You know that I'm always extolling the virtues of an all-round website marketing approach that doesn't just focus on search engines? Well, you'll be suprised to hear there's a big problem with this.
The big problem with this is that it assumes your website is ready to start receiving lots of visitors in the first place! Before you start marketing your site you need to know..
How To Destroy Your Homepage And Turn It Into Dynamite
The sad fact of the matter is that most homepages on the web suck. They're not just "below par" - they are downright embarrassing. Now I'm not saying yours is one of them but I'll stick my neck on the line and say that yours is not 100% perfect.
So what can you do? Well - it's time to get a sledgehammer and destroy your homepage. Don't pussyfoot around - just take a big run up, a huge swing and smash the thing to smithereens. Level it to the floor. It's the only way to get it right.
Why Destroying Your Homepage Is The Right Thing To Do
By destroying your homepage you will then start with a blank page - the only way to truly get inspired and come up with something completely different.
You see the problem here is that your homepage is probably the result of months of tweaking, tidying, cluttering, cleaning, dusting, re-tweaking and re-cluttering. Your homepage usually ends up as a combination of all the things you think are important but as a result can often end up looking more like a messy attic than a welcoming reception into your business.
3 Ingredients You Need To Turn Your Homepage Into Dynamite
Ingredient No. 1 - Headlines
You've read a newspaper right? (Here's hoping..). Imagine trying to digest all that information without headlines to draw your attention, differentiate all the separate paragraphs and give you a clue as to what the detailed descriptions beneath are all about? It would be impossible to read.
If you don't have attention-grabbing headlines on your homepage that's what you're doing - making your page impossible to read. And remember - "Welcome to Widgets Inc." or "Welcome to my homepage" are not headlines! Write something that makes me ask "How do you do that?!"
Ingredient No. 2 - Proof Is In The Pudding
You will never make a single sale in your life unless you can establish confidence in the buyer. One of the easiest ways to establish this confidence is to show them proof. Now the tricky bit here is that you haven't got pages and pages of opportunity to do this - you can't start waxing lyrical on your homepage.
What you need to do is hit people with quick shots of hard, cold and irrefutable proof right away. Proof that what you sell works. Proof that they should listen to you. Proof that if they leave your website right now their life will be worse because of it. But I'm not in a position to tell you exactly what shape this proof should take - hell, it's your business not mine! If you haven't got lots of proof - you're in trouble and possibly in the wrong business.
Ingredient 3 - One Single Individual Sole Lonely Non-plural Stand Alone Call To Action
What is your website for? What are you trying to do with it? Whatever your ultimate desired end goal for each visitor you need to make this clear to them right on the homepage. Don't just leave them floating around looking at information making their own decisions about where to go on your site and what to do! Why? Because the chances are that their decision will be to get out of there at the first opportunity because you've not told them what you want them to do.
People like to be led. So lead them!!
"I want to sell you X on this site"
"You need to sign-up now and your life will never be the same again!"
The above are both good examples. Don't be scared and British about it - shout about your motives and desires on your homepage. Otherwise - don't come moaning to me when your visitors aren't doing what you want them to do. They're not psychic you know!
Michael Cheney is Author of The Website Marketing BibleTM. Take the Free 7-Part Course "Internet Marketing Made Easy" and get your free sampler of 'The Bible' here: http://www.websitemarketingbible.com/marketing/
quick home cleaning Glenview ...I once created a notepad-like editor. It is possible with... Read More
ASP.NET is a new programming framework from Microsoft for developing... Read More
Graphics are fun, but if you put in too many... Read More
Then it was a choice among crayons, paints and palettes... Read More
Choosing a web designer can seem like a daunting task.... Read More
So, what's in a website design anyway? And, how do... Read More
In this article you will find the parallel between two... Read More
Know what you wantMake sure you know why you... Read More
Questions to ask when designing a Web Site for your... Read More
Imagine you're going on a blind date. You've heard wonderful... Read More
It has been said that the best online sales copy... Read More
The most important person that you need to please when... Read More
Most websites use similar fonts and as a result have... Read More
In this article we will be looking at why you... Read More
Let's face it; the line from A Field of Dreams... Read More
Hire a designer or a programmer for your website is... Read More
With so many new websites going up, it is hard... Read More
Audio can provide an added dimension to your site. It... Read More
Does your website need a re-design? Here are some questions... Read More
Making a poorly designed website is one of the easiest... Read More
You've designed your logo, and you're ready to print your... Read More
When designing your website, remember to avoid useless and confusing... Read More
CSS or Cascading Style Sheets has opened up tremendous possibilities... Read More
I hate to imagine that in your web development project... Read More
Tips to brand your websiteInclude your logo in all pages.... Read More
house refresh service Winnetka ...The title tags of your web pages are more important... Read More
Web advertising has taken many forms, including those that appear... Read More
You may not believe it, but people still judge things... Read More
Whether you are planning on having a website built for... Read More
The concept of web designing based on the nature and... Read More
Here are 10 dynamic website advertising tactics to super-charge your... Read More
Do know your audienceIt's important to know your audience. If... Read More
This is a very perfunctory look at the website code... Read More
Conventional Wisdom states you should use Sub-Directories to organize your... Read More
A "404 Error" happens when the web server you are... Read More
You have only 10 seconds to impress your potential buyer.... Read More
There can be zillions of reasons why your visitors return... Read More
Questions to ask when designing a Web Site for your... Read More
Contrary to the beliefs of some, advertising for web and... Read More
In this article I will give a few tips of... Read More
We would all like to have the best looking website,... Read More
Web Site Awards are given from other sites to reward... Read More
"Oh, my eyes, my eyes! What an eye sore. Quick,... Read More
The Basics You have a flourishing business ? everything is... Read More
FACT: 30 to 60% of visitors tend to drop off... Read More
CSS is a new option for website designers that have... Read More
Some wise human once said "Learn from the mistakes of... Read More
One of the biggest problems with Web sites is that... Read More
The "Wow" factor that accompanied the introduction of streaming media... Read More
With the advent of the Internet a whole new vista... Read More
Web Design |