Dazzle them with a
Dynamic Home Page
By Kristie Tamsevicius
Kristie's Custom Design
From the moment a visitor arrives, your front page conveys a feeling
to your
visitor. From the look of your site, the wording, and the colors you
use,
your home page projects a message to your potential customer about
who you
are. First impressions are lasting. It's very important for your site
to
project an image of professionalism and invite the visitor to want
to know
more by gaining the reader's attention, capturing their interest,
creating desire,
and calling them to action.
Here are the key elements to creating a dynamic front page:
= Professional Graphics
= Company Logo
= Motto
= Draw them in with leading questions
= Show how your product meets those needs
= Build trust with testimonials
= Tease visitors with goodies
= Follow with your guarantee
= Call them to action
== PROFESSIONAL GRAPHICS ==
When people shop in a store, the music, the décor, and the display
create an
inviting atmosphere for your business. Recreate this experience on
your web
site with graphics, pictures and visual imagery in your sales copy.
Web site graphics play a big role in projecting a professional image
to your
visitor. Not only can graphics visually please a visitor, but they
can also
provide a sense of security. If your graphics are of shoddy do-it-yourself
variety, customers may question your business' integrity, be leery
to buy
your products, or wonder if your order page is secure.
Perhaps you're ready to take your existing site to the next level
with a web
site makeover. For minimal cost, professional graphics can literally
transform an ordinary site into something truly exciting.
Try to match the color scheme and graphics of your site to your business
culture. Are you casual and friendly? Are you high tech? Are you corporate?
Pick a logo and color scheme that reflects this to your customer.
Other Graphic Tips:
QUICK LOADING - As a rule, your home page should be under 80KB in
size, and
take no longer than 20 seconds to download with a 56k modem.
CROSS BROWSER COMPATIBILITY - Test your site with several different
browsers and at various screen resolutions.
COMPLEMENT - DON'T DISTRACT - Your graphics should not distract from
the
site's content. If you are using a colored or tiled background or
excessive
animation it can makes it hard for visitors to read your text.
== COMPANY LOGO ==
Your logo is a distinguishing mark for your company. A strong logo
will
create a lasting image which clearly identifies you, differentiate
you from
the competition, and conveys a sense of professionalism and reliability.
Place your logo predominantly at the top of the home page so visitors
can
immediately identify that they have arrive at your company web site.
== MOTTO ==
Think of a motto or slogan as a headline for your web site. This tells
visitors WHO you are, HOW your product will benefit them, and WHY
you are
the best.
For example: Providing the highest quality coffees for private label
== DRAW THEM IN WITH LEADING QUESTIONS==
Sales copy needs to GRAB your visitor's attention, create an INTEREST,
and
call them to ACT.
So how do you grab their attention? Create questions related to benefits
your customers might realize from your product. Think about WHY someone
would want to buy your product and HOW it helps him or her. This will
hook
them.
For example here are some leading questions:
-- Would you like to bring your business online?
-- Need to add some pizzazz to your existing web site?
-- Are you looking for reliable web hosting?
-- Want to drive traffic to your web site?
== SHOW HOW YOUR PRODUCT MEETS THOSE NEEDS ==
Follow the leading questions up by telling them how your business
will GIVE
them those benefits. You've caught their interest; this will reel
them in.
See example below.
If you answered "YES!" to any of these questions and you're serious
about
business on the net, call me at (888) 212-3255 to learn how KCD web
development, hosting, and promotional consulting services can help
you
achieve success!
== BUILD TRUST WITH TESTIMONIALS ==
Now tell them WHY they should buy. Sprinkling your sales copy with
testimonials will break up your sales copy and add interest. There's
nothing
more powerful than the words of a satisfied customer to build trust
in you
and your products.
Here's an example of a small testimonial used as a teaser to the full
testimonial page:
My home page says (http://www.kcustom.com)
"#1 Rated Design Firm by Brian Hogan of Adventures
in Advertising, Click Here to find out why"
This is linked to my testimonial page.
= TEASE VISITORS WITH GOODIES =
Think of your home page as the cover of a book. You've got to make
it
exciting enough to make them want to open the book and read. Tell
visitors a
little about your company, newsletter, and any articles, resources,
tips, or
free reports your site has to offer. This will draw visitors DEEPER
within
your site.
== FOLLOW WITH YOUR GUARANTEE ==
Reduce the risk of purchase by offering a product guarantee. This
will do
two things: it will show the customer that you believe in your product,
and
it will build trust thus making them more likely to purchase.
Here's an example of a guarantee:
Unconditional No-Questions-Asked Guarantee
You have my personal guarantee, that the Widget will do X, Y, and
Z for you,
that we back your purchase with a no-hassle, 100% money-back guarantee.
== CALL THEM TO ACTION ==
It's time to close the deal and ASK for the order! What is the next
step you
want the visitor to take? Should they call for information? Do they
click
here to order?
Place the link to your secure order page in a VERY VISIBLE place.
Remind
them that it's a SECURE order page. Time sensitive offers (and if
you order
by midnight tonight, you'll receive a special bonus) can entice visitors
to
act now.
Offer visitors your contact information. Include your phone number,
fax,
address, and spell out your email address (make your email link clickable).
It is crucial to put your contact information on the home page so
people don
't have to hunt for it.
Motivate visitors to take that next step by offering a free consultation,
a
discount or piling on the bonuses. If you don't have a bonus, create
a joint
venture! Find a company whose services complement yours and agree
to cross
promote each other. Then make a bonus swap! Not only will you gain
giveaways
such as ebooks and free reports, but you'll also get lots of exposure.
== OTHER QUICK TIPS ==
Here's some other web design tips to keep in mind:
=Check your spelling and grammar. Let someone else proof your site
too!
They'll catch things you've missed.
=Keep navigation simple. In addition to your top or side buttons,
add a set
of text links to the bottom of the page.
=Frequently test your links. http://www.netmechanic.com
and
http://websitegarage.netscape.com
offer this service for FREE!
=Make your page easy to scan. Use headers to break up your text into
digestible chunks. This way if a visitor scans you page, he can grasp
a
quick sense of what your site is about. Similarly, using bullet points
will
lead the visitor's eye down the page.
== SUMMARY ==
Take the time to ensure your web site incorporates quality graphics,
good
sales copy, and a strong call to action. And remember to periodically
reevaluate your front page to see if it still measures up. After all,
you've
just got one shot to grab your visitors attention or else "CLICK".
they're
gone.
Articles
Courtesy Of The InfoZone
