This article may come as a surprise to you.
Especially since it is written by a web designer. Let me explain......
Rescue Your Web Site from Boring Words and Poor Design.
The difference between a successful website design and a site that brings in zero or very little business is not how nice the graphics are, not the colors you choose. It's not the flashy animation, and it's not your precious company logo.
I'm not saying to remove these elements. Some of them are important. But they're mostly ego-driven. They are "me" messages, and have absolutely nothing to do with what you want your visitor to do.
And what is that you ask? The answer is of course. You want your visitors to buy something.
People who are considering doing business with you are only interested in one thing; "What's In It For Me?"
One of the first steps toward a successful website is writing copy that tells the reader what's in it for him, in a style that is easy to read.
Make More Cash
Study any website that makes money and I promise you'll see the following copy elements in place:
In the main body copy, the text color is always black with a white background, making it easy to read. This should be obvious, but it's amazing how many websites out there do not follow this very basic guideline.
Testimonials, and other secondary elements commonly use a contrasting font such as courier, courier new. The background in light blue, beige, or yellow shade to make it stand apart from the white background of the main body copy.
Verdana is the most widely used font for your body copy. This font was actually developed for use in the web. Times New Roman, Arial, and Georgiana are also popular. Never use more than two different font faces in your sales copy.
The use of yellow highlights, italics and bold font-style for emphasis.
Headlines and Subheads are usually a contrasting color from the black body text. A shade of red, dark green and dark blue are good colors. However, do not use more than three or four different colors.
Sentence and paragraph font size is commonly between 8pt. and 12pt. Never smaller than that, and never bigger.
Headlines and sub headlines usually between 14pt. and 18pt.
Paragraphs never justified. Most common is left-margin with no indent.
How To Write Successful Headlines
In your sales copy you need an attention-grabbing headline and a compelling sales message full of benefits, clearly describing what your product or service is all about.
Legendary copywriter Ted Nicholas author of 14 best-selling books including "Magic Words That Bring You Riches" has these excellent tips on writing headlines
"Start with a well thought out headline."
"Five times as many people read the headline as the body copy. It makes sense, therefore, to spend the major portion of your effort on headlines."
"A good headline motivates action by stirring an emotion"
"Write as many as 250 headlines before settling on one"
13 Proven Headline Words
Announcing...
Secrets of...
New...
Now...
Amazing...
Facts you...
Breakthrough...
At Last...
Advice to...
The truth of...
Free...
How would...
How to...
How To Write Attention-Grabbing First Sentences
Joe Sugarman (of blu-blocker sunglass fame) and author of best-selling book "Advertising Secrets of the Written Word" has these tips on writing first sentences;
"Keep it short, sweet and almost incomplete."
For example:
It's easy.
It had to happen.
It's time.
It's crazy.
The sole purpose of the first sentence is to get you to read the second sentence.
How To Write Attention-Grabbing Ending Sentences
"You must plant seeds of curiosity for the reader." "At the end of a paragraph offer a reason to read the next paragraph."
Using sentences such as.....
But there's more.
So read on.
But I didn't stop there.
Let me explain.
Now here comes the good part.
These tips represent just the tip of the iceberg on breathing new life into your half-dead web site.
We'll cover all of the other necessary elements in future articles. Stay tuned.
I hope that you have found this information to be helpful in your pursuit of excellence. Thank you for reading.
Regards,
Dave Peterson
About The Author
Dave is not only a Professional Website Designer. He also incorporates exciting state-of-the-art marketing strategies and expertise that help clients put more cash in there pockets. Providing great value to his clients.
tidy up service Glenview .."It's good.""You've done a nice job.""I don't like it."At some... Read More
As of September, Smartads went through what so many have... Read More
When you develop a sales brochure, you have a mental... Read More
A search for "web design" on Google returns more than... Read More
Writing for your web site is not the same as... Read More
If your Web site doesn't project a professional and polished... Read More
A long, long time ago? In a galaxy far, far... Read More
What colors do you have at your website?Can they make... Read More
One of the single most important aspects of effective navigation... Read More
You've likely heard of the movie, Jerry Maguire, with its... Read More
We have all seen websites showcasing their testimonials either spread... Read More
Not too long ago while looking for businesses that do... Read More
Getting a customer is not easy.Getting a visitor to decide... Read More
It seems that almost every Tom Dick and Harry do... Read More
We can't emphasize enough the importance of including keyword-rich content... Read More
Before you start worrying about marketing your website on the... Read More
They say the eyes are the window to the soul.... Read More
There are often many mistakes encountered when creating a webpage... Read More
Creating a web site takes thought, planning and execution. Unfortunately,... Read More
Projecting a professional image is paramount to your website's success.... Read More
Not all links are created equal.While all of your links... Read More
This is the second part of a two-part article about... Read More
So your web site's online and you've got high rankings... Read More
Let's face it. Buying products and services from the Internet... Read More
As search engine marketers, we spend an enormous amount of... Read More
maid service near Winnetka ..Usability isn't only for Web design. It's also applicable in... Read More
CSS is a new option for website designers that have... Read More
Customers will form an opinion of your business as soon... Read More
Thinking about designing your own website? Think again about adding... Read More
The top ten fonts for website design might change in... Read More
I want you to imagine a lemon. In your mind's... Read More
An application is not ready for use unless you have... Read More
The HTML editor is usually a webpage design software that... Read More
Since I'm a web designer, I have a tendency to... Read More
If you are going to be placing ads on your... Read More
As search engine marketers, we spend an enormous amount of... Read More
Creating an appealing, functional, and effective Web site is much... Read More
Most of us at times need advice on different aspects... Read More
It is common sense.The more time people spend at your... Read More
If there's one thing that I've learnt so far, it's... Read More
Before deciding on which web design company to choose, you... Read More
We've all seen and read product testimonials. They're a very... Read More
Have you ever been to site with so much ad... Read More
Websites, there are literally billions of them out there in... Read More
Increasing the length of time a visitor is on your... Read More
Effective navigation stands out. It's clear, obvious, and highly visible.You'll... Read More
FIRST IMPRESSIONS. First impressions often leave lasting impressions. Impressions... Read More
An "include" file is a piece of code that can... Read More
In this article you will find the parallel between two... Read More
QUESTION: My business is very small, just me and... Read More
Web Design |