Beyond Beautiful Design: How to Create Business Websites That Deliver Real ROI

In this insightful episode of The Nathan Newberry Show, website expert Jeffro shares his proven approach to creating business websites that don't just look good but actually drive revenue. Discover the critical habits, strategies, and mindset shifts that transformed his own business and can help yours deliver measurable results through effective web design.

Introduction

What's the difference between a website that merely exists and one that actively contributes to your business growth? According to Jeffro, founder of Frob Bro and expert website developer, it comes down to a strategic approach that prioritizes messaging over aesthetics and ROI over vanity metrics.

"I help people with business websites," Jeffro explains. "You don't want it to just look good—you want it to bring your customers in. For a business, you want your website to give you an ROI, serve your sales and marketing needs, and bring people in."

In this comprehensive conversation, Jeffro reveals how his journey from hobbyist programmer to business website specialist taught him valuable lessons about consistent performance, strategic messaging, and the importance of approaching web design with business objectives in mind. Whether you're launching your first website or considering a redesign, his insights offer a roadmap for creating a digital presence that actively contributes to your bottom line.

Understanding the Purpose: Different Websites for Different Goals

One of the fundamental mistakes many business owners make is treating all websites the same. Jeffro emphasizes that different business objectives require different website approaches:

"What most people do is they just think, 'Okay, I need a website,' and they put it up and list 'Here's our services, call us.' There's not really anything compelling there about why I should hire you over someone else."

Instead, the first step is clearly defining what your website needs to accomplish:

• Startup seeking investors? Your website should cater to what investors care about—business plans, market analysis, and growth potential.
• Established business seeking new customers? Your messaging should address customer needs, pains, and demonstrate how you understand their challenges with solutions that work.
• Resource hub for existing customers? Focus on user-friendly login screens and easy navigation to resources, courses, or support materials.

Most businesses need a marketing-focused website where "the homepage acts as a first impression to the world, letting people know who you are, who you help, what you can offer... trying to turn those prospects into visitors."

The Message-First Approach

Perhaps the most critical insight Jeffro shares is his message-first methodology:

"When we do a project for a company, we start with the messaging. We go through a bunch of questions about who they are, what they offer, who their target customer is, what their customers care about or complain about. We then take that and write the messaging first before we even look at a design."

This contrasts with the common approach where businesses:

1. Find a template
2. Pick a design they like
3. Slap in words based on where the template has text openings

"That's kind of backwards," Jeffro notes. "You really need to know what you want to be saying first, and then you can build the design around it. The design should support that message rather than be a distraction from it."

Consistency Over Motivation: The Key Habits for Business Success

When asked about the key habits that contributed to his success, Jeffro offers a powerful framework that applies not just to website development but to business growth in general:

"I think part of it is making sure that the action is consistent, because in the past it would often be fueled by the current interest and motivation... and that always fades regardless of what it is."

Instead, he's developed a three-part formula for inevitable success:

1. Creating a bigger vision that transcends day-to-day tasks
2. Learning from failures that highlight areas needing improvement
3. Establishing consistent habits that ensure daily progress regardless of motivation levels

"Those three together now, I feel like, you know, greater success is inevitable because of that. But until you get to that point, it's not a foregone conclusion—you're just kind of bouncing around. Maybe you'll get there, maybe not, but you kind of have to lock those things down."

The Transition from Hobby to Business

Jeffro's journey illustrates this transition perfectly. What began as a side project building websites in 2015-2016 eventually evolved into a serious business, but that evolution required fundamental changes in how he operated:

"I had to get honest with myself about certain things. Even with managing the finances of running a business... instead of doing it by feel or just loosely managing it, actually getting serious with the bookkeeper, going over reports together, making sure like, 'Oh yeah, I guess I forgot to cancel that subscription' or 'Wait, how come we never invoiced this person?'"

These operational details might seem mundane compared to the creative aspects of web design, but they were crucial to his transition:

"That's how I went from running just a hobby—essentially a hobby business—to an actual business which is actually going to grow consistently and where I can eventually have bigger teams and stuff because the finances are under control."

