10 Reasons Why Your Website is Leaking Money!
By Kristie Rimmele
We've all done it: we surf to a website
hoping to find a solution to our problem.
The web page pulls up and we start reading.
Amidst the blinking of flashing links and hyped up promotional language, we think,
"Does that website really have what I am looking for?"
The truth is, that if your visitor can't answer in about 5 seconds "What's in it for me?"
you've lost them. And with every lost visitor go lost profits. How can you be sure that
your website isn't losing profits? Below are the top 10 reasons why your website is
leaking money. See how your website measures up.
1. No clear marketing message.
To see an example of the absolute worst example of no clear marketing message visit
AlerCheck. Amidst the purple flowers and name AlerCheck, visitors are given NO
clue what this website is about. Even when you click thru to the second page, the key
real estate area "above the fold" is wasted with the company name and contact
information.
Now to see an example of a marketing message done right, visit Marc LeBlanc.
Immediately Mark tells you he is: "For groups of small business owners who want to
grow their business and independent professionals who want to sell more products
and services." The focus is all about what he does, who he serves, what value he
provides."
2. Link overwhelm.
Recently I read a horrifying statistic that said that the average home page has about 27
links on it. Talk about confusion. Imagine that you have just walked into a mansion.
You look around and see so many rooms -- it all looks enticing. But where do you go
first? Think about the top 3 actions you want visitors to take and limit your links to
that. For example, maybe your top 3 actions are: signup for e-zine, visit online store, or
call for free consultation.
3. No call to action.
Every page on your website needs to be designed with a purpose. What action do you
want visitors to take? You may want them to: call now, sign up for e-zine, contact for
consultation, start frëë trial, email for more information, or just click here to read more.
End each page with the call to action you want to visitor to take.
4. Not capturing lead information.
The biggest sin in website marketing is to let your visitors leave your website without
capturing their contact information. Some marketers have taken this to the extreme by
only letting visitors enter a site after they have provided their email information. This
is called a "name squeeze" page. See an example of this here on Armand Morin's Big
Seminar. Another way to capture lead information is to offer a free teleseminar, audio
recording, video, or special report when they sign up for your e-zine.
5. Poor navigation.
There's nothing worse than not being able to find a page. Inconsistent or confusing
website navigation frustrates visitors. Having two forms of navigation can eliminate
this problem. In addition to having top or left navigation buttons or links, create an
additional set of text links at the bottom of the page. Additionally, adding a site map
can help people find a page in a pinch (as well as make Google love your site!)
6. No personal touch.
Technology can be so cold. In order for you to create a relationship with the visitor,
you need to add a personal touch to your website. You can do this by adding your
picture, using conversational language. For some whole bunch of clever ways to add
your personal brand to your website, get a free report by visiting: "Website Branding
Secrets."
7. No compelling reason to buy now.
Once you have someone's interest, you need to give them an offer they can't refuse.
Coupons, discounts, and bonus gifts can create that extra incentive. Other ideas
include limited quantities, time sensitive offers, and prices going up soon.
8. Too annoying.
There's nothing worst than a "color happy" designer that has gone a little overboard
with their website design. Sometimes, less is more. Keep load time reasonable, avoid
color overload, and make sure there is ample white space. Additionally, too much
flash, music, or animation is a turn off to many visitors. Finally, for our eyeglass
wearing friends, let's make sure the font size is readable for them too!
9. Lack of professionalism.
Want to turn off a client? Typos will do it. Having a proofreader review your website
helps you eliminate those pesky typos, grammar and punctuation errors, and broken
links.
10. Missing or hard to find contact information.
Let's say that your customer has his credit card out and has a question. He searches
your website for your phone number and can't find it anywhere. Frustrated he leaves
your website and surfs on to another site. Don't risk losing business like this!
Have a contact page listing your full contact info. Take a little tip from Victoria's
Secrets. Did you ever notice that at the bottom of every page of their catalog they have
their 1-800 order number? Adding your phone number to the bottom of every page can
net you a few more orders!
Websites can be a confusing place. Let's do our job of making it easier for people to do
business with us. By taking a second look at your website, you can plug up the money
holes and be on your way to greater website profits!
About the author: Speaker, author, and consultant, Kristie Rimmele is an entrepreneurial expert
who has helped thousands of people to start and succeed in their online businesses. She is the
founder of Webmomz.com, president of Branding on the Net, and author of several books
including, I Love My Life: A Mom's Guide to Working from Home and a contributing author to
the upcoming book, "Build it Big 2: 101 Insider Secrets from Direct Selling Experts" by Dearborn
Publishing. Claim your Free Home Business Success Series Ecourse and hot business tips.
