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Resources:
SOHO Links: Building A Site That Sells
by Robert Hopper of The
Best of Breed
I got an email the other day from a somewhat irate client, wanting
to know why I wasn't getting any customers to his site. Actually,
we’re doing his search engine campaign and have been getting quite
a lot of visitors to his site. I explained to him that it was his
job to turn those visitors into customers.
A mistake many new Internet marketers make is assuming that just
because they get traffic to their site they should automatically be
getting sales. Not so. Visitors do not necessarily equal customers.
There are three critical factors involved in building a site that
sells.
Product Selection
Your product selection should be small and well focused. Each
product should have a logical relationship to the other. Ideally,
You should have one main product or service with other products that
support and add value to your main product and to each other. One of
the primary reasons for the dot com shake-out of recent months was
because they tried to be all things to all people, offering
hundreds, if not thousands of different products. If people want a
department store, they go to the mall.
If you have two or more non-related products to sell, set up a
website for each of them.
Internet marketing is niche marketing. People who shop on the net
tend to be very focused shoppers, and among the most sophisticated
shoppers you'll find anywhere. They go online looking for a specific
product or service. They rarely “window shop”
If your selling what they are looking for be sure your website makes
that clear right up front, and the product is easy to find and easy
to purchase. Which brings us to our next factor.
Site Design
Too often the actual design of a site is more afterthought than
forethought. This is a mistake that has proven fatal to more than a
few businesses.
Think of your website much the same way you would a store, or place
of business in the bricks and mortar world. It should provide your
visitors with a comfortable and tasteful environment. It should be
easy for them to find their way around, and it should be obvious to
them what your business is without them having to ask.
Colors should be neutral to dark. Studies have shown that earth
tones work best for business websites. While there are exceptions,
it’s best to keep your colors on the periphery of the site. The
area where your text is should be white, and your text should be
black and in an easy to read font like Arial.
The design should be done with your product or service in mind. For
example, if you were selling financial services, you wouldn't want a
lot of zany colors and dancing images. You would want a design that
says trust, confidence, and grown-ups here. You get the picture.
Speaking of images, if they are not absolutely necessary to selling
your product of service, don't use them. Everything on your site
should be focused on one thing…making the sale.
You don't want anything on your site that distracts from your
message.
The last thing to remember is ease of navigation. You want to make
it as easy as possible for your visitor to find what they’re
looking for and easy for them to make the purchase. It should be no
more that a three click operation once they decide to make a
purchase.
Your Message
This is the one that trips up most Internet
marketers. For some reason people freeze when it comes to writing ad
copy. It’s not nearly as difficult as many folks make it out to
be. The key thing to remember is to write like you’re talking to
someone in your bricks and mortar store. Be friendly, specific and
informative. Emphasize the benefits to the visitor. Use quantitative
terms like, “You'll lose 19 pounds in the first two weeks.”
The important thing is don't over-hype. Be credible and believable.
Otherwise they'll click right out of your site.
I don't want to get into a detailed discussion of ad copy writing
here. If you’re interested in learning more detail, I would
recommend Ken Evoy’s book, Make
Your Words Sell. You can find it here: http://www.SiteSell.com/warrior1.html
It’s a very good book and very inexpensive.
Never try to convince your visitor that they “need” what
you’re selling. Aside from food and shelter, there are few things
people need. You need to make them want it. That’s what motivates
buyers. The majority of purchases on the Internet are impulse
purchases. And, impulse buying is motivated by want, not need.
Another important thing to keep in mind is that Internet surfers are
information junkies. So give them lots of good solid information.
Ideally, your text should be a minimum of 1500 words. The more words
the better, as long as you’re delivering relevant information.
Don't just pack it with words just to get your count up. Make each
word count.
When you started your website design you should have had specific
key words and phrases that people were going to search on to find
your site. Be sure those words and phrases generously distributed
throughout your copy.
If, at the end of the day, you still can't come up with good copy,
hire a professional to do it for you. It’s not that expensive, and
it will save you a lot of time and grief. You can drop me an email
and I'll recommend one for you.
Remember, this is the most important component of your website
design. You want to get it write, (pun intended).
Copyright 2001 by Robert Hopper
Robert Hopper is the
CEO of theBestOfBreed.com
and the managing partner at JPR Marketing Group, LLC, a leading
e-commerce software and marketing solutions provider. If you're
tired of all the hype, dead-ends and empty promises, come talk with
us. You'll find real people willing to have a real conversation with
you, and it won't cost you a dime. http://www.theBestOfBreed.com
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