What are the 7 C's of a Website?

The 7 C’s of a Website are:

1. Context
   • Context primarily references User-Experience (UX). You want to build a website that speaks to your target audience. From the font, to the colors, to the formatting, to the verbiage CTAs (Call to Action). The more targeted and strategic you are, the less hurdles buyers have in their purchase journey, which will increase the likelihood of conversion. It’s also important to be consistent with your formatting and voice. When a digital marketing team is involved, it will maximize strategy inputs and from that, results.
2. Content
   • Content is a great follow-up to context. You can start with the basics, service offerings, products, about, contact/request quote, and a home page. All of it should consider the target audience and what questions they may have. Focus on eliminating hurdles to conversion. You can expand far beyond this by getting specific. Use a blog to address problems a prospective buyer may be having, with specific solutions. Make location landing pages to hone in on certain areas if local is important. With the recent AI boom, it’s really important to convey trust. Badges showing relevant memberships, accreditations, certifications, etc. go a long way. Add bios of team members to content that notes a brief bit about their expertise. Content is important to a successful website that drives leads and sales. Also-make sure things are regularly updated and you don’t end up with 5+ year old content on your site. Freshness is key now.
3. Community
   • Another item that has surged with AI is community discussions. Real people talking about products, services, problems and solutions, and more without marketing influence. The more people talk about you, the more legitimate your business looks in the eyes of LLMs and bots. We encourage our clients to get involved in Reddit, Quora, Social Media, Forums, Discussion boards, and other places folks are talking. Just be a helpful member of the community, and it can naturally turn into more visibility and business over time. Engagement can also improve key metrics that are factored into Google’s algorithm.
4. Customization
   • Customization or personalization to a target audience can be dramatically impactful. Ever been to Home Depot’s website, they get your location, then show you the stores/stock for the closest store to you? Or have you been shopping for something, and the website shows you “related” or “recommended” products that you didn’t even realize you needed? That’s the kind of customization that can make your user-experience top tier, and push people through the purchasing journey faster. Don’t blend in, stand out!
5. Communication
   • This is a little bit of a redundant one, but your website should be an accessible conversation with a prospective customer. Your content is speaking to them. You have articles or FAQs answering questions. But then if the user is thinking about reaching out, there should be clear options. Maybe that’s a live chat button, maybe it’s a CTA with a phone number, or linking to a contact/quote page. In a sense, the more the merrier, but you also want to limit the options in your funnel. Focus on what matters most, and just make it clear that is the next step for the buyer.
6. Connection
   • Again a little redundant, I think the originator of the 7 C’s could have trimmed it to 5 haha. But your website should resonate visitors, and ultimately make them want to be part of, or affiliated with your brand. They should want to support your business if you do things right.
7. Commerce
   • Ecommerce websites add to the complexity of a design. You have to consider how stock is tracked/updated, implement security measures and convey additional trust. There are product categories, and on specific products detailed information is necessary. That being said, if you put the extra effort in-ecommerce creates a new revenue stream, and can essentially run itself as a 24/7 salesman for your business. Even if you don’t sell products, you can sell gift cards, book your time in some format (ex: a training or speaking engagement, an evaluation of something).

To sum up the 7 c’s: Do your research on your target audience, and bake that into your website. Regularly create and update content, and make the buyers journey to conversion as easy as possible. The rest will fall into place.

Sources and Follow up Information:

https://www.thedigitalbunch.com/blog/adding-new-dimensions-to-7cs-of-website-design-a-2024-perspective

https://www.cbx.solutions/post/what-are-the-7-cs-of-website-design

https://www.bruceclay.com/blog/seo-success-stories/ (many related to design/content considerations)