There’s a startup tendency to be more broad than more focused when it comes to websites and messaging. Part of it stems from trying not to cast a wide net for potential customers and part of it comes from the search for a repeatable customer acquisition process. Startups are better off with a focused website that speaks to their ideal customer in a direct manner. There’s only so much time to capture someone’s attention and the most likely outcome for a visitor is the click of death: their “Back” button in the browser.
Here are some questions to ask regarding the focus of a website:
- How many “products” are listed and how many do you really have?
- What are the three most important buyer personas and how do you appeal to them?
- What one or two call-to-actions are found on every page?
- What are the three most important things you want visitors to do on your site?
- What social proof (testimonials, videos, references, etc) do you provide?
Staying focused with messaging is difficult. Startups don’t have the luxury of established brands and need to appeal to the busy visitor by staying on point and getting the message across.
What else? What do you look for in a focused website?
David Cummings on Startups 
“There’s a startup tendency to be more broad than more focused”
Really? Maybe it’s just all the bad startups that don’t focus, but the ones I notice are the one that are focused.
Further, our current business is accelerating. But it didn’t start growing until we were able to recognize an area where we could add value and then when we started focusing intensely the sales exploded.
Ironically though, our business still doesn’t have a website (doh!) Soon.