web site design services Let's not beat around the bush - when you decided to get a website, it was to make money - right? There are two crucial obstacles to making money online - first, the majority of problems companies have in selling their products online is poor sales copy (content) and favor flashy design over substance, and
- secondly, people are inherently mistrustful online, they are tired of being lied to, misled, spammed and on and on
Your website should be constructed, through every element of its design and content structure, to demonstrate clearly and persuasively to your visitors that you have a legitimate company with a legitimate product or service that will help each visitor in some tangible way. Build sales by building trust: - a simple design - without garish colors, difficult to use navigation system, graphics or flash that takes too long too load. A simple clean design is easy on the eyes and easy to find your way around. When you go to the grocery store and need to pick up just a couple of things, would you keep going back to that store if, every time, you get lost as soon as you get inside and it took you an hour to get back out? Neither will visitors to your website if the design is poor.
- updated content - if any of the information on your site is dated and you have not bothered to update it, and it is obvious to your website visitors, that potential customer will go somewhere where the content is fresh. (Would you buy a loaf of bread that is past its "best before" date?)
- check and then recheck for glaring errors in your site design, content, spelling or grammar - people will forgive small errors, but not frequent or obvious ones
- ABSOLUTELY AVOID over-done hype, outrageous claims, offers with a catch (for example, "get this report free when you provide the email addresses of ten of your friends"), products that don't work as advertised
- don't make your visitors provide personal information before they can find out what you're selling (one site we recently visited talked all about making a lot of money by working from home, with pages and pages of testimonials from people who raved about the "system" - then to enter the site for "more information", you have to provide your email address, and worse, even after giving them your email address, you still don't have access to what they are really selling unless you buy it!) Although such a strategy may get money from someone once, they will never get more money, referrals or return visits.
- identify your company and your credentials clearly - by providing your physical address, phone number, fax number and DON"T use a freebie email address.
- testimonials - use your client's full name and comments with their permission, offer to qualified prospects permission to communicate with an existing client (with your client's prior approval of course, and don't abuse your existing client's agreement to provide references!), and don't make up fake testimonials!
- provide a money back guarantee - few customers ever actually return a product or ask for their money back, but your commitment to ensure satisfaction, backed up by actually following through will make customers recommend you to others
- respect your existing client's privacy and respect the privacy of potential clients - have a clear privacy statement on your website explaining when and how you will use their personal information - then stick to it!
- be cautious in the use of reciprocal links. Think twice before you provide links (for affiliate programs, for example). Link only to sites you are proud to be associated with. If you link to a site with a questionable offer or offensive content, for example, that will reflect poorly on your company.
An oft-heard phrase - "you only have one chance to make a good impression" - is true in both dating and marketing, online and offline. Online, visitors are more skeptical than in a normal "bricks and mortar" business - they will not believe ANYTHING you say if even one of your claims sounds suspicious. One mis-step, and you've lost that prospect for good. Think about your own experience - how often will you go back to a restaurant that consistently has poor service? A happy customer will come back and buy from you again (and again) so long as they received what you promised the first time round. On the right-hand side are links to pages with more detailed information about effectively using your website as a marketing tool to build and grow your business. Please read on for more information, or contact us any time by phone, fax or email for more information.
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