Go To Web Design Home | Add to Favorites
Is Your Web Site Turning Visitors Away?
One of the biggest problems with Web sites is that the very first pageon the site is turning people away. Why? Because most Web site owners talk about themselves instead oftalking about their Web site visitor. You know what I mean. How often have you visited a Web site thatstarts off with the big bold heading "Welcome to XYX Company"? And it only goes downhill from there. The next paragraph says something like "XYZ Company has worked for 40years in manufacturing, testing and selling ABC products to businessesaround North America and the world. Blah blah blah ... who cares ... Yawn!" That sort of introduction is almost guaranteed to lose you business! But why is it so common? I think it's because people don't know whatelse to write! So in this article I'm going to give you a formula for writing compellingtext on your home page. Here's the formula in a nutshell: BAD, WORSE, GOOD, HOW, YOU. Here's how it works ... Show them what's BAD in their business/life.Show them that it's WORSE than they thought.Show them how GOOD it could be.Show them HOW to fix it.Tell them how YOU can help. I'm going to expand on these in a minute. But first notice that the firstfour are all about THEM, and you only start talking about YOU in the verylast step. OK, let's look at each of these in turn ... = 1. Show them what's BAD in their business/life. = What is your customer's biggest problem? What are they most worried about?What causes them to stay awake at night, tossing and turning? The first step is simply to state that problem. That immediately gets rapport because itshows that you understand them. And it engages them as well. For example, suppose you're a realtor looking for new clients, and youknow that most vendors are worried about getting the best price for theirhouse. You might start like this: "Selling your home is one of the biggest financial decisions that youwill make in your life. How can you be sure that you're getting the bestprice for it? And how can you be sure that your realtor is getting thebest deal for YOU, not just the best commission for themselves?" = 2. Show them that it's WORSE than they thought. = OK, you've got their attention, but do they really understand how bad theproblem is? What are the consequences of having this problem? If you diga little deeper, you'll uncover the real costs associated with it. For example, you might go on to say: "You might choose a realtor who's local, or who has been referred toyou, or maybe even some distant uncle who does this for a living. Butwhat if they don't get the best deal for you? This could cost youa fortune! For instance, even if the price they get for youis just 1% lower than what it should be, that could amount to thousands ofdollars. That's money out of YOUR pocket. And if you're planning to usethat as a deposit on your new home, that 1% will cost you many MOREthousands of dollars interest in the coming years." = 3. Show them how GOOD it could be. = OK, now you've got them worried! They might have started out as neutral,bored or complacent. But now you've shown them the real cost, they areforced to think harder about their decision. Now you show them the other side of the coin: If they didn't have thisproblem, what are the benefits to them? For example: "On the other hand, what if your agent got you 1% MORE than the normalprice? A good agent can do that for you. Now that's extra money in yourpocket! Money that you can use on a vacation. Or the college fund. Oran extra deposit on your new home, which could save you many times thatamount in interest." = 4. Show them HOW to fix it. = Now you tell them - briefly - how to fix it. Like this: "The secret of getting the best price for your house is to constantlysell its value, not its market price. If you know what your buyer'shot buttons are, you can make sure that all your marketing is aimedat pressing those buttons." = 5. Tell them how YOU can help. = Finally, you describe how YOU can help them to implement that solution,like this: "Our team of trained professionals works closely with you to get thebest possible price for your home. All of our realtors have at least10 years experience in the market, all are currently active workingwith clients just like you, and all have Blah Blah qualifications.Contact us now for a free consultation, etc. etc." = Do you see how simple this is? = I hope you can see the simplicity and elegance of the BAD / WORSE /GOOD / HOW / YOU formula. In just a few short paragraphs, it establishes rapport, demonstratesunderstanding, provides a solution, establishes your credibility,and encourages action. For another example of this process in action, visit the front pageof my Web site at http://GihanPerera.com. Gihan Perera is the author of "Make More Money From Your WebSite". Visit http://www.firststep.com.au and get your freee-book "The Seven Fatal Mistakes That Almost Every BusinessOwner Makes on Their Web Site" - PLUS free resale rights.
Top 10 Web Design Mistakes As a webmaster, you want to keep your visitors content so they'll come back again. Below you will find ten common mistak...
How Not To Get Web Design Work I get the occasional web design lead from my website. I wanted to find a company I could pass these onto. So I put an ad on a freelance site. It specified the programming qualifications needed, stated that the successful candidate should have good English, and was for companies only.The replies I got were enlightening. So much so, I made a list of things applicants did wrong. Here it is.I should point out I was initially prepared to give everyone a fair go. After the first twenty-odd emails, my attitude changed. I was looking for reasons to delete applicants. I only needed one successful one; with 100+ replies it was getting to be a headache, so I decided a brutal approach was needed.1. Failed to read the spec.Many applicants couldn't write properly in the English language. Many were individuals only. Result: in...
Why Stock Photography Is A Great Resource For Web Business A picture is worth a thousand words.And it still is today. With the media changing everyday photography has changed along with it and as a result is...
|
 |
 |
 |
How To Give Your Business Credibility Let's face it. Buying products and services from the Internet can be a bit intimidating.You may have no idea where the online merchant is located. You may not know how safe your personal and credit card information will be.You may be unsure if you'll even get the product or what to do if the product is broken when it arrives at your door.These types of concerns are what you are up against when you sell products from a website.Here some tips to build credibility with potential customers.1. Include all your contact information on your homepage. Your phone and fax numbers, e-mail address, etc. List the hours you're available to take customers' phone... |  |
| Tapping Into The Visual Stimulus Of Your Web Site Visitors "Oh, my eyes, my eyes! What an eye sore. Quick, click away! Click away!"Suddenly I wake up in a cold sweat. What happened. Oh, then I realize: it was just a nigh... |  |
| Developing Your Winning Web Site Strategy Your web site is the key to your success on the Internet. You can use your web site to build your brand, increase sales, generate more leads, slash costs, and much more. In fact, you probably have very specific goals that your web site is helping you to achieve for your company.If you do have goals, are you measuring them? We often ask people, "what are the objectives of your site?" Answers usually vary from "our site is supposed to provide information about our company's products", or "the site is supposed to effectively convey our brand to our audience."In actuality, those are very rarely the TRUE objectives; but rather the MEANS to accomplish one's objectives. A web site's objective... |  |
| Website Woes: Top Five Offenders
I see a lot of mistakes, but here are the top five offenders you need to correct to give your site a boost. Bad Title. Look at the title for each page. The title shows in the top bar of your browser. It is also what shows when you set a favorite or bookmark a site. Plus, the title is what shows in the search engine results. So you want your page title to be a "headline" - something that will make people want to click on it. Give every page a different title according to its content. Include your keywords or key phrases in the title. Remember, people won't want to click on your company name, unless they're looking specifically for you. Instead, they are more likely to click on key words or phrases that reflect what they're looking for. "Me" Language. Rea... |  |
| Choosing The Right Web Designer Creating your web site can be a tricky process. Choosing the best web design company for your site is extremely important. Unless you run a web-based business, you probably do not have web design experience within your company. Building your web site will take time and a little homework!To create a web site for your business, follow these 4 simple steps:Establish your goalsDetermine your budgetPick a web design companyPi... |  |
|
|