4. Don’t give timeless content an unnecessary sell-by date.
I love the “reviews” page. Like good photographs, you can never have too many good reviews.
It doesn’t matter what business you are in, having a system for gathering testimonials is essential. Don’t leave it up to chance. Pick the right time and put your customer in the frame of mind to want to help you. I don’t mean bribery, but it’s common sense to make a good first impression when your customers arrive. It’s also common sense to make a good impression before you ask them for a testimonial.
Give them a chance to get anything they would like to improve off their chest, separately, as well as giving them a chance to say what they loved about your service. Ask them specifically what they would recommend about you to others. Not only will it help them write a better review, they are also more likely to actually recommend you to others.
I also like that you’ve included quite a few head shots with the reviews. The more you can humanise reviews, the better. We live in a cynical world, so always be willing to prove the validity of your testimonials in as many ways as you can.
Apart from the aesthetics, the only thing I’d change is dating the testimonials. There’s no need to include what year a testimonial came in. 30 testimonials are great! 30 testimonials over the last 5 years, is slightly less impressive. If the last testimonial is dated 2013, I start wondering what went wrong since then. All unnecessary worries created by including a date.
Action: If a piece of content is “timeless” in nature, whether it’s a blog post or a testimonial, never give it an unnecessary sell-by date.
5. Have an origin story that’s personal and human but not over indulgent.
I love your “meet the owner” page. A simple origin story, telling us how you ended up in Italy with these properties to rent. Your story is personal, but doesn’t over indulge. You keep the focus on the compelling descriptions of the local area, and your passion for it.
I’d get a few more pictures of you, enjoying the area. And I liked that smiling headshot of you from the very first landing page. On this site it’s been replaced by a meaningless property and key logo. Humans respond to faces, with 1000x more interest and attention than we do to clip art.
Action: Never underestimate the power of a single smiling face. Have them everywhere. And a good origin story balances being personal and open with the customer’s real interests – themselves and their needs.
6. Wherever your customers will feel the most resistance, make things as friendly and reassuring as possible.
I like the “contact” page. Although the contact button doesn’t seem to be clickable from some pages, which is a major issue.
Going through the site, I’ve been thinking about how to explain what makes the difference between good and bad copy. And that’s not easy. It’s like explaining the difference between good and bad design. It’s all in the details.
I deal with all enquiries personally and swiftly. Please call or email me.
Thank you very much for your interest!
Sally
A seemingly simple paragraph like this is actually really powerful. It’s communicating professionalism. It’s taking personal responsibility. It’s being respectful of your time. And it’s being grateful for your interest.
Accompanied by that smiling headshot again, I feel comforted to know that if I call one of the 3 numbers, including Skype, I’d get to chat to the friendly Sally, who clearly wants to help me.
I can see a real world address. This helps build my level of trust that this isn’t just a virtual dream. Sally is in fact a real person in a real place. A place I could go and visit. This might seem obvious, but we’re used to being quite detached from the things we take in through our screens. If you think about it, much of what we see through screens isn’t real life at all.
And I can’t emphasise enough how much friendliness and helpfulness are valued selling points, especially in these days of zombie call centres and minimum interest employees.
Action: You can’t fake being friendly and helpful. It comes from genuinely caring about your customer having a quality experience. It’s not about you filling time slots, it’s about them having wonderful holidays.
7. Design isn’t everything.
If I showed this website to a lot of designers, they’d scrap it and start from scratch. And they’d likely lose everything that’s great about it.
Great websites aren’t about technology, they aren’t about the latest plugins, they aren’t about fancy scrolling or unlimited font options. People focus on technology because it’s easier to buy stuff, than it is to care.
But great websites are about one human being having a conversation with another human being. In this context, someone who cares about you and your holiday.
Sally does that really well throughout this site. She’s human, personable, professional and warm. Home from home is the clear message of her brand. You will be comfortable in my properties. You can relax.
So, sure, hire a designer who can match colours and who understands fonts and space. Or if you’re on a super tight budget, you can probably pick one of a hundred beautiful WordPress themes that will help you make more of your images. But don’t lose all that great copy and the human touches. Turn the dial up on being that friendly human face.
If you want design inspiration, just Google “website inspiration” and seek out websites that have the warmth and personal feel you are looking for. Choose sites that are in similar but not identical fields. So, maybe look at restaurant websites. Find color schemes, fonts and themes you like, and model them for your own purposes. Or use them to help a skilled designer get a clear picture of what you want to achieve.
Action: Always remember that it’s the human conversation – the demonstration of empathy and care – that is at the heart of any website. “I understand your problems, even the ones you don’t talk about, and I can solve them for you.” Master that first. And make sure not to lose that, when you eventually make it pretty.
Summary
A brand is far more than how you look. The aesthetics of a company are just one clue we use to create an overall impression. It’s about how you make your customers feel about you, and themselves and their future, that really matters. That starts by being genuinely caring. So communicate from the soul. And where you don’t have the skill set, hire someone who does, but don’t let them drown out your voice.