Kaye’s Dance Studio Website Design Analysis – Flushing, NY

How many small businesses can say they’ve been open for over 84 years?

Kaye’s Dance Studio can! Established in 1931, this business has stood the test of time and has made its way to the digital realm. Kaye’s Dance Studio is the subject for my small business website design tips this Friday!

My standard website analysis rules apply: there are 5 essentials of business website design that you have to know if you want to turn online prospects into customers. I’ll pointe (that’s a dance term for the tip of the toe) them out as I go through the site, so get your dancing shoes on!

Go through the site with me: http://kayesdancestudio.com/

Design:

The design of your website should reflect what your product or service offers and be intuitive for a first time visitor to navigate. Kaye’s Dance Studio has a truly well designed website—there is no mistaking what this site offers with a quick glance at the homepage. Both the logo (which is in the upper-left corner where a visitor would expect to see it) and the images make it obvious that this is a place for dance. The navigation bar at the top of the page is laid out well and makes it easy for a visitor to find what they are looking for.

Marketing:

The main purpose of your website is to be a marketing tool that will help you turn your prospects into leads, which you will then be able to nurture into dance students. The multiple marketing techniques that Kaye’s Dance Studio uses on their website are:

1)    Web Form on every page – These are critical for turning prospects into leads and by using the information you gather from a web form, you can start reaching out to these leads and working to turn them into students. Kaye’s web form is short and direct, so it is easy for prospects to fill out. I especially like the arrow pointing to it and the way they changed the submit button text to reflect what a prospect will gain from them.

2)    A good offer – Kaye’s Dance Studio has an offer that has a high perceived value — a FREE dance class! I’d love it if they added how much a free class is worth right on there, e.g. “A value of $49!” A free class is a great idea since it brings prospects right in the door!

3)    Testimonials of happy customers– Testimonials generate trust since prospects are much more likely to believe the word of another customer over a company promoting itself. Kaye’s has an entire page dedicated to testimonials from satisfied customers and the fact that they have been open for over 84 years is proof of their success.

4)    About Us page to build confidence– Many times prospects want to learn more about the business they are considering working with. Kaye’s Dance Studio has a thorough description of their long history and of their staff’s passion for dance. I would love to see a photo of the staff members here, but otherwise it’s well done.

SEO (Search Engine Optimization):

SEO is the practice of optimizing your website so that search engines can understand what your website is about and rank it for relevant keywords people might be using to search for sites like yours. The better your SEO, the higher your website ranks for certain keywords. Kaye’s Dance Studio targets keywords like “dance classes” and “ballet lessons.”

Copywriting:

The copy on your website should be concise and easy to understand. Kaye’s Dance Studio clearly breaks down what prospects can expect from their classes and the benefits of each one. In their “About Us” section, they list even more benefits, this time as bulletpoints. That makes it easier for prospects to scan the page and still come away with the most important information.

Programming:

Programming consists of all the coding that a visitor doesn’t see, but rather experiences by browsing the website (pages loading properly, links navigating to the correct place and pictures displayed properly). Kaye’s Dance Studio has quality programming, as everything loads properly and quickly. Good job!

Does your site have all 5 of the small business web design essentials? Find out by downloading our Ultimate Small Business Web Design Checklist.