Establishing connection through your website

Up to a year ago, getting a website live was what made your business feel real. Clients would come to me with their fresh idea, and we’d work together to launch a brand-new website that was aligned with their goals and designed to sell their product or service. They’d share the link with pride and wait for traffic from Google to start trickling in. It seemed straightforward because, in hindsight, it was.

But today we’re living in a completely different landscape. AI is rapidly changing how people discover and evaluate brands, with half of consumers now using AI-powered search, marking a shift that’s predicted to reduce traditional website traffic by 20 to 50% (McKinsey & Company).

Instead of clicking through to multiple websites, people are increasingly asking AI to summarise and recommend. Buyers are already moving from asking AI to simply search for different brands to asking it to also “tell them which one is best”.

And yet most service businesses still treat their website as a static sales place. Showcasing their work, listing prices, and hoping someone lands on their enquiry form page. However, attempting to keep up with the evolving use of websites means adjusting your approach and providing people with a reason to visit your site and a reason to connect with you.

Connection has become one of the most talked about themes in business for good reason: organisations with higher levels of connection are 3.2 times more likely to have satisfied customers. In an increasingly automated world, human connection has a measurable business impact.

The same principle applies on an individual level. In 2024, 70% of consumers reported feeling more connected to brands whose founders or CEOs are visibly active online, sharing their perspectives and showing the human side of the business. You can read more on my take on founder-led content in my previous article:

But this again brings us back to connection.

You can no longer stand out with knowledge. Customers can use AI to get that answer in seconds, and the information is free. It’s the connection that will make people believe and buy into you.

So how can you bring your philosophy to life on your website? These are my five core ways I believe websites should be used to foster connections and adapt to the modern digital landscape.

Private online spaces

I recently worked with a business coach whose challenge wasn’t necessarily attracting new clients but impressing and retaining his existing ones. Once they had access to all his knowledge and course videos, the value of giving away ‘free’ insights and hosting Q&As became less clear.

We discussed his strategy and ultimately decided he needed a better way to stay engaged after clients become customers. This is where his private space comes in: a dedicated part of his website where clients or members (past or present) can return repeatedly to feel connected to the brand.

In this case, the private space resembled a members-only area, accessible only by login, where we hosted content and resources created specifically for those with whom he already had a relationship. It also offered the benefits of a regularly updated book recommendation section and a ‘notes’ forum where he could post reflections from the past month and recent readings or articles he had explored.

When they update modules or lessons, they can post this in their private area, send out a notification, and encourage people to return. We reviewed milestone videos when clients worked through a certain percentage of the content. And generally aimed to develop connections well beyond a user merely checking out and gaining instant access.

This approach is backed by research that notes how clients who actively engage with their client portal are “more likely to refer their advisor to others”, which is the exact goal my client had.

The business impact of a well-designed private space is threefold:

• Retention: The biggest reason people don’t renew or remain connected is a lack of engagement or perceived value. One 2025 benchmark report found that, among membership organisations, 75% of respondents reported increased or maintained retention rates when they focused on engagement.

• Trust and loyalty: For client portals specifically, studies show that clients who use them more often report higher satisfaction, increased loyalty, and more referrals.

• Perceived value and belonging:A survey of nearly 400 association members found that 71% agreed that a personalised experience is vital in their engagement. When you create a private space that feels personalised and curated for them, they begin to feel part of something rather than just a buyer.

If you’re a service-based founder, coach, consultant, course creator, or have a high-investment offer, then a private space is a strategic move. Clients will expect online transformation or support, and a portal will help you deliver that. It provides them with many reasons to keep returning and to value the relationship consistently. However, if you choose to pursue this approach, you must stay engaged with it to ensure it remains a genuine source of value; otherwise, you risk having the opposite effect on your customers.

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Interactive tools

Bear with me on this one because I have been on the fence about quizzes and calculators for as long as I’ve been in the website world. But I often encounter service-based founders whose websites list all the services they offer, leaving it to the viewer to decide which is best for them.

