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HINTS TO CONVERT VISITORS TO CALLERS

Clients often call us at Corbett Research right after we do a website upgrade to say thanks for the increase in traffic However, it takes a few months for Search Engines to fully index and rank website changes. What had happened quickly was an increase in the number of Visitors who take action and call. It's been shown that improving web content can be a faster and more reliable way to generate more leads than just building traffic to your website.

Your home page has only a few seconds to communicate to your Visitor/prospect the relevance of your professionalism, efficiency, and skills to his/her needs. (That "back" button is never far away!) Your Visitor is as busy as you are and won't make the effort if you make her or him work extra hard to get information.

The best web design is that which best converts web Visitors into Sales Prospects. It is not always the prettiest website. Often when I ask my contractor and architectural artisan clients what they like on the web, they often refer me to impressive (and expensive) websites that are pretty to look at but often difficult to understand. Always remember that Visitors have other options -- if you don't address their concerns quickly, they will go away. To engage the Visitor's attention, keep things simple, straightforward and transparent. Simplicity highlights your message, emphasizes your photographs, and is generally easier to look at.

We suggest modeling web pages on the front page of a daily newspaper, which displays at a glance quite a bit of what you wanted to know plus links to almost everything you could want to know. Other common website design models you can find (the magazine cover, the TV ad, the corporate brochure) don't support such a dense cluster of information. Every good design requires some compromise between "best practices" and individual needs. When it comes to your Visitor's concerns, you know best, but consider the rules and why they came to be before you break them.

Assume your web Visitors are Prospects prepared to take action. Make it easy for them to research your company, order information, or pick up the phone to call you. Deliver your message without requiring the Visitor to click to another page -- or even to touch the scroll bar. Here are four things that Prospects like to see at or near the top of every page:

1. A statement in plain English describing what you can do for them.
2. Complete contact information.
3. Links to your most important pages.
4. One strong photo that sums it all up for those who respond best to visuals.

A productive website practices the Golden Rule: Treat your Visitors as you like to be treated. The best way not to alienate your Visitors is to assume they are busy building professionals who hate websites that waste their time. Spare them as much clicking and scrolling as possible. Remember: They are seeking information, not a challenge. Don't assume the Visitor knows your website as well as you do. Repeat the contact information and links at the bottom of every page so it will be there if the Visitor needs reminding. Don't impede their access to information by forcing splash pages or flash programs on them. Don't make their eyes hurt by camouflaging your text on a patterned background. Making things easy and efficient for your Visitors is not just the smart thing to do; it also demonstrates your professionalism, concern for them, and your ability to communicate.