How to Build a Website that Actually Converts with Leslee Owen

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12 minutes ago
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On this episode of Adventures in Business, Amani and Mandi sit down with Leslee Owen, marketing consultant, mom of four, and co-founder of Movement Maker Web Design. In this candid conversation, Leslee shares how she built her business, how she balances ambition with motherhood, and what makes a website actually work in today’s digital world.

Leslee Owen: From Media to Marketing

Leslee Owen didn’t set out to build websites. In fact, she spent 13 years as a TV producer creating everything from documentaries to talk shows. That experience taught her one essential truth: You can’t create great content unless you deeply understand your audience. That realization pulled her toward marketing – and after earning her coaching certification, she started consulting on the side while juggling a growing family.

Eventually, the side hustle and the late nights stopped making sense. “I was pregnant with my fourth kid, staying up till midnight, and waking up at 4 a.m.,” she says. “It just wasn’t sustainable.”

She paused the business for a time and took a full-time corporate marketing job, gaining a “front-row seat” at the table with CEOs around the country. But in 2020, amid the chaos of COVID, homeschooling, and potty training a toddler, she made a bold decision: to bet on herself.

Leslee Owen on Betting on Herself to Build a Client Base

With her husband’s encouragement (and a boost from pandemic-era stimulus checks), Leslee gave herself three months to build her client base. As it turns out, she only needed one.

That’s when Movement Maker Web Design was born. Leslee and her husband had a lightbulb moment – he had been designing websites on the side for years, and she had the marketing chops and business network to sell them. They set a goal to sell three sites. Leslee sold five.

Now, they run a growing team and build powerful websites for mission-driven brands. But as Leslee says, “We don’t just launch websites. We launch movements.”

You Can’t Do It All

When asked how she balances business, family, and life, Leslee’s answer is refreshingly honest: She doesn’t do it alone.

“I have a house manager who handles appointments and school pickups, and I have an operations manager who runs my inbox and schedule,” she shares. “I say no to a lot of things.”

Leslee is passionate about helping women let go of the pressure to be everything to everyone. “We have to dismantle the belief that we can run a successful business and still be the exact same kind of mom we were before.”

Her advice to women who feel conflicted about outsourcing help or pursuing their ambitions is to know yourself. If you’ve tried to quiet that little voice nudging you to go after something more, and it just won’t go away, that’s worth listening to.

Trends in Website Design: Less Fluff, More Human

Leslee also shared powerful insights into how websites have evolved, and what business owners must do if they want their site to convert.

She shares this truth: People want to connect with people. Faceless websites don’t work anymore. People want to know who they’re doing business with.

Some tips from Leslee for making your website work harder:

Ditch the digital brochure: Too many websites are packed with text but don’t actually speak to the user’s needs.

Make your content a playground: Visitors should have engaging ways to explore – like videos, downloads, quizzes, and podcasts.

Personal branding matters: You need more than just a logo. Show your face. Share your story.

Use strategic calls to action throughout: Don’t just stick a button in the top right corner. Invite users into a conversation all throughout your site.

Build a resource hub: Instead of just a blog, create a central space with articles, videos, lead magnets, and other valuable content.

Why Your Website Still Matters

With all the buzz about social media, some entrepreneurs think a website is optional. Leslee disagrees. Social media platforms could disappear tomorrow, but your website is your digital home. It's where your best content lives, where you collect leads, and where your brand truly comes to life.

Website Mistakes to Avoid

According to Leslee, a few things make her cringe when she’s auditing a website:

Only one call to action on the homepage
Broken links (88% of users who experience a broken site never come back)
Outdated design that’s not optimized for mobile
Huge logos that hog the screen
Text overlapping images on mobile

She reminded us that over 60% of users are visiting on mobile first. If your site doesn’t look good on a phone, you're likely losing more customers than you realize.

SEO & AI: What’s Changing

Leslee also gave us the scoop on how AI is impacting SEO. Google's AI tools and platforms like ChatGPT are pulling more from bite-sized, structured content – like bulleted lists and concise sections – rather than long blocks of text.

She also emphasized the importance of local SEO. For one nonprofit client, simply creating a Google Business Profile was the key to finally showing up in AI-generated results.

Babes Support Babes

Leslee also shared the origin story of Babes Support Babes, a maker’s market and entrepreneurial community she co-founded with her sister. What started as a small neighborhood market turned into one of San Antonio’s top communities for female entrepreneurs. It’s all about community over competition, and it’s changing lives, one vendor at a time.

Want Help With Your Website?

If you’re wondering whether your website is truly working for you, Leslee and her team offer a free 5-minute website audit based on their HEART framework: