36: Website Design, Copywriting and Energetics to 10x your sales with Harj

What's the most important thing to consider when designing your new website?

What do you do when life calls for you to pivot your career and try something different?

How do you create an automated sales system so that you can sit back, relax and breathe into the things you love doing?

These are the questions Harj and I will be diving into in this month's episode. These are the small business growth tips that make a world of difference and help you turn your service-based business into a powerhouse - especially when it comes to being seen (and found) online and selling your services with soul.

Want to join the waitlist for our group coaching program, Beyond the Hustle? Simply click here to be the first to hear when doors open again.

Just feel like hanging out?

Come say hi to me on Instagram @merakimessaging or take a peek at my website for more information on our website copywriting, sales funnels, business energetics coaching programs (and so much more): https://merakimessaging.com/

Click here to book your free clarity call anytime!

Transcript

0:00

Welcome to Quantum Copy Cafe, the messaging and marketing podcast with a bit of energetic flair. If you are ready to ramp up your messaging and start telling a story that feels raw, organic and embodied, then you are in the right place. Hey, I'm Lyra, also known as Kerry. Five years ago, I walked out of a traumatic separation to start my own business. I desired the freedom and independence to manage my time. And since then I've risen from strength to strength, from wife to mother, to profitable business owner. I've seen firsthand what it takes to scale your business to seven figures, even as a solopreneur. It is my passion and purpose to help you create a brand that feels natural and in line with your life and your dreams. I'm I'm here to help you make more money with your story, without compromising on sole. Because your business has its own energetic blueprint, and its own way of showing up in the world. It is encoded to be different, and I'm here to show you how. So website design, energetics, messaging. I don't even know where to start with this conversation. There's so much we can dive into, but. Yeah. Maybe let's start with website design, website development and messaging. Tell me, I mean, you've been a designer for how long, like when did you pivot your business? So I started my business about, uh, almost two years ago in September, it'll be two years. And then I started learning website design in 2020. So two years before that. And it's like completely changed your life. Right. I mean, you went from hairdressing into something completely different, completely creative. It's allowed you to like, I mean, there was a session when you were just traveling through Europe and having the best time ever just working in little cafes and shops and yeah. Do you find that it's changed your life? Yeah, it really has changed my life and I feel like it's basically opened up my eyes to this whole other world that I didn't even know existed, you know, having like an online business and being able to work from anywhere and it really has changed my life in that way, but then also in the way of like. Being able to manage my own mental health and my physical health and all of these things that that you can't necessarily do when you have in person meetings that you have to attend, you know, five days a week and you can't take time off when needed. So it's, it's changed my life in a lot of different ways. Yeah. Yeah, definitely. And I mean, you can see it in your designs, like your templates that you have created are just. So beautiful. Even the names that you've given them, they very floral, they're very feminine. And I mean, I could ask you all of the strategic questions, but as a website designer and developer, like what do you think is the most important part of a site? Like what do you look to create first? You know, um, I think all of it starts from the copy. It really does. So, um, and you mentioned I have a website template. So I do template customization as well as custom websites and majority end up being custom websites, but it depends on the client's needs. But it's always around their copy. So building the website around, um, you know, their. What their business needs. So we want to take into consideration, what are their goals with their website? Do they want to make, uh, you know, are they wanting to sell their coaching program? Are they wanting to sell a product? Are they wanting to grow their email list? So starting from what. Is the goal of your website and then creating copy around that and then building the design into that. Does that make sense? Yeah. I mean, I heard a quote years ago that says, um, if copy and designer in a dance, then copies kind of leading the dance, but designs the pretty one. And I really love that because it's true. Like I've seen some websites where it has the most exceptional copy. Like it's so gripping. It's so. It just takes you on a story, but the design is so poor that eventually halfway, you're just like, Oh no, it's fine. I'm just going to get out of the space. And then I've seen the opposite, you know, you have the most beautiful design. It's like a custom work of art, but the copy is just so flat and so lifeless that you don't even want to carry on reading. Like you look at all the pretty pictures, but that's kind of it. So the way that they come together is just, yeah, it's absolute magic. It's so true. And even like, um, when, when I think about template customization, because the big difference is that, you know, I always say with template customization, the design's already made. So it's like your copy and your content have to fit into that. But