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Further
Reading ...
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6 Things to Consider Before Refinancing - Rob Sallay
Perhaps you’re a homeowner in need of some quick cash. Maybe you want to consolidate your debts so you have better control of your money. Perhaps a lender is urging you to refinance because interest rates are low, and he has a too-good-to-be-true...
"Buy TERM and Invest the Difference" - YS Koh
The phrase “BUY TERM AND INVEST THE DIFFERENCE” evolves around the concept of term life policy which is a basic protection policy and the endowment/ whole life policy which has protection and investment/saving features. To put it simply, the phrase...
Free Agent Accountability - Paul Bednar
The recent surge in corporate deceit and scandal should be a wake up call for free agents. Here are a few items to which every free agent should be accountable. 1. Be honest This is as simple as doing what you say you're going to do. Don't promise...
Home Business Global Marketing Checklist - Craig Ritsema
It amazes me how wide open the world is for work at home marketing opportunities thanks to the Internet. What we do at our computer affects people on the other side of the world just as easily as those living next door. However, how we affect those...
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Are You Running Your Website Visitors Away?
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Written By:
Irene Brooks
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Small businesses are flocking to the Internet.
The web is fast becoming a major channel for lead
generations and sales of products and services.
Additionally, thousands of people are turning to
the Web to start their own home-based businesses.
After spending hundreds and even thousands of
dollars to build their web presence, the vast
majority of businesses coming online are
disappointed with the promised results of their
websites. I’m sorry to say, but most of these
under-performing websites were build by graphic
designers and technical developers that have no
real marketing experience. In committing these
mistakes many small business owners are
unwittingly driving their website visitors away!
Having reviewed literally hundreds of websites for
small business owners, I have seen the exact same
mistakes being made over and over. The following
are 5 of the most common website design mistakes
being made today – and tips on what you can do to
avoid them.
Mistake #1 – Not Clearly Differentiating Yourself
From The Competition
How many websites have you been to that look the
same, say the same thing, have the same functions,
and generally are just the same-ole website?
Probably a lot. People go to your website to get
information to solve their problem and to find out
how you can solve it for them.
If your visitor doesn’t have a clear understanding
of why you are different and that you are the only
solution for them to logically choose, they will
click on over to your competitor.
One of the most common website mistakes is not
clearly differentiating themselves from their
competitors in a meaningful way. Meaningful in a
sense, that whatever difference you claim to have
must benefit the customer. It needs to be
something that they desire.
If you’ve done your job right, you visitor will
feel that they would be foolish to not buy your
product or service.
Mistake #2 – Content focused on only you and your
business
No one cares about you or any of your awards. All
they care about is how you can help them solve
their problem. I see this time and again – small
business webites owners focusing all their content
on their company and how good they think they are.
The moment you start to understand that people
don’t care about you, and what they really care
about is how you can solve their problem, your
sales will begin to increase. Why? Because
generally speaking, deep down, people are totally
immersed in their own problems. Your job is to
get into that person’s mind as the solution of
those problems. Here are some tactics that you can
implement to make your prospect begin to see you
as the solution to their problems:
-State your prospect’s problem then agitate it
-Address each potential objection in your copy
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/>and an FAQ area
-Do the “I and We” test (If you have I in your
copy more than half of the times you use "you and
your"…you need to re-write your copy)
-Show testimonials and case studies of people
that have achieved positive results
Mistake #3 – Confusing Navigational Instructions
The cyberworld is impatient and unforgiving. If a
visitor lands on your site and gets confused, she
is only a mouse click away from another site.
Providing good navigation on your website is a
must if you want to convert your visitors into
customers. Here is a 3 step formula for
developing a good navigational scheme for your
site:
-Determine your “most wanted response” (MWR)
-Provide a pathway to your MWR
-Provide a closing page i.e. an irresistible
offer
Mistake #4 – No use of compelling headlines and
sub-headlines
It is said that 80% of the success of a direct
mail letter is attributed to its headline. It is
no different with website copy. The Web has
brought us universal access to photos and graphics
but in the end, it’s the copy that sells…period.
The trick to getting your visitors to read your
copy is to use dynamic, attention-getting
headlines and sub-headlines.
The sole purpose of your headline should be to
make sure your visitor wants to continue reading
the text below it. Each and every page of your
website should start with a headline.
Mistake #5 – Dull, Mind-Numbing Content
Many web developers just don’t know how to write
web copy. Most small business sites provide copy
that is boring and useless. The site is about
what the small business does and NOT what problem
your services solve for the customer.
Here are some suggestions to liven up your web
copy:
-Include stories of real people
-Use case studies
-Use surveys, studies, charts, graphs and evidence
-Use thumbnail photo galleries…make sure they are thumbnail and not
full size…a slow loading site is a no-no!
While this list doesn’t cover all of the possible
website mistakes, it does describe some of the
most expensive, destructive and most common made
by many online business owners. Just by following
the suggestions above, you will find that your
website visitors will land on your site and feel
free to stay awhile and browse around. Thus,
beginning the process of converting a visitor into
a customer.
====================================================
Irene Brooks is the Founder of 3-D Success
Partners, and editor of the 3-D Success
Newsletter. To get your free lifetime
subscription go to http://www.3-DSuccessCoach.com
About the Author
Irene Brooks can be visited at http://www.3-DSuccessCoach.com
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How To Plan Your Week Making Money At Home-6 Days To Six Figures - Jeff Schuman
Is it really possible to earn a 6 figure income on the internet? The answer to that is yes, but not everyone will do it! WHY? The biggest lie told everyday on the internet is you can make money at home doing nothing. "Join my program and I will...
Making Informed Keyword Choices - John Calder
Marketers stake much of their livelihood on keywords, whether for proper search engine optimization or targeted pay-per-click advertising. One challenge faced by inexperienced marketers involves knowing which phrases to target out of hundreds of...
Getting a great value deal on loans - Christos Margetis
Over recent years, the availability and accessibility of loans has become far easier for the average UK consumer. In the past, getting loans entailed going to the bank manager, cap in hand, and practically grovelling. However, you can now get your...
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