Make Sure Your Web Site Is Right Before You Advertise

Recently a customer spent a pretty hefty sum of money to promote his web site. I knew something was wrong when he contacted me three weeks later saying he hadn’t sold a single product.

His site looked good. A professional designer had given it a great look with slick graphics. Unfortunately, when I went in search of the product he was advertising, it took five or six clicks to find it.

Here is what happened to prospects and why the site wasn’t selling anything:
1. The prospect sees the ad.
2. She clicks to the site.
3. She is greeted with a doorway page.
4. When she finds the link at the bottom of the doorway page she is taken to a home page with very little information on it.
5. If she clicks on the “home” link she gets the doorway page again.
6. If she clicks on the “about us” link she gets the home page she is already on.
7. One more click and she might find the product page with the item she came looking for.

How many customers will look through page after page to find the product or service you advertised? Not many. Click rates go down dramatically after the first page. Hardly anyone will click three levels deep.

Moral of the story: have your opening web page clearly promote whatever you are advertising. Otherwise, your ad dollars may be wasted.

In today’s rocky economy, people aren’t willing to throw money at a product/service they know nothing about. Many online shoppers spend hours looking for the item that is exactly what they want. Your product/service could be exactly what they’re looking for, but with scant, uninformative copy, how are they going to know?

So it’s time to make a few changes, nothing too painful. You don’t have to throw out your old copy and start from scratch. With some minor alterations, your copy can inform, motivate and charge prospects to take action and buy.

Here are a few changes you can make to improve the way your copy sells:

Give the Most Important Info First — Don’t force people to wade through two pages of copy before they can discover what you’re all about. Get to the point right up front, in the headline, subheading, and first few paragraphs. If you have too much filler copy in the beginning and don’t start getting to the point until later, all that copy your visitors read will be lost on them. It will have been out of context because you didn’t provide them with a context.

First Things First — Ever heard of “Inverted Pyramid Style” writing? It means starting with the most important sentence and following with lesser sentences. But not too many. Keep your paragraphs short so they don’t overwhelm the reader.

Cut Words — Web copy should use about half the word count or less than conventional writing, so keep it short and too the point. This isn’t the great American novel. Your goal is to make sure your audience can understand every word you say while reading quickly. If they have to stop to get a dictionary because you used too many cryptic words or jargon, you’ll lose their interest.

No Sub Par Subheadings — Use only meaningful subheadings. Your subheadings should serve as an outline for your copy, making it easier for the reader to remember important points and gain and accurate overview of the products or services. If your subheadings are well-placed and meaningful, no one should have to read your copy twice.

One Idea Per Paragraph — Don’t load your paragraphs with ideas. Avoid confusing the reader by separating each idea into its own paragraph. This will also help you keep paragraphs shorter. Limiting paragraphs to one idea helps readers digest information a little at a time, promoting comprehension and recall.

Use Bullets — When presenting information, it is helpful to separate the text with bullet points. Bulleted lists are easier to read than entire paragraphs, and the differentiation shows readers that they should pay special attention to bulleted points. In fact, readers are known for skipping over paragraphs and going straight for the bulleted text, so make whatever information is in bullets essential to motivating the sale.

Highlight Keywords — You’re going to get a lot of “scanners” visiting your site. These are people who don’t read word for word, but glance over text looking or important information. Highlight keywords so they will know where to find this information.

Use Hype Where Hype is Needed — Hype is like opera. People either love it or loathe it. So be careful where you use it. With certain products, hype has been known to reduce credibility, but with others, it increases excitement and motivates purchases. But if you want to add that punch here and there in your copy, use hype like paprika; just a pinch to tweak the flavor. An exclamation point here, a phrase in caps there, and you’ve got just enough to satisfy any palate.

About the Author

Kevin Nunley provides marketing advice and professional copywriting. See his affordable deals on web site copy, sales letters, and autoresponder messages at
http://DrNunley.com/copywriting.htm

How to create your own web site Pt.1

Creating Your Own Web Site (The.little.internet.guides S.) $54.98 Creating Your Own Web Site (The.little.internet.guides S.)

