Powerful Women Rising - A Business Podcast for Female Entrepreneurs

From Salesy to Soulful: Building a Website that Connects and Converts w/Skylar Sustin

• Melissa Snow - Powerful Women Rising, LLC • Episode 90

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What if the key to a high-converting website isn’t selling—but connecting?

In this episode, I chat with Skylar Sustin, a web designer and branding wizard, about how to create a website that resonates with your ideal client and doesn’t just make sales but makes an impact. Skylar breaks down how using brand psychology, personal stories, and authentic design can transform your website into a space that builds trust and inspires your audience to buy—without sleazy sales tactics.

We explore:

  • Why connection-focused websites are more effective in the long run
  • How to align your design with your brand values
  • Practical ways to make your website feel like a true reflection of you 

Skylar also shares her favorite strategies for creating emotional engagement that leades to conversions and why storytelling is the true "secret sauce" for standing out online.

Whether you’re refreshing your business website or starting from scratch, this episode is packed with insights to help you build an online presence that resonates, converts, and feels good to share with the world!

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Connect with Me, Your Host Melissa Snow!

Melissa Snow is a Business Relationship Strategist dedicated to empowering women in entrepreneurship. She founded the Powerful Women Rising Community, which provides female business owners with essential support and resources for business growth. Melissa's other mission is to revolutionize networking, promoting authenticity and genuine connections over sleazy sales tactics. She lives in Colorado Springs with her two dogs, three cats, and any number of foster kittens. She loves iced coffee, true crime, Taylor Swift, and buying books she’ll never read.

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Speaker 1:

Welcome to Powerful Women Rising, a podcast for female entrepreneurs ready to do business their way. Grab your coffee and join host Melissa Snow, business relationship strategist and founder of the Powerful Women Rising community, as she interviews industry experts and shares insights on strategy, marketing, mindset and more. Here you'll find the tools, strategies and inspiration you need to feel empowered, take bold action in your business and keep rising.

Speaker 2:

Hey everybody, welcome back to another episode of the Powerful Women Rising Podcast. I'm your host, melissa Snow, and if you've never been here before, welcome to my little corner of the world. This is a very happy place to be. It reminds me a bit of Threads. Are you guys on Threads? I'm on a little bit of a Threads obsession right now.

Speaker 2:

I just feel like, more than any other place in social media land, threads is like very happy, like everyone is really supportive and nice and okay, not everyone, but like the majority of people, and it's very lovely and that's how I want it to be over here. That's how it is at our virtual speed networking events. That's how it is in the Power for Women Rising community. There is too much negativity in the world. There are too many places where you don't want to hang out because people are not nice and you don't want to feel judged and you don't want to feel like you have to be somebody, that you're not to be accepted, and you just want to be you and be loved and appreciated. And that's what we're doing over here. Damn it and appreciated. And that's what we're doing over here, damn it. Anyway, if you missed last week's virtual speed networking event you missed out because there were so many amazing women on that call, and I know I say this every single time, but I think every single time I'm like this is the best one we've ever had. This is like the most amazing group of women we've ever had, and it's true every single time. I don't know how that's possible, but don't worry, we have another one coming up in February. We always do these on the second Thursday of every month at 11 am Mountain Time, so you can mark your calendar from now until the end of eternity to be with us the second Thursday of every month. I will also put the link in the show notes, so it'll be super easy for you to go and sign up.

Speaker 2:

All right, let's dive into today's episode. Today I am interviewing Skylar Sustin. She is a web designer and we are talking about the importance of building a website that connects and doesn't just sell, and I was really intrigued by this idea because, of course, we all want our websites to sell, right, like. That's why we're in business. We need to make money, we need to create clients. That's what we want to do.

Speaker 2:

And also, if you're listening to this podcast, especially if this is not your first time. I know that you like me this is not your first time. I know that you, like me, are not just seeing the dollar signs. You also want to connect with actual humans. The work that you do matters to you in your heart and soul, and not just in your bank account, and you have that kind of magic that when you connect with people, that is what sells. So I really love everything that she's talking about in this episode because I think it's really going to resonate with the audience that listens to this podcast, because I know that you guys are like me and you want to connect with people and you want to sell in a way that feels good and not manipulative and sleazy.

