BUILDING WEB PAGES THAT MOVE PEOPLE TO BUY

By Charlie Cook
Posted Monday, June 21, 2004

The purpose of your marketing is to attract prospects and
help them make a series of decisions that lead them to
purchase your products or services. The sequence of
information you provide on your web site and its visual
presentation can drive clients to contact you about your
services or buy your products - or it can send them away.

Many small business owners have web sites but few are
making as much money from their sites as they'd like to
be. If you aren't getting the web traffic you'd like, or
if you're getting lots of traffic but no buyers, the
problem is most likely the design and copy you are using
on your site. The seven web page building guidelines below
will help you convert prospects to clients with your web
site.

1. List The Actions You Want Visitors To Take.
Do you want them to sign up for your newsletter, read
your marketing message, read your copy or just contact
you? Before you design or edit your page, make a list of
which actions you want people to take and in what order
when they visit your site.

2. Identify The Decisions Visitors Need To Make Prior To
each Action.
Before you design or redesign your homepage or edit your
copy, clarify the decision making sequence that you want
visitors to move through. Most marketing materials, web
sites included, rush to sell prospects on the solution
without laying the groundwork.

Help prospects clarify the problems they want solved and
the value in having them solved. Once you've done this,
you've created the context for selling your solution.

3. Design The Visual Hierarchy To Move People To The
Desired Action.
Use the size, color, and the location of elements (type,
illustrations or photographs) to bring visitors'
attention to the most important message first, then to
the second most important message or link. Make sure
that visitors can scan your page and find the most
important links first or can scan the copy and quickly
pick up the most important points because they stand out
visually.

4. Stay Focused On Prospects' Problems.
Your prospects want to satisfy their needs and, more
importantly, avoid incurring a loss or pain. Lead with
copy about their concerns. Let them know that you
understand their aspirations as well as their worries
and the problems they want to solve.

5. Write Your Copy To Support Prospects' Decision Making.
To demonstrate that you know and understand your
prospects' problems, be specific. Avoid general phrases
like "save time and money", which apply to hundreds of
services. Give detailed examples of the problems your
prospects experience and how you solve them.

6. Tell People What To Do.
If you want people to read a key article first, then
sign up for your newsletter, and then contact you,
tell them so. List the steps you want them to take at
the top of the page and then use your page design to
support this sequence of actions.

7. Make It Easy For Prospects To Contact You And To Buy.
Include a contact or order form on your homepage and make
your email and phone number easy to find.

Change the design and copy on your site to help visitors
take the steps to become clients. You'll be pleasantly
surprised at the difference in your response rate and
your business growth.

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2004 © In Mind Communications, LLC. All rights reserved.
About the Author
The author, Charlie Cook, helps service professionals
and small business owners attract more clients and be
more successful. Sign up to receive the Free Marketing
Guide, '7 Steps to Grow Your Business' and the
'More Business' newsletter, full of practical tips you can
use at (http://www.marketingforsuccess.com)