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They hire a web designer who focuses more on graphics than sales copy. The truth is... only one out of one hundred web designers know how to build an interactive biz site that sells.
Most web designers are concerned with logos and graphics, very few know how to persuade visitors to become customers.
Designers love high tech things like flash animations, splash pages, and hard to follow navigation menus. And sadly, a lot of business owners buy into this. One of the first things they say is, "I want a website that looks like this or that."
Sorry, but it's a fact that flash intros and great artistic visions don't generate income, except for the web designer.
In the many focus groups we've conducted, consumers of all ages said, bells and whistles usually drive them away from websites.
People who go online are in a BIG hurry
Visitors come to your website seeking information or a solution to their problem. They most likely did not get online to buy anything.
You only have about eight seconds to convince visitors that your product or service is the solution they need. That is... if you're lucky enough to pass the, "Should I even look at this?" test.
So either demonstrate a solution FAST, or..."Click"... your site's visitors are gone! That's why repetitious animations and lots of graphics just get in the way.
How people really use the web
I've spent a lot of time watching people use the Internet and the thing I've noticed most is the difference between how site owners think people use the web, and how people actually use websites.
Much of the time visitors only glance at a page, scan some of the text, and click on the first link that catches their interest or vaguely resembles something they're looking for.
There are usually large sections of the web page that visitors don't even look at.
The site owner is thinking "great product brochure", while the visitor's reality is closer to "billboard zooming by at 70 MPH."
It's a bit more complicated than that—it depends on the type of web page, what the visitor is trying to do, how much of a hurry she's in and more. But the simplistic billboard analogy is much closer to reality than most website owners imagine.
If you want an effective website
You have to live with three facts about how people really use websites:
- People don't read web pages.
One of the very few well-documented facts about Internet use is that people spend very little time reading most web pages.
- Visitors don't make the best choices.
They choose the first reasonable option. Most often they find a link that seems like it may lead to what they're looking for and they click it.
- Visitors don't want to figure things out.
Very few people take time to read instructions when faced with any sort of technology. Instead, they just storm ahead and stumble through.
To succeed online DMVT and KISS
Don't make visitors think or have to guess where to click because of artsy navigation. Make it easy for them to find their way around your website.
Don't make them guess what it is they're supposed to do on your site. Tell them what you want them to do, and guide them smoothly through the steps.
Don't confuse them with big words, cutesy navigation text, or lots of techno-speak. Use plain, simple English and short easy to read and understand sentences.
Do not use music tracks or any other audio unless the visitor can turn it on and off. And make sure it's off when they arrive on-site. In the fewest words...
KISS (Keep It Simple & Stupid)
I shouldn't need to say this but so very few business websites do it... make it easy for visitors to do what you want them to do.
Make it easy to get around, uncluttered, easy to read, etc. Keep it simple. Even if your web business is targeted at highly educated people like teachers and doctors.
In fact, the more educated your visitors the more they'll appreciate a less demanding experience.
And the rest of us probably won't be aware that your site was "dumbed down", we'll simply have a more enjoyable experience.
Make staying on your site easier than surfing
Do everything you can to keep visitors on your website. Your visitors are always just a click away from leaving your site forever. If you don't ever forget that...
You will make more money... or get more subscribers, more leads, more donations... More of whatever it is you're trying to achieve with your Internet business.
Facts about making money online.
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