it's funny because once I start designing for my clients, I'm like, well, it's evolved quite a bit because you can't just. Put it into a template and be like, okay, well, this is where that fits. It really does have to flow with the flow of the copy with, um, you know, what we're promoting within your business and where that needs to be strategically on the website. So it does end up, um. It ended up being quite customized even with template customization because of that, because you do have to take so much into consideration. If you want a strategic website, if you just want a pretty website, then yeah, you can fill in the blanks, but it might not be converting for you then. Yeah, yeah. And I mean, like, the whole website design development creation process. It's, it's like, it's changed, it's changed so much from when it was like, you know, two, five, 10 years ago, you know, especially with the introduction of AI. And I mean, a lot of people are now leaning on AI to write their copy, which is, you know, there's a strategic way to use AI and then there's like a sloppy copy. Right. But between that, like AI being introduced into like Google and like all these search engines, like it's just becoming more and more. Prevalent to use your website as a marketing tool. That makes sense. You know, it's not just something that's like has on the internet now that just looks pretty, like it needs to be strategic. Right. And I love this, that you are taking a business that you have nurtured for two years and you're now. Infusing SEO into it. So I don't know if you want to speak about SEO a little bit more and like just some really great, um, tips and tricks and like what people should focus on for this year, because it's that landscape is changing and it's changing really quickly. Yeah. And yeah, I'm so happy to talk about this because I feel like, um, you might've noticed, but since 2024, I feel like we have started to. See a shift with people talking a lot more about SEO and a lot more about blogging, which I'm so happy about because then we're not just trying to convince people. They're hearing other people talking about it as well. Um, but it's, you know, it's funny because when I started. Website design, like almost in 2022, I was just thinking about the pretty side of things, you know, I was coming from hairstyling. I was like in the beauty industry before. And I was like, I just like things to look pretty and, and that, you know, and I love the design creative side of it. And the more I've spent. Working with business owners. The more I'm like, all I want to do is help you grow your business. And yes, your website can do that for you, but not if it's just a pretty website, it has to be optimized for SEO. And so SEO is search engine optimization for anybody that's not familiar. So you're basically optimizing your website in ways to have Google rank your website so that it shows up in search engine results, just to put it very simply, um, And an SEO can take quite some time. You know, it's not something that we can promise we'll have, you know, we'll do SEO and it's going to, you're just going to be ranking. It can take time. And that's, I think another thing that can scare people, but time's going to pass anyways. So if you are committed to having a sustainable long term business, then to me, having a website that's optimized for SEO is a non negotiable. Like you do need to have a place for your business that's your home that's online, especially if you don't have an in person business. Um, so yeah, there's a lot of, you know, different things that you can do to optimize your website, but definitely starting off with, um, uh, optimized website, which is implementing SEO from the very beginning and then using Blogging. I'm a huge advocate for using blogging as one of your marketing strategies, because then you're going to continue to optimize your, your business and drive more traffic. It's just the more pages you have on your website, the more opportunity there is for pages to rank on Google. Yeah. Yeah. And it's such a complex, um, topic from like meta descriptions to slags, page titles, like keywords. And I think, This is where I love AI. Like there's a lot of spaces where I don't, but this is one area where I love it is, is making it easier for you to find keywords that make sense and then to slot them into your content, which can, you know, that you can be like a little bit more creative, a little bit more soulful. Um, so. I think the landscape is changing quite a lot. And I mean, like we've said, you can have the most beautiful sites on the internet, but if no one can find it, it's a little bit of a problem. Exactly. Yes. Yeah. And I mean, these are the, the, these tools and the foundations that set the tone for you and your business. But I, I don't know, I really love speaking about the other world, like the energetic world that lies on the other side of us, because, you know, You can, I mean, it's, it's a balance of both, right? If you're leading too much into the energetic space, it's like lighting a smudge stick or a candle and seeing an affirmation and hoping your business will just boom. But if you're leaning too much into the masculine side of things or the strategy side of things, it's like focusing too much on like the SEO, the keywords, the website, all of that. And. At the end of the day, like we're not writing for robots, we're writing for people. So like there needs to be that balance between like the SEO, the structure strategy, but then the human heart and the other side of things. And I know we've spoken. I had a lot in the past about business energetics and yeah. How do you see that? How do you see the world of energetics? I'm often so involved in it that I, I just, I'm so keen to hear your perspective