We know that something like 80% of visitors will abandon our
sites without finishing the headline. And we know that "What's
in this for me?" is the question every visitor asks immediately.
We know we must demonstrate there is something here that matters.
And we must do so quickly. Within seconds.
Suppose you have worked at this. And suppose you have this
right, or at least close. What next?
Show Them The Good Stuff
The next step is to quickly reveal what is available on the
site and why each segment matters. There must be a promise of
complete information, and this promise must be kept. A page
of banners, by contrast, will never work.
The Contrary View In Place
For some time now I've wanted to get into a hobby-type thing
to give my days a better balance. I tend to just keep working,
unless I build in alternate fun things of some kind or another.
Then it hit me. I love growing stuff. But where I live,
this means a greenhouse to keep out the gophers, rabbits and
especially the deer. So I went surfing, something I seldom do.
Thoroughly excited with the idea, I fired up the computer,
went to AltaVista, and entered, "hot house" + plants. Not the
best starting place, but hey, I was seriously surfing for
something I had never before tried to find on the Web. A glance
at the first 10 listings showed I had the wrong key word. The
fourth item caught my attention.
"Your #1 Stop for old fashion Cottage Plants, the once
your Grandmother used to grwow."
An Odd Happening
I'm by nature a thoughtful, somewhat introspective fellow.
So I was taken by surprise by the feelings that washed over me in
looking at the above listing. "Who the heck is this joker? Two
misused words in the site description that a spell checker can't
find. Maybe "grwow" is a word, but I don't recognize it. Does
this clown know anything? Am I really expected to click on this
nonsense?"
Note the lack of reason in my response. Which was
frustration that converted to anger so quickly I did not notice
the change. "Who the heck are you, wasting my time like this?"
I muttered out loud. And instead of thinking things over, which
is my usual mode, I plunged on with an aggressive demanding
attitude I don't recall ever having before.
Next Stop: Greenhouse
Mostly greenhouse effects regards the planet. Of no
interest at all. (Well, sure. Critical stuff. But not just
then.) So I tried greenhouses (plural). Better. So AltaVista
sees the plural as different from the singular. I decided to
try to remember that, but knew I wouldn't.
A furious scan of descriptions followed. I clicked on those
that seemed promising. On every third one I hit the back button,
for the site didn't seem to want to load.
Site after site was lovely. Virtually all were catalog
operations. Lots of pictures with options for bigger ones. And
lots of "Add To Cart" buttons. But little information about much
of anything. I'm going to spend $500 to $5000 based on a
picture? Has everybody lost their mind?
Shutting Down
I was surprised when I glanced at the clock. I had "visited"
over 50 sites in less than 45 minutes. This may be the essence
of surfing to many. Frankly, it's the first time I recall
"attacking" a topic in such fashion.
Some sites offered gardening tips. None appeared to feature
great content or solid information that would help me make a
practical decision. I saw no mention of the need for heating and
cooling. I guess these ups and extras are meant to come as a
surprise. And I did not find mention of how well their stuff can
handle two feet of snow, which I get routinely here in the
foothills of the Sierra Nevadas.
One home page after another was simply pictures with a brief
catalog description and a click-to-order button. They shouted
things at me like "Buy From Me Now!" Or worse: "Please Buy From
Me."
Calming Down
I poured a cup of coffee, sat down to gaze at the mountains
to the East, and pondered for a bit. Still kind of surprised at
the way in which I had attacked this task. Puzzled at the
emotional change that took over completely. I asked myself what
is wrong with these sites? What would I do differently were they
mine? What could they have done to grab my attention and hold
it?
What I Discovered
The pictures did in fact partially answer the question,
"What's in it for me?" I was looking at greenhouses. But there
was nothing that drew me beyond this point. One person boldly
commented, "I've been in this business since 1949." How nice.
Of no meaning to me at all. (Later, yes, when I want to see
who's behind this operation, but never up front.) Another said
something like, "We are the best." Uh huh. Always a dumb thing
to say. Show me, else shush.
Looking Back
I'm sure that several of the sites I dashed through have the
information I want. But it wasn't obvious at the time. And it
must be immediately and completely obvious. Why? Because I
suspect my recent surfing experience is common behavior among
many.
If you can get a visitor to finish your headline, you've beat
the odds significantly. If the headline even partially answers
the question, "What's in this for me?" you are still in the game.
However, you will lose your visitor at this point, unless you
immediately demonstrate why your visitor should linger.
Questions such as "Why should I buy from you?" and "Why should
I believe you?" need to be addressed quickly. While it's not
possible to answer all such questions in the first screen, you
best get started and definitively point the way to further
information that provides complete answers.
Looking Ahead
The Web is so new, it's difficult to envision what lies
ahead. Entire new business models are likely to emerge, concepts
we have not yet dreamed of. One thing seems certain, though.
The catalog model is here to stay.
However, few catalog sites are going to be successful opening
with some pictures, brief descriptions, and an "order now"
button.
An Aside
Another mistake noted on sites visited was what appeared to
be a determination to make the page look like printed offline
catalogs. Pages jammed full of pictures. Brief hard-to-read
descriptions. Lots of unexplained jargon.
Offline, this is mandatory. Printing costs mount up. And
so do mailing costs. Even the cost of paper. Online, there is
virtually no cost to adding another page to the site. Put links
on jargon that pop up a window of explanation. Use space; it's
cheap. Include more complete explanations with links to more in
depth notes.
While the catalog model will thrive on the Web, more
attractive formats that make it easy to find further information
will be the winners.
Demonstrate Your Concerns For Your Customers
Saying you're glad a visitor dropped in won't do a bit of
good. Showing them it's so will. Show them you value their
interest and will go out of your way to provide exactly what they
need.
Saying you support your customers in every possible way won't
cut it. But showing that it's so does wonders.
Begin demonstrating such essential elements in the first
screen on your page and reenforce each element throughout the
site. And whatever else you do, make certain that all the neat
resources on your site are readily available.
About the Author
Bob McElwain
Want to build a winning site? Improve one you already
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Web marketing and consulting since 1993
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