When I say ‘interactive tool’, I don’t mean a fun quiz. I mean something embedded in your website that invites someone to participate, discover something about themselves or their needs, with that discovery then connected to you. A quiz could ask, “Which service tier fits your current business phase?” with a path to a personalised result. A selector or decision tree could map out your most significant challenge, showing the different routes you offer to address it. A calculator might let a user input their information to see an estimate or projection (I work with a mortgage client who offers a mortgage quote calculator, and it’s their most successful lead magnet by far). There’s so much compelling research that supports how well this type of content can perform:

• Interactive content has been found to deliver 53% more engagement than static content.

• Interactive formats can generate conversions in approx. 70% of cases, vs. 36% for passive content (found here).

• Collecting what marketing calls zero-party data (data people willingly share via quizzes or tools) is emerging as a leading way to personalise journeys with significantly more effective results.

I’m definitely not encouraging you to go overboard with onsite quizzes, but this can undoubtedly perform well. Especially if you are:

• Offering multiple service tiers or pathways and you need people to self-identify which fits them.

• Working in mindset or identity led services where people will want to understand if this is right for them.

• Operating in strategic, high-touch services like coaching or courses, where you want people to feel like they deeply fit.

• Using your website not just for acquisition, but to educate and qualify potential clients before a call.

Move your best content off your socials

Alongside the rise of AI-generated search summaries, which are driving less traffic to your website from Google, social media platforms are actively trying to keep users inside their own apps rather than letting them leave to follow your links. Social media referral traffic to publishers has declined by more than 50% since 2020 as platforms prioritise in-platform content, further reminding us that social media is a rented land. The algorithm decides who sees you, how long you stay visible, and what your content is compared against.

Your website, on the other hand, is owned land. It’s the one space where your ideas can build equity, compounding over time rather than disappearing in between the selection of holiday snaps and photo album dumps.

In a world saturated with micro-content and surface-level advice, long-form content can feel like a relief. In fact, long-form thought leadership content on LinkedIn drives three times more engagement and trust that shorter social content, especially for service-led and high-consideration industries.

Despite what our elapsed time on TikTok suggests, people want space to think, and your website can give them that. By moving your best ideas off social isn’t necessarily about SEO but can instead create a deeper relationship with your audience. To get your unique take on things, they know they’ll need to come to you directly.

There’s three main ways you can bring this to life:

1. Public blog

I may be contradicting my own advice by publishing this on Substack, but I still firmly believe that your own website’s blog can host some of your most fabulous ideas. This space can become an extension of your authority, as well as an easy way to relate and link to your website from marketing efforts, such as your newsletter or through Instagram story links, to grow website traffic continually. A recent consultant I worked with set up a monthly Thought Leadership series they promote on their LinkedIn and newsletter, but host on their website. Driving traffic and getting people into their journey through their unique insights into industry news. It works excellently for them and drives a steady stream of enquiries each month.

2. Members only area

For some businesses the best move isn’t to make everything public. Instead, you can look to gatekeep some of your best information to signed-on customers, as briefly covered in the earlier section. People are far more likely to opt in when they understand exactly what they gain, so providing your content is adding genuine value, this is an excellent opportunity to monetise your perspective.

3. The paid newsletter or subscription model

If you’re producing deep, ongoing thought leadership, or if you want to separate your premium insights from your general audience, then a paid newsletter is becoming a gradually more popular option, particularly with platforms like Substack and Patreon making this more accessible than ever. The key here is to frame it as a continuation of your public content, so it can be the next layer down who want access to more depth or practical guidance. This is referred to as the trust compounding effect. When readers move from consuming free content to investing in paid material, their loyalty and advocacy increase exponentially.

Adding a community feel

When someone joins your business, whether you’re signing a contract or booking a session, does that moment feel transactional, or does it feel like they’ve just joined something meaningful?

The strongest brands are the ones that make the transition to becoming a customer feel like they’re now part of something.

Community has become a bit of a buzzword in business. Still, when 8 in 10 consumers say that being part of an online brand community makes them more likely to purchase new services, and 74% say it increases their trust in the brand, it’s easy to see why.

The stats go beyond that, too. 73% of customers are more likely to recommend a brand that makes them feel a part of something to others. And 51% of consumers, and over 60% of Gen Z in particular, say feeling part of a brand’s community is important to them.

Humans are wired to seek belonging. From a neuroscience perspective (going back to my A-level psychology days), the same brain regions that activate during physical pain also respond to social exclusion. That’s why a well-crafted brand experience that fosters belonging keeps customers coming back.

