| A few years back, there was a musical and then | | | | unlock your knowledge and make it accessible to |
| a movie called, "How to Succeed in Business | | | | others. |
| Without Really Trying." It was, of course, fiction, | | | | WHAT MAKES A SUCCESSFUL WEBSITE? |
| because to succeed in business, or anything else | | | | Look back at the five reasons why people buy |
| for that matter, you do have to try. | | | | online, then make sure your site offers each. |
| You have to try, you have to plan and you have | | | | Convenience: that means your site must be easy |
| to work. But when you're doing it for yourself, it's | | | | to navigate -- most good programs have |
| more like fun than work. Ask anyone who has | | | | something similar to the Shared Borders feature |
| built a successful business and you'll hear the | | | | in FrontPage to allow you to have the same nav |
| same response, "I do it because I love it!" The | | | | bars on every page. Don't change the order of |
| money, the prestige, the material trappings are | | | | links, this just confuses your visitors and makes |
| bonuses. | | | | them angry. |
| All the experts agree that to succeed on the | | | | If your visitors have arrived at your page from a |
| Web there are three key areas you have to | | | | link that promises them a free report on What to |
| address: | | | | See in Kakadu National Park, make sure the |
| A PRODUCT | | | | report is there. Don't make them click on three |
| You need a product that people want, that people | | | | more links to find it and don't make them search |
| need and that exceeds their expectations. | | | | up and down your page to find the link -- use a |
| A SITE | | | | bookmark to send them directly to the spot. |
| You need a site that tells customers what they | | | | No Pressure: we all know how annoying it is to be |
| want to hear, not what you want them to know. | | | | pestered by an over-eager sales rep when we're |
| TARGETED TRAFFIC | | | | still "just looking;" his/her counterpart on the Web |
| You need to attract those visitors who want | | | | is the pop-up window that demands we subscribe |
| your product. | | | | to a newsletter, download a trial program, visit |
| Let's take a quick look to see how you can | | | | another site etc etc. |
| develop (or acquire) a product that meets the | | | | Forms that require in-depth information about our |
| needs of a significant market; build a site that | | | | income, address, occupation and so on also fall |
| helps visitors decide they must have your product | | | | into this category. If you're offering a free report, |
| and then attract hordes of potential customers | | | | newsletter subscription etc, all you need is an |
| who are begging you to take their money! | | | | email address and possibly the person's name. |
| WHAT DO PEOPLE WANT? | | | | Once you have these, you can build up a rapport |
| Surveys of online behaviour have consistently | | | | over time and then request more details if |
| shown that the ten most popular activities on the | | | | absolutely necessary. |
| Web are (in order): | | | | Quick: the great thing about shopping online is that |
| * searching for information on the search engines | | | | you don't have to waste time travelling to the |
| * reading news and sport | | | | shops, finding a parking spot and standing in lines. |
| * finding work | | | | It's a time saver. |
| * learning something new | | | | So make sure your page loads quickly -- there |
| * downloading software | | | | are numerous articles which outline the do's and |
| * finding out about travel | | | | don'ts of web page design. |
| * chatting | | | | Ease of access to information: the Internet allows |
| * investing and making money | | | | you to put up unlimited information about your |
| * playing games | | | | product, so make sure you have enough to cater |
| * shopping | | | | for all interest levels. Some would-be buyers just |
| These same surveys have also revealed that the | | | | want to know how big and how much; others will |
| most bought products are hardware and | | | | want to know all the specifications; have this |
| software, books and magazines, travel, music, | | | | information available. |
| and investment choices (i.e. advice and | | | | Put the basic details on the main page with links |
| information). | | | | to the extra information (include photos, diagrams |
| When asked why they shopped online, customers | | | | etc) whatever is appropriate for your particular |
| cited the following: | | | | product. |
| * convenience | | | | Include a Frequently Asked Questions page, |
| * no pressure from sales representatives | | | | where you can give answers to all those typical |
| * quick | | | | questions people ask and satisfy your customer's |
| * ease of access to information | | | | concerns immediately. |
| * availability of reviews of products and | | | | Reviews and recommendations: everyone feels |
| recommendations. | | | | more comfortable about buying something that's |
| HOW DOES THIS HELP? | | | | been recommended, so include a page of |
| Armed with this knowledge, you can now look for | | | | testimonials from real past customers (include full |
| a product that you know people want ... and what | | | | names, company names, location etc). You can |
| do they want more than anything else? | | | | include links to that past customer's website if |
| Information! | | | | you wish but don't include email addresses. |
| People want to find out how to build a website, a | | | | If your product has been reviewed by an |
| boat, a doll's house; they want to know how to | | | | independent person, include the comments |
| make candles from beeswax, how to fix their | | | | because this adds a great deal of credibility to |
| lawn mower, how to buy a diamond. They're | | | | your product. |
| interested in knowing how to tell a fake piece of | | | | Have short extracts to each of these on your |
| art from the real thing, what to look for when | | | | main page, with links to the full review or |
| buying a used car and how far it is to the moon. | | | | testimonial. |
| In other words, no matter what you know, you | | | | Building a site like this will help your business |
| can guarantee that someone, somewhere would | | | | succeed; the third area involves attracting |
| love to learn from you. | | | | targeted buyers to your site once you've built it |
| Information sells on the Web and there are some | | | | and one of the best ways to do this is through |
| excellent books and programs that will help you | | | | listing with the search engines. |