Let’s face it, there are a lot of websites out there, which means that your site only gets a fleeting moment to make an impact on visitors.

Bringing visitors to your site is relatively easy, but the best way to keep them coming back is to have a unique voice.

Today you will learn how to identify your unique voice in three simple steps.

What do you want to say?

Why put so much effort into building a website just to end up with something that looks, sounds, and feels like every other site out there?

You need to think about what you want to say. What is unique about your site? What sets it apart from all the others?

Simply put, why would anyone come back to your site after they read that one thing that brought them to your site in the first place?

What is the overarching message that runs through everything you care about? Keep it simple or write a 12 page manifesto– it’s up to you. In either case, it should define the site’s purpose and direct every action you take on the site (design, subject matter, content, etc.).

Example

Building a website should be simple and straightforward.

Take a Stand

Now, there may be others who say the same (or similar) things as you are saying. That’s fine as long as you take a stand.

Your website is yours, and so are your opinions. Make them both unique by clearly and definitively stating your stance on a topic. There’s no room for wembling on your own website.

Taking a stand makes you stand out.

What are your opinions on the topics you are using your website to discuss? The clearer these opinions are, the better.

When you’re afraid that others will disagree with you, you’re heading in the right direction.

Example

Most WordPress plugins are needlessly complex and require too much setup just to start using them.

Insight is Important

This is where it all comes together. Your purpose and opinions join forces to create a unique voice.

When you say something that no one else is saying, you shed new light on topics for others. Strive to look at things differently and people will return to your site because you can provide them with a perspective that they would not have considered on their own.

Example

Creativity trumps technical skill when building a website.

Your voice is inside

Everyone has something unique and insightful to say, but it’s not always easy to know what that is. These three steps are practical strategies to uncover your voice so that you can share it with others.

However, the truth is that expressing yourself honestly cannot be taught by anyone else. Your voice is yours– you will still need to look within to find your true voice.

Next week you will learn why first impressions are so important and how you can make a strong first impression with visitors before you site even finishes loading.

Follow the Redesign: New Episodes Every Friday

Archetyped is being redesigned, starting from square one. Instead of designing and building the site in stealth mode and releasing it to much fanfare, I’m sharing the entire process with you as a series of tutorials that you can use to design your own site!

Along with workflows, tricks, and techniques, I’ll also be sharing custom tools and templates that I’ve developed over the years to help me build awesome sites better and faster.

I’d also love to hear your questions as well as your own experiences with designing a website, so post a comment and share your thoughts!

• Next up: Why you need to make a strong first impression (and how to do it).
• Start from the beginning: Redesigning Archetyped