Is your Web site like a big billboard where traffic just drives
by and never stops? Here are some tips to help you change
your Web site from a billboard to a storefront where customers
come in to visit:
Win Your Customer’s Trust
Your homepage should immediately start building rapport
with your visitors. Make sure it is very clear who you are,
what you do and why they should do business with you. Have
a picture of yourself on the Web site. People like to do
business with people they can trust. By putting a picture
of yourself on your site, you become a person, not just a
business.
I have a friend who wasn’t too keen about the idea
of putting her picture on her Web site. She felt that being
middle age and over weight were two good reasons not to have
pictures taken, let alone put it out there for the world
to see on the Internet. Nevertheless, she did put her picture
on her site and it was because of the picture that she landed
a big account.
The prospective client was visiting her site and liked what
he read about her qualifications, but it was her picture
that really sold him. When he called her up, he told her
that she “looked like someone I would like to do business
with; you have a very honest face.”
Sometimes business decisions turn on the simplest reasons,
but you can be assured that coming across as a real person
on your Web site will certainly increase the trust level
with your visitors.
Build Customer Relationships
Let your potential customers know that you understand their
problems and that you have a solution to their problems.
One effective way to do this is to put testimonials on your
Web site.
Don’t you tell people how you solve their problems;
let someone else tell the story. Testimonials are powerful
and necessary to a successful Web site. Testimonials not
only say you can do the job, but they say how well you can
do the job. And they are so much more believable that you
trying to promote yourself. Let others speak for you.
Include testimonials throughout your Web site. Don’t
make the mistake of having one page just for testimonials.
Rarely will someone click to a testimonials page and read
the whole thing. So, you are in essence wasting your time
and resources with a testimonials page.
Instead, sprinkle testimonials wherever you think they might
help convince your audience that what you are saying is true.
Back up your statements with testimonials and you start building
relationships with your readers.
Make It Easy to Find Information
The navigation on a Web site can make or break a Web site.
You can have the best content in the world, but if readers
can’t find what they are looking for, they will leave.
Use simple, descriptive headings and subheadings to direct
visitors throughout your Web site. Put keywords in the headings
and subheadings so that the Search Engines have an easier
time indexing your pages.
Think about the problems you solve for your readers and
make sure you offer solutions to those problems. Remember,
people are searching for information and solutions to their
problems.
The easier you make it for them to find information, the
more likely you will be able to entice the visitor to stay
awhile. And, the longer they stay, the more likely you will
gain a customer.
Michelle Howe, president of Word Magic , specializes in
writing irresistible copy for Web sites. She is the author
of Web Site Writing Made Easy and Persuasive Writing Made
Easy. Visit her Web site at http://www.InternetWordMagic.com for
a FR^EE audio download of “Pay-Per-Click Success: Attract
More Customers in 30 Days or Less” and FR^EE report, “The
Five-Step Plan to Article Success.”
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