Thursday, November 16, 2006
Gift wrap your presents, not your web site
Recently I visited web sites of coaches, authors and speakers who invited me to just stop by and say hello. Most were still working with their very first web sites. Some were recovering from the experience, even 2 years afterward. Some said, “Tell me why my website isn’t working.” They meant, “Give me the one minute quick fix.” If you’ve been around my site or consulted with me, you know I don’t work that way. I ask a ton of questions and discuss strategy before writing copy. But if I had just one minute, I would suggest 3 tips that will dramatically raise the value of your website. Get rid of the gift wrapping. Take your message out of the box and show us – no apologies. (1) Hide the welcome mat. Visitors know they’re welcome. You wouldn’t be hanging out in cyberspace, with a URL and a domain name, if you didn’t want them to come. Occasionally successful consultants will break this rule, with a one-sentence welcome message in regular-size type. But I bet if they took away the “welcome” nobody would miss it. (2) Quote yourself – not a famous hero.. The only reason to have a quote is to demonstrate your philosophy to visitors – after they’ve gotten to know you, and when your personal views are relevant to delivering the service. After all, if you’re a life coach, I might be curious to know if you’re closer to Deepak Chopra than John Denver. Quotes might reinforce your message but they’ll rarely motivate visitors to keep reading. (3) Use design to highlight copy. Have you ever gotten a gift that’s so exquisitely decorated you say, “I don’t want to open the package – it’s too beautiful.” Web design should motivate visitors to keep reading, not distract them with flash, stirring images and clever creativity. We’re entering the gift season, big-time. My birthday comes right around Thanksgiving every year (and sometimes right on Thanksgiving) so I get into the holiday spirit early. Unlike websites, gifts demand to be opened. Part of the fun is tearing off the paper and waiting to see what’s inside (if the dog hasn’t gotten there first). Alas, most visitors won’t view websites as gifts. Faced with wrapping, they’ll just go off elsewhere. We won’t even get a thank you note. To unwrap your own website, come to a complimentary teleclass! http://www.makewritingpay.com/classes.html |
# posted by Cathy Goodwin @ 9:26 AM 
