by Angela Booth Copyright © 2005 All rights reserved.
Web visitors spend an average of seven seconds at a Web page. If you want to make sure that your visitors stay longer and increase the chances that they’ll buy from you, here are five tips which will help.
If you’re thinking, I’m not selling on my Web page -- I’m giving information, realize that yes, you’re selling on every page. You’re buying your visitors’ attention with every word and image.
1. Give them what they want
Ask yourself: what does your visitor want from the page? It could be news, information, education, or entertainment. Whatever it is, make sure that you deliver.
Who are your visitors? If You’re selling a product, and your target audience is your product’s buyers, tell them about your product, right on the home page. If you have several products, display images with short overviews, and links to product details’ pages.
Give your visitors what they want, right away.
2. Answer their questions
All your visitors’ questions boil down to Who, What, When, Where, How and Why.
Aim to answer those questions, or provide links where the questions will be answered.
3. Tell them a story
Be conversational. Talk to your audience, as if you were talking to a friend. It’s hard to read online, so when you’re reading a Web page, you scan it, looking for relevant information. Use headings, sub-headings and bullet points to help your visitors’ reading and to keep your visitors moving down the page.
A story has an intriguing beginning (a hook) to generate interest, a middle, and an end. Keep these sections in mind for your mind. What’s the intriguing beginning? Answer questions in the middle. Finally, on a Web page, the “end” is the response -- see Tip 5.
4. Be credible
Why should your visitors believe what you say? It’s easy to put up a Web page. Tell your visitors who you are. Offer testimonials. Provide a link to your About Us page on every page.
5. Get their response
What do you want your visitors to do? This tip is the most important. Keep the response you want in mind from the first word of the page. It’s your goal.
Your visitors have read your page. You’ve answered all their questions. Now it’s time for them to take action. Tell them how to do it -- exactly how, with:
* a Buy Now button
* a contact form
* an email address
* a phone number
In addition, tell your visitors what to expect when they take action. If they’re buying, explain the process, and when they can expect to receive their product. If they’re contacting you, tell them how soon you’ll reply.
About the writer
Angela Booth is the author of Making the Internet Work for your Business (Allen & Unwin, 1998) and is a full-service copywriter. Contact Angela for all your marketing and copywriting needs for Web and print. Angela is also available to ghostwrite your articles and books. Visit her site at http://angelabooth.com/ and contact her TODAY.
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