Why Add an Announcement Bar to Your Holistic Website?

SquarespaceDesign

Jul 19

TL;DR

Just finished creating a new offer? Use an announcement bar to share it without changing your homepage! This tool helps you communicate updates, promote offers, and improve user experience on your holistic website. Learn why it's beneficial and follow our step-by-step guide to set one up on Squarespace. Keep your bar updated and test different messages to see what works best. Enhance your site's communication and user experience easily!

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You just finished creating your newest offer — Congratulations! You’re excited to share it with the world - but how do let your website visitors know without changing your whole home page?

The answer — an announcement bar! It’s a fantastic tool that helps you keep your readers in the loop, share special offers, and make your site easier to use. In this post, I'll dive into why adding an announcement bar to your holistic website is a great idea and walk you through the steps to set one up on Squarespace.

The Importance of an Announcement Bar

Enhancing Communication

An announcement bar can really up your communication game. It gives you a prime spot at the top of your site to share important messages right away. For holistic wellness providers, this means you can let your visitors know about new services, booking updates, or any changes in your schedule.

Example: Picture a holistic therapy website using an announcement bar to tell clients about a new meditation session. This way, visitors see the new service as soon as they land on the site.

Promoting Special Offers and Events

One of the coolest things about an announcement bar is how it can spotlight special offers, events, or key updates. Putting these announcements front and center grabs your visitors’ attention immediately.

Example: A holistic practitioner might use the announcement bar to promote an upcoming wellness retreat, ensuring every visitor sees the promotion and boosting the chances of registrations.

Improving User Experience

An announcement bar also makes your site easier to use by providing quick access to important info. This helps reduce confusion and makes it easier for visitors to find what they need.

Example: A holistic website could use an announcement bar to inform visitors about a temporary change in office hours, providing clear, upfront communication that enhances the overall user experience.

Steps to Add an Announcement Bar to Your Squarespace Website

Here’s a step-by-step guide to setting up the announcement bar using Squarespace's built-in tool:

1. Log in to your Squarespace account and go to your website editor.

2. Navigate to the Home Menu and click on "PAGES."

3. Select WEBSITE TOOLS listed under Utilities in the pages side panel.

4. Click ANNOUNCEMENT BAR under messaging.

Website Tools Side Panel Announcement Bar

5. Enable the announcement bar and enter your message in the text box.

Keep it short and sweet. Your announcement bar should convey essential info quickly. Add a link for easy access to your offer.

6. Save your changes and preview your site to make sure everything looks great.

Please note, you must have an active Squarespace website subscription.

Best Practices for Using an Announcement Bar

Updating Regularly

Make sure your announcement bar is always up-to-date! Irrelevant and outdated messages can confuse visitors and lessen the bar's impact.

Always-Be-Testing

Test different messages and monitor engagement to see what works best. A/B testing can be really helpful in fine-tuning your approach.

Adding an announcement bar to your holistic website is a simple yet powerful way to improve communication, promote special offers, and enhance the user experience. By following the steps in this guide and sticking to best practices, you’ll get your message out there more effectively.