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What_your_website_REALLY_says_about_you_and_why_it_matters
| What your website REALLY says about you and why it matters
Everything you say and do says something about you. This has
never been more true than in a text based environment like the
Internet. You only have one chance to put across what you want
to say. Use it wisely.
Getting a website right does take work and commitment. If you
want it to succeed you must spend time to get it right and
present the right impression to your potential customers.
During any conversation you can pick up extra clues from tone of
voice, the choice of words used, the way it is said, pauses,
etc. They provide emotion and meaning over and above the actual
words being spoken. The same is true of text and other website
content. There are extra clues of emotion and meaning and what
you choose to write and how you say it can say a lot about you,
your organisation and your priorities. These priorities are
often clearly visible to every potential customer that visits
your site and can therefore reveal a great deal about you.
It can reveal: *your business priorities, *how your organisation
is structured and run, *whether you focus on your customers,
*how you deal with things, *if you are easy to deal with, *your
attitudes, *whether you pay attention to detail *if you are
trustworthy *and more...
So, what is your website really saying about you? Are you
sending out a positive and useful 'message' to your potential
customers or practically posting a great big sign that says
something far less desirable?
How do you know? There are some key things to look for on your
website or any other website. Bear in mind also that there could
be a combination of one or more of these together:
*Weak text/sales copy - text that lacks direction and order. If
you decide to buy our products, fine. If you dont buy our
products, fine. Big sign would read: "We're not really serious
about this new web thing"
*Text heavily focused on you/your products - The message is
clear. You are only interested in yourself and therefore your
site is too. Big sign would read: "We are great. Customer? Who?"
*No/wrong website focus - website either not focused on the
customers needs or focused on the wrong things. The potential
customer doesnt receive a positive and clear message about who
you are, how you do business, etc. Big sign would read: "We
either dont know or dont care about what our customers want".
See also 'Not easy to use'
*Poor layout - poorly organised webpage/website. No clear sense
of order. Lack of clear prioritising and decision making,
probably a reflection of the organisation. "We cant identify and
meet objectives" See also 'Not easy to use'
*Not easy to use - difficult to use website and website
functions. Often these technical functions have the most
sophisticated software known to man to do a particular function
like buying a train ticket. Unfortunately they didnt consider
how real people actually want to use the website or website
functions. Big sign would read: "Oops! We were so busy enjoying
doing the great software bit we love, we forgot the user"
*Too much text - we absolutely love to tell you how great we
are/our product is. We'll try and bore you into buying our
products with loads of text. Big sign would read: "Just buy our
product you fool, we know best"
*"Brochureware" - existing brochure has been moved online. Token
website. Does little for anyone. Looks great doesnt it?... (Not
really a question, more a statement). We thought we should get a
website because everyone else has one. Big sign would read:
"LOOK we've got a website too!"
*Too much animation/other - extra stuff that doesnt serve any
real purpose apart from distraction. We absolutely love flashing
things/gadgets/buttons/scrolls/colours/fonts... the more the
better. More an experiment than a business. Big sign would read:
"Our web designer is great isnt he/she? or i should have been a
programmer"
*Difficult to contact anyone - the online equivalent to an
electric fence. Typically employed by big corporations. Theyve
gone to great lengths to make sure its very, very difficult to
actually email anyone within the organisation. Big sign would
read: "We are far too big and rich to speak to 'the little
people' who actually buy and use our products. Go away!"
Did you recognise any of these from your virtual travels on the
Internet? They are all present to some degree in businesses of
all sizes and industries. Does your site have any of them? If
so, the message you are sending out to your potential customers
is unlikely to help you succeed online. More likely it will have
a harmful affect and direct influence on your image and
reputation, customer visits and repeat visits, sales and repeat
sales, company results, customer goodwill and contact, etc.
Make your site the best it can be. Work at it. Ask for
constructive feedback. Make a commitment to getting your website
to say the right things about you. It will still be paying you
back long after youve done it.
Good luck!
About the author:
Peter Simmons is editor of the DYNAMIQ EZINE. GET MAXIMUM
RESULTS FROM YOUR WEBSITE! Increase your traffic, prospect
conversions, sales, profits, referrals and more... START GETTING
RESULTS RIGHT NOW with your $129 WEBSITE EVALUATION ABSOLUTELY
FREE at http://www.dynamiq.co.uk/ezine or email me anytime for
immediate assistance mailto:peter@dynamiq.co.uk
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