JCArticles

I'm always amazed that people would spend months to develop their web site, pay thousands of dollars to have it put together and then... they just let it sit in the cyber space without generating any new leads.

Listen, if you hired a sales person for your business and they didn't perform what would you do? You would fire them faster then they could say "but, I tried", wouldn't you? So why do you put up with a web site that doesn't sell?

Right now I can hear you scream "but I don't know what to do!" Let me share with you five simple tweaks you can do today to make your web site give your more bang for your buck.

1. COLLECT CONTACT INFORMATION

Typically, when I meet potential new clients within the first 30 seconds they spontaneously whip out their wallets, hold up their check books and yell out "I want to buy your stuff right now!" Then I usually wake up! In real life it takes multiple contacts to entice someone to give me some of their hard earned dough! But how can you contact them if you don't know who they are?

Use your prime "cyber real estate" (the top part of your web site people see before they even scroll down) to convince your visitors to willingly give you their name and email address. Call your web person right now and tell them to place a "sign-up" form of some sort on your home page. (OK, wait till you finish reading this article ? so you can take care of all the changes with one call.)

2. MAKE YOUR SITE LOAD FASTER

Do you have a lot of flashing buttons, rotating graphics, or worse ? do you still have that "cool" flash intro guarding access to your web site? Hey there is a place for all this stuff on the internet ? but it's not on your web site. Most people will only wait a few seconds for your web site to display on their screen. If it doesn't - they will move on and never come back!

Unless the graphics communicate an important point about your product or service ? get rid of them. And listen ? the nineties are gone ? step into the 21st century and kill your "cool" flash intro.

3. USE EFFECTIVE PAGE TITLES

Are you speaking in riddles? Unless you're trying to compete with Harry Potter open each web page with headlines that entice visitors to take the time to read more.

Here are a couple of examples. Would you rather read "about our services" or how "an ex-baker turned millionaire reveals his marketing secrets"? How about this ? which headline would pick your interest more ? "collateral design" or "does your marketing material communicate your message"?

Don't make people guess what they are about to read ? believe me, they won't take the time. Say it in simple language. Take a look at your web site ? does each page have an effective headline? If not ? fix it.

4. DON'T HIDE THE GOODIES!

The famous WIIFM (what's in it for me) has become such a clich