and see that world through your eyes. Yeah. You know, when you and I connected, we connected, you know, a couple of years ago, but when we started chatting more and you would talk about business energetics and I was like, what is this? You know, it sounds really interesting, but I don't know what it is, but I always knew that. You know, I, I am intuitive and I do, I've always known, I want to run my business from a place that feels aligned with me, but I never really knew how to do that or how to like put it into words. And I feel like that's what business energetics means to me. It's. You know, aligning your business and your life to fit with the person that you truly are and how you want to live your life. And, um, even when you were describing, you know, like, you know, being in the masculine and the doing, doing, doing versus, you know, doing some affirmations and keeping your fingers crossed. I honestly feel like I've been both extremes at one point or another. You know, I'm like, you know, if I really just like meditate on it, or if I really just work hard, but the truth is, if you want something to be sustainable, it has both of those things have to come together, you do have to focus on the business energetic side, and you do have to of course, do the work as well. But to me, business energetics from what I've learned, and I think I have so much more to learn from you. But You know, it's living in alignment and it's running your business from a place of alignment that feels good to your soul, because if it doesn't feel good, then you're going to burn yourself out. You know, and, and I, and I've said this a couple of times now, but like, if you truly do want a sustainable business, you have to figure out how to do that in a way that feels aligned. You will have times when you will get burnt out. That's just the way it goes. But for the majority, you want to feel good and you want it to feel right in your body. And that kind of all encompasses business energetics for me. I could be totally wrong, but that's the way I see it. No, I love it. And I mean, like a business is something, it's like an ecosystem, right? It's always changing. It's always so how do you create a website and leave space for that organic evolution to take place? Because like your story is going to change, right? Your look and feel is going to change. You are going to change as a person, the way that reflects in your business is going to change and. I don't just say this lightheartedly, like for my last business, um, which is also copywriting studio, get crystal clear. Like we had literally like literally just finished the website. It was beautiful. And that was when I was like, you know what, this business just doesn't feel like the shoe fits anymore. I'm going to, you know, it, I was downloading so much information and I was like, it's not going to fit into this glove compartment that I have created for it. I needed to create something new. So we scrapped everything and then got working on the branding for Meraki messaging. So I've seen how things can shift so quickly and so beautifully and so organically. And as a website designer or developer, like how do you, how do you allow space for that, for that shifting to take place where, you know, you can just swap out images, swap out design elements, swap out colors, funds, all the things, and you still have a cohesive site that works with the goal, even if the goal changes. Yeah, I think this is so important because I've kind of, you know, that I've been going through the shifts within my own business as well with, you know, where I want to take it. So there's like so many things I can say about this, but from a client's perspective, um, I was actually talking to a client about this, who we just finished their, um, custom website. And I think getting clear on your website. getting clear on your website copy. And because as soon as you have your website, everything's kind of up there, right? It's on the internet. Your, your packages are there, your pricings that you have to get very clear on it. And so for businesses that are, you know, even if they've been in business for a year or two, you know, you could have been doing that kind of as freelance, but now you're wanting to get serious about it. And in that case, your website really does need Does provide you a lot of clarity because you have to have that in your copy. You have to have that in your branding and, you know, the packages or the, you know, everything that you're placing about what's involved in your services. So I have had clients say when they go through the process of, um, You know, gathering all of the website content that it ends up being just a way for them to get so clear on their business and what they truly want to do. So I do think of that. I never really thought of that as a, as something that I provide as a service. But when we were, when I was talking to my client about it, I was like, that's so true. And I've had like multiple clients say that, but even then, you know, like it, Things will change for them. Like you said, even after the website might be launched for, you know, six months down the road, a year down the road. So I do, um, I always leave my clients with a launch and lesson plan where we record, um, the meeting and I teach them how to make these changes themselves. So if they have, you know, a new brand shoot that they want to change the images. So they're able to do that or how to change their copy, um, how to change their brand colors, things like that. But realistically, you. Will probably be wanting to get a good revamp on your website every two to three years. Yeah. Yeah. You can update it yourself in between that. But, um, because also you don't want to be updating as so often you still want, you