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The Smart Web Site: Navigating the 7 Red Flags
"The Smart Web Site Navigating The Field Of 7 Red Flags"
2002 by Scott T. Smith, Copywriting.Net
Figuring out what makes a smart, profitable Web site is a
process of elimination. Look around at what's out there on the
Web. Take a very close look at your competitors by inputting
your key words into a search engine. You will be amazed by what
you find.
There are certainly sites that are great, and full of good ideas
that you can take and make your own. But the majority could use
a good housecleaning.
Let's define a smart Web site by first identifying the various
red flags. Get rid of these problem areas, and the smart Web
site is revealed.
There are 7 main reasons why Web sites fail in their basic
structure, even before they begin to market their presence to
Rosetta StoneThe Rosetta stone is very famous for it provided the key to solve the ancient Egyptian ..... customers. People will visit Web sites for 3 primary reasons: to
find information, to be entertained, or to make a purchase.
Listed here are the roadblocks that get in their way.
1. Red Flag #1- Contact Information Is Difficult To Find
(Somewhere, deep beneath some hidden link lurks the contact
information. You know it is there, because nobody would be so
stupid as to leave this crucial part out. Would they..?)
Knock this red flag down by putting your contact information on
the home page, and adding links between pages within your site.
Include name, phone, fax, email, and surface mail address
prominently. Show visitors clearly on your home page how to
place an order with you. Make it easy for them.
2. Red Flag #2- Not User-Oriented
("How about giving visitors really useless information about
something I find "cute," or that really tickles my personal
funny bone? What if I bury the content I've advertised -- the
material my potential visitors are hungry to find -- beneath
layers of my exceptional personality? After all, this is my Web
site. Isn't it all about ME?")
The truth of the matter is that visitors to your site are
totally self-centered. They are looking for what they can gain
for themselves, and they want it NOW. Give it to them first,
beginning with the home page, or they will be gone in a click
and they won't be back, ever.
Right away you must give them an up-front reason to stick
around, and to get lost in your site. Tell them to BOOKMARK your
site. Demonstrate in your writing and graphics that they have
arrived at their dream site, filled with benefits for them,
about them, answering their specific and important needs. PS:
Tell them about "YOU" later.
3. Red Flag #3- Too Difficult To Navigate
("This site best viewed through Netscape Navigator version 18.c-
download a copy now -- only 18,000k, so smoke 'em if you got 'em
because it'll be awhile -- bye for now, but then come on back so
you can proceed. By the way, we've modeled this site after a rat
maze, because our feeling is the more intellectually challenged
you are, the greater appreciation you will have for our fabulous
content- IF you can find it, because there are a ton of links
taking you away from here to other sites all the heck over
cyberspace")
This red flag flaps very loudly indeed. Here are 4 simple rules
to observe:
- Everything you offer visitors should be no more than 2 clicks
away.
- Your sales information is never more than 1 click away.
- Prominent links at the top of pages get higher click-through
rates than those buried deep within.
- Organize your site like your favorite magazine cover. The
cover equals the home page; the articles headlined are all your
other pages. Just like you when you read a magazine, not every
article/Web page will have the same appeal for a visitor.
Provoke their response with a headline, 'forcing' them to click
and take a look inside.
4. Red Flag #4- Too Many Bells And Whistles
("Less is more? Says who? We're on the leading edge, so we go
for titanic graphics; really dark screen colors to separate us
from all those other sites; 3D, textured backgrounds for the
sake of interest (just don't try to read our pages); frames,
just because we can; lots of jiggling java and other "cool
stuff," at least a dozen a screen And sound -- just download
the extension! So you connect at 14.4 kbps -- so what? We're
worth the wait!")
Definitely not. Until the online world has across-the-board
access to high speed modems, and everyone uses the very same
browser you do, it's best to follow these 7 basics:
- Keep it simple.
- Try to keep each page size under 30k, and never over 40k.
- Use a solid background on text-heavy pages (white is best).
- Test. Connect through a 14.4 kbps modem to learn how long it
really takes to load.
- Don't put graphics at the top of your page, because they take
longer to load. Place them beneath a benefit-laden headline and
the opening salvo of your text.