By Kristie Rimmele
We've all done it: we surf to a website
hoping to find a solution to our problem.
The web page pulls up and we start reading.
Amidst the blinking of flashing links and hyped up promotional language, we think,
"Does that website really have what I am looking for?"
The truth is, that if your visitor can't answer in about 5 seconds "What's in it for me?"
you've lost them. And with every lost visitor go lost profits. How can you be sure that
your website isn't losing profits? Below are the top 10 reasons why your website is
leaking money. See how your website measures up.
1. No clear marketing message.
To see an example of the absolute worst example of no clear marketing message visit
AlerCheck. Amidst the purple flowers and name AlerCheck, visitors are given NO
clue what this website is about. Even when you click thru to the second page, the key
real estate area "above the fold" is wasted with the company name and contact
information.
Now to see an example of a marketing message done right, visit Marc LeBlanc.
Immediately Mark tells you he is: "For groups of small business owners who want to
grow their business and independent professionals who want to sell more products
and services." The focus is all about what he does, who he serves, what value he
provides."
2. Link overwhelm.
Recently I read a horrifying statistic that said that the average home page has about 27
links on it. Talk about confusion. Imagine that you have just walked into a mansion.
You look around and see so many rooms -- it all looks enticing. But where do you go
first? Think about the top 3 actions you want visitors to take and limit your links to
that. For example, maybe your top 3 actions are: signup for e-zine, visit online store, or
call for free consultation.
3. No call to action.
Every page on your website needs to be designed with a purpose. What action do you
want visitors to take? You may want them to: call now, sign up for e-zine, contact for
consultation, start frëë trial, email for more information, or just click here to read more.
End each page with the call to action you want to visitor to take.
4. Not capturing lead information.
The biggest sin in website marketing is to let your visitors leave your website without
capturing their contact information. Some marketers have taken this to the extreme by
only letting visitors enter a site after they have provided their email information. This
is called a "name squeeze" page. See an example of this here on Armand Morin's Big
Seminar. Another way to capture lead information is to offer a free teleseminar, audio
recording, video, or special report when they sign up for your e-zine.
5. Poor navigation.
There's nothing worse than not being able to find a page. Inconsistent or confusing
website navigation frustrates visitors. Having two forms of navigation can eliminate
this problem. In addition to having top or left navigation buttons or links, create an
additional set of text links at the bottom of the page. Additionally, adding a site map
can help people find a page in a pinch (as well as make Google love your site!)
6. No personal touch.
Technology can be so cold. In order for you to create a relationship with the visitor,
you need to add a personal touch to your website. You can do this by adding your
picture, using conversational language. For some whole bunch of clever ways to add
your personal brand to your website, get a free report by visiting: "Website Branding
Secrets."
7. No compelling reason to buy now.
Once you have someone's interest, you need to give them an offer they can't refuse.
Coupons, discounts, and bonus gifts can create that extra incentive. Other ideas
include limited quantities, time sensitive offers, and prices going up soon.
8. Too annoying.
There's nothing worst than a "color happy" designer that has gone a little overboard
with their website design. Sometimes, less is more. Keep load time reasonable, avoid
color overload, and make sure there is ample white space. Additionally, too much
flash, music, or animation is a turn off to many visitors. Finally, for our eyeglass
wearing friends, let's make sure the font size is readable for them too!
9. Lack of professionalism.
Want to turn off a client? Typos will do it. Having a proofreader review your website
helps you eliminate those pesky typos, grammar and punctuation errors, and broken
links.
10. Missing or hard to find contact information.
Let's say that your customer has his credit card out and has a question. He searches
your website for your phone number and can't find it anywhere. Frustrated he leaves
your website and surfs on to another site. Don't risk losing business like this!
Have a contact page listing your full contact info. Take a little tip from Victoria's
Secrets. Did you ever notice that at the bottom of every page of their catalog they have
their 1-800 order number? Adding your phone number to the bottom of every page can
net you a few more orders!
Websites can be a confusing place. Let's do our job of making it easier for people to do
business with us. By taking a second look at your website, you can plug up the money
holes and be on your way to greater website profits!
About the author: Speaker, author, and consultant, Kristie Rimmele is an entrepreneurial expert
who has helped thousands of people to start and succeed in their online businesses. She is the
founder of Webmomz.com, president of Branding on the Net, and author of several books
including, I Love My Life: A Mom's Guide to Working from Home and a contributing author to
the upcoming book, "Build it Big 2: 101 Insider Secrets from Direct Selling Experts" by Dearborn
Publishing. Claim your Free Home Business Success Series Ecourse and hot business tips.
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