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Successful_websites_dont_set_out_to_sell
| Successful websites dont set out to sell
Successful websites don’t set out to sell
By Glenn Murray – Copywriter *
What are websites? Are they sales tools for vendors and service
providers, or are they electronic guidance for potential
customers? Put simply, are you selling or are you helping?
Your answer to this question may determine the success of your
website. So think carefully…
How we define what a website is all depends on which side of the
fence we’re on. I suspect that most – if not all – vendors and
service providers would say their website is a sales tool. But
this is a fundamentally flawed perspective. Adopt this position,
and sooner or later you’ll pay for it.
To really understand what a website is for, we need to think
about who the Internet serves. It’s tempting to think cynically
and argue that it serves commercial interests, but that’s
getting the cart before the horse. The Internet serves buyers
and information seekers. That’s what most people use it for.
What your visitors are really looking for is a website that
helps them. A website that helps them buy when they want to buy.
Helps them understand when they want to understand. And – most
importantly - a website that helps them decide when they want to
decide.
So if you really want to build trust, credibility, authority,
and site loyalty, helping visitors is the way to go. Of course,
that’s not to say you have to do it for free. We’re all in
business to make money after all. In fact, the main aim of many
of your visitors will be to buy something. But it’s important
that you focus on them, not on you. For example, your visitors
don’t want to know what you have to sell. They want to know what
they can choose to buy. If your primary focus is sales, your
visitors will pick up on it.
To generate revenue from our websites – either directly or
indirectly – we need to build them to help our readers. Don’t
start by asking “How can I sell?” Instead, start by asking “How
can I help?” (Even “How can I help them buy?” is a step in the
right direction.)
We need to build our websites from the ground up to be a form of
online help. Think of your website as a cousin of the online
help provided with Microsoft Office. (If you think of
Microsoft’s help as the slow-witted cousin, you’re on the right
track…)
I worked as a technical writer in the software industry for 9
years, writing and managing online help for software programs.
And the key to successful online help is to always try to answer
one simple question: What does the reader want to know? We knew
they wanted help, but did they want reference information or
how-to information? Did they want to know how to get started or
how to get out of trouble?
Sure, when you’re writing for a website, the subject material is
different, but the question is still the same. What does your
reader want to know?
Obviously, the answer to this question will be different for
everyone, but there are some common questions you can ask
yourself which might help you decide…
- Who is your audience? - What time of the day are they most
likely to be searching? - Are they searching from home or their
workplace? - Are they the business owner or do they have a boss
looking over their shoulder? - Are they relaxed or in a hurry? -
Are they spending their money or someone else’s? - Are they
looking for something which will make their job easier? - Or are
they looking for something which will make their job possible? -
Are they trying to solve a problem or avoid a problem? - Are
they looking for a budget solution or a ‘best of breed’
solution? - Are they looking for something with all the bells
and whistles or something which focuses on one thing only? - Are
they looking to buy immediately (just as soon as they know
they’ve found what they want)? - Are they comfortable with
internet purchases? - Are they the final decision maker or do
they need to convince someone else as well? - How much do they
know already about your subject material? - How much do they
want to know?
Whether you do some real research or just make some educated
guesses, it’s important that you know your visitor very well.
Then, and only then, can you help them. And only when you help
them will you start to realize the true sales potential of your
website.
Happy writing!
Related Articles: - How to get your customers to trust your
website - http://www.divinewrite.com/trust.htm - Web Copy – How
Much is Enough? - http://www.divinewrite.com/webcopyenough.htm -
Engage Your Customer – Write About Benefits -
http://www.divinewrite.com/benefits.htm - Writing Benefit-Driven
Web Copy - http://www.divinewrite.com/webbenefitwriting.htm
About the author:
Glenn Murray is an SEO copywriter and director of article
submission alternative, PublishHub and copywriter
studio Divine Write. Contact Sydney +612 4334 6222 or
glenn@divinewrite.com. Visit http://www.divinewrite.com or
http://www.publishhub.com for details.
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