| n from other’s mistakes," my Mom always | | | | clients. After they get to the next page, give them |
| advised me. Learn from mine, save three precious | | | | choice of different areas where you can help them |
| marketing years, tons of frustration, energy, and | | | | as a virtual assistant or a coach. |
| come out way ahead of the game. Best of all, this | | | | Walk them through the process in steps, "hold their |
| will not create a loss of sales, as it did for me. | | | | hand" as you lead them through all the things that |
| 1. If you use a shopping cart, check if the zip code | | | | you can do for them. Create a walk-through |
| request appears before the city and state on the | | | | easy-to-follow effect. It will pay off in profits. |
| order form. Most carts don't do this. Why is this | | | | 12. Do not add any pages to the site that do not |
| important? Because if ordering is not easy, I mean | | | | pertain to the visitors' reasons for coming to your |
| real easy, for your buyers, they drop out in the | | | | site. People do not have time for irrelevant |
| process. Ordering should be as effortless as possible | | | | information. |
| for the purchaser. | | | | 13. You do not need an engineer or a web site |
| If the zip code is before the city and state and is set | | | | designer to design your website. In fact, while they |
| to drop their city and state into the next two fields | | | | would not like to hear this, you do not need them. |
| automatically, it saves the purchaser's time. Believe it | | | | They may do everything right technically, but they |
| or not, this one "little" item leaves a memory chip and | | | | do not know how to get people to stay at your site |
| they will remember the experience in the future. Did | | | | or buy from you. |
| you know that 60% of buyers opt-out and don't | | | | Marketers know how to do that. While 98% of |
| complete the transaction because of the little things? | | | | engineers and web site designer claim they are |
| 2. Do you have boxes or radial buttons that they | | | | marketers, less than 1% know anything about |
| need to check off in the ordering process? If you | | | | marketing. The truly rare commodity is a fantastic |
| do, then go ahead and fill-in the checkmark "in" for | | | | marketer who is savvy about web site design. |
| them. Let them uncheck it if they do not want the | | | | Building your site is just like building a house: without |
| choice you gave them. Again, making it easier to buy | | | | an architect who knows about layout, structure air |
| from you and reduce the chance of them leaving | | | | flow, etc., all you have is a construction company |
| before completing the transaction. | | | | building the house from their sense of style, direction |
| If you have a questionnaire or survey form, check all | | | | and beliefs. |
| the "yes" categories or one of the radial buttons for | | | | Know where the advice is coming from and hire |
| them so they don't have to do the work. They will | | | | them only for their expertise. If you are reading an |
| remember the experience as "easy" and it will be | | | | article on marketing on the Internet that was written |
| imprinted in their minds for the next purchase or | | | | by someone who is a web site designer, a red flag |
| experience with you. | | | | should go up. |
| 3. Many people forget to set up the "error page" on | | | | If you are talking with a marketer who does not |
| their web site. Do not leave that to chance. Ask | | | | have web site design experience and you are looking |
| them questions on the error page so that you will | | | | for help in building your web site, raise that flag again. |
| know what occurred. Example: "Tell me how you saw | | | | The rare person with the unique combination may be |
| this page please." Add your e-mail address. Hyperlink | | | | hard to find, but we exist -- I designed my learning |
| the address and spell out the full address for those | | | | to be one of those rare ones. |
| with different browsers. Make it easy for people to | | | | I have helped many people clean up their web site |
| identify any errors on your web site so you can fix | | | | after they have worked with web designers and/or |
| them quickly. | | | | marketers. And trust me, the clean up is more time |
| If you think that will never happen to you and that | | | | consuming than starting all over. |
| you have checked your links repeatedly, it can still | | | | 14. Don't make your buyer feel stupid while they are |
| happen. Software has glitches and they happen to be | | | | in the process of buying from you -- in the "cart" |
| the best of the best. In addition, an error page is a | | | | process. Internet service providers (ISPs and web |
| great place to add other hyperlinked navigational bars | | | | site hosts) do this frequently. Just one example of |
| (a list of the main areas of your web site). Also, | | | | this is when they ask their nontechie buyers the |
| offer an opportunity for them to enroll in your ezine | | | | option, "Choose your server" |
| here as well. | | | | The majority of their buyers have no idea what this |
| 4. Omit the metaphors. Most adults do not have the | | | | means. They do not understand that you are asking |
| time or the patience to play games on the Internet. | | | | if they want a Unix or Windows based system. |
| If your market is teens, this is a different story. | | | | Moreover, even these same buyers are asked in this |
| Teenagers will enjoy the entertainment. | | | | manner, they still do not have any clue what are the |
| If you offer an entertaining feature on your site, you | | | | advantages or disadvantages of either one. |
| will need to carryout the theme throughout your site, | | | | So, they feel stupid. You will lose more buyers with |
| otherwise they will leave as soon as it stops. This has | | | | questions like this. The buyer feels frustrated and |
| occurred quite often lately as professionals add video | | | | 99% of the time leaves without buying. Look on |
| to their site (considered entertainment) and then the | | | | your site, are you asking any questions that make |
| rest of the site is flat. They get a lot of hits to the | | | | the buyers or visitors feel stupid? |
| video and then no response on the call to action that | | | | 15. The most common place to click on any web |
| they have set up. | | | | page is the top left-hand corner. Put the choice to go |
| 5. Please do not activate "under construction" pages. | | | | to the next page or to pick the most popular page |
| Wait until the page is ready and then upload it. If you | | | | or product in this location. If the purpose of the page |
