Don't Get Caught Making These 5 Common Web site Mistakes
July 16, 2005
Contributing Writer: Hans Klein
What you are about to hear could double, triple, or even quadruple your online sales if you avoid the following mistakes.
Just the other day one of my e-zine subscribers requested a Web site review. The person asking for a review said that he had just reworked his sales letter, and it was only pulling in ½ percent sales conversion rate.
A half percent is not terrible, but it is certainly not good. So I opened up the Web site and took a look around. The Web site seemed to follow all the common Internet marketing rules. It had a nice layout; there were no grammar mistakes, and it had a very professional feel to it.
So I started reading the sales letter further and it hit me… the mistake was tiny, but extremely important at the same time. The problem was all in the:
1. Subheadlines - The person I was reviewing had a benefit-packed and intriguing headline, but he forgot about powerful, benefit-filled subheadlines. By leaving out powerful subheadlines, the Web site didn't attract all the visitors who were in a hurry and just needed to know what it was all about before they completely read the copy. So I let the subscriber know about this little discovery, and a few weeks later, he emailed me back to let me know how much this little change had helped him.
When I sat down to write this article, I thought about how common this problem is and about the other problems I see a lot. So here is the list.
2. Focus on a single goal. - When I first started selling products on the Internet, I made the fatal mistake of giving the visitor too many options. I had three different products that offered the same benefits. The visitor then became confused, and they did not know which one to choose.
After a while, making absolutely no sales, I decided to choose one product and focus on it. The result was immediate sales and less confused prospects.
3. Too many graphics - I enjoy looking at graphics, but not if it takes over 30 boring seconds of starring at a blank screen before the Web site comes up.
When designing your webpage, you must keep in mind who is looking at your site. There are many people who still have a slow Internet connection and if you Web site takes too long to load, they will just click away to another site.
Yes, graphics do make your Web site look more professional, but you must weigh balancing loading time with how attractive you want you site to look.
4. Web site compatibility - There are many different settings on your different visitor's computers, and it is very difficult to make your Web site look perfect on every computer. Keep in mind that your visitors may use Netscape, AOL, Internet Explorer, or even the Opera browser, and each one makes your Web site look different.
In addition to different browsers, many people have their screen resolution set at the various settings which also changes how your Web site will look.
"So what do I do?"
I have two quick solutions for you:
- www.anybrowser.com - This Web site will put you in the shoes of your different prospects, and you will see your Web site through their eyes.
- Download the different browser, and check them whenever you make a change, they are free.
5. Make it easy to read - People are busy, and they don't have all day to squint at computer screens and read long, drawn-out paragraphs.
That's why you should:
- Have, at most, 5 concise sentences per paragraph. You should really aim for 3.
- Use lots of bullet points, so you visitors can quickly get the information they need.
- White space is a reader's friend. Try to create lots of room, so the visitor can easily read your Web site.
- Put your entire sales letter on one page because you will lose a significant number of visitors if you ask them to continue reading on to a separate page. People are lazy, and if they don't have a substantial benefit to click on, they won't.
These common Web site mistakes can make the difference between getting a few sales and getting a massive number of sales. That's how marketing works. If people like what you say, they read on, and, if not they become turned off and move on. So your goal is to communicate with people, gain their trust, and you WILL make the sale!
(Repost; originally posted on January 11, 2005.)
==========================
100% Free- Discover more Internet marketing tips, tricks and strategies to quickly
and easily promote your business or product on the Internet. Just visit www.WealthStarters.com
to learn more. Plus for the month of February you can receive a free bonus "These
7 Secrets Make Cash Like Clockwork" by Marlon Sanders.
==========================
Recently in Technology & Web:
11 Ways To Promote Your Website
Search engines continue to evolve but there are a few things you still can do to give them a clue about what's on your website. One is to include your keywords in header tags. Additionally, craft a one or two sentence description that explains the content of each page, including some keywords from the page. This should go between the tags. Finally, you should write short, descriptive titles for each page. Don't use the same one for each...
The Power of Color
Colors have many meanings and associations. They can also create, or amplify, emotion. For example, which would you associate with bright yellow: happy or sad? Serious or playful? Good or bad? Chances are that you chose happy, playful, and good. Why? Because color speaks, whether we realize it consciously or not...
Title Tags - How to Make Them More Effective
Pay attention to the title tags of your web pages. They are more important than most web authors realize. Once you understand why the title is so important, you can easily write more effective title tags...
10 Shockingly Simple Web Copy Secrets Anyone Can Use Instantly
What are the web copy secrets you need to know to convert prospects to paying customers? Don't spend hours laboring over your copy. There are simple, instant tools you can use to develop great copy in minutes...
Introduction To Copyrights, Patents, And Trademarks
In the USA, the Copyright Act of 1976 governs all copyrights. The Copyright Act does not protect any ideas, procedures, process, systems, and methods of operations, concepts, principle or discovery regardless of how it is expressed. It is the expression that is protected by the Copyright Act. You cannot copyright titles, names, slogans, and short phrases even if those have new ideas...
Your Three Letter Autoresponder Follow-Up
People need to see your ad message several times before they buy. Those who buy on the first ad have already made up their mind after seeing someone else’s ad. Yours had the good fortune of reaching the customer at just the right time...
Web Site Etiquette
Contrary to what some may believe, the Web is not an anything goes environment. Considerations and courtesies need to be implemented by all users so that everyone can look forward to a more enjoyable or productive experience...
10 Innovative Ways To Use Your Autoresponder
1. Collect leads with your autoresponder. You will get an e-mail digest of everyone's e-mail addresses who requests information from your autoresponder...