Does Your Site Have Stopping Power


About one in every ten sites I visit succeeds at keeping me
around longer than a minute. I'm usually in a hurry when I
surf the web, and I'm not alone.

Actually, the term "Web surfer" is a misleading one. Not too
many people I know actually "surf" the web at a leisurely
pace. Instead, most times they are on the web they click and
click in a frenzied search for something in particular.
Perhaps a better term than web surfer would be "Speed
Clicker."

Once you come to accept that fact you'll see why it is
crucial to give your visitors a reason to slow down as soon
as they arrive at your site. Too many webmasters don't do
this right away and risk losing another web surfer and
potential customer.

Slowing your visitors down a little is the first step in
getting them to actually stop and stay a while. If you can
accomplish that you'll be on your way to generating a new
subscriber or customer. And ain't that what it's all about?

OK, so now that you know that your number one task is to
slow down these speed clickers, I'd like to share with you
exactly how to do it...

Once you're sure your website loads quickly and looks
professional, it's time to post your "slow down" sign right
at your main page. No, I'm not talking about one of those
tired old "under construction" signs. Instead, I'm talking
about smacking your visitors right square in the eye, with a
compelling reason to calm their pace a bit and investigate
your site further.

No, it is not done with fancy graphics or technology like
audio or video. It is best done with the number one tool at
your disposal words.

But before you start thinking up some catchy headlines or
attention grabbers, I'd like you to throw those tired old
axioms away. Instead, take a moment today and consider why
these "Speed Clickers" have happened upon your site in the
first place.

What are they looking for? As a webmaster it is your
responsibility to know what your best prospect is thinking
and searching for. If you plan to have a successful web
business, most of these speed clickers should be hoping to
find the very things you've built your business on. Do you
know what they are? Here's a little help. Ask yourself these
questions...

What is the main benefit(s) your prospects and customers get
from doing business with you rather than the competition?

Are your prices the cheapest?
Is your selection the largest?
Do you offer a unique technology?
Do you cater to a special niche market?
Do you offer free assistance others can't?

If you can't think of at least one main benefit you'd better
work on building one into your business. Not only is it
crucial to your success, it's the only way to slow down
those speed surfers by simply telling them THEIR benefit
as soon as they arrive.

So were you able to come up with at least one solid benefit?
Good for you. Now put it into action. First put the main
benefit or benefits of doing business with you into a
sentence.

Need an example? Here's my sentence...

Visitors to bizweb2000 receive high quality online marketing
assistance (with no fluff!) from a guy who has been making
his living from the Internet since 1996.

As you can see from that sentence, the best benefits I can
offer to my website visitors are:

- quality, no-nonsense help
- my experience as a full-time web marketer

You'll see this message prominently displayed at my home
page. No, not in those exact words, but through a more
powerful method of delivery from the mouths of my
customers. This is my slow down sign and it works.

I invite you, scratch that, I CHALLENGE you to come up with
your own "slow down sign" at your website. Spend a day if
necessary. If you have trouble coming up with anything,
contact some of your best customers and ask them why they do
business with you. You may find that their feedback provides
all the stopping power your home page needs!

About the Author

Tip by Jim Daniels of JDD Publishing. Did you find this tip helpful?
There's plenty more like this at Jim's site: www.bizweb2000.com
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