Speaker 2:

So let me introduce you to Skylar Sustin. As I mentioned, she's a web designer and she helps service-based entrepreneurs who want to up-level in their business build connection-focused websites that resonate with their ideal clients. She blends psychology-driven design with strategic storytelling to create engaging online experiences that foster trust and drive conversions without feeling salesy. With a passion for empowering entrepreneurs, skylar transforms outdated websites into powerful tools for growth. I know you are going to get some great tips from this interview, because I did, and you're also probably going to get a few laughs too. So, without further ado, here is my interview with Skylar.

Speaker 3:

Hello Skylar, welcome to the podcast Hi, thank you for having me here. I'm excited to dive into this today.

Speaker 2:

Yes, I'm so excited to chat with you and, for those who are listening, who are not watching the video on YouTube, you have some beautiful art behind you. Did you make that?

Speaker 3:

Yes, no, I wish oh. I was going to be really impressed Everyone always asks me that, and at this point, I think I need to just do that so I can say yes, because that would be so much fun. Now, all the work, all the art behind me is mostly from my favorite artist, georgia O'Keeffe.

Speaker 2:

It's beautiful.

Speaker 3:

Yeah they were. They're cut out from a calendar that I had a while back.

Speaker 2:

Look at you repurposing so smart. Yes, sustainability, we love it.

Speaker 3:

So, before we dive into today's topic tell everybody a little bit about you and about what you do. Yeah, so I am a branding and web designer and I help female entrepreneurs create a brand and website that actually reflects the value and the place that their website is currently in, rather than it looking like it's stuck in 1999. I focus on using brand psychology and storytelling to really create an experience that allows a business to really connect with their ideal client, as opposed to something that just looks like you know what you do and who you are and like you're just trying to sell me and not actually help me. So that's kind of the big approach that I have to that web design and branding space.

Speaker 2:

Love it. So today we're talking specifically about websites and about how to create a website that connects with people rather than just one that sells, and I love this topic. When you submitted it, I was so excited to talk to you because I am always talking about, like, building your business through connections, right, creating connections with people, building relationships with people, and a lot of times when I talk about networking, people assume that just means like at a networking event or in a networking group. But even your website can be part of your networking strategy, right? It can still be a way that you are connecting with other humans. So I'm excited for you to share your best tips with us about how we can connect with people on our website. So talk a little bit first about what it means to build a website that is focused on connection rather than just selling.

Speaker 3:

Yeah, it's. Websites are really, in my opinion, that aspect of our business that allows us to go a little bit deeper with a potential client, a connection, a referral, whoever that is that we're wanting to connect with a little bit deeper than we would on networking calls, or maybe even a deeper than social media, because it's a different version of connecting with us in our business. And when we create our websites, normally they're that rite of passage as business owners, when we first get started, we think that we have to have a website in order to feel or look like a legit business, right. But a lot of times when we build that, we just diy it really quickly, slap something up there or hire someone for really cheap, and it's just something that falls flat on actually having intention behind it when you're wanting to connect with whoever you're wanting to work with, whoever you're wanting to work with, whoever you're wanting to call into your world, and so a website that really focuses on connection is pretty much surrounding that idea of using brand psychology and storytelling. So how can you understand your ideal client so deeply that you build a website that allows them to feel so understood and seen that it wants them, that it encourages them to engage deeper into your website, into your world, and the way that storytelling comes and plays a part in that is that when we are connecting, the way that we connect more deeply is by sharing stories, is by allowing our experiences to be seen so that other people can resonate with us, and that ultimately builds trust. And so when we have this idea of brand psychology and storytelling and we use that to connect with that person we're wanting to connect with and we tell a story for them, it allows that ideal client to feel understood, to feel seen, which allows them to then feel like they can trust us, because we're not just talking about us and the benefits and the facts and all that, but we're actually getting a little bit deeper and letting them know that there's more to our work than just them.

Speaker 3:

As a money sign is another version of like that connection piece that's so important on a website, and like if you are struggling with selling or all that kind of stuff, and you're just focused on the money, money, money, like.

Speaker 3:

I see how I've struggled with this. I've I've had that perspective before and the thing that makes the biggest difference is allowing that story to be told, allowing people to see, almost like painting the picture. Another way that I like to think about that connection element on a website is your job is to basically have people's pain points and desires on your website and tell the story of how what you do bridges the gap between the two. So it's not like you're struggling with this, I can help you with that, you're struggling with. No, it's like what is the story there? Paint the picture, and so that's another version of that connection. It's how do you tell a story that allows them to feel so understood that they trust you enough to realize that what you have is a value to them and that you actually care for them and not just you know the money that they might be giving you.

