What I Know For Sure

Which Way to Go - 3 Colorful Arrow SignsI am a big fan of Oprah (she doesn’t even need a last name anymore, does she?) Winfrey. The queen of just about everything she touches, Oprah has a way of communicating on TV that makes people engage. At this time and place, engagement is a HUGE deal in business. If you can get the visitor to engage, you have won a big part of the battle.

What Does This Mean?

In business, your website is your store front. It draws people in and engages them. Or, on the bad side, maybe it sends them running to the competition. It takes about 5 seconds for a visitor to make a decision about your business website and what is causing that immediate, 5 second response? The web design.

Your site can have every jquery, HTML5/CSS, Flash, Zip, Bang latest technology but if it isn’t keeping people on your site, who cares? Your website has to deliver a message – quickly – and for that you need to hire a professional. Someone who knows all the tricks, knows what works and will advise you accordingly. Because ultimately, tricks and flash will not keep a visitor around – the design will.

One Two Punch

After you get your visitor to hang out for a couple extra seconds, what’s the most important thing that the visitor will encounter? THE CONTENT! Your website needs to be well-written, and not in corporate speak either. Does anybody really read long, corporate double-speak? I’m a designer and I say, ‘um, NO!’. Take the time to find and hire an excellent writer to craft content for your site. Because it is a craft and great writing is a skill. And then hire that person to write more content for you – don’t be shy. Useful well-written text never goes out of style.

exclamation_pointAnd then there’s …

Finally, what do you want your visitor to do while on your site, after you’ve got them engaged and after they have written your amazing text? That’s up to you and your business but it typically breaks down into one of the following:

  1. Make a purchase
  2. Make a phone call to the business
  3. Fill out the contact form (or other form)

Yes, it kinda is that simple

I do not mean to dumb down any part of this process. Building a website that attracts (and keeps) visitors is a complicated process, however, it’s important that the business owner not be overwhelmed. That is not to say that you shouldn’t hire professionals for every step of the way, including design, content, SEO, promotion, etc. However, if you can define those 3 items and always keep in mind that the point is to get the visitor to feel engaged, check out the content and then complete a specific action, you will be able to deliver the best one, two punch website to your visitors and become the Oprah of your website.

You get a product, and you get a product….. well, you get the idea.