Five Steps to
a Web Site That Sells
by Adam Urbanski
I’m always amazed
that people would spend months to develop their web site, pay thousands
of dollars to have it put together and then... they just let it sit in
the cyber space - completely useless and not earning its keep!
Listen, if you hired a
sales person for your business and they didn’t perform what would you
do? You would fire them faster then they could say “but, I tried”,
wouldn’t you? So why do you put up with a web site that doesn’t sell?
Right now I can hear you
scream “but I don’t know what to do!” Let me share with you five simple
tweaks you can do today to make your web site give your more bang
for your buck.
1. Collect Contact
Information.
Typically, when I meet
potential new clients within the first 30 seconds they spontaneously
whip out their wallets, hold up their check books and yell out “I want
to buy your stuff right now!” Then I usually wake up!
In real life it takes
multiple contacts to entice someone to give me some of their hard
earned dough! But how can you contact them if you don’t know who they
are?
Use your prime “cyber
real estate” (the top part of your web site people see before they
even scroll down) to convince your visitors to willingly give you their
name and email address.
Call your web person
right now and tell them to place a “sign-up” form of some sort on your
home page. (OK, wait till you finish reading this article – so you can
take care of all the changes with one call.)
2. Make Your Site Load
Fast!
Do you have a lot of
flashing buttons, rotating graphics, or worse – do you still have that
“cool” flash intro guarding access to your web site? Hey there is a
place for all this stuff on the internet – but it’s not on your web
site.
Most people will only
wait a few seconds for your web site to display on their screen. If
it doesn’t - they will move on and never come back!
Unless the graphics
communicate an important point about your product or service – get rid
of them. And listen – the nineties are gone – step into the 21st century
and kill your “cool” flash intro.
3. Use Effective Page
Titles.
Are you speaking in
riddles? Unless you’re trying to compete with Harry Potter for
creativity - I suggest you open each web page with headlines that entice
visitors to take the time to read more.
Here are a couple of
examples:
Would you rather read “about
our services” or how “an ex-baker turned millionaire reveals his
marketing secrets”?
How about this – which
headline would pick your interest more – “collateral design” or “does
your marketing material communicate your message”?
Don’t make people guess
what they are about to read – believe me, they won’t take the time. Say
it in simple language. Take a look at your web site – does each page
have an effective headline? If not – fix it.
4. Don’t Hide The
Goodies!
The famous WIIFM
(what’s in it for me) has become such a cliché, but it’s so true!
Recently I read about a Japanese publisher of a man’s magazine who
produced an entire issue using only photographs of attractive women and
“blah, blah, blah” as the text for all the titles and articles.
What’s the point? Come
on, do you think guys buy those magazines for the deep, thought
provoking articles? Conversely, do you think your potential clients
come to your web site to read your dissertation about “what is coaching”
or “our consulting philosophy”?
Your web visitors want
to know how they can solve their problems and if you can help them
do it. Don’t hide this stuff where no one can find it.
Highlight the benefits
your product or service offers. Make it easy to find your informative
articles. Present case studies. Allow them to download simple guides,
forms or assessments. Provide links to more resources. Make yourself
useful and they will reward you with their business.
5. Build Credibility.
We all like to do
business with people we know, like and trust. So how do you do make
people feel like they know you and can trust you just by visiting your
web site? Here are a few things that will give your credibility a boost:
--Use
testimonials. When you tout your own horn people question your
information. But a positive comment from a past client can instantly
build your credibility.
--Display your contact
information on every page. Don’t hide behind an email address. Tell
people where and how to find you. List your address and phone number.
People are more likely to do business with you if they know how to find
you if something goes wrong.
--Display case studies
and articles. They provide useful information and build you up as an
authority on the subject.
--Post pictures of you
and your key team members. You can post your bio but looking at your
picture makes people feel like they actually know you. I can’t tell you
how many times I run into people whom I’ve never met before and they
feel like they’ve known me for years – because they’ve seen me on my web
site.
There is a lot more
tweaking that could turn your web site into a client magnet. But these
five will give you a good start. OK, now you can call your web person!
(c) 2004 Adam M. Urbanski
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Adam Urbanski, the Marketing Mentor, helps Independent Service
Professionals and Small Business Owners attract more clients. For more
promotional tips and a FREE 32-page marketing guide go to
http://www.themarketingmentors.com
NOTE:
Are you looking for fresh content for your ezine or web site? Feel free to reprint this article as long as it's kept intact and unaltered
(including the “about the author” info at the end), and you send a copy of your
reprint to
adam@themarketingmentors.com
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