Whether your startup is in the earliest stages of growth or looking to expand soon, you always need more funding. But aside from pitching directly to investors, you can sometimes attract financiers and get that startup capital you need simply by having a high-quality, compelling website.

Let’s break down five steps you can take to optimize your website and attract investors and funding.

Improve – or Redesign – Your Website

First and foremost, take a long, hard look at your website and ask yourself:

• Is it as good as it could possibly be?

• Does the website represent the best of your brand’s aesthetic and identity?

• Is the website easy to navigate through?

• Does it inspire confidence in your company?

If the answer is “no” to any of the above questions, you have your work cut out for you!

Your priority should be improving or redesigning your website from top to bottom, depending on how much work it needs. Ideally, a good company website should be:

• Extremely streamlined and intuitive. It should be easy to navigate, and potential investors should have no trouble finding key content, such as your company’s about us and mission pages. 

• Very compelling and marketable to your target audience. Investors also want to ensure that your website can get the job done when it comes to converting your ideal consumers, not just attracting them. Thus, your site needs to be persuasive, practically useful, and converting for your audience.

• Fast-loading. No one wants to spend time waiting for a web page to load. Cut out extraneous graphics or high processing power elements until your website loads in under a second.

• Responsive.Make sure your website presents well on all types of devices, such as desktop computers, tablets, and smartphones. This step is crucial since mobile traffic accounts for about half of websites’ traffic today.

You should also consider how your website can be redesigned or improved in terms of its logo, aesthetic, or color scheme. For example, if your site was created long ago and the graphics seem outdated, hire a good web design company to redo it (check out these web design agencies in Austin).

By optimizing your website in terms of aesthetics and functionality, you’ll do wonders to make it more attractive to investors and your target audience alike. Not only will this help you get the investment funding you need, but it will also help you improve your revenue streams across the board.

Showcase Industry/Customer Trust

Your next step should be demonstrating that you have some industry and customer trust. There are a few ways you can do this:

• You could create a dedicated testimonials page highlighting positive reviews from current or former customers and clients. The more positive testimonials you have, the better your brand looks to potential investors.

• You should also include a section with any industry awards or recognition your brand may have earned. These can be displayed at the bottom of the landing page or elsewhere throughout the site.

Showcase how much your current market trusts your brand and how much market power you have in terms of awards, reviews, recognitions, and more. Think of it as proving your worth to investors who may not know your brand personally.

Demonstrate Your USP or Value Proposition

Your startup’s website should demonstrate your brand’s unique selling proposition (USP) or value proposition.

Put simply, the USP or the value proposition is what separates your brand from competing companies in the same industry. Do you offer:

• Budget-friendly alternatives to what competing companies provide to customers?

• Products with special elements or features that no one else can match?

• A brand identity that is synonymous with luxury, elegance, or some other desirable personal characteristic?

Any of the above answers can work. In fact, you should already know what your brand’s value proposition is. It’s one of the first questions you must answer when starting a company from scratch!

Once you have your answer, demonstrate that on your website by:

• Highlighting the best facts about your products or services

• Showcasing how your startup is different from competitors and why they should invest in it

• Breaking down the major value of your products or services

The clearer you can do this, the better. It can often be accomplished by having a dedicated “features” or “how it works” page on your site.

Prove Your Team Has the Right Stuff

You should also invest some time in marketing your team, including yourself! By proving that your brand is in competent hands, you also prove that investors will make a wise move by funding your company.

The best way to do this is to make a dedicated “about us” page. Highlight all the different members of your team, preferably by placing pictures next to short, flattering biographies. Be sure to include the education or other relevant credentials and accomplishments each team member has under their belt.

Doing this will prove to potential investors that your team can get the job done and that financiers shouldn’t worry about the company’s future leadership.

For more tips, check out this detailed guide on how to write a good about page.

Create a Dedicated Investor Page

Last but not least, you might wish to create a dedicated investor page. Because websites have different types of visitors – including jobseekers, customers, and investors – you have to have dedicated space for each type.

A potential investor, for instance, won’t want to see a lengthy product page since they aren’t there to make a purchase. Instead, you should ensure they have investor relations or partner pages to browse through.

Hosting an investment campaign on Mainvest or other RegCF site can help you raise capital for your business, but only if the page is set up right. Specifically, this dedicated page should include things like:

• Important and relevant information on press releases and other communications to the public or your industry.

• Opportunities for investors, including which types of funds you accept. If you accept cryptocurrency payments, make sure you already have the necessary infrastructure in place, like secure crypto wallets to store and secure any crypto payments you receive.

• Dedicated contact channels, like separate phone numbers, for investors.

More importantly, an investor page should include the direct benefits of supporting your business. Break down, either with a bullet point list or a short paragraph, what an investor gains from providing you with the funding you need to thrive in the market.

The clearer you can make this information, the better. Ideally, an investor should walk away from that page knowing the advantages they could potentially see by giving you money.

Wrap Up

Following the above five steps will do wonders to maximize your website’s marketing potential and attract investors to your brand. A good website is the most valuable digital asset in your marketing repertoire. Make sure it’s pulling its weight, and you’ll have no trouble getting the funds you need to grow and expand your company.