Create Your Own Web Site $1.67 Written by an Internet and graphics design specialist, this book will help demystify the process of creating and publishing a Web site–from accessing free tools and creating dazzling graphics to attracting users.

50 Ways to Make Google Love Your Web Site $10.95 Steve Johnston is a software consultant who has spent ten years working in the services side of the internet industry, with particular focus on Google.Google is now responsible for delivering a majority of searchers to websites, and guides 50% of all would-be online purchasers. Added to this, research shows that the top ten results from an online search enjoy the overwhelming majority of referred visits. Therefore, understanding how it works and how to make the most of it is essential for anyone building a website — whether for business or for fun.b50 Ways to Make Google Love Your Web Site/bshows you how to make sure your website stands out over the thousands out there.brbrIn the first section of this practical guide Steve Johnston explains in simple language how Google actually works, and the way in which it sifts through the relevant and the irrelevant while searching through the eight billion pages of information its index contains. In the second section, he shows you how to improve the performance of your own website in Google, with specific detailing of the priorities to be addressed.brbrThe result is a superbly practical and readable guide that will be invaluable to web designers and, indeed, anyone who uses the internet on a regular basis.

Building a Web Site For Dummies[eBook] $15.97 pEver wanted to build your own Web site to express your views? Or maybe you want to set up an e-business? Now, not only will you be able to create your own space on the Web, but you can also make it look professional with iBuilding a Web Site For Dummies/i. This resourceful guide lays down all the basics for getting started with creating a Web site for your club, team, family, or business. BRp BRThis is the only book that walks aspiring Webmasters like you through all the steps of designing, building, publishing, publicizing, and updating a Web site without concentrating on a single tool. While reading this laid-back and down-to-earth guide, you will discover how to:BR BRulBR BRliMake your site easy to navigateBR BRliGet optimum listing on GoogleBR BRliAccept payment for an online businessBR BRliGain feedback with message boardsBR BRliAdd photos, spiNote: CD-ROM/DVD and other supplementary materials are not included./i/p…

Joomla! 1.5x Customization: Make Your Site Adapt to Your Needs $49.36 P Create and customize a professional Joomla! site that suits your business requirements/p ulliAdapt your site to get a unique appearance, features, and benefits of your choice/liliSave on development costs by learning how to do professional work yourself and solve common problems with a Joomla! site/liliStep through how to build an effective subscription-based business with Joomla! and market a site effectively/liliUnderstand and customize modules, plugins, components, and templates/liliA precise book packed with examples and careful explanations/li/ul PbIn Detail/b/p Setting up a basic Joomla! Web site is easy; what comes next is hard and expensive – making the site do exactly what and look exactly how you want. With this book in hand, it is easy to adapt your site to bring your vision fully to life.brbrThis book will help you to separate your site from the crowd of other Joomla! sites without having to invest in developers. It will guide you through how to customize different parts and aspects of your site and will also show you how to turn your site into a profitable business via these customizations. You will be able to build a successful, professional web site that will adapt to all your business needs.brbrYou will be taken beyond the basics of Joomla!, and given an insight into the techniques and tools used by the professionals to rapidly develop unique, custom sites. This will enable you to develop your own professional-quality Joomla! site without assistance, saving you time and money. You will learn how modules, plugins, components, and templates are constructed, and how to make changes in them, giving you the confidence to make more elaborate changes to your site. On top of this will be a look at common problems Joomla! site developers face and how best to deal with them.brbrYou will also learn techniques for building a business with Joomla!, as you step through building a subscription-based web business.@H®záG®ÿ¾Úð