But community can’t be faked. One survey found that 68% of people say they feel negatively towards a brand that calls something a ‘community’ but fails to deliver a real connection. So, if this is your goal, you need to do it well.

There are many ways to do this, but having core principles will make the most significant difference. In particular: visibility, participation, and invitation. Here are some of the routes I typically recommend:

Client stories and outcomes

Simply having a wall of client stories helps turn anonymous testimonials into a living network of people. Video testimonials are so powerful and can really help people see themselves in the outcomes you’re selling.

Client spotlights

Case studies then help to go deeper than a simple quote or 5-star symbol. These need to go deeper into the transformation you provided your client with. Not only building recognition for the people and brands you’ve worked with, but also demonstrating reciprocity.

Try to show the growth story, the work in action, the before-and-after view, anything that can really bring the transformation to life.

Invitation-based events

We like being invited to things. I’ve seen some great examples recently of people ‘inviting’ new newsletter sign-ups to a Q&A or ‘private’ workshop they are hosting for free. Even if it’s a rehearsed script, reaching out to offer something that seems exclusive helps signal that you’re there to connect with your clients. It makes customers feel they belong here and aligns them with your mission. Instantly showing those potential customers what it could feel like to be fully bought into your brand.

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Making your process super supportive online

There’s no point in doing all this good work to get people to come to you directly if you’re not going to convert that viewer. One of the primary reasons people don’t convert is that they can’t see a clear path forward or understand what happens after they make a payment.

Your website needs to answer that question.

If your process feels calm, transparent, and supportive, you can give people the clarity they need to make confident decisions. And in an age where trust is eroding and attention spans are shrinking. Clarity is one of the most powerful differentiators you have.

Research indicates that unclear pricing, hidden fees, and ambiguous booking processes are among the primary reasons for drop-offs. By default, people don’t like surprises, and you can build trust by being overly transparent and ensuring you’re explicitly laying out all the key information.

2024 analysis also found that removing hidden booking fees and reducing unnecessary form fields can increase conversions by up to 35%. Ultimately, when people know what will happen next, they relax. And when they feel relaxed, they’re more likely to commit.

The same holds once a client has signed up. A well-designed customer onboarding process can significantly reduce churn and increase retention by removing uncertainty and instilling accountability from day one.

So what does a supportive process look like? There are four parts of your website that can transform your customers’ confidence.

1. The visual timelines

Literally display the timelines and processes involved with your service. Cover each step with a short paragraph explaining what happens and what the client can expect from you. The goal is to make people feel guided, and when visitors can see a precise sequence, the idea of signing up to become a client seems less daunting and more secure.

2. Step-by-step walkthrough

Some people need to see the process in motion, which is where a visual or a video walkthrough can make all the difference. There are some great examples out there of short, embedded videos that explain ‘what happens when you book’ or showcase snippets of an onboarding portal they’ll be invited to. Brands that use video walkthroughs report higher engagement and lower hesitation on high-ticket services.

3. Transparent pricing

It’s an age-old debate over whether to display prices on your website, but I have, and will always be, on the team for transparency. Hidden costs are one of the biggest destroyers of trust online. Particularly for product checkouts, extra or unexpected costs are the number one reason for cart abandonment, accounting for 47% of all cases.

If you can’t list exact prices, use ranges or starting costs to give potential clients a ballpark figure. And if relevant, lay out what’s included versus what’s optional.

4. A strong FAQ section

Having an FAQ section is one of the simplest ways you can increase customer confidence. But try to go beyond logistical questions of your turnaround time or the platforms you use and think about emotional questions too:

• What if I’m not ready yet?

• What if I need more time to make a decision?

• What if something changes mid-project?

Each answer should offer reassurance and help the reader to feel seen and understood.

You’ve made it this far!

We’re living through a profound shift in how consumers visit and use our websites. AI is levelling the information playing field. Algorithms are shrinking our reach. Attention is shorter, expectations are higher, and trust is more complex to earn.

It may sound bleak, but really, it just means this is a moment for change, and a time when you can truly set yourself apart.

And I truly believe your website is a core way in which we can do that.

Websites are becoming “brand ecosystems”: places where people get to experience and connect with you. So when you designing your online experience, stop chasing visibility and cultivate belonging instead, because connection is now the metric that matters most.

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