Top Ten Ways to Make Your Web Site Shine
1. Craft a clear and concise message. As you write the copy that will entice and engage your potential buyers, use active language that will speak directly to their desires. Remember the WIIFM factor (What’s in it for me?). I guarantee that your audience will be asking themselves this question. Your text should immediately answer this and draw in your audience—making them want more, leading them toward your call-to-action where you convert traffic into revenue.
2. Write snappy headlines and pithy bullet points to grab your readers’ attention. These are the first copy a person will read—a well-written headline could be the difference between engaging your audience and getting the sale or losing your reader. For your bullet points concentrate an 3 to 5 benefits that will pique their interest and draw them deeper into your site.
3. Use imagery to create a visually enticing message. Carefully selected imagery will not only break up an otherwise overwhelming block of text, it will tell your readers what the text is about. Use images that support your message and they will be more likely to read further.
4. Color! Color is perhaps the most powerful tool an author can use to draw in an audience. Color effects us on a primal level and can often determine whether someone will buy or not buy. For example: red, yellow and orange are great action colors—you would use them for your BUY NOW button. Blues, greens and lavenders are calming colors and do not attract the eye immediately. Also – be sure you know your audience before you choose the color palette that will drive the feeling of your site—color evokes emotion.
5. Take advantage of your most valuable Real Estate. In Western Culture, we are a linear society and when we surf the web, we tend to read in a z-like fashion from the upper left hand corner of the screen to the right—these are two great places for your strongest message or your call-to-action. Perhaps a 3D image of your book with a buy now button beneath it.
6. Compile a list of relevant keywords phrases. These are words that your audience may input into a search engine when looking for a product like yours (even if they know nothing about you). Strategically sprinkle these words and phrases throughout your web site concentrating on well-written, relevant copy that will attract both your audience and the search engines.
7. Stay in touch! Offer a free report or a top ten list to entice people to sign up for your mailing list. The more often you connect with your audience, the more likely they will be to remember you and remember to tell others about you.
8. Develop a sales funnel. Your web site should lead your buyer toward a sale. An effective use of copy, images, color, and read more buttons will in fact create that funnel and convert traffic into revenue.
9. Track your traffic! Know where your audience is coming from and from which page they are exiting your web site. This is the only way you can gauge the effectiveness or your marketing efforts and know that your sales funnel IS—or, is NOT working.
10. Experiment! Sometimes a simple change can make a world of difference. By simply changing the placement, or color of a button, we have seen conversion rates triple. If you know your audience and you track your traffic consistently, you can strategically turn your web site into your most powerful marketing tool!
You can also watch Part I of the Ten Things You Can Do to Strategically Improve Your Website video on my home page.
Tags: Authoring, Business, Marketing, Online Tools, Promotion, Web Design and Development, Web search engine, Website