- Don't put banners at the top of your page. If you do use them,
place them 2/3 of the way down, and then only on the RIGHT HAND
side of your page. Studies show this right justification
increases their click-through rate significantly.
- Choose to use frames, java, Shockwave, Active X and all the
other bells and whistles with the knowledge that a significant
percentage of your customers can't use them (yet). In fact,
these technical fireworks can cause their systems to crash. Not
a good advertisement for your offerings, wouldn't you agree?
5. Red Flag #5- The "Un" Site: Never Finished, Never Updated
("Under construction -- see my wee little logo saying so? But
I'm telling you, one of these days it's going to be great.
Really! You won't believe what you'll be able to get here, but
you'll have to come back when we're done, so bookmark now.")
Forget it. The online world functions through instant
gratification. Nobody will bookmark your unfinished site. By the
same token, if you don't revitalize your site often through
updating and enhancing information, you will be out of the race.
Your Web site is "organic", an asset that grows, and even a
simple change can make a difference. Cyberwave, an excellent
marketing site, prominently places the current month and year at
the top of their home page. Very smart, because it states that
they are totally up-to-the-minute, offering you the latest
marketing information available.
Never announce your site to the search engines before it is
finished, because you will let down a lot of potential customers
who will likely never return -- a total waste of your time and
money.
6. Red Flag #6- Lack Of Interactivity; No Way To Communicate
With Customers
("We're the phone company. We don't care -- we don't have to." -
Lily Tomlin)
But everyone else does. Customer response can make your success
on the Internet, and you will find as you deal with people
online that the personal touch and going the extra mile for
someone can make a huge difference.
Encourage interactivity. Give people every reason to visit your
site, and capture their information when they arrive. At a
minimum, you must get their email address. Best of all, get
their complete contact information -- those who supply their
address and phone number are your very best prospects for a
business relationship.
Here are a few suggestions for building an interactive web site:
- Develop an email newsletter or ezine
- Offer to discount an Internet purchase
- Offer frequent purchase bonuses
- Give away FREE information or products
- Make product announcements
- Offer prize giveaways and contests
- Supply cool things and links to cool places
- Offer games
- Generate a discussion group
- Develop and offer a searchable database
In exchange for each of these processes, you receive contact
information. But you should do even more. Find out what you can
about your growing customer base, and the effectiveness of your
web site.
Create a Guest Sign-In Book, and give something for signing it
in return.
Provide an Information Request form, in which you ask
respondents: "What are the top 3 things our business can do to
meet your needs?"
Provide a Feedback Form, asking customers these basic questions:
"How am I doing?" or "If I could offer you one more
service/item, it would be."
The list goes on. Electronic Order Forms, Customer Satisfaction
Forms and more, all of which give visitors to your site the
tools they need to interact with you. The more back and forth
access you provide between potential customers and you, the more
successful your Web site will be.
7. Red Flag #7- No Sales Message
("Well, folks, that's what we offer here. Not much, but thanks
for stopping in. Bye-bye.")
Wait! The average person is confronted by 1000's of
advertisements daily. Surely people have already grown
"comfortably numb." So shake them out of their stupor.
If you don't ask for the order, you will not get it. Ask
politely for their order now ell them to place their order right
away/DEMAND they send you their money immediately VERY LOUDLY,
and MORE THAN ONCE. Make sure they hear you, and you can count
on this: a certain percentage will respond.
Take away these seven red flags, and you are on your way to
standing head and shoulders above the majority of the online
crowd. You will have revealed the 3 basic ingredients of all
outstanding Web sites:
1. Your Web Site Is Now Customer-Based
2. Your Web Site Now Lives Up To the Promise Of Its PR
3. Your Web Site Is Now Easy To Access For Visitors, And For You
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Empower Your Business Today with a FREE Sales Copy Analysis.
Call toll-free in the US 1.800.798.4471 or email
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About the author:
Scott Smith is the founder of Copywriting.net. Scott's
experience as a print, video and online copywriter covers more
than three dozen industries, with businesses ranging in size
from one-person shops to multi-national corporations in Africa,
Asia, Europe and extensively throughout North America. His
articles on marketing have appeared in over one hundred online
and print publications including ComputerEdge, Internet Day and
Sales & Marketing Executive Report.
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