17 Website Design Mistakes That Kill Your Sales - Part one

By Ben Hart

I have assembled here a checklist of 17 mistakes to avoid when designing your website if your primary goal is to make money with your website.

Mistake #1 - Opening your website with a Flash page

Opening a website with Flash (a mini-movie) can be very cool looking. Website designers and graphic artists love them because they are so pretty and showcase their technical skill. But Internet surfers can’t stand them because they are searching for information.

A Flash page (which often takes a long time to load) stands between the surfer and the key information she’s looking for — also between your reader and your sales pitch.

When people type keywords into a search engine, they are looking for information. No one types “only show me sites with Flash page introductions.” In fact, if a searcher gets to your site and is greeted with an elaborate Flash presentation, half your visitors will leave your site before they ever get to your sales presentation. Search engines also hate Flash pages. Search engines are interested in content and in delivering information to searchers.

A Flash page is a big stop sign to both your readers and to search engines.

Mistake #2 - Requiring readers to click a link rather than scroll to finish reading the information or sales presentation.

The award-winning websites want all information on a page to fit on your screen because it looks neater and tighter — more award winning. But it’s easier for readers to scroll than to click a link.

Scrolling allows readers to hold their finger on a button and scan your headlines and subheads. If something grabs their interest, they can read (without clicking). Clicking and waiting for another page to load takes time. It’s annoying to a reader. It’s a stopper — kind of like intermission at a long movie or play. If the movie isn’t much good, the Intermission is often when I leave, for good.

The average time a surfer spends on a Website is about six seconds. Don’t waste time by making your reader click and wait to read. Put the entire article, your entire presentation on one page, even if your reader must scroll and scroll and scroll to read everything on the page.

Mistake #3 - Too many graphics, not enough attention to copy

Copy sells. Pictures and graphics are supporting exhibits for the copy. The award-winning websites are all graphics-heavy — and beautiful to look at.

Copy sells because copy is needed to provide your readers reasons and compelling arguments for why your readers should buy and buy now. And copy allows you to start building a relationship with your reader, essential for having any chance of closing a sale. The Bible has no pictures, no photos — just lots of text. And it’s the bestselling book of all time.

People search the internet for information (text), not graphics or pretty layouts. No one types “beautiful site” as a modifier to keywords describing their topic of interest. Plus, search engines can’t read graphics and so can’t index graphics. And graphics take time to load.

What you want for you site is a nice, clean professional layout that’s almost all text.

Mistake #4 - Lack of focus

So often I get to a website and can’t quite figure out what the website is selling or what I’m being asked to do. Websites should be dedicated to selling one thing or one service, or asking your reader to take one and only one action (even if the only action is to read the article).

If you sell many different products and services, you should have many different Websites dedicated to each product and service you sell. The reason is, when people search the internet with their keywords, they are looking for one and only one thing. They will buy from the website that is selling that one and only one thing — because it appears to visitors that this is your area of specialty.

If you have a plumbing problem, you want a plumber to fix it — not a jack of all trades handyman. If you have cancer, you want to see a cancer specialist, not a general practitioner. So if you fix roofs and pave driveways, have two websites, one dedicated to fixing roofs, the other paving driveways. Narrow has always been the gate to paradise in direct marketing. This is even truer in the age of the Internet, where people are looking for your service or product with highly focused keyword searches.

Mistake #5 - “Welcome to My Home Page”

This is a little like starting your sales letter with “Welcome to My Letter” or the book you are writing to “Welcome to My Book.”

I see “Welcome to My Home Page” all over the Internet. I guess these people think this sounds warm and friendly — like “Welcome to My Home.” Don’t do this.

Your home page should feature your main sales presentation. It should launch right in with an attention-getting headline. It should look exactly like a sales letter you might get in your mailbox — except, instead of an order form and reply envelope, you’ll have links or buttons that say “Click Here to Order” that will take readers right to the credit card form.

When the average surfer spends 6 seconds on a Web page, you don’t want to waste time with pleasantries. Launch right it to the performance — the sales pitch.

Mistake #6 - No attention-getting headlines or subheads.

