Learnings from LegUp Health's new website
This week, I launched LegUp Health’s new marketing website. I’m really happy with it. Based on initial feedback and testing, it seems to do its job. Visitors are able to understand what LegUp Health does and who it does it for.
Here are a few learnings I had from the experience:
Validate your idea first.
Invest in positioning before web development.
Learn how to use Webflow.
Don’t be afraid to mimic websites you admire.
1. Validate your idea first.
For context, LegUp Health (the company) launched in February 2020. That’s seven months ago. Until last week, the marketing website consisted of a home page and a link to a Google slide deck. I spent the first five or six months validating LegUp Health’s idea with customer interviews. In customer interviews, you ask potential customers questions to determine if your idea would really work. I recommend using the Mom Test framework for this.
I talked to hundreds of potential customers and validated my idea before putting any effort into the marketing website. With each conversation, I got better at explaining LegUp Health to the world. This saved me countless hours of wasted energy on website pages that never would have worked.
2. Invest in positioning before web development.
I built out LegUp Health’s positioning and messaging before starting on the website. According to April Dunford, positioning is “the act of deliberately defining how you are the best at something that a defined market cares a lot about.” Think of positioning as “context setting” for a product, a company, or a personal brand. Good positioning provides the right clues to your potential customers so they have the right context to understand what you do and why it matters to them. I recommend using April’s positioning framework for this.
The positioning work I did made designing the website much easier. All I had to do was pick designs that matched the messaging I had already developed. If you’re working with a web developer or designer, this will make their job easier and save you money.
3. Learn how to use Webflow upfront.
I invested time upfront into learning how to use Webflow. It’s a software tool that allows you to build a modern website without writing any code. It automatically generates HTML, CSS, and JavaScript based on your visual designs. I highly recommend learning how to use Webflow.
By using Webflow, I estimate I saved $10,000 or more on web development. I was able to build the entire website myself with the help of a $75 template. Best of all, I’m able to make updates in real time by myself instead of having to pay a web developer to do it. This will allow me to continue to iterate the website as I get additional feedback.
4. Don’t be afraid to mimic websites you admire.
Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. Several third party companies I admire influenced LegUp Health’s website. LessAnnoyingCRM.com was the most influential of them all. Their website gave me a starting point for several page designs. I recommend mimicking your favorite companies.
By “copying and improving” upon Less Annoying CRM’s work, I was able to design LegUp Health’s website faster and more confidently.
Let me know if you have any questions. I’m happy to share more details on these learnings and others.