Wednesday, October 28, 2009

What Are You Selling on Your Web Site?


One of the most common mistakes owner-written web sites make is to sell the wrong thing. Instead of selling their product or service, they're selling their business information. That trick never works. Current and potential customers come to your site for one reason, and one reason only: They're looking for a product or service.

That's your website's first job...selling them the product or service they are looking for. On too many websites, information about the business is the first thing customers see. That information is important, of course, but it must take second place to presenting your products or services and helping your site visitors to buy them from you.

You can spot sites that make this mistake easily. You'll see the word "We" on the site far more frequently than the word "You." Anytime you tell someone how good you are or how long you've been in business or what experts you have working for you, you're talking about the business, not the customer.

There's a place for this, of course, but it should never be the first thing a site visitor sees. Instead, your site should always be presenting the advantages of your products or services as the prime topic of conversation. How can this product or service enhance your customer's life or fill some need? That's the question the site visitor wants answered. If you answer this question, you'll win the customer. If you ignore it, they'll click the Back button and you'll have lost them.

So, when looking at your site, ask yourself if visitors can immediately see what you sell and why they should buy it. Does your site present the products or services to the customer immediately and show them the benefits of those products or services in their lives? Does your site answer questions they may have about your products or services in an easy-to-find way?

If you can't honestly answer "Yes" to these questions, then it's time to make some changes. Hiring a professional writer to present your products and services to your site visitors can make all the difference. You're an expert at your business. Professional writers are experts at helping your website sell products and services.

If you're not sure if your web site's content is speaking to your visitors, Email Me for a free evaluation. I'll be happy to help you create and revise content to target your audience.