Speaker 2:

I love all of that, and you just answered the next question that I was going to ask you because. I was listening to you talk and I was like that's all fabulous, I love all of it. And also, none of us are in business. I mean, we're all in business for a lot of different reasons, but one of them is to make money. Right, of course? Like, yes, let's connect, let's tell stories, let's show everyone that we are an actual human, and also like buy my thing.

Speaker 1:

Right.

Speaker 2:

So I love what you said at the end about like tying the two together, allowing them to trust you, allowing them to feel like you understand really and truly understand where they're at and what they're struggling with and what they want, and that you do know the answer, and that you value their experience and them as a human, and their feelings and thoughts and experiences enough that you are going to make sure that they get what they came for.

Speaker 3:

Yeah, and I mean, in my experience, all of that isn't disregarding the part that we need to make sales as a business owner, right, that in order to have a business, we have to make money.

Speaker 3:

I think it's just a different approach that allows us to be more open-minded to what the entirety of business really is for, and almost to.

Speaker 3:

I mean this, and everybody looks at business very differently, like you said, right, and I know you, as you mentioned, like you're very focused on that connection aspect and like how we can create more of that in our business to kind of help us grow and other people grow.

Speaker 3:

And for me, what has always been the most effective is seeing people as people and then seeing the profit, as you know, something that comes as a result of that, which is another reason why the connection to me is so important and the intention I put into websites, because it's you know it's there to help you make money, but there's always a strategy behind it, right? It's not just let me throw all of this, that, all of this verbiage and copy and words that I think you as an ideal client will resonate with, but like how can we strategically build this relationship and experience for someone so that they're in this bubble of this bubble of my world, on their website, to lead them towards what I want to lead them towards, which is, you know, the thing that leads to the money aspect of it.

Speaker 2:

Yes, I love that so much. You're speaking my language. I. The smartest thing I ever did was put on my podcast guest application. Is there anyone else you know who should be on this podcast? Because I keep getting recommendations for people like you that are like, so aligned and so like on the connection. We don't want to be sleazy. We don't want to manipulate people Like I love it. I love it so much, yeah, okay, so we talked a little bit about how having a website that connects with people helps in terms of, like, bringing new people in. If they don't know anything about you and they stumble upon your website or someone sends it to them or whatever. How does having a website that is focused on connection help with your client relationships and, like, the long-term growth of your business?

Speaker 3:

I love that question. I see a website as that first step in a client journey. So, ultimately, when it comes to creating connection, what I, what I view it as is, it's the first experience someone has of what it's going to be like working with you, right? If you have a website that is, you know, it's just copy after copy after copy. There's no picture of you. It's just like very muted, neutral colors. There's no picture of you. It's just like very muted, neutral colors. There's no personality there.

Speaker 3:

Someone is going to go on your website and view that, interpret that as what it's like working with you and the type of business that you run, and so the connection and these elements of brand psychology and storytelling allow you to elicit the emotions you want someone to feel when working with you, which allows their journey as a potential client or then possibly a client in the future, to feel like everything that you're putting out into the world is consistent with how you actually run your business and how you actually work. Because if your social media, your website, the way you talk about your business on networking calls is all very discombobulated and it's not cohesive, that is part of the client journey and the experience that someone has and feeling like you're not someone they can trust. And so that connection piece is really important and the different ways that we're talking about this, because it gives people a insight into the energy that you know, the type of person you are and how aligned they are with the approach that you have. Like I've had people like go on my website and say to me like I could tell how like warm and friendly and like you know you are just because of like the way that your website is. Or I had a friend that told me they were looking at someone's website. They were, they were wanting to work with.

Speaker 3:

The other day Someone had an ad on Instagram. They're like Ooh, that sounds interesting, let me go to their website. But then they couldn't click on any of the links. It was just block after block, like black on white, very plain, and they're like this doesn't seem like something that you know they can give me the results I want, because their website is just falling flat in the areas that you know they should not be one we want to be putting out into the world it can impact, you know, the possibility of getting clients opportunities for speaking. You know whatever your goals for your business are, especially when you're starting to have, like that insecurity around sharing your website, because then you're like almost creating this insecurity around a part of your, your, your business that you're wanting to hide, and then that is creating a disconnect between you know how people are perceiving the way that even you feel confident in your business, and all of that goes into the long-term success.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, absolutely. I love what you said about consistency, too, and being able to see like you're showing up in one place as this person and you're showing up in another place as another person. That is not only confusing to people, but it's also makes it difficult for them to trust you and trust what you're selling, and the website for me.