Web surfers are scanners. A headline is like hand that taps your scanner on the shoulder and says “look here.” Headlines and subheads tell your scanners what all this text is about. And it’s good for your headlines to say something unusual — if possible “human interest.” Here’s a pretty good one: “How My 10-Year-Old Daughter Earned $750 Last Week with Her New Online Business.” Free offers make good headlines, i.e.: “Here’s Your Free . . .”

Headlines are what suck your readers into your copy. If your headlines are fascinating, your readers won’t mind reading a lot of small print to get the details.

Mistake #7 - Boring Writing

You can’t sell by boring your reader. Your headline is designed to get your scanner reading. But if your first sentence is boring, your reader will go on to the next site. The easiest next step for a reader to take is always to stop reading and go onto something else that’s more interesting. Each sentence must be so interesting that your reader reads the next sentence. Stephen King is a master of this.

He writes 800 page books packed with tiny print. But the stories are so interesting that people cannot get enough. They can’t wait for his next book to come out. What makes for good writing is the story you tell and the facts and details you include. There are no boring subjects, just boring writers. The great salesmen are great storytellers. Everyone wants to listen because they always have interesting things to say. Interesting writing makes for great salesmanship.

Mistake #8 - Failing to build copy around the keywords and phrases your customers and prospects are typing into search engines.

The search engines want to make sure your website is in line with the keywords you’ve selected to include in your Meta Tags and with the keywords people are typing into search engines. What makes a search engine valuable is that it does a good job of taking searchers to websites that are exactly in line with their keyword searches. You want your site high on the list of search results listed for the keywords you’re using to bring people to your site.

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Seventeen reasons people buy - Part one

You won’t have much  1. Fear

People buy because they fear getting old, fear going broke, fear being left behind. They fear being left out. They fear death. They fear getting sick, fear going to Hell, fear being alone. They fear Republicans gaining power, or they fear Democrats gaining power.
They fear the Nazis or Communists gaining power. They fear life is meaningless. They fear failure. They fear their kids won’t amount to anything. They fear being insignificant, not leaving a mark. Fear comes in all shapes, sizes, and forms. Fear is a powerful motive causing people to buy.

2. Desire to be recognized

People buy because they want honor and prestige. They want recognition. They want to be set apart from the crowd. They want to be part of an exclusive, prestigious club. They want fame.

3. Greed

Just about everyone wants more money. No matter how rich someone is, they always want more. Even billionaires want more, not because they need it, just because they want it. They want more than the other billionaire has. Warren Buffet has not stopped trying to make more money even though he’s the second richest man in the world. Bill Gates still wants more because he wants to stay the richest.
Ten thousand pairs of shoes were not enough for Imelda Marcos. She always wanted more shoes.

4. Love

Love is a powerful motivator to buy. What other motive can there be for buying life insurance? People want to make sure their children have the best and that their loved ones are taken care of.
5. Self-improvement
People always want to improve themselves. They join a gym to get in shape. They sign up for a seminar to learn something that will help them get ahead. “How To” manuals are some of the best selling books on Amazon.

6. Desire to win

There’s a strong competitive instinct in most people. People just flat out want to win at games, sports, business, love, and in life. No one wants to be called a “Loser.”
People want to be the best. They want the recognition that goes with winning, or they just want the satisfaction of knowing they are the best at something. It’s not enough for Tiger Woods to be the best golfer in the world. He now wants to be the best golfer of all time. Does he want to win because he wants more fame or more money? Does winning make him feel superior to other people? I don’t think so. I think he is someone who sets a goal and then just wants to achieve it. He’s a perfectionist. He feels he can always do better.
The desire to win will cause people to buy the best equipment, get the best teacher, and buy the best books and videos on the subject. We want our kids to win. We want our teams to win. The innate desire most of us have to win fuels the sports industry and much of our economy.

7. Comfort

People want comfort. They want a comfortable bed, a comfortable chair, a comfortable car, comfortable shoes, and comfortable clothes. People want a Jacuzzi. We want pain relievers even for the most minor pains, just to make ourselves more comfortable. We want larger and more comfortable rooms. Americans, especially, seem to be on a never-ending quest for more and more comfort.

