Webmaster Papers








The Top Ten Checklist For Low Web Site Sales


You have good traffic, but low client sign ups and other sales. Web sites are only as good as their copy. If your Web sales are down, check your copywriting.

Next time you think Web site--either putting up a new one, or wanting to improve yours for more contacts and sales--use this checklist:

1. Replace long paragraphs of copy with short benefit-driven headlines.

Incorporate sound bites or questions your visitor will feel compelled to respond to such as "Follow up or Foul Up?"

2. Make your copy beneath the headlines short and snappy.

Your potential clients come for easy-to-read material. Like you, they are in a hurry, and want free information fast.

3. Put yourself in your targeted visitors' shoes.

Think, "why are they at my site?" They want two things: 1) free content such as articles or tips about your service or product and 2) how you can solve their problem or challenge--the top benefits you offer.

4. Give your web visitors a lot of free information.

That's why they come to your site. After visiting you 5-10 times, they are more likely to buy from you. Place a command like "Please book mark this site. We put up new information each two weeks." Add a new link called "free articles."

5. Aim your copy at your targeted market.

The biggest mistake we make is not defining our target audience before we write Web copy. When we use shotgun promotion aimed at many groups, we don't get well known as the savvy expert in our field, and lose visitor's attention and loyalty.

Choose one audience first and aim your copy at them. You can later add special links for other audiences.

6. Give your visitors a variety of articles, such as an interview or you solving a client's problem, to post in your "free articles" link.

Put a new one up every 2-3 weeks. Put "NEW!" beside each new article to draw attention to it.

7. Categorize the types of articles you post on your site.

Think about "under 500 words," "how-to tips," or "top ten lists." Help your visitors get to the articles they want and need. Offer your articles by autoresponders too.

8. Present your copy to inform, convince, and compel your visitor to click and buy.

For your coaching services, place links such as "Why Choose your name?" or "On Book Coaching." or "Coaching Packages." Include proper headlines on your home page.

9. Keep your language simple.

Even if your audience is a rocket scientist, keep your copy at 10th grade level or lower. Online visitors want short sentences, short paragraphs no more than 4-5 lines. When visitors see a long paragraph, it may look too hard to read and digest. They just click away. Remember they want their information easy and fast.

10. Write a list of 5-10 benefits of your service.

Transfer this into your coaching sales piece on your Web site. You'll need to include coaching outcomes, their needs, the value they receive, and the main area of focuses you can give them.

Stop long descriptions of you and your mission. Focus more on your Web visitor who came to learn about how she can benefit from your service. Make your reader say, "This is amazing. I want this!"

Judy Cullins, 20-year book and Internet Marketing Coach, Author of 10 eBooks including "Write your eBook Fast," and "How to Market your Business on the Internet," she offers free help through her 2 monthly ezines, The Book Coach Says...and Business Tip of the Month at http://www.bookcoaching.com/opt-in.shtml and over 140 free articles. Email her at mailto:Judy@bookcoaching.com

RELATED ARTICLES


Turn Harmful 404 Error Pages Into Helpful 301 Redirects
It's a fact, Page Not Found, known as a 404 error, can harm your website Ranking with Search Engines as well as being a Turn-Off for Visitors.
When Your Graphic Designer Costs You Money
So how do you know when your graphic designer costs you financially and emotionally?
Concentrate On Web Content Instead Of Search Engine Optimization
For many webmasters the title of my article may seem like bad advice and contradict what most search engine experts say and advocate. However the proof is in the pudding. As a webmaster with 4 websites trust me when I tell you that I haven't got a clue how to optimize my web pages in order to be on the first page for a particular search phrase. Instead I work on adding new content to my web sites. This technique has allowed me to consistently earn 4 figures a month in additional income and usually I start making money within 3 weeks of making my websites.
10 seconds is all it takes? (How to grab the attention of your audience with your web site)
FACT: 30 to 60% of visitors tend to drop off and click to another site when they are forced to click their mouse more often than necessary.
Keep Them Coming Back - Update Your Site
If you are anything like me, your website is a reflection of yourself. It contains your thoughts and communications, exposed to the entire world at all times. Look at virtually any non-commercial web site and you will get a glimpse at the person behind the monitor.
Why You Want to Include an FAQ In Your Site
Congratulations! You've got a brand new site and it's doing pretty well. You check your statistics every day and the hits and page views keep climbing, your links are all in order and everything looks very good. On top of that, your guestbook is filling with great comments and you're getting a few emails now and then with praise and perhaps a question or two.
15 Website Elements That Attract Visitors
Here is a quick list of components that make a website attractive. They are listed in layers of attractiveness beginning with the "must" haves, to "nice to haves."
Web Design: Use it to Showcase the Message
If you are designing a web site for which the achievement of high conversion rates is a priority, focus your design efforts on showcasing and highlighting the content and copy.
Website Design Info - Part 1
What Will My Site Do?
Got Web Traffic but Still Low Sales? Ten Ways to Selling Success - Part 2
Part one of this article is available at www.bookcoaching.com/freearticles/article-34.shtml.
Teach Yourself CSS The Easy Way
I taught myself HTML back in the mid-nineties and was proud of the fact that I was able to accomplish the design of fairly complex web pages with nothing more than a starter HTML book, an HTML reference book, and the knowledge I had stored in my head. But back in those days, we web designers had what looking back was a fairly limited amount of tools with which to work, and the quality (or lack thereof) of sites on the web was lackluster at best.
Website Promotion and Design Tips
Are you thinking that it is about time your small business had an internet presence, however are not too sure how or who to go to build and promote the website.
How to Create a Great Landing Page for Your Website
The landing page or entry page of your visitors is the most important page to your website. This page is likely to be your home page if you happen to be promoting your website url http://www.yourdomain.com more often than your other sub-directory pages as in http://www.yourdomain.com/sub-directory-page.
How to Choose a Website Design Company
The internet is full of web design companies pleading for your business. They all look great! Not sure which company to select? By following these simple steps, you'll be able to select the perfect designer for your business.
9 Ways to Gain Your Visitors Respect
The internet is filled with sites and they are good and bad. Some have been known for a long time and some still struggle to get the respect and fame they think they deserve.
Creating the Perfect Website - A beginners Guide
Are you looking to create the perfect website? A complete novice when it comes to HTML, CGI, FTP and all the other associated pieces that make up the website puzzle, then this article is definitely for you.
Web Marketing: Design Mistakes That Drive Customers Away In Droves
They may look cutting edge, but if you want a web site that contributes to your bottom line here are some design ideas you will want to avoid:
Attention Grabbing Web Design Will Kill Your Sale!
In the of-line marketing world it is all about trying to get the attention of the potential consumer to a commercial message.
How to Choose Web Design Company?
Before deciding on which web design company to choose, you should first determine the main aim and purpose for your upcoming website. Once the aim and purpose have been identified, then only move on to choose a reliable web design company to develop your website.
Good Web Design ? What Is It?
There is unlimited possibilities when it comes to designing a website. Flash, Database, content management, Client Login, etc,etc. A question to ask yourself when deciding how to do your website is: