4 MUST-HAVE things you need to have on your Website

We'll let you in on a little secret.. There are 4 MUST HAVE things you need to have on your website. Do you know what they are?

We at Red Dream Studios have built well over a hundred websites. From our 17 years of experience, we know there are 4 things that you have to have on a website and if you don't, people will just leave and your website will become an ineffective and useless marketing tool.

1. Who is your customer?

You need to cover who it is you actually service so that the right type of client comes knocking on your door. Those who come to your site will want to know immediately if you can solve their problem. You can convey this through text, through images, or through video. They should all work cohesively together so that the message is geared towards the right customer. For example, if you're throwing a sophisticated wine and cheese party, you don't want a bunch of teenage ravers to show up instead.

2. What problem do you solve?

Have you ever landed on a website and you have no clue what that company does? Well, no one likes that. One business cannot solve every problem for everyone, even within one industry. If you are a law firm, for example, you can't talk about every single branch of law or legal issue that ever existed. If you make the problem you're trying to solve crystal clear on your website, people will relate to you and make the connection that you are the one to solve their problem.

3. What service or product do you offer to solve that problem?

When you make the problem clear on the site, people will become more interested in your solution to that problem. They will want more information. No one likes to be told that they just have problems (most are already aware that they have them). What people want is someone to say, "I understand the problem. Now here's the solution." Make it clear what it is that you do to solve the problem.

4. Why you and not your competition?

This is not an invitation to bash your competitors à la WWE Slobberknocker. But you do need to explain, "why you?" You can't make assumptions that customers will choose you based solely on the information you provide on your website. Don't assume anything, for that matter. As a business owner, you may not even realize why someone chose to do business with you in the first place.

Take a few of your most trusted customers, the ones who really love you, and ask. Ask why they've done business with you. In your conversation with them, they may make you aware of some hidden, unique nuggets of information that will be golden fodder for your website. And you may learn a few things about yourself in the process. For example, in our case, the majority of our clientele loves our dedication, service, and willingness to bend over backwards. Our clients aren't customers, they're treated like family and partners.