10 Worst Home Page Mistakes

Your web site is the centerpiece of your brand. It’s often your first and only chance to make a good impression. Visitors decide in 5-8 seconds if they will stay or go. Here’s a few lessons from those that failed in keeping our attention.

1. No hooks to entice the visitor to dig deeper.
   People go to your web site because they hope you’ll solve a problem, provide an insight, or entertain them. Offer your customers a “hook” or “bait” relating to why they came to your site. This link should connect them to relevant content.
2. You don’t immediately speak to your customers’ wants and needs.
   Even a clever “hook” will fail if you don’t speak to their needs. Have you ever actually asked them? Understand the top three reasons why they go to your web site and make these easy to find.
3. You welcome your visitor.
   Your intentions are good but you may delay your visitors from learning about your company. You have 5-8 seconds. Explain what you do and how they will benefit from working with you instead. Some call this a value proposition.
4. No free resources.
   Free resources are a very pervasive marketing strategy. Do you offer your clients scores of juicy resources and value-packed content? People are always looking for free stuff. To give is to receive.
5. Title isn’t descriptive or Search Engine Optimized.
   “Index” in the title (top of browser) is like calling your company “Name”. Most people put their company name up top. Titles offer an easy free way to improve SEO. Include keywords that describe your business, a tagline, key services and your city. Nielsen/NetRatings claim 24.4 percent of searches include the city. Here’s the HTML code: <TITLE>Put your descriptive title here.</TITLE>
6. No tagline.
   A catch phrase (three to eight words) at the top of your site is an excellent way to communicate what you do and how your customer will benefit from working with you. Help your visitor answer “Where am I and what can I do here?” and you’re golden.
7. No Blog
   Blogs are excellent for SEO and building your reputation as an expert in your field. Blog 3-5 times a week? Pat yourself on the back. Rarely or don’t blog? Think again. The payback is opportunities and leads. No time? Outsource it or publish a few lines or even a picture. It doesn’t always have to be an in-depth article. New content keeps ’em comin’.
8. Mystery Navigation and Flash Introductions
   People will leave if they have to guess what to do next or if something is tricky click on. Just because things move, doesn’t make them good. It may seem impressive but it often delays, frustrates and confuses. Content must be relevant and delivered efficiently. Aim for predictable instead.
9. Your design isn’t distinctive.
   Stand out from the crowd and be different. Communicate your brand’s message. TIP: Avoid the temptation to offer many products or services. It dilutes your brand because it’s confusing. Aim to specialize instead.
10. Not telling people what your services are.
    Learn what your clients need to motivate them to make a commitment. Do you have a services page? You’re on the right track. If it’s loaded with answers to questions they often ask you, enjoy a gold star! A bulleted list is helpful but can leave people wanting more. Give them insight into the process of working with you. Include packages.

BONUS You speak in your words, not your clients.
Mirror your client’s style. Speak in their words and to their needs. Your messages will be understood and have an impact. Write to connect. Value their time and avoid unnecessary details.

Discover how we can partner to create a much better web site that generates scores of leads, builds customer relationships and creates massive profit. Contact us today.

Download PDF to forward or print.

Thanks to Purpleslog for the “Burning Money” image.

Case Study – Social Media CFFS

Case Study: Social Media for CFFS

Situation:

The Canadian Flowers for Food Society goals included generating both awareness and funds to continue programming. The success of the upcoming second annual Art Gala Evening “Bouquet of Hope” was critical in the continuation of the charity and its programming. Canadian Flowers for Food Society empowers the homeless while engaging Vancouver’s senior citizens, youth and artists through sustainable initiatives.

Action:

Marrett Green, CEO of Canadian Flowers for Food Society, turned to Joanne Probyn of ReadyGo Media to promote their second annual Art Gala Evening “Bouquet of Hope” at Gallery Gachet. Joanne lead a team of four specializing in public relations, marketing, web design, event promotion and graphic design. She effectively sourced group show artists, consulted on art curation and marketing, and booked headliners including internationally acclaimed painter James Picard and musician Lisa O’Neill. Primary focus was to develop and implement a powerful Social Media Marketing Strategy.

Results:

“Bouquet of Hope” was a huge success. The event was well attended and Canadian Flowers for Food was exposed to a wide range of new people. Due to growth in attendance, profits and exposure, the charity and its programming will continue and expand. Expansion includes hosting in a new city. Canadian Flowers for Food has also been approved to host the next Gala in the prestigious Roundhouse Community Centre for 2011.

