It’s good for your website to suck
If your website has powerful sucking power then it’s more likely to achieve your desired outcome, which is generally to make more sales. People are more likely to subscribe to your newsletter, buy your product or use your services if you’ve provided them with free information that adds value to their lives.
If visitors return regularly, then your business creates ‘top of mind awareness’, which means that they’ll think of you when it’s time to buy.
An example of a website that totally sucks
Whenever I require information on anything business-related, I visit Flying Solo, type in my key words to the search facility and then enjoy the many informative articles related to my topic. I find out all the answers to my questions and I also end up exploring a multitude of other enticing links. Before I know it, I have been sucked in to a vortex of irresistible information. The Flying Solo website pulls me in and keeps me in; for this reason, it can be considered to be a ‘sticky’ website. Although in my book, it just totally sucks!
Three tips to help your website suck
Create a killer home page
There are no shortcuts with this one, if your home page isn’t effective it just won’t pull the visitor in, and quite often it can inspire them to click away. Here are some basic points to consider if you want your home page to double up as a vacuum cleaner.
- Keep it concise and uncluttered. If it looks messy and confusing then people won’t stick around.
- The message on your home page should state what you do in an obvious and simple way.
- If you want to convert browsers into buyers then make sure that your home page is written persuasively.
Include a well-constructed Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) page
FAQ pages are fantastic. While many people visit this page to find out the answer to one specific question, they’ll generally read more. If you effectively address every issue related to your customers’ concerns, it also helps to break down any barriers to doing business with you. Within the FAQ’s page you can direct browsers to other pages so that they can enjoy your entire website. For example:
- How much do your bags cost?
Prices range from $50 - $550. Please visit the products page for more details. - Do your bags come with a money back guarantee?
Yes, though we’ve never had a bag returned yet! Read comments from our happy customers on the testimonials page.
Regularly post fresh and interesting content
If your clients know that you will regularly post interesting content in the way of articles, blogs and tips that will help them, then they will gladly return to stay updated and will generally ‘stick’ around for a while during each visit.
So, do you agree it’s important for your website to suck? Does your website suck already? If so, allow it to pull us in here.
“ If your home page isn’t effective it just won’t pull the visitor in, and quite often it can inspire them to click away. ”
Lucinda Lions writes persuasive and compelling website copy. Her web copywriting ebooks assist solo and micro business owners to write their own sales-boosting copy.
