Someone just told a potential client you're incredible. They Google your business, open your website, and… now what?
Before I became a brand strategist, I owned a wedding planning business. Which meant I spent a lot of time recommending other businesses.
Photographers, florists, caterers, rental companies. I had names for everything.
And when I really loved working with someone, I wasn't just passing along their contact information. I was telling clients exactly why they needed to hire them.
Then they'd pull out their phones, search for the business, and open its website.
Sometimes, I could practically watch the excitement disappear.
That's what we're talking about in this episode of Name Brand: what happens between someone recommending your business and a potential client actually contacting you.
Your website is part of the referral experience
When someone visits your website after receiving a recommendation, they're arriving with context.
They may already trust the person who referred them. They've probably heard something specific about your work or what you're like to work with. They might even be ready to inquire.
Your website doesn't necessarily need to convince them from the beginning.
It needs to help them recognize the business they were told about.
Can they tell they've found the right person? Does your work support what they've heard? Does the experience of using your website match the reputation someone just described?
And, perhaps most importantly, can they figure out how to contact you?
The little things that can interrupt a good referral
We tend to think about websites in terms of attracting new customers. But for businesses that get a meaningful amount of work through word of mouth, the website also has another job: supporting the interest someone else has already created.
Sometimes the things that get in the way are surprisingly small.
Your business name might be difficult to find in search results. Your website might use generic language that doesn't reflect what clients actually love about working with you. Your best work might be buried several clicks deep.
Or someone might be completely ready to contact you, only to encounter an inquiry form that asks for more information than they have time to provide.
None of those things automatically means you'll lose a client.
But they're worth paying attention to, especially when someone arrives already interested.
What we're talking about in this episode
We're exploring the handoff between a personal recommendation and your website, including:
Being easy to find: Why the referral experience actually begins with the Google search, before someone reaches your homepage.
Showing the right proof: How recognizable projects, testimonials, press, and past clients can reinforce what someone has already heard about you.
Sounding like the business people recommend: Why the language your clients use to describe you may be more useful than another round of polished brand adjectives.
Making inquiries easier: How confusing navigation and unnecessarily long contact forms can create extra work for people who are ready to talk.
Testing the referral experience yourself: A quick way to see what someone encounters when they look up your business and try to get in touch.
I also share a simple website exercise you can do from your phone to spot places where potential clients might hesitate.
Listen to Episode 3 of Name Brand
If referrals and word of mouth are important to your business, this episode is worth a listen.
Because the people recommending you have already done something valuable: they've given someone a reason to believe you're the right person for the job.
Your website should help carry that recommendation forward.
And if your website no longer reflects the business people are recommending, that's something we can work on together.