Metrics:

• Increased number of art sales by 1200%
• Increased gross sales by 780%
• More than doubled attendance from previous year
• 66 Twitter followers (starting number 7), 11 listed
• 181 Facebook Group members, 31 Facebook Page fans

*Website:

• 231% increase in referring website traffic
• 193% increase in unique visitors
• 184% increase in overall website visits
• 157% increase in “search” traffic

*Based on same three month period for the previous year.

Testimonials:

Alison Doyle, Web Design and Media Consultant, Canadian Flowers For Food Society
“Joanne was an essential component to the success of The Bouquet of Hope Art Exhibit at Gallery Gache last May. She plugged away at as many outlets as possible to spread word about the event. She exposed CFFS to many new people and did a fantastic job raising awareness about homeless/marginalized groups in the Lower Mainland. Joanne is organized, on the ball and great at what she does. If she ever decides to pursue another career choice, I recommend Project Manager; for her ability to communicate.”

Seth Godin Quote

“Safe is risky and risky is safe.” – Seth Godin

Google Advice: What Now? What Next?

Dennis Woodside at The Paley Center for Media, March 16, 2010.

Google Advice: What Now? What Next?

I just finished watching Fora.tv, one of my favorite websites. Barbara Walters eloquently introduced Dennis Woodside, Google’s VP of Americas Operations. He spoke on advertising, technology and his work with Google.

Watch the Presentation on Fora.TV

One of his roles is to help large organizations understand what’s next in technology (mobile, tablets, web books) and how to recreate the online successes of their flourishing brands.  Often one division will experience success while others lag. With more and more people spending their lives online, it’s no wonder the phrase “getting in front of the consumer” was frequently used. People are very sophisticated in their research and will often arrive at your website or store knowing more about your product or service than the salesperson.

Mr. Woodside asked of businesses “what kind of web experience are you trying to create?” We are beyond the online brochure and playing at a higher level of interaction now. He believes with over 40 million US users looking at YouTube’s home page, video is a powerful method of reaching and engaging consumers. I couldn’t agree more. It’s also my understanding that video search isn’t as saturated and therefore offers great SEO benefits.

There were a few questions on privacy. “With a greater understanding of people’s needs, we can serve them better” is his answer in a nutshell. “Who wouldn’t want to see an ad for a car if you are in the market to buy?” On the other hand he says technology is there to assist. “It can create opportunities or it can be a bad thing. We’ll continue to struggle with this for some time.” True. We do now have the power to serve our customers better. We have the ability to test which ad works instantly. It’s a unique medium because we can understand our return on advertising investment.

Technology continues to invade our privacy for better or for worse. He mentioned “FourSquare“ a few times which seems to be a website application that helps you can connect instantly with people, places, products and services near you, wherever you are, from your mobile phone. I heard about something similar last year at WordCamp. I’m sure we’ll see a lot more of this type of social networking to come.

What about open source and closed source (another shift driven by Web 2.0’s sharing nature)? How do we monetize when so much is free? TV Everywhere was referenced. Mr. Woodside delivered no quick solutions. With a sense of leadership, he instead offered the perspective on journalism that more people than ever are better read because of this change. It is suggested that while there may be discomfort, that in the long term we are better off. He assured us that monetizing would naturally follow people’s preferences. Google will continue to support with display advertising in the meantime.

My takeaways? Big change continues to be underway shifting the entire economic structure we have grown so comfortable with. The good news? If you’re looking forward you’ll find opportunities. Get online with video and think local (mobile, tablets, web books, social networking and local search).

10 Worst Home Page Mistakes

10 Worst Home Page Mistakes

Your web site is the centerpiece of your brand. It’s often your first and only chance to make a good impression. Visitors decide in 5-8 seconds if they will stay or go. Here’s a few lessons from those that failed in keeping our attention.