Speaker 2:

I think when I first started my current business a couple of years ago, I created a website on Canva. I just needed like a one page sales page. I created it myself. It was fun. I mean, it was pretty good for me not being a web designer and it took me a really long time, but it was pretty good and it worked great for a while.

Speaker 2:

But then I got to this place where I was like, okay, I've got the podcast over here, I've got these events that I do over here, I've got this sales page for this thing, and everything's just kind of like all over the place right. Like nothing is consistent, none of these different things funnel to the same place, like everything is just very random. And so having your website be that reflection of like yes, there are these different things that I do and these different channels and avenues and ways that you can work with me, but it all ties together in this space, I think, is really, really important for people.

Speaker 3:

Yeah, and then that also, like I think, goes into that like business growth that you were asking about too, cause if our, if we're like up, you know, evolving in our business and you know we're adding new levels of it or new layers of it, but our website is still like at that first place it was when we first started started. That's another thing that I've noticed happens a lot for people that ends up holding them back and continuing to grow because you know they're not letting all the areas of their business grow with it and they're just kind of like going with one area and hoping everything else follows, like just magically. Um, even though, like, a website is something that needs maintenance and it's, you know it's like a child you have to needs maintenance and it's, you know it's like a child you have to care for in it. You know you have to mold it, you have to create it and you have to allow it to grow with where you're going.

Speaker 3:

And if you know you're wanting to get to a certain place in your business but your website's not reflecting that, then there's a lot of you know, inconsistency and struggle that comes with that, because you know whether you think you need a website or not, people are always going to end up finding it somehow if it's out in the world, and so you never know if that one person who finds it is the one person that you know could help you meet your goal for the month or the year. And then you end up not getting the client because there's an impression loss or a disconnect.

Speaker 2:

So what tips do you have for people who maybe have a website or they're thinking about creating a website and they want to make sure that it is connection focused rather than sales focused?

Speaker 3:

Yeah, I think one of the biggest things that helps with this is not skipping the part about branding before going into having a website, because your branding, you know the idea behind, and branding is not just pretty colors, right, it's not just you know nice fonts, there's actually a strategy behind it that allows you, like, the process of the branding lets you really deeply think about your ideal client, your strategy, your story, your values, all of the things that help you have a very clear headspace when it goes to picking design choices for a website.

Speaker 3:

One of the biggest things that I think a lot of business owners struggle with when it comes to a website is needing to redo it a lot, or not sure if it's, you know, actually consistent or communicating.

Speaker 3:

You know the value of your business effectively because there's not a foundation to kind of go off of, which I think a lot of the branding strategy helps with. And so and again, like the brand, psychology plays a big part in, like the certain colors and you know the way that you pick certain things, and so I think the intention with that really helps when you're wanting to create more connection on your website, because you know the like backstory behind your business and who you're trying to connect with and the goals behind that, and it helps give a lot clearer of an understanding of okay, I need to choose a design that communicates warmth and openness and cohesiveness or collectiveness. So I'm probably going to pick a circle, like over a square, because you know that's going to communicate something very differently. So knowing what you want to communicate before going into the website, I think, is probably the most important piece to actually create something that helps connect.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, that's very smart. Have you seen this trend where people are asking ChatGPT to roast their website?

Speaker 3:

I've seen it with Instagram. I haven't seen it with the website. Okay, well, I just did it actually shortly before this call.

Speaker 2:

And it's funny because one of the things he's very rude, for starters, and I don't believe anything he says, but one of the first things it said was for a company called Powerful Women Rising. Your website sure doesn't present you as much of a badass and I was like, well, that's very rude but relevant to this conversation, right, because it's so funny. You want to think about, like how do you want to be perceived? What is the feeling that people want to get from you? And actually I took that as a compliment because I am so like anti-boss babe, like I my shirt's on backwards half the time, so I'm not that person that's like going to have the pictures on my website of me in my like two and a half inch heels and, you know, like being all fancy, like that's just not going to happen.

