How Persuasive is Your Website?

How Persuasive is Your Website? (0)

Ben Finkel | 17/01/2008

How persuasive is your website?

“It’s all about designing your information architecture around the searching patterns and psychology of your visitors – not coming up with something that looks cool but sends your visitors clicking for the hills.” - Bryan & Jeff Eisenberg

Whether we like it or not, in our interwoven world, the acceptable wait time on the web is zero, and many potential customers won’t give you a second chance online if you fail them the first time.  Your web site should not only convey your message rapidly, educate your prospects and consumers, but have a clear strong purpose through call to action or spotlight marketing.  Creating a website requires a customer-centric focus and a strategy that works towards ensuring your customers maximise their time on your site.   

In advertising, a “call to action” refers to the portion of ad copy that encourages consumers to actively engage in the purchase of a product or service.  A call to action will implore the consumer to "run right out" and purchase, "call now, while supplies last," return a coupon before a deadline, or call an 1800 phone number to place an order.

The web is absolutely no exception.  It is essential to incorporate expert persuasion techniques into your web site design to motivate your online visitor to take the next step.  Whether it’s viewing the latest model of your product or registering for the latest news, the basic idea is to guide your online visitor to the section of your website that delivers a mutually beneficial outcome; your client finds what they are looking for, and you have the opportunity to ask for their business.

So how do you maximise your conversion rate through calls to action?  Provide clear and consistent copy and design throughout the web site and ensure you have a clear call to action at the end of every topic.

• Spotlight graphics work well, especially on the homepage
• Make your product or service the focus of your homepage
• Provide links to pages with more content, streamlining the information on your landing pages
• Have large and colourful icons such as ‘enquire now’
• Encourage the user to share the page with others with the option to ‘email this to a friend’
  
  

It all comes down to building trust with your online visitors and not wasting their time, whilst giving you every chance to ask for their business through non-invasive techniques.

tags: Web Design ,  Melbourne Web Design ,  Melbourne ,  Business