other , perfectly branded and seamless goals. 

Conversion rates are a metric that we see all over our digital presence. From email marketing to Instagram, DM’s to website visitors. The ‘conversion rate’ of something is simply how many of those visitors/readers/followers turned into paying customers. Whilst we don’t want to go over the top, hammering home all the reasons they should work with us, we do want to make the benefits of our programs and services crystal clear. To boost conversion rates, the main priority is clarity - a clear message - a clear value proposition - a clear and simple process to purchase. Action verbs We want to get people excited about the possibility of working with us and transforming their current situation. Action verbs do this by inciting change and encouraging, well, ACTION! “We’re breaking the mold”, or “Let’s get creative ”. Using active rather than passive voice is so much more motivational (and if you use Yoast, you’ll know that SEO favours active voice too!) Testimonials Select 3-5 glowing testimonials and find a way to attractively feature them on your site. We recommend that you link out to the person delivering the testimonial and include a high-res photo of them, if possible. Think carefully about your ideal client and who they’d like to receive social proof from. If you work with coaches, for example, choose testimonials from coaches. If you mostly work with women, only feature testimonials from women. Make sure testimonials are featured on the homepage, but don’t be afraid to scatter them on service pages too. Use headlines & CTAs When people visit your website, you want them to stay there for as long as possible in order to gain the information they need to confidently purchase from you. The best way to do this is to carve a perfect path for them. Use colourful headings and targeted CTAs to guide them from value proposition to USP, pain point to payment plan - each step as easy and streamlined as the last. Break everything down Most readers are skimmers, at least when it comes to digital consumption. To make it super easy for them to glean the content they need, break everything down - especially when it comes to explaining a service, program or course. Use bullet points liberally and take advantage of titles and subtitles to break down your modules, course topics or services process in detail. At a glance, we want our readers to be able to see what the offer is, who it’s for, what it achieves and how they can pay for it. Use video We’ve harped on about the power of video before. Not only does it create a much stronger connection between yourself and your potential customers, but that connection usually correlates with conversions. You’ve heard of the ‘know, like, trust’ factor? The thing that convinces people to buy from another person? Well, video fast tracks that process because the potential customer feels like they know you in 1-2 minutes, instead of reading 1-2 pages of copy. Whether it’s a welcome video, the story of how you established your business or simply a reel of videographer footage, use video to capture conversions quickly. Have a clear and repeated value proposition For your message to resonate, it needs to be clear and it needs to be everywhere. Your website visitors should be under no illusion as to what you offer them. Your value proposition is the unique thing that you can offer, that no one else can. Perhaps you’re a leading imposter syndrome coach. Maybe you’re an expert in CRM systems and uplevelling customer experience. For us? We’re the trustworthy, highly-professional web design team that uplevel businesses via their handcrafted websites. 2.35% is considered a ‘good’ conversion rate in 2020 - how does your site tally up? Not sure how to find out? Our website design clients receive a monthly report that dishes the behind-the-scenes dirt on what their website visitors have been up to. Doesn’t that sound great? Where they’ve been, what they looked at for how long… it’s all in there so we can go on to create even better customer experiences. Want in? Check our portfolio or pop us a message about your conversion rate dreams… we’d love to make them come true!

When you got started, you DIY’d everything. But as we climb the ladder and reach new levels of success, we start to realise the power of outsourcing. Look, you have a zone of genius… but my guess is it’s not web design. So when do you move from a website builder you started playing with three years ago, to a professional website design team? If you tick any of these boxes… it’s probably time to invest in your glittering digital future! You have a clear brand message and image If you’ve had brand photoshoots, a logo designed and you’ve painstakingly tweaked your IG feed to look ‘just-so’, does your website live up to it? If you’ve ever had any branding work done, you need to get your money’s worth of it. There’s no point in having the most perfectly curated social presence, for people to get totally turned off when they land on your less-than-slick-looking website. Complimentary colours and expertly designed logos look much better on a hand-crafted website, created by a professional. If you care about the money you’ve already spent on perfecting your brand, don’t throw it down the drain with your hodge-podge website. Sorry! You have built a community or substantial following You’re a boss, a thought-leader, a community creator - people are looking at you. If you’re delivering advice to people or expecting them to be influenced by the teachings you deliver, you can’t be held back by an embarrassing website. Now, we’re not saying your website is embarrassing, but we are suggesting that it probably doesn’t live up to your current standard if you made it yourself. As your community grows and your influence reaches further, you need a website that you’re not embarrassed to hand over on a business card. You’re almost financially ready No one is ever ‘ready’ for an investment in their business… but by the same token - we don’t see people regretting those investments either! The saying ‘start before you’re ready’ certainly applies here. Why wait until you’re super successful and all eyes on you before sprucing up your website? Surely it would be better to get it done ahead of the curve, pre-empting your inevitable success and , because our websites are pretty darn great, maximise your success with a slick, functional and lovingly crafted customer experience? You’re ready to go to the next level in your business In short, it’s time for you to shine. You have a gift that needs to be shared with the world and your website is the mouthpiece to share it. You deserve a beautiful website and your potential clients deserve the experience that you can deliver for them. We’re ready and waiting for your website uplevel. Using our signature ARC method, we take the reins and deliver a beautiful website that you’ll be shouting about to anyone who’ll listen. We’re experts, so you don’t need to worry about every little detail - we do that for you! If you’re busy changing lives and making money in the process, then we’re here to support you in creating a customer experience that won’t be forgotten. Let’s have a chat about what you need to hit the next level.