101 Ways to Promote Your Web Site $44.95 DIVDIVThis comprehensive, hands-on, step-by-step guide is guaranteed to attract more potential consumers to any given website. With hundreds of proven tips, tools, and techniques, this freshly updated edition provides the latest Web 2.0 trends and techniques such as RSS, blogs, podcasting, and mobile marketing. Entrepreneurs, corporate marketing managers, small business owners, consultants, webmasters, individuals, new media professionals, and website designers will find this guidebook invaluable for developing online strategies. A personal password is also included for accessing the companion website, which provides up-to-the-minute internet marketing news and expanded information. From optimizing websites for search engines and incorporating dynamite public relations strategies to offline promotion and ensuring customer satisfaction, this handbook and website combined are unbeatable for helpful online promotional resources./DIV/DIVDIVDIVIf you have a website, plan to get a website or use the internet to grow your sales, then you MUST own a copy ofI101 Ways to Promote Your Web Site/I.  —Jeffrey Fox, best-selling author,IHow to Make Big Money in Your Own Small Business/I,IHow to Become a Rainmaker/I, andIHow to Become a Marketing Superstar/I/DIV/DIVDIVDIVGreat stuff! Practical, powerful tips on growing sales from your website. Get it!  —Randy Gage, author,IProsperity Mind/IandIHow to Build a Multi-Level Money Machine/I/DIV/DIVDIVDIVFantastic online marketing resource! Easy to read, easy to understand, valuable online techniques.  —Brad Tully,A href=http://www.cruiseprofessionals.comwww.cruiseprofessionals.com/A/DIV/DIVDIVDIVDIVSince I began using some of the ideas in this book, I have built my Internet sales from $1,200 per month to more than $1,000,000 per year.  —Brian Tracy, author,IMaximum Achievement/I/DIV/DIV/DIVDIVP style=MARG@Fy™™™™šÿ¾Úð

Build Your Own Database Driven Web Site Using PHP & MySQL $23.68 DIVYank has created a practical hands-on guide to learning all the tools, principles, and techniques needed to build a fully functional database-driven Web site using PHP & MySQL./divDIVpiBuild Your own Database Driven Web Site Using PHP & MySQL/iis a practical hands-on guide to learning all the tools, principles and techniques needed to build a fully functional database-driven web site using PHP & MySQL./ppThis book covers everything from installing PHP & MySQL under Windows, Linux, and Mac through to building a live web-based content management system./ppWhile this is essentially a beginners book, it also covers more advanced topics such as the storage of binary data in MySQL, and cookies and sessions in PHP. It comes complete with a set of handy reference guides for PHP & MySQL that include:br/pMySQL syntax MySQL functions MysQL column types PHP functions for working with MySQL/div

How to Make Any Web Site Better $8.29 From the author of the New York Times bestseller Permission Marketing comes a sharp, engaging book about building a better web site. In this supremely practical, cut-to-the-chase book, Godin identifies what it takes to create web sites that satisfy visitors and keep them coming back for more. And he’s at his prickly stickler best using real-life examples to illustrate the essential truths and ridiculous fictions about how a web site should work.Business Week Seth Godin is the ultimate entrepreneur for the Information Age.Business WeekpSeth Godin is the ultimate entrepreneur for the Information Age.pBusiness WeekSeth Godin is the ultimate entrepreneur for the Information Age.YOUR WEB SITE IS COSTING YOU MONEY. IT’S ALSO FILLED WITH SIMPLE MISTAKES THAT TURN OFF VISITORS BEFORE THEY HAVE A CHANCE TO BECOME CUSTOMERS.pAccording to marketing guru Seth Godin, a web site visitor is a lot like a monkey looking for one thing: a banana. If that banana isn’t easy to see and easy to get, your visitor is gone with a quick click on the Back button.pIn this supremely practical, cut-to-the-chase book, Godin identifies what it takes to create web sites that satisfy visitors and keep them coming back for more. And he’s at his prickly stickler best using real-life examples to illustrate the essential truths and ridiculous fictions about how a web site should work. Packed with his inimitable wisdom and compelling hands-on applications, The Big Red Fez is a must-have tool for anyone working on the web.