know, Google to be able to, to pick up on like, okay, this is what they do. This is what they offer and this is their brand voice. And then, um, so, but every two to three years, you should probably be investing in a website designer to be updating or revamping your website. Yes. Yes, definitely. Yeah. I mean, even with the copy side of things, like, um, I actually had a chat with a client the other day and she was like, but what if I, and this comes up a lot, it's like, but what if things change? What if I change? What if my story changes? What if like, it's all a waste? What have I wasted my money? You know, it's, it's all Um, we all have these thoughts when we're making like big investments. And I just said like, it's probably going to change, you know, you are going to change and expect that the person you're going to be now in like two years, five years is going to be exactly the same, you know, but that's why I mean, I've. I've pivoted things so severely that I don't do website copy now, unless we've done a full messaging strategy. We've laid out the brand voice. We've dived into the business energetics thing so we can see how everything layers itself in and into ease because then. Even if your story changes, like your pillars and your foundations and your voice is still the same. So then it's not so much a shock to your audience, but we have to allow space for that flow. And I mean, that's part of the creation process, right? The same with the copy, the websites. All the things, I mean, even your target audience that might change. And if that changes, like your SEO keywords are going to change. So it's, I think it's just allowing ourselves permission to play in the business space and to experiment and to have fun and to not feel like it's so serious that if we make a change or, you know, we pivot a little bit that like. Just the whole house of cards is going to come tumbling down. Yeah, I totally agree. And I think the, the more time that you have in your business, the more clarity you start to get and, and you will like, you know, you, it's going to change, it's inevitable. So you can't keep putting things off because you're waiting for it to change, because then you're just going to put it off forever. Because if it's inevitable that it's going to change, then, you know. What are we really waiting for? But, um, but you can always tweak things and make them, you know, update them as things change and things like that. But at the same time, um, You know, really, I think that's where like the brand energetics come in, because it's like, you do want to think about who you are and what you truly believe, because that will, that will stay the same, you know, and like your want to help people, um, will stay the same or what your, your, your desire is from your business is just the way that you're going to do it might change or the people that you choose to do it for might change. So like your, um, you know, um, your, Why am I totally blanking? You said it like your ideal client. Your ideal client. might just change. It happens, but Yeah. But things like that and you know, there's, but it can't be a way to hold yourself back because unless if you start to do it, you won't really know what, you won't know anything about it. You know, like you, once you start doing things, you start learning and then you'll know like, okay, this is what I want to change. Otherwise, like you're kind of starting from zero. Yeah. And I mean, like the one question I often get asked and like, maybe a couple of years ago, I would have, well, I know I would have had a very different answer. Like I often have people saying like, but do I even need a website? And maybe if it wasn't 2024, I would have said, No, you can probably sell whatever you want to sell on Instagram. I mean, I did it. I grew a profitable business like three, four years ago, and I didn't have a website yet. But because of where we are now, it's so noisy. There's an influx of businesses. Like the algorithm is completely shifting. Like if you're not paying premium prices, like your content is getting lower and lower, lower down the queue. So as a website developer, who. Comes into this, like, or comes into contact with us on a daily basis. Like, do you get asked that question a lot too, or do people just come in and they're like, I'm ready to take my money. Let's just do this. Yeah. You know what the people that, um, because I've definitely come across that, but those people don't even want to invest in the website. They're like, Oh, You know, but at the same time, you know, you have to do what's right for you. But what I've learned over these two years in business, I've, I've, yeah, I, and you know, even in December, I was in a completely different place in March. I was in a different place after working with you in your container. And now I'm in a different place. So see, it always changes. But, um, but. I think it's about where do you want your business to be? How seriously are you wanting to take your business? Yes, of course you can, you know, start getting clients on social media, you know, with hairstyling as something in my past, I know how, how much Instagram can bring to your business, but. At the same time, it's like, okay, well, where do you want to take that business? And also how safe do you want to be? Because you can lose your Instagram account. I've been kicked, you know, I had somebody, you know, like, and then I was like, okay, lost that account, but you know, it's, where do you want your business to be? Not where are you at right now with the clients that you are getting from social media? Because if you want. a long term business, then you need a website, like hands down. And the sooner you get it, the better, because then you can start optimizing for