We love a bit of clever tech, here at Ocean Digital. Anything we can do that makes a process easier, faster or more automated… we’ll have it in spades, please! But, it’s not just about making the process easier for us… it’s about creating a more streamlined experience for our potential customers and clients. Allowing your website visitors to seamlessly transition from window shoppers to loyal customers, we love these clever little integrations. Call scheduler A call scheduler allows potential clients to book directly into your calendar, through your website. There are several platforms with this capability - the most common being Calendly and Dubsado ’s Scheduler tool. Once linked up with your email provider, you can select specific times of day during which you’ll allow call bookings. You can customise pretty much everything about your call scheduler if you have a ‘paid for’ version. For discovery calls, this is a great way to make yourself accessible, whilst staying in control of your time and energy. Testimonials There are so many inventive ways to display your testimonials! We seriously recommend taking a look at them. From gorgeously branded sliders to video reels, expanding quotes to audio bites - including testimonials on your website is a great way to deliver social proof and convince a potential customer that you’re the right fit for them. Application form An application form can work to enter someone’s details directly into your CRM. If you’re looking to create a more up-levelled, exclusive brand image, then you’ll want to ask people to ‘Apply’ to work with you. Using a system such as Dubsado , you can embed an application form into your website, beautifully branded and fantastically functional. Be sure to ask lots of questions and really dig deep to ascertain whether someone is the right fit. Subconsciously, when someone sees ‘Apply to work with me’, they’ll want to get a yes, because the service sounds more exclusive - and who doesn’t love a bit of something extra special? Welcome video Two types of welcome videos really work for service providers. The first is a video header - now, this has no sound but features a reel of clips that illustrate your notoriety. For example, it might be clips of you speaking on stage, delivering a workshop, chatting at a networking event etc. If you’ve ever had any professional videography done, this is an effective way to display it. The second use of a welcome video is to embed it on your homepage. Simply sitting down and recording a bit about who you are and what you do can be a great way to introduce people to your website, your service and your brand. (Don’t forget to add subtitles!) Freebie download Landing pages are great to launch specific freebies, but why not try some evergreen content? If you have a freebie that’s performed exceptionally well, or can create a piece of content that answers the most common question you get asked, then it makes sense to make this readily available. There are lots of fun ways to incentivise someone to download your freebie - but sometimes ‘Join my email list and get my free [insert name of freebie]’ is enough of a trade to satisfy most people. Of course, as the previous quote suggests, you’d offer this freebie in a bid to gain more email list subscribers.