Make Your Small Buisness Web Site Work: Easy Answers to Content, Navig $10.81 Make Your Small Buisness Web Site Work: Easy Answers to Content, Navig

Building a Web Site For Dummies $13.11 Whether you’re in the preliminary stages of planning a site or you’re looking to improve the look of an existing site, this reference book covers it all. Now updated with the latest site tools, design techniques, and commerce options, this new edition of the bestseller offers a solid framework for building a Web site from scratch. Packed with all the essentials to help make your site the best it can be, this resource goes beyond just basic design and page building to show you how to incorporate both of those elements into a successful site.<p>Veteran author David Crowder spills the secrets to planning and creating an effective site from the ground up. You’ll decipher ways to transform a bunch of seemingly random web pages into a coherent web site and you’ll discover myriad ways to make your site look and sound amazing.<p>This updated third edition features content on designing with CSS, using the latest version of Dreamweaver, and applying Web analytics and promotion techniques. In addition, the book covers topics such as:<ul type=disc><li>Keeping a site fresh and exciting<li>Designing a look that appeals to your intended audience<li>Determining your Web page structure<li>Incorporating color, images, graphics, music, and video<li>Merging CSS and HTML<li>Planning usable navigation<li>Providing guestbooks and message boards<li>Designing for e-commerce<li>Getting set up with PayPal, Google Checkout, E-cash, etc.</ul><p>The accompanying CD-ROM provides trial versions of software that is used in the book as well as sample templates and graphics for Web building. Once you start referring to <i>Building a Web Site For Dummies, 3<sup>rd</sup> Edition</i>, you’ll wonder how you ever existed without this invaluable information!<p><b>Note:</b> CD-ROM/DVD and other supplementary materials are not includ@*8Që…¸ÿ¾Úð

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There are many reasons for wanting to know how to build a website, from personal or hobby pages, to affiliate marketing sites, right through to full blown business websites. Unless you are competent at html or website code, and can use a text editor to build a website, you’ll need to find some website design software. You will also need to make a decision on website hosting, and domain names.

Your Options Are:

Use a free website builder / Buy website building software

Use 3rd party hosting / Buy a domain name and host the site yourself.

I guess if you are asking how to create a website, then you are a relative newbie, so here’s my tips for going live on the web:

Head on over to www.blogger.com – You will need a Google account, if you already have one, sign in and follow the simple tutorial to build your website (actually it’s a blog – but a blog is just a type of website), if you don’t already have a Google account, you’ll need to create one first. Either way, you should be ready to create your first website in a matter of minutes. Write a post, publish it, and congratulations, you now know how to create a website – totally free.

Remember to make a note of the url of your site, then go back and check your site, and if you see errors, you can quickly edit them, then re-publish. Similarly, you can build a Wordpress blog for free, but it’s a little more difficult to set up, you’ll find the instructions at www.wordpress.org

So if you can make your own website for free, and get free hosting into the bargain, why does anyone bother to buy a domain name, buy website building software, and purchase hosting, before creating their own website?

The answer really depends on how serious you are about your website, and that means, how serious you are about other people, apart from your friends and family, seeing your work. If your site is in any way commercial, and you intend to make money from it, you need to pay close attention right now …

The reasons are these: The website building software that you can use blogger is limited in its capability; it’s going to look like a blogger blog no matter what you do. Wordpress on the other hand can be customised however you want, but it’s technically difficult to do so.

On the other hand, you’ll find that you have plenty of choice when it comes to buying website building software. All you have to do is select the one that performs the functions you want, and learn to use it.

Naturally, you will want people to find your websites on the search engines, this means that they have to rank higher than other competing websites, and these days, there are a lot of competing sites. Increasing your ranking means promoting your site, and that takes time, and/or money. How would you feel, if after years of effort, blogger, wordpress, or your free hosing account provider, decided to delete your site, or sell to a rival, or suddenly display their adverts on your site? It happens, and even if it doesn’t, you’ll always be worried that it could. Imagine that your site had become successful, and was earning you $100 a day. How would you feel if it disappeared, even for a week? That’s why people buy their own hosting, and as it can cost as little as $5 a month, it’s really a no brainer.

Whichever route you choose, my last piece of advice is publish, then edit. Don’t try to get your site perfect, good enough will do. You can always improve, and add to your site later.