I create websites, and I use WordPress to do it. The WordPress plugin library is… well, it’s kind of overwhelming, to be quite honest! But when I find the perfect plugin or bit of code, I’m able to build the website my client needs to make their business run better.
But there are a lot of non-WordPress tools that can add powerful functionality to your website, increase its effectiveness in converting visitors to leads or sales, and just plain make your life easier!
Improve Your Website by Adding an Online Scheduler
Giving your website visitors a way to schedule an appointment or a phone call with you directly can be a GAME CHANGER. Not only does it feel fancy and professional, but it also takes out a step or two (or 5!) from the process. Instead of your potential customer:
- filling out a contact form or sending you an email, then
- waiting for you to reply, then
- going back and forth with you to find a time that works for everyone
The visitor can look at your calendar, pick a time that works, and book it right there. Imagine sales calls just magically appearing on your calendar! (This has happened for me and it’s truly amazing!)
If you have paid appointments, you can also require payment before someone can schedule a time for a call or meeting. When you make it easier for people to pay and engage with you, your business will be so much happier!
The great news is that it’s not complicated – or expensive! – to add a scheduler to your website. There are some powerful tools out there to do the job:
- Dubsado – Dubsado does about 10000x more than just scheduling because it’s a full-featured client management system, but the scheduler is A+++. You can automate reminders and even add custom forms if you need to gather information at the time of booking.
- Acuity – You can try it for free, and if you love it, you can upgrade for tons of advanced features: embedding directly on your site, syncing with your Google or Outlook calendar, multiple users, and more.
- SimplyBookMe – This one is for power users for sure! If you have a growing business and need a system to handle the heavy-lifting of website appointments, it’s worth checking out.
Improve Your Website by Including an Email Opt-in Form
Building an audience for your business takes a lot of work. You can do it on Facebook, Instagram, or any other social media platform. Social media is great and can be really fun, but fighting with algorithms and researching hashtags is NOT GREAT (and NOT FUN.) When you can build a list that includes people who are actually interested in what you’re selling, you gain control over your business in a brand new way!
You can build your email list with a simple opt-in form, right on your website. You’ll want to provide an incentive for visitors to sign up – access to some free content, a downloadable file, a discount code. Convincing a website visitor to share their email address with you takes them from a casual visitor to a committed and engaged audience member. Once they’re on your email list, they’re more likely to take the next step with you (e.g. – buying what you’re selling!)
- MailerLite – MY FAVORITE. It’s free to get started, easy to use, AND it has some really powerful automation tools for welcome sequences, list-segmenting, and more. It’s the perfect balance of features and functionality with a lightweight, simple interface.
- MailChimp – MailChimp makes it so easy to get started with an email list, and it’s free for brand new, smaller lists! They also have some beautiful templates and easy copy-and-paste code so you can embed the signup form on your site.
- ConvertKit – It’s not free, but ConvertKit does offer a free trial. It’s a major powerhouse for email and automation, and it has set the bar high for other platforms. I’ve found it to be a little overwhelming for my needs, but if you’ll be doing a large volume of email marketing with lots of automation, ConvertKit might be the perfect tool.
Improve Your Website by Installing Google Analytics
If you have a website, you should know who is visiting! Setting up a Google Analytics profile for your site takes just a minute or two. Once you’ve got the code on your site, it will start recording your traffic so you’ll know where people are coming from, how long they’re staying, what pages they’re visiting, even what words they searched for on Google to find you. You can use this data to make changes and improvements to your site, which can lead to more traffic AND more sales!
Do you have other examples of how you’ve enhanced your website with a fun tool? I’d love to hear about it! Leave a comment below or shoot me a message on social!