Speaker 2:

And I love that the business is called Powerful Women Rising because part of the point is showing like you don't have to be that person to grow a business and be successful and be a powerful woman. But it just made me think of like what is the feeling that you want people to get right? Like we go to these websites that are all like black and hot pink and me in my heels and standing outside my jet, and like they obviously want you to get a specific feeling and so, knowing what that is and what you're trying to convey not just the feeling, but also like what do you want people to think of you as a person you know, like when you walk into somebody's house and you look around, it's like there's generally things that you can ascertain about them just from looking around their house.

Speaker 3:

I always compare websites to houses. I always, I always say that I say like your website is your virtual home and like your homepage is like people entering the front door, the way that it's laid out, the chaoticness or the organization of it, the design it's going to give off a certain feeling of either I'm comfortable, I could stay here for a little, or wow, this is a mess, I got to get out of here as soon as possible. What excuse can I make up?

Speaker 2:

Right yeah, chat GPT also told me that my website had more blocks than a child's playroom. Oh, my website.

Speaker 3:

That is so funny. I have to do that after this and see what happens, because I'm so intrigued now, I know.

Speaker 2:

Well, please go look at my website too, and then send me a message and be like you, don't have too many blocks.

Speaker 3:

Yeah, I mean one thing that like it sounded like you were saying too that I mean ChatGPT. It's like it's very matter of fact, right, and the approach that this we're talking about with websites is not a matter of fact. Like, it's very like it's. It's cutting into a place that I don't think ChatGPT can. It's cutting into a place that I don't think chat GPT can conceptualize, because your definition of powerful and probably the persona of that you're trying to elicit, isn't the same as the definition chat GPT has too. So it's also like okay, let me take this Then. That's where that strategy and the branding and the intention come from, because then you can be like okay, well, what was my actual intention behind powerful? Like was powerful, like I'm a bad-ass, like look at me, like all that kind of stuff, or is it? We can be powerful, no matter what our stage, you know? Like all that kind of stuff, and I think that's it's honestly a really interesting reflection piece for us to refocus in our business too.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, absolutely so if people want to connect with you. I feel like we could keep going on about websites for a really long time, because there's just there's so much to it.

Speaker 2:

Right? There's so much strategy behind what pictures you're choosing. Where are you putting them? I can't tell you how many websites I go to for someone who is their brand right, like a coach or a consultant or something like that, and their picture's not even anywhere on the homepage. Like, what fonts are you using? How are you talking about it? What are you saying? First, what's your headline? Like, there's so much to it. So, if people want to know from the expert how to best create their website or how to have their website created, what's the best way for them to contact you and stay in touch with you?

Speaker 3:

Yeah, so I would say email and Instagram are where I spend the most time. So my email is just my name, skylar Sustin, at gmailcom, and then Instagram is also just at Skylar Sustin, which I'm assuming the spelling will probably be somewhere in the podcast notes, and if you're interested in just learning more about my approach or anything like that, my website is also just my name, skylarsustincom.

Speaker 2:

Can we go to your website and then roast you?

Speaker 3:

Feel free yeah.

Speaker 2:

I'm just kidding. I'm much nicer than chat GPT.

Speaker 3:

I'll just tell you it's perfect.

Speaker 2:

I love it.

Speaker 3:

That's so funny I'll. I'm going to go to chat GPT after and and be very interested in what he says to me.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, absolutely, we might have to do a part two.

Speaker 3:

Yes, it'd be like, okay, this is what chat GPT said about my website, and this is what ChatGPT said about my website, and this is what I agree and don't agree with, or, wow, like I have a really good point there.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, I know we should. Actually, you're gonna have to come back in like a week. Let's do it, okay cool. Thank you so much for coming on the podcast. This has been a great interview and super helpful information for people. I love all the ways to connect with your potential clients and your current clients and I just love everything you're doing, so thank you.

Speaker 3:

Thank you so much and thank you for listening.

Speaker 1:

That's a wrap on this week's episode of Powerful Women Rising. Thanks for hanging out with us. If you love the podcast, make sure to subscribe, share it with a friend, write a review or buy us a coffee. Your support helps more women like you step into their power and grow their businesses in a way that feels real and true to them. Want to keep the party going? Check out the show notes for details on our next virtual speed networking event or join us in the powerful Women Rising community. Until next time, remember that building a business your way is the best way.

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Melissa Snow

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