As a thought leader, an entrepreneur, a coach, a visionary, it’s your responsibility to share your knowledge and gifts with the world. For many leaders, this is done through creating a community. In 2010, Google had indexed over 620 million Facebook groups … imagine what that number must be today with over 2.45 billion users on the platform. Wherever it is that you’re choosing to host your online community, support should always be the number one priority. How can we support our online communities? How can we offer value that incites loyalty and an engaged following? 1. Share insights People don’t join your community just for the sake of being part of a group. If someone has joined your community, odds are it has something to do with you . Perhaps they feel inspired by content you’ve shared elsewhere, maybe they look up to you as a role model, or maybe they’ve considered buying from you but want to do a little more research. Whatever the reason, they’re likely there because they want to hear from you. So, give the people what they want! Share your unique views and insights on things. Deliver tips and tricks that might help your community to excel in whatever your relevant area is. Encourage them to cultivate their own ideas and start conversations based upon topics you introduce. Own that ‘thought-leader’ title and lead with insightful, inspirational content. 2. Take feedback and create programs to match If you’re selling programs, courses or 1-1 sessions, use your community as a resource. Once you’ve built a following, don’t neglect your market research. Spend time in your community, chatting with members and asking them about what they struggle with. Very quickly, you’ll develop an in-depth understanding of where they need support. When it comes to creating new services, you can be 100% sure that you’re offering something of value. As mentioned earlier, value and support should be the leading drivers behind creating an online community - take their feedback and create exceptional value at every turn. 3. Bring in guests Make your community feel cared for and nurtured by bringing in guests they might find beneficial. There are several ways to do this: through video trainings, guest blog posts or live Q&As. Of course, there are bonuses for growing your audience here, too. Most people who are asked to guest in someone’s community are flattered and they’ll likely talk about the opportunity you’ve given them, leading to more traffic for you. They may well return the favour and ask you to offer value in their community, allowing you to reach even more people. Be sure that you pick your guests wisely - are they offering a complimentary service to yours? Is their ideal client in alignment with your own? Are they able to speak about something you’re sure your audience would like to hear about? Not to bang on but… value, value, value! 4. Create exciting content Finally, be diverse in the content you share with your community and make it as accessible as possible. Video content is the most consumed form of digital content. Why? Because it’s easy to consume and it makes us feel directly connected to the person behind the lens. Whilst it might feel like a lot of production and effort, video content is much more likely to convert communities into customers because of that key connection piece. Your community deserves to feel connected to you through the support you offer, so put as much effort into creating free value content as you would paid content. Do you have an online community? Were these tips helpful? We’d love to hear about your tribe and what you get up to. Pop me a message and let us know where we can find you!

We’re not in the business of having a hum-drum, run-of-the-mill website… and neither are you… correct? What we’re all looking for are websites that create IMPACT. That metaphorically hits our ideal client in the face and makes them say, “wow, she not only gets me but she knows her stuff!’ If that's what we’re after, how do we go about creating a website with impact? First and foremost, before we dive into our 3 handy tips, it’s about creating a real connection. Before embarking on a new website, it’s really important that you know exactly who it’s for - let this thought guide you through the creation process, from end to end. 1. Nail your CTAs (Call To Action) No one takes action unless they are invited to. When someone is visiting your website, are they instructed on what to do next? Do they know what the next step is? Do you? CTAs are a Call-To-Action, an instruction from you to the website visitor. This might be ‘Sign Up Here’ or ‘Download Now’... in short, it’s a direction. We need to have CTAs on every page of our website, but there’s a balance to strike by not having too many. If you’re standing at a crossroads with 10 ways to turn, you’ll find yourself spinning on the spot and getting nowhere but utterly dizzy. This is not the effect we want our websites to have. Instead, spend some time thinking about what the purpose of your website is. Is it to get people to buy your passive income products? Is it to showcase your gifts so that people book in 1-1 with you? Is it a lead generator that captures people's details so you can follow up with them later? None of these is ‘right’ or ‘wrong’, it’s totally personal to you and where you’re at with your products and services. But, to create impact, we want to ensure that visitors know exactly why they are there and how to take action. Make your CTAs stand out, make sure they are branded, appealing and easily navigable. 2. Personalise their experience We spend sooo much time online now, that it can begin to feel like a pretty anonymous and disconnected encounter. As digital entrepreneurs, what can we do to bring some ‘human’ back into this experience? Personalisation! For example, if someone has logged into your membership platform, could you greet them personally? “Hi [name], welcome back!” If someone is scrolling through your digital content, could you offer them suggestions of something else they might like? Perhaps taking them from one blog post to another? Or directing them to a download that relates to the content they consumed? Always chat with your website designer about how you can personalise your potential client’s experience with you - it’ll make all the difference in how much they trust and remember you. 3. Keep it slick Slow loading websites, pixelated pictures, janky animations… What a turn-off. We have around 3 seconds to capture someone’s attention when they land on our website. To create the biggest impact, we want to present a beautifully curated brand with gorgeous imagery and super-slick functionality. Be clear about who you are, what you do and how you can help them - from the homepage and onwards. As website designers, we spend a lot of time planning out (using our signature ARC method) how your website can really stand out above the noise. A cohesive brand, compelling copy and a website that expresses professionalism is a sure way to keep them thinking about you. Creating impact is vital if we want people to remember us, spend more time with our content and eventually buy from us. Genuine connection and delivery of true value are what we enable our clients to provide. If you're looking at your current website and thinking it’s less handsome and more hum-drum… then it’s time to give us a bell . Let us transform your website, so you can transform lives.