| are using FrontPage, you can remove it from the | | | | site is different, you may want to put the back and |
| Navigational system by right clicking on the page and | | | | forward buttons there. |
| turning it off. | | | | Don't put graphics, especially your logo, on the upper |
| 6. Don't beat around the bush with your visitors. | | | | left hand corner. This is prime real estate for your |
| Make your message so clear that even a ten year | | | | website. If you have a retail site, place your |
| old will understand it. Make the language | | | | top-selling item in this space or a drop down menu of |
| conversational -- easy English. | | | | three of the top selling items. |
| 7. Make your "buy me" buttons "Amazon" blue. | | | | 16. Answer the visitors' main questions in one |
| Backed by good research, Amazon has trained | | | | easy-to-find and readable paragraph. Don't make the |
| millions of their visitors in this color and in their design | | | | font too small to read and do not make it go across |
| style. Use their success to your advantage. Visit to | | | | the page requiring the reader to scroll. I've seen |
| see what "Amazon" blue looks like. | | | | young web site designers use small fonts on their |
| 8. Do you offer a search form on your site? You | | | | website which wants to attract a market |
| need to. Once again -- making it easy for your | | | | that’s in their 40s and 50s. Fact, the older |
| visitors to find the information they want quickly. | | | | you get the bigger the font. |
| Here is a tip that I learned only a few months ago | | | | 17. Don't talk down to your visitors. They are |
| that has paid big since. After all I have read and | | | | intelligent people who will not stand for it. They will |
| learned over the past 10 years, nothing was every | | | | leave and never come back. There is a difference in |
| mentioned about this. When someone searches for | | | | talking down and presenting a conversational style. |
| something and it is not found, set up a default-selling | | | | Talking down is like explaining it to your child; the |
| page. | | | | other is like talking to another adult. Technical people |
| Here are a few ideas on how to use the default | | | | have a big tendency to talk down to nontechnical |
| page when their search comes up empty. Offer | | | | people. |
| them a 10% coupon for something else, or for | | | | 18. Make it easy for them to share their comments |
| anything on your site. Tell them this is a one-time | | | | with you. Whether it is about a hyperlink that does |
| offer (they will not know otherwise). On the other | | | | not work or other errors they have found. They |
| hand, you could provide a list of available discounts or | | | | may want to tell how much they appreciated your |
| offer them a choice of sections to proceed to. Do | | | | information. Create a place on every page where |
| not let them get the "Can't find a match" message at | | | | they can feel comfortable about submitting their |
| any time. | | | | comments. Comfortable also means that they have a |
| 9. When collecting visitor information for your | | | | choice on whether to send their contact information |
| database, do it one step at a time. Do not try to do | | | | or not. |
| everything at once. If you offer an ezine, the first | | | | 19. Organize your site from the visitors' point of view. |
| step is to ask for their e- mail address only. After | | | | If you are not sure, ask some typical visitors. "What |
| they type that in, take them to another page to | | | | questions did they have when they landed on the |
| answer questions. | | | | first page?", is a great question to start. Get them to |
| Alternatively, you can send them an auto responder | | | | walk you through their thinking. You will pick up some |
| asking them questions. Better yet, send them to a | | | | patterns after the first three or four. This is the best |
| survey page after they have subscribed to your | | | | research you can do and it will save you years of |
| newsletter. You will enjoy an increase in subscribers | | | | revisions. |
| and survey submissions. | | | | Do not ask family members or friends. Ask clients |
| 10. If you use drop down menus for your states or | | | | who have just finished visiting your site. They are |
| countries, remove them. "Techies" like drop down | | | | familiar visitors and they will want something different |
| menus, but visitors don't. Let the visitor type in their | | | | from a new visitor. You need to set up your landing |
| state and country. It is ten times faster and much | | | | page to handle both familiar and new visitors without |
| easier than looking through a long list searching for a | | | | being confusing. |
| state and country. Even if the United States is at the | | | | 20. One of the most valuable pages in a web site |
| top, it still makes the buyer search. | | | | that is sadly overlooked is the "thank you" page. If |
| 11. The best way to give your visitors what they | | | | someone signs up for your ezine or places an order, |
| want is to keep it simple. This is especially true for | | | | include a popup saying "thank you for visiting." Use |
| the landing page of your web site. The landing page | | | | whatever way you can think says it best, but don't |
| is your main or index page. | | | | leave it out. The other half of this equation is not to |
| What do you want your visitors to do when they | | | | loose the opportunity to cross sell or up sell on the |
| reach your site? If they are there to subscribe to | | | | thank you page. |
| your ezine (electronic newsletter), send them to that | | | | First, say thank you and then give them an offer |
| page by giving them that immediate option. Then | | | | they cannot refuse. On the thank you page, you can |
| send them to a page that focuses them on | | | | provide a coupon for 10 percent off on anything in |
| subscribing. Give them all the information they need | | | | the store or 10 percent off on any overstocked or |
| to make a choice and to subscribe. If they are | | | | limited stock item. |
| first-time visitors, where do they click first? | | | | Now that you have these tips on what mistakes not |
| For example, if you are a coach, ask them if they | | | | to make, you need to put them into practice. Choose |
| want to know more about coaching. If you are a | | | | three and start completing them. Then move on to |
| virtual assistant (VA), send them to a page or two | | | | the next three and keep moving through the list. You |
| about what a VA does and how you help your | | | | will be excited of the results. |