SEO, start building that trust with Google, start building your website authority. And then when a year or two down the road, you're ready to scale, you have a foundation that you've already built, you know, and that's why I'm like, time's going to go by anyway. So why not set yourself up for being able to grow your business in a more sustainable way. And, you know, I know that blogging isn't for everybody and I totally understand that I do believe whatever marketing strategy you choose has to be something that you enjoy doing because otherwise, you know, and that's how I feel about social media. I know I have to show up on social media. I don't have to, but I do know I get clients from there. So I do here and there. My goal is to not have to have social media at all. Someday we'll, you know, we'll see where I am in a year, but right now, like, I don't enjoy it, but you know, there could be somebody that's like, I hate writing. I don't want to blog. I enjoy social media. That's fine because then you'll be more consistent at the thing that you do enjoy. But regardless of that, you should always have a website if you're serious about your business and if you want to grow your business. Yes. Yes. Well, okay. So we've got a couple minutes left because I know you have to zoot off and I've got a little goal to go and spend some time with, but before that, you mentioned that you had a transformation before the container, after the container. I love hearing transformation stories, so I don't know if you want to share a little bit more about that. I would, yeah, I would love to hear more and I'm sure our listeners would too. Yeah, you know, working with you through that container was, it was really, really amazing. I, it was a short period of time, but I learned so much and I, I don't even think I've like taken everything out of it yet. Like I've said this to you before, but we have recordings and I'm going to be like watching those recordings over and over, I'm sure. But, um, just to, so people can get a little bit more of like. What I really learned practically was, you know, we went through your brand voice, so I'm not a copywriter. So, you know, you shared with us that we can actually measure our brand voice. We can, you know, the tone of your voice, all of these different things like that, that I never thought about. And, um, so getting clear on our brand voice and our messaging, we touched on brand energetics as well. So you gave us like a brand energetics blueprint, which was so exciting because I've just learned so much. The more I've gone into business, the more I'm like, okay, it has to be aligned. And, um, and the biggest takeaway for me has been building out my sales funnel, because I've, I would always, you know, hear people talking about sales funnels and I haven't done done it. I've always known I wanted to set up my sales funnels. And I always knew I wanted to be attracting my ideal clients versus waiting for people. You know, just waiting for people to find me. Like I want to be, to be more active. And I just didn't really know how to do that because I wasn't a business owner before there's so many things you don't know how to do. And so with this container, I learned how to set up my sales funnels, what to write in my sales funnels, when to send emails. Like it's just, it was very, very practical and I can look at and be like, Hey, these are the things step by step I need to set up to have a sales funnel in place. And that. To me was exactly what I was looking for from the container and I got it and I'm so happy. Thank you. Oh, well, I'm so glad because also being, I mean, being a website developer, we know that your website should be working for you even when you're not working. That's the whole point of it. Right. And it needs to just be able to, when you're sleeping, when you're resting, when you're holidaying or with the kids or whatever the case is, like just be able to pick up those functions and still be converting leads. So the sales funnel is still so important. I think the anatomy of it is continuously shifting. Especially now the buying cycle is longer. People are wanting to build trust a lot more. So all in all, sales is becoming something that is, it needs to be soulful, right? People are calling like bullshit on sleazy marketing. Like they, you know, calling it out, they're putting it out there. Whereas before I think we used to around things quite a bit. Yeah. Yeah. So there's only that space for like that soulful messaging, soulful marketing and things that really just feel true for you. That's so true. And you know, and it's, it's, it's the marketing and this, you know, learning so much about sales from you in that time. But also, um, just being more confident as a business owner. I think that was a transformation as well, because I feel like before I was treating it more like a freelance and whereas now I'm like, Hey, this is what I need to do to, to set it up as a business. And I think that was, um, Yeah. That was huge. Oh, well, that's, I mean, that's the, that's the whole goal here, right? Is to step into our CEO power, into our founder power and just really embody the story, the path, the fulfilling journey that we have for ourselves and to really own it and to not be, you know, chasing everyone else's secret sauce or trying to like fit the bill. And just, you know, be something we're not in a business space. So thank you so much for sharing your stories. Thank you so much for having me. This was so much fun. And yeah, thank you so much. And if anyone wants to get in touch with Hodge for website design, for template design, she is absolutely phenomenal. I will link everything in the show notes below. Thank you for joining today in the studio. Thank you. Whispers in my head What you gonna do?