It’s not the sexiest topic in the world: Compliance. However, the ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) is a very important one. When you start diving into legal quagmires, such as this one, it can quickly get overwhelming and stressful - so we’re here to break it down in plain English. Essentially: The ADA ensures that various environments are accessible for those with disabilities. Your website falls under that category. Unfortunately, there isn’t much in the way of specific guidelines to mentor you through the process of ensuring that your website is ADA compliant. Nevertheless, by looking at lawsuits and examples of perfectly accessible websites, we can do our very best to ensure that all users have an exceptional experience when they find us online. Alt text You might have heard the buzz around this on Instagram towards the end of last year. Alt text is any additional wording that might make visual content easier to access. For example, those who are visually impaired may use audio website readers to describe the picture or video they are accessing. To ensure that they have the most descriptive experience, you can: Add alt text to all images Add video transcripts alongside video content Ensure that videos have subtitles Navigation People move around our websites in many different ways. To make this as seamless and easy as possible, we must ensure that our websites are user-friendly and customisable, for example: Websites should be totally accessible using a keyboard alone (no mouse) Any moving parts on the website should be able to be paused and replayed Nothing should flash more than 3 times within a second (think banners, pop-ups etc.) If forms or pop-ups are time sensitive (i.e they disappear or timeout after a certain amount of time has elapsed), they must be able to be extended Visuals Remember that not everyone viewing your site will be able to access all visual content. For this reason, we must try to convey information in different ways, making sure that everyone can ‘see’ the content we’ve lovingly put together. We can do this in a few ways: By not using colour alone to illustrate something e.g graphs, pie charts or graphics By making our websites flow in a logical and understandable order By allowing for a colour contrast ratio (a setting that dictates the saturation and contrast of the colours on your page) of at least 4.5:1, between all text and background By allowing text to be maximised by up to 200% By not using images of text in place of actual text (i.e PNG graphics with words on them) Titles When navigating around our website, we want to make sure that users can easily find the content they are looking for. To make sure this is the case, we can: Give pages clear and obvious titles and URLs Use H1 and H2 title text to divide up our pages (these are formatting options for entering copy into your webpage - title text is picked up by search engines before bulk text. Check with your website provider for more information) Use descriptive headings and labels as much as possible Set a language for the entire website (i.e US English, British English etc.) There are many more ways in which we can make a website as ADA compliant as possible - these are just a few examples and suggestions to help illustrate how we might make the internet a more inclusive place - something we care about over here at Ocean Digital. It’s important that we make sure our potential customers and clients can find us, resonate with us and actually connect with our content, however they are accessing it. If you want to know more about how you can make your site a tip-top example of ADA compliance, check out Accessibility.org - a fantastic resource that’s hoping to unjumble the confusion around making accessibility second nature.

Sales pages… something that strikes either fear or excitement into digital entrepreneurs. Personally, we love sales pages! Everytime we create one, we know our client is 1) getting out there and owning their success and 2) is about to be a whole lot more successful thanks to the beautiful sales page we’re creating ;) Seriously though, a highly converting sales page could be the make or break of your product/service launch… so it’s not something we take lightly. As always, we’ve got a few signature tips and tricks that we use to ensure you get the very best out of your sales page… and here they are... Define your target audience clearly With sales pages, it’s often the case that the groundwork makes all the difference. Yes, the actual putting together of the page is of high-importance, but the background research ensures that your page is as effective as possible. Before you start crafting, take some time to really define your target audience. How do they like to be spoken to? Where are they on their journey? What are their very specific pain points? How do they like to be referred to? How much money do they have to spend on this? What would really resonate with them and tip the scales on the sale? Be really intentional when it comes to mapping out who would benefit from seeing this page. Speak directly to your reader With your tone and delivery, speak as if you were having a direct conversation with this person. What would you say to your target audience if they were standing in front of you? You’d be conscientious, you’d be real and you’d be authoritative. You’d want them to know that you understand them and that you want to help. Oftentimes, people get caught up in looking ‘professional’ or polished on their sales pages… but in the coaching/service provider world, that’s not what makes the sale. Coaching, especially, is very personal. Be personable in your approach and you’ll be converting those clients in no time. Make your offer clear People want to know exactly what it is they’re buying - so tell them! You can do this in artistic and inventive ways, such