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Your website isn’t a “nice to have”, it’s one of your most powerful business tools. In this conversation with Jen Olmstead, we reveal how to turn your site into an investment that pays you back: attracting the right people, making you money, and finally feeling like you.
Jen Olmstead is a brand and web designer, a visual storyteller, and a certified type nerd who’s made it her mission to create online spaces people actually want to explore. She’s also the co-founder of TONIC SITE SHOP: home of the most stunning, cocktail-inspired website templates for modern, stylish creatives.
What I love about Jen’s work is how it combines aesthetics and strategy in a way that helps you build a website that actually works, meaning that it attracts the right people, tells your story clearly, and converts visitors into paying clients or customers. And it does all of that while you live your life, step away from your screen, and finally stop feeling like you have to be “on” all the time!
So whether you’ve been duct-taping your site together or you don’t have one at all yet, this episode is for you.
If you’re ready to give your website a major glow-up after this convo, shop TONIC templates here and use the code JENNASENTME to save.
You deserve a website that works while you rest, Goal Digger. TONIC can help!
Now, let’s dive into Jen’s advice for making your website work FOR you, not against you!
Why Your Website Might Be Quietly Sabotaging Your Hard Work
What if the reason your business feels stuck isn’t because you’re doing too little, but because your website isn’t doing enough?
You might be showing up consistently, creating great content, and directing people to your site, but if that site isn’t converting, it’s “like your star salesperson is under the desk eating snacks,” according to Jen.
Your website should be working harder than you. It doesn’t need breaks, it doesn’t get tired. And it shouldn’t be sabotaging the effort you’re putting into every reel, email, or blog post.
When your website is optimized and converting, everything else you’re doing starts to create momentum again.
You Don’t Need a $50k Custom Website
One of the biggest takeaways from this conversation is that you don’t need to build from scratch. Jen said it best: “You don’t have to build Rome from scratch. You just need a template that someone already put thought into.”
Think about how we use Canva or AI tools: we don’t start from a blank page! We use frameworks that save us time and make our work look polished. The same is true for websites.
A well-designed, strategic template allows you to plug in your story, your copy, your visuals, and go. It’s like moving into a beautifully furnished home; you just hang your art and fill the fridge.
And when I tell you I’ve built and edited hundreds of pages on my site using templates, it’s not an exaggeration. Our team has rebuilt landing pages, updated copy, and refined layouts without needing a designer. That kind of control is powerful, and it’s the reason I’m always sending people to Jen.
Shop TONIC templates here and use the code JENNASENTME for a discount on any template!
What Makes a Website Actually Convert
Let’s get into the heart of it: What actually makes a website convert?
Jen broke it down into three big things.
First, clarity. Your visitor should know exactly what you do in less than a second. You don’t need to be clever, be clear. As Jen put it, “Think like a caveman. If your site says ‘timeless moments captured forever’ and you’re a San Antonio wedding photographer, don’t hide the lead. Just say: San Antonio Wedding Photographer.”
Second, you need a clear path. Your site should be like a great restaurant hostess, guiding people to exactly the right table. Whether someone is looking for wedding photography or business coaching, you should create intentional paths that lead them directly to the page they need with no confusion or extra clicks.
And third, you need proof. These days, your audience isn’t buying on impulse. They’re thoughtful, skeptical, and often burned out from brands that overpromise. Your website has to back up what you’re saying with testimonials, reviews, and social proof woven into every part of the experience.
Your site might be pretty… but is it persuasive? Grab your free Website Conversion Audit (with 3 AI prompts!) and find out in five minutes flat.
What If You Offer More Than One Thing?
One of the biggest struggles I’ve faced—and one I know so many multi-passionate entrepreneurs relate to—is figuring out how to sell more than one thing without making your website feel chaotic.
Jen and I went way back to when she first came to my old house in Wisconsin, and we sat down and mapped out how to make my photography and education businesses live in harmony on one site.
The solution? Clear signage. Don’t hide the fact that you do multiple things, just create a clear path to each.
Your website should welcome people in, then guide them where they need to go. We’ve done this with simple top nav options like “Weddings” and “Courses” or even entry points on your homepage that direct traffic in the right direction without overwhelming them.
You don’t need eight websites. You need one well-structured home that honors all of who you are.
Your Website Should Evolve with You
I say this all the time: published is better than perfect. Jen and I both agree that the biggest mistake people make is waiting until they hate their site to do something about it!
Your website should be a living, evolving part of your brand… Not something you only look at once every few years.
If you’ve got just one hour today, make the most of it. Start where the money is—your services page, your portfolio, your contact form. Update your testimonials. Replace old imagery with something that reflects your current work.
Revisit your homepage headline and ask yourself: “Would a stranger know what I do in one glance?”
When your website reflects who you are today, it becomes one of the most powerful tools in your business.
Final Thoughts
We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again: your website should be your hardest-working employee. It should work while you rest, connect while you’re offline, and convert without you constantly selling.
This conversation with Jen reminded me just how much power is sitting right there in your digital home. And the best part? You don’t have to start from scratch!
Templates, audits, and a fresh perspective might be the only things standing between you and a site you’re proud to send people to.
Like Jen says, you’re way too talented to be embarrassed by your website.
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Jen mentioned putting some testimonial questions to give to clients in the show notes, but I don’t see them. Can you direct me to them? Or send if they’re not there? Thanks!
That is a GREAT question, Katie! If I am able to source that, I will update this post!