1. No hooks to entice the visitor to dig deeper.People go to your web site because they hope you’ll solve a problem, provide an insight, or entertain them. Offer your customers a “hook” relating to why they came to your site. This link should connect them to relevant content.
2. You don’t immediately speak to your customer’s wants and needs. Even a clever “hook” will fail if you don’t speak to their needs. Have you ever actually asked them? Understand the top three reasons why they go to your web site and make these easy to find.
3. You welcome your visitor. Your intentions are good but you may delay your visitors from learning about your company. You have 5-8 seconds. Explain what you do and how they will benefit from working with you instead. Some call this a value proposition.
4. No free resources.Free resources are a very pervasive marketing strategy. Do you offer your clients scores of juicy resources and value-packed content? People are always looking for free stuff. To give is to receive.
5. Title isn’t descriptive or Search Engine Optimized. “Index” in the title (top of browser) is like calling your company “Name.” Most people put their company name up top. Titles offer an easy free way to improve SEO. Include keywords that describe your business, a tagline, key services and your city. Nielsen/NetRatings claim 24.4 percent of searches include the city. Here’s the HTML code: <TITLE>Put your descriptive title here.</TITLE>
6. No tagline. A catch phrase (three to eight words) at the top of your site is an excellent way to communicate what you do and how your customer will benefit from working with you. Help your visitor answer “Where am I and what can I do here?” and you’re golden.
7. No Blog.  Blogs are excellent for SEO and building your reputation as an expert in your field. Blog 3-5 times a week? Pat yourself on the back. Rarely or don’t blog? Think again. The payback is opportunities and leads. No time? Outsource it or publish a few lines or even a picture. It does’t always have to be anin-depth article. New content keeps ’em comin.’
8. Mystery Navigation and Flash Introductions.  People will leave if they have to guess what to do next or if something is tricky click on. Just because things move, doesn’t make them good. It may seem impressive but it often delays, frustrates and confuses. Content must be relevant and delivered efficiently. Aim for predictable instead.
9. Your design isn’t distinctive. Stand out from the crowd and be different. Communicate your brand’s message. TIP: Avoid offering too many products or services. It’s diluting and confusing. Aim to specialize instead.
10. Not telling people what your services are.Learn what your clients need to motivate them to make a commitment. Do you have a services page? You’re on the right track. If it’s loaded with answers to questions they often ask you, enjoy a gold star! A bulleted list is helpful but can leave people wanting more. Give them insight into the process of working with you. Include packages.

BONUS:  You speak in your words, not your clients.
Mirror your client’s style. Speak in their words and to their needs. Your messages will be understood and have an impact. Write to connect. Value their time and avoid unnecessary details.

FREE Webinar “Website Power Tips”

Transform Your Website into a Powerful Marketing Portal

and Bring In More Money and Clients in 2010!

George Plumley
Author 24-Hour WordPress Trainer

Joanne Probyn
Creative Director, ReadyGo Media

Are you ready to learn some killer tips that will make your website REALLY work for you in 2010?

I’ve teamed up with web developer George Plumley for a FREE 60 minute webinar that can take your site to the next level.We’ll share with you 15 Power Tips that I’ve personally used on the ReadyGo Media site–and best of all, you can start using these “Power Tips” right away!

Whether you’ve just started your website or you’ve had one for several years, the tips from this webinar will make your site more useful to visitors and more visible to search engines.And because we can show you what we’re talking about on screen, the easier it will be to absorb these tips and see how they can work for you!

The webinar will also give me a chance to announce my newly branded company – ReadyGo Media – and again you’ll be able to see how powerful even just a few changes on your website can be.

Join us for this FREE ground-breaking webinar and you’ll learn:

• The single biggest mistake you can make on a website.
• The easiest way to drive more traffic and increase your Search Engine ranking with Google
• The fastest way to build trust with any website design
• One single change that will quickly reveal incredible opportunities and important relationships you never dreamed were possible
• You usually have one opportunity to make a good first impression. Don’t send the wrong message. Learn how employ powerful marketing to leverage your time for growing your business, instead of being a slave to it.

It’s Free – and Registration is Easy…

Just enter your information in the boxes below, and you’ll receive the complete webinar details via email in a few minutes.

FREE Webinar Reservation Form

Yes George and Joanne, please sign me up for this exciting free 60-minute webinar on

Tuesday, January 26th at 5 pm Pacific/8 pm Eastern

Tuesday, February 16th at 5pm PST / 8pm EST

It’s Free – and Registration is Easy…

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CAN’T ATTEND THE LIVE WEBINAR? Sign up anyway, and you’ll receive a link to a video recording of the entire event!

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