as mapping out your modules with clever drop-downs, using animations to make bonuses and resources literally pop or including a video where you explain the process of working with you. Where possible, use bullet points rather than bulk text and split up sections of your page with different background colours or textures. Make it as easy as possible for your target audience to find what they’re looking for so they can say “yes, yes, YES!” Keep pricing easy to understand As above, the same goes for pricing. Don’t be afraid to lay it all out on the table - ‘this is how much it costs, here’s how you can pay, these are the payment options’. Being coy or secretive around pricing is a huge turn-off - so we always encourage our clients to beautifully lay out their pricing structure with pride! Include testimonials If you’ve run this program or course before, make sure you include testimonials from the last intake. Hopefully, you made a testimonial questionnaire part of your offboarding process, but don’t worry if you didn’t. Simply reach out to ex-students or clients and ask for their honest opinion. If you haven’t run this program or course before, simply ask those who have worked with you, what they thought of the process. When you include a testimonial on a sales page, include the person's name and handle - and a picture, if possible. This helps your target audience to really identify with that real person and their experience, picturing themselves as having the same transformation. FAQs At the bottom of a sales page, it’s worth thinking about some FAQs or objections that may come up. Chances are, if someone has reached the bottom of your page without buying, they need a little more convincing. What could be troubling them? Is it the price? Is it that they’re wondering if it’s the right fit for them? Maybe they want to know a little more about you and your history? This is where getting a second eye over your sales page can be helpful. We’re always on hand to give some hints and tips. Need some inspo? Want to see some of our tips and tricks in action? You can row on over to our Portfolio page to find examples of our highly-converting sales pages! Looking for a sales page yourself? Even if you don’t host your website with us, we can still help you to create a beautifully designed sales page that you can be proud of .

When your potential clients land on our website, how do you want them to feel? My guess is that you want to create a connection with them. If you’re a coach or service provider, you need your clients to feel comfortable with you - they need to feel like they know you. Working with coaches means that we prioritise connection in our website building process. We understand that your clients are buying into a relationship with you, so here’s a few things you can do to ensure that the point hits home, comfortably. Talk in the first person In some instances, third person (e.g. Sharon) works. If you were being featured in a publication, you might have a bio written about you, which would likely be in third person. However, on your own website, you want it to feel like you. Imagine that you’re writing an email to your potential client: how would you address them? What tone of voice would you use? How colloquial or friendly would you be? The answers to these will vary depending on where your client is currently at in their journey - but make sure you consider them when you’re writing your copy, or are having it written externally. Use real photos of yourself This is something we really impress upon our clients. High-quality images of you speak volumes. Sure, a bit of stock photography is great for creating an aesthetic, but your potential clients want to see and connect with you! They want to see your favourite mug, your coffee shop set up, your home office and your snuggles with your cat. Anything that impresses upon them that you’re a real person is worth its weight in gold - so let’s not skimp on the selfies, okay? Include a video If you’re feeling brave after your little rendezvous with the self-timer, why not record a welcome video? Some of the most successful coaches are those who capitalise on the connection of video. Seeing you speak, hearing your language and looking you in the eyes is very reassuring. Remember that in the entrepreneurial space, we’re often buying from people we’ve never met. As mentioned earlier, anything that impresses the realness of you and your brand upon a website visitor is worth investing in. Share motifs about yourself (your dog, kids, fave drink etc.)  Choose a few key motifs and repeat them around your website. For example, do you always wear red lipstick? Are you obsessed with mermaids? Maybe you like referring to yourself as a ‘rockstar rebel’ - whatever it is, make sure that these motifs are dropped in the copy and design around your website. We’ve had clients who love making jokes about coffee, or regularly sip a cheeky prosecco - so we made sure their favourite indulgences were drip-fed into the brand. These tiny motifs help to build a bigger brand and an overall impression of you. You can drop these into your social media captions and imagery too - allowing your audience to connect with you over things you might have in common. Blog regularly Finally, to create high-value connections with your audience, keep up the conversation. Sure, social media is very important for this, but if you’re pricing up high ticket programs, people need a little bit more. Blogging is a great way to exhibit your voice - but it also provides an avenue for you to deliver value. The more value content your audience sees, the more they trust you, know you and want to buy from you. Value, value, value. We hate to sound like a broken record… but we kinda know what we’re talking about. There are well over 1 billion websites on the internet - we want to make yours stand out!