Learning from Failure: Turning Setbacks into Growth Catalysts

One of the most relatable aspects of Jeffro's story is his transparency about business challenges. He shares how an attempt to scale his business by investing in funnels, team expansion, and paid advertising campaigns led to significant debt when certain key mistakes were made:

"For a while, I was like, 'Well, I'll just shrink everything back, I'll keep my head down and kind of try to fix it and outrun the debt.' But interest payments are crazy, and so it's really hard to outrun it, especially when you're doing it by yourself."

This period became "the most stressful year of my life and impacted my relationship with my wife," but it also provided crucial learning that transformed his approach:

"I've been working on that ever since then with a new lens and perspective because it's not something I take for granted anymore. I'm very intentional about the way I invest in programs... and the way I'm approaching the business... to make sure that the ship is going in the right direction, it's staying above water... it's intentional and not haphazard at all."

This experience taught him the value of:

• Strategic investment in growth opportunities rather than following trends
• Consistent financial oversight through professional bookkeeping
• Accountability structures that prevent self-deception
• Intentional decision-making instead of reactive choices

As Nathan notes in response, these challenging experiences often lead to "a deeper conviction even more so about what you're doing and how these relationships are built even stronger."

The Vision Behind the Tasks: Finding Deeper Motivation

When asked about how he develops his vision and maintains motivation, Jeffro offers a multi-layered approach that combines practical tasks with deeper purpose:

"There's different layers to it. One aspect is the simple, task-oriented approach—'I'm going to build websites because I can.' But I'm going to get tired of that after a while."

To sustain motivation, he suggests broadening the perspective:

"If I want to build more websites so that I can do XYZ—maybe that's save more money for my family, maybe that's rid the world of terrible websites, or I'm helping other people do it as well—that broadens the perspective a little bit to give a greater reason for doing it."

But even this expanded purpose can still feel somewhat transactional. The deepest level of motivation comes from connecting to core personal values:

"Underneath that, there's the 'why do I even keep pushing and trying?' For a lot of people, myself included, it's my family, my wife—I want to provide more for them so we can do things that are fun and experience the world... I don't want to be a bottleneck or a limitation in what my kids could have been because I didn't make enough money to help pay for better education."

This multi-level motivation combines:

1. The pull of future aspirations: "The hope of the future"
2. The push of past difficulties: "The pain of having failed to do that for so long"

"When you've got both the task-oriented vision with a bigger goal, underpinned by this personal driving force—maybe the hope of the future pulling you and the pain from the past pushing you forward—that's when you start making real progress."

Conclusion: Making Your Website the Hub of Marketing Success

Your business website shouldn't be an afterthought or merely a digital business card—it should be the central hub of your marketing strategy, designed intentionally to deliver real business results.

As Jeffro summarizes in his closing advice:

"Whether you're just getting started or if you're at that point now where you've had the click and you're like, 'Okay, I need to get serious,' that website is the hub of all your marketing efforts. So you need to do it right because there's no point paying for ads, driving people to the website if it is bad—you're just wasting money at that point. So spend some time, invest in it, get it right, and that'll go a long way towards helping you in your business success."

The journey from hobby to successful business that Jeffro shares mirrors the evolution many entrepreneurs experience. By prioritizing consistent action over fluctuating motivation, learning from failures instead of being defeated by them, and connecting daily tasks to a deeper purpose, you can build not just a better website, but a more resilient and successful business.

The key takeaway? Success—both in website development and business growth—comes not from sporadic bursts of inspiration but from intentional systems that make progress inevitable, regardless of how you feel on any given day.

Ready to transform your business website from a digital brochure into a customer-generating asset? Whether you need a complete redesign or strategic improvements to your existing site, investing in a proper business website is one of the most important steps you can take toward sustainable growth.

What aspect of your current website needs the most improvement? Is it the messaging, design, or connection to your broader marketing strategy? Share your thoughts in the comments below!