If the majority of your business comes to you through word of mouth and introductions, then you need to be making it as easy as possible for people to refer you. Having a well-optimized website can significantly boost your referrals by making it easy for clients and contacts to share your information.

The great news is that the potential client already trusts you because they found out about you from someone they know. So you benefit from that trust halo. But they likely want to know two things before taking the next step:

• Does this person solve the problem that I have?
• Do they seem like a good “fit”?

Enter the 2 Page Website for Referrals

Recently, I was working with a client whose main lead gen strategy is referrals. She had a list of people who were ready to make introductions, but they kept saying the same thing, “send me a link to your website”. But she didn’t feel like her current website represented the new direction she had chosen for her business. And she was feeling overwhelmed about diving into a complete redo of her multipage site. But once we drilled down on what her website really needed to accomplish, it became clear that a lot of those pages were unnecessary. She really only needed two – which is a much more manageable project!

Here are the key goals for a website that you can ask your current contacts to share with their networks that will encourage them to take the next step. Your site should:

• Tell people about the service or services you offer
• Give them a sense of who you are and what it’s like to work with you
• Give some indication of your authority in your space
• Give them a way to contact you

So let’s drill down into what that might look like in reality.

Tell People About the Service(s) You Offer

You can do this right on the home page. And you don’t need to go into massive amounts of detail because remember, you don’t have to educate them on the problem. They’re already looking for someone who does what you do, and because of the referral, your name jumped to the top of the list.

Much like people who are trying to convert cold traffic, the top of your page should contain a headline that conveys the transformation or the Big Promise you deliver. You can find out more about how to write a Big Promise here. And you can watch a video about how to develop this part of your page here. Just think “home page” every time I say “landing page” in the video. Because in your case, they’re the same thing.

This page can also include a focused description of the services you offer. This is why you don’t need a work with me page. Because you’re focused on getting the referral to contact you, you want to give them as much information in as few clicks as possible.

One mistake that’s easy to make it to use this prime location to list everything you do. Instead, focus on the 1-3 services that you are most often referred to do. Whatever that thing is that you’re the go-to person for – list that one first. And the thing that you want to do more of? List that one as well.

Even if you CAN do 50 things and even if you HAVE done 50 different things for clients in the past, I would not list them all on the site. I know you’re worried about missing out if they don’t see the exact thing they’re looking for on the list. But when you list 50 things you look like less of an authority. And remember that this person has a specific problem. They don’t need a generalist. They need a specialist. And since they already trust you via the referral person, they are highly like to ask you if you can do something that’s not on the list if you can get into a conversation with them. Which is the whole point of optimizing your website for referrals.

A Sense of Who You Are

The only other page you need to move referrals to the next step in your funnel is the about page. And this page should project your personal brand. It should have photos of you. But contrary to popular belief, your about page isn’t really about you. It’s still about them – the potential client that was referred to you. If they want to see your resume they can go to LinkedIn or ask you for it. This page, your about page, should be about your approach, what makes you different and why you’re someone who can get them the results they want.

Indication of your authority

Back on the home page, I would link to whatever vehicle you’re using to establish your authority in the space. Your blog, your podcast or your YouTube channel. And I would definitely put some “featured” posts or episodes right at the top to act as your billboard. This should be your best stuff that talks about your perspective on the problem you solve, your unique approach or both.

A way to contact you

I would sprinkle your preferred CTA throughout the site – either “Book a Call” which should go to a scheduling link or “Get in Touch” which should go to your email or a contact form. Make this super low friction and only ask for the minimum information you need to be able to take the next step.

Optimizing your website for referrals doesn’t have to be an overwhelming task. And I believe the brevity will work in your favor. Because instead of getting mired down in your website, the referral will be given exactly the information they need in order to take the next step, which is to get in touch with you.

Next Steps

Now here’s the challenge of going minimalist with your website. You need to be very focused on what problem you solve, who you solve it for, and why it’s important to them to get the problem solved. And you need to present yourself as an expert, which means you need to differentiate via your approach and your branded content. 

If you’d like to brainstorm the best way you can do this, you can book a no-strings, no-pressure call with me and we’ll create a prioritized plan for exactly what you need to do to make this a reality for you.

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