If you think about it, our online interactions are really online conversations. Sometimes with other people but mostly with websites we visit. If a website does not earn a visitors trust in the first 30 seconds, the next site is just a click away.
So why, after many years of online marketing experiences, do so many sites jump out at visitors with designs that spin, move, jump and play uninvited music in an effort to grab attention? What web designer today still believes that these whirligigs are a good idea? (Hint, if this describes your web designer, fire them today. Seriously.)
Keep in mind, people “buy” from websites they trust. Your site should greet users and answer two simple questions right off the bat:
- What do you offer?
- Why should I trust you?
Doubt the second question matters as much as the first? Think about an online purchase you made recently. In your pre-purchase research, did you see sites that had what you were looking for but the design was a bit scary, the text was written for search engines or it lacked credibility indicators (Verisign, BBB, etc.)? Were you willing to given them your email address? How about providing them with your name and credit card number? I didn’t think so.
In order to give your visitors a reason to stay, keep your pages focused and make sure those two questions are answered clearly right at the top. Let your first online conversation with a prospect be a rapport-building experience not a carnival.