Are You Running Your Website Visitors Away?

Small businesses are flocking to the Internet.
The web is fast becoming a major channel for lead
generations and sales of products and services.
Additionally, thousands of people are turning to
the Web to start their own home-based businesses.

After spending hundreds and even thousands of
dollars to build their web presence, the vast
majority of businesses coming online are
disappointed with the promised results of their
websites. I’m sorry to say, but most of these
under-performing websites were build by graphic
designers and technical developers that have no
real marketing experience. In committing these
mistakes many small business owners are
unwittingly driving their website visitors away!

Having reviewed literally hundreds of websites for
small business owners, I have seen the exact same
mistakes being made over and over. The following
are 5 of the most common website design mistakes
being made today – and tips on what you can do to
avoid them.

Mistake #1 – Not Clearly Differentiating Yourself
From The Competition

How many websites have you been to that look the
same, say the same thing, have the same functions,
and generally are just the same-ole website?
Probably a lot. People go to your website to get
information to solve their problem and to find out
how you can solve it for them.

If your visitor doesn’t have a clear understanding
of why you are different and that you are the only
solution for them to logically choose, they will
click on over to your competitor.

One of the most common website mistakes is not
clearly differentiating themselves from their
competitors in a meaningful way. Meaningful in a
sense, that whatever difference you claim to have
must benefit the customer. It needs to be
something that they desire.

If you’ve done your job right, you visitor will
feel that they would be foolish to not buy your
product or service.

Mistake #2 – Content focused on only you and your
business

No one cares about you or any of your awards. All
they care about is how you can help them solve
their problem. I see this time and again – small
business webites owners focusing all their content
on their company and how good they think they are.

The moment you start to understand that people
don’t care about you, and what they really care
about is how you can solve their problem, your
sales will begin to increase. Why? Because
generally speaking, deep down, people are totally
immersed in their own problems. Your job is to
get into that person’s mind as the solution of
those problems. Here are some tactics that you can
implement to make your prospect begin to see you
as the solution to their problems:

-State your prospect’s problem then agitate it

-Address each potential objection in your copy
and an FAQ area

-Do the “I and We” test (If you have I in your
copy more than half of the times you use "you and
your"…you need to re-write your copy)

-Show testimonials and case studies of people
that have achieved positive results

Mistake #3 – Confusing Navigational Instructions

The cyberworld is impatient and unforgiving. If a
visitor lands on your site and gets confused, she
is only a mouse click away from another site.
Providing good navigation on your website is a
must if you want to convert your visitors into
customers. Here is a 3 step formula for
developing a good navigational scheme for your
site:

-Determine your “most wanted response” (MWR)

-Provide a pathway to your MWR

-Provide a closing page i.e. an irresistible
offer

Mistake #4 – No use of compelling headlines and
sub-headlines

It is said that 80% of the success of a direct
mail letter is attributed to its headline. It is
no different with website copy. The Web has
brought us universal access to photos and graphics
but in the end, it’s the copy that sells…period.
The trick to getting your visitors to read your
copy is to use dynamic, attention-getting
headlines and sub-headlines.

The sole purpose of your headline should be to
make sure your visitor wants to continue reading
the text below it. Each and every page of your
website should start with a headline.

Mistake #5 – Dull, Mind-Numbing Content

Many web developers just don’t know how to write
web copy. Most small business sites provide copy
that is boring and useless. The site is about
what the small business does and NOT what problem
your services solve for the customer.

Here are some suggestions to liven up your web
copy:

-Include stories of real people

-Use case studies

-Use surveys, studies, charts, graphs and evidence

-Use thumbnail photo galleries…make sure they are thumbnail and not

full size…a slow loading site is a no-no!

While this list doesn’t cover all of the possible
website mistakes, it does describe some of the
most expensive, destructive and most common made
by many online business owners. Just by following
the suggestions above, you will find that your
website visitors will land on your site and feel
free to stay awhile and browse around. Thus,
beginning the process of converting a visitor into
a customer.
====================================================

Irene Brooks is the Founder of 3-D Success
Partners, and editor of the 3-D Success
Newsletter. To get your free lifetime
subscription go to http://www.3-DSuccessCoach.com