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.
no-contract cleaning service Des Plaines ..Chris, a new consulting client, asked me to help him... Read More
1. DO NOT use excessive graphics or banner images on... Read More
In today's age of fast food and high-speed Internet, a... Read More
Making a successful online business can be a long and... Read More
Your website design may be affecting your sales in ways... Read More
The HTML editor is usually a webpage design software that... Read More
When you start building your online business and search for... Read More
This article gives free tips on how to find a... Read More
My mother used to take me along when she visited... Read More
Where does a person start when setting up a website?... Read More
Geometric designs come in all shapes and sizes? and lines.... Read More
Have you put a lot of effort, time, and money... Read More
Nope. You certainly don't need a website.But you don't need... Read More
We've all surfed the web and seen some awful web... Read More
Before I discovered the concept of Web site templates, I... Read More
If you have a business, big or small you may... Read More
It's a fact, Page Not Found, known as a 404... Read More
Your web site should always adhere to standards!A professional web... Read More
Whenever singer John Mayer sings his romantic song, "Your Body... Read More
There are literally thousands of different options, styles and formats... Read More
So, what's in a website design anyway? And, how do... Read More
There are two camps when it comes to flash web... Read More
"How to turn "slightly interested" customers into "I've got to... Read More
If you were like me and you have just started... Read More
As part of your event planning you should seriously consider... Read More
bathroom cleaning service Lake Forest ..Web advertising has taken many forms, including those that appear... Read More
Before you take a road trip it is usually a... Read More
First you need original content. Content is the heart beat... Read More
Have you heard of 'Babel Fish'?It's a service provided by... Read More
The time it takes to load your site can make... Read More
Building your first website can be very frustrating. It looks... Read More
A "404 Error" happens when the web server you are... Read More
Just about every list of the "Top 10 Web Design... Read More
You spend time and money promoting your website; but what... Read More
There are plenty of Drupal Modules that you can install... Read More
Are you building a direct sales or mlm business online?... Read More
I always have people asking me if I know of... Read More
Last Thursday afternoon I was working on a garage door... Read More
Do your web pages, sales letters or personal presentations include... Read More
Seeing is believing.One trick to increase your visibility as well... Read More
Here are 10 dynamic website advertising tactics to super-charge your... Read More
Don't make a splash!Are you thinking about using a splash... Read More
There are many different website design companies, offering different facilities... Read More
Don't just put your slogan in the title tag when... Read More
For online businesses with their main goal of selling products,... Read More
1. Size does not equate to competencePeople sometimes assume a... Read More
Are you going to design or redesign new website or... Read More
Let's face it; the line from A Field of Dreams... Read More
Here is a quick list of components that make a... Read More
Read the title of this article over a couple of... Read More
Web Design |