8. Laziness

Sure people want to improve themselves, and they want to win, and they want to make more money… but only if it’s easy.
People are lazy. That’s why you don’t see many sales pitches that highlight how hard you must work to achieve the results promised. You will see beautiful people sitting on the exercise equipment and talking more often than we see them actually using it. People want the results without the work. “Lose 10 pounds in 30 days with no dieting or exercise. Just take this pill.” That’s the basic pitch.

9. Quest for a great experience

People want great experiences they will remember for the rest of their lives. They want travel experiences, educational experiences, family outings, parties, vacations, barbecues, great food at great restaurants, and good movies to watch.
They want exciting experiences, relaxing experiences, social experiences, and entertainment experiences. People want shared experiences with loved ones. The travel and entertainment industry is all about creating and selling memorable experiences.

10. Sex

People want more sex and better sex. People want sex, period. People want to be more attractive and sexier. Sex is everywhere in advertising, movies, and entertainment. Sometimes it’s out in the open, sometimes implied. The mere mention of the word “sex” draws immediate and riveted attention.

11. The desire for relationships

People want friends. People want dates. People want romance. People want to get married. People want to be connected to other people. People want to be part of a community. Dating sites are among the most popular on the Internet. People want to improve their relationships with their children and with their spouse. When a relationship breaks up, it’s very painful. When a relationship starts, it’s exciting. Most people do not want to be alone in the world.

12. Anger

Anger can be a very strong motivator. People send money to the Republican Party because they are angry at the Democrats. People send money to the Democratic Party because they are angry at the Republicans. People hire a lawyer to sue someone because they are angry. Following the 9/11 terrorist attack on America; people bought flags and decals not just out of patriotism, but also to show their anger at the terrorists. That was certainly righteous anger. Anger makes people want to strike back and fight, even go to war.

13. Desire to make a difference

People want their lives to count for something, to make a difference.
People run for President and public office to make a difference, hopefully not just for recognition. People contribute to charities, political causes, and religious organizations to make a difference. People become teachers and religious leaders to make a difference. People write books and articles to make a difference. People volunteer to make a difference.
Very few people want their life to count for absolutely nothing, to have made no positive impact in the world. Most people want to leave a legacy of some kind.
The desire to have an impact, to leave a mark, to make the world a better place can be a powerful motivator to buy or contribute.

14. Desire for meaning in life

People want life to mean something.
Religious organizations rely on this motive to prosper. Most people believe in God. Most people do not want to believe their life is an accident. People buy Bibles, religious tracts, and philosophical discourses to find meaning in life. They join a church and attend seminars for the same reason.
Billions of dollars are spent every year by people wanting to find meaning in life.

15. Desire for power

People want to tell others what to do. They want to be in charge. They want power. They want to be like God. Sometimes they want power to do good things, sometimes evil things.
Elections are about deciding who will be in charge. Billions of dollars are spent to win elections, win power. People start their own businesses and organizations in part because they want to be the boss. People want to be in charge of their own lives and in charge of other people’s lives as well.
Serial killers are the way they are because they want power over others, their victims. The desire for power over others is at the root of every war. The obsession for power has caused enormous human misery: Hitler, Stalin, Mao Tse Tung, Pol Pot and countless dictators throughout history. Thank heavens, in America we have found a way to prevent anyone from getting too much power.
The desire for power is one of the most powerful human motives.

16. Necessity of life

People need food, water, soap, clothes, electricity, gas, transportation, haircuts, and phones. Maybe computers and Internet connections now fall under the category of a necessity of modern life. Businesses need paper, copiers, desks, chairs, fax machines, phones, and computers.
“Can’t do without it” is certainly a powerful reason to buy.

17. Addiction

People become addicted to drugs, alcohol, tobacco, caffeine, gambling, pornography, sex, and fast food. Some addictions are physical, others psychological. But the effect is the same, an ever-present compulsion to get more.
Marketers of these products see their job as feeding the addiction and creating more addicts to the substance, product, or activity. This is how the drug dealers, the tobacco and alcohol companies, the porn industry, sex traffickers, the casinos, and the fast food and junk food companies are raking in billions of dollars.
By Ben Hart - http://www.MarketingRocketFuel.com
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