Rebekah came to me feeling burnt out. She wanted to be done with marketing on Instagram and grow her business in a way that felt more organic and sustainable for her.

We decided to give her website a facelift. A friend had made it for her a couple of years ago and it no longer suited her or her business. Here’s how I approached this redesign + copy update.

The VIP website re-do process

Step 1: Audit

First, I went through her website and made a list of all of the things that I would change to optimize her current website for both user experience and SEO.

Embed application forms directly into services pages so leads can quickly and easily apply
Make service options clear and distinct – create a separate page for each service
Refine About copy to attract ideal clients and repel non-target leads
Change home page to have a section for services, about, and the service Rebekah most wanted to fill

The list goes on, but these are the major items we tackled with this redo.

For this audit, I use:

My own skills and experience with SEO, UX, Web Design, and UI (I’ve taken classes on each of these important aspects!)
Your website’s analytics dashboard
Google Analytics or Search Console (if you have this set up)
Ahrefs (if you want to invest in this)

Step 2: Questionnaire

With VIPs like this I either have you fill out a questionnaire form (if you’re a busy bee!) or we’ll do a one hour interview (if you’re an extrovert like me!) so that I can get to know your voice.

I’ll ask you questions about you and your services and write the copy using the keywords you use when you’re excitedly elaborating on your favorite parts of your business during our interview. I record our conversation and take notes or just use your filled out questionnaire while I’m writing the copy for your website.

Step 3: Design

Before adding the copy, I went through the website (this one was made on Weebly) and create the structure of the new website I envisioned for you. Then, I’ll reach out to you with a list of photos I need from you so that I can complete the design of your website.

If you don’t already have a branding kit, I’ll create a basic one for you based on the colors in your photos, your favorite colors, a font that suits your personality or your favorite font, etc. I can even create a simple logo for you, if you need one.

Step 4: Copy

Once the website is designed, I’ll run through and fill in the copy. During our audit, I made a big list of all of the copy we’d need so that I don’t miss anything.

With copy my goals are to make it action-oriented and engaging. I want to speak directly to your one ideal client (we talk extensively about this idyllic person in our interview/questionnaire) that way they’re compelled to do what you want them to.

For Rebekah, we wanted to compel them to apply for her services or join her waitlist. We also made it easier for current clients to fill out forms and leave a review.

Step 5: Review

Once I’ve finished all of the copy and design for your website, I’ll hand it over to you! You’ll submit your revisions and I’ll implement them quickly so that we can launch your beautiful new website (that actually sounds like you)!

Results

Rebekah’s new website is much more user-friendly now. It’s search engine optimized – ranking on the first page of multiple search terms relating to her services. Plus, it looks and sounds like Rebekah. Click through the gallery below to see the final product and some search engine ranking screenshots!