People come to your website with specific purposes and goals in mind, but primarily they want answers. In order to ensure you are answering their questions in the most thorough manner possible, you will need a solid understanding of your “typical” customer as well as the problems they want to solve. The home page of your business website should first and foremost address the most pressing issues and questions your potential customers have.
Most typical users want to know what they are doing on your website, how to do it in the most expedient manner possible, what’s in it for them, and where they should go next. Once you have answered these questions through your persuasive home page copy you are off to a good start. If you are targeting more than one type of visitor to your site, make sure you can direct them easily to different pages. Make your descriptions compelling, but not excessive—too much hype can be a turnoff.
Sell Benefits and Grab Their Attention with Headlines
People coming to your website want to know how whatever you’re selling will benefit them personally. This type of information grabs their attention, leading them into the other features of your site. People read headlines first and foremost, so make sure yours are the best. Once you’ve gained their attention, they will want to read the rest of your copy.
The Importance of Your Landing Page
The landing page is a specific website area where traffic is sent via links. The landing page will prompt a certain action or result, so it’s highly important that the links you are using to send traffic to your website is extremely relevant to what they are actually looking for. When people click on links expecting one thing, but get another, they become disenchanted quickly, and click to someone else’s page, looking for help and information.
Pay Extra Attention to Your “About Us” Page
While you may not consider this page to be one of exceptional importance, it can be an important way to build trust and credibility. People want to know your story. They want to know how you came to this business, how long you’ve been in business, and what your specific credentials and talents are that make you uniquely qualified. Building trust is essential in this day of scams and cons. Prominently display your phone number and address so you don’t look “shady” in any way. Although web business is done through cyberspace, we humans still want to have the comfort and security of knowing where—in the real world—the brick and mortar building which houses your business actually stands.
Turning Users into Customers
If you’ve shown how your product or service is different and better than your competition’s, then half the battle is won. Emphasize what your new customers will receive, and how you will stand behind your product. Make it simple to sign up, join in or buy now, and place this call to action in a prominent, easy-to-find place on your site. Few of us are willing to risk our hard-earned cash these days, so minimize the risk by offering a comprehensive guarantee, or a no-risk return policy to build trust among your customers. Your goal is to build the same sort of relationship with your new Internet customers as you do with your in-person customers. Sprinkle in some free, helpful information, or provide education on what they are purchasing. Offer a monthly newsletter, or even a free e-course. All of these things build trust between you and your customers, creating happy people who will come back time and time again to your website and will pass the good news along to friends and family.
