Have you ever started reading a letter and just couldn’t stop until you reached the end? Or read a book that you hated to put down?
Unfortunately a lot of websites don’t create that same urge to keep reading – nor do they make it easy for visitors to keep moving through the content.
If you want readers to stay on your website longer than a few seconds you need to have more than just words on a screen, you need compelling headlines and a story that fascinates the reader and draws him in – and it doesn’t hurt if you have some video to attract even more prospects either.
Anything is Fascinating to the Person Who Needs Your Knowledge
You may ask, “Can a course on making presentations be fascinating? Or ideation?” Yes, I can assure you that anything can be fascinating to the reader who needs that knowledge if it is properly pitched. I am not really interested in the technicalities of back up websites, but you can believe that when my website crashed I found that information enthralling!
When your prospect starts reading your website you want them to say, “Wow! I need to know this!” and “This could to transform my business.”
… But you still need to present it well!
Your web copy needs to tell your story convincingly … so appealingly, that your readers are compelled to take action. Your words need to dig deep into their psyche and find the message that will move them – even at 5.00pm on Friday – and keep them reading until the end – unless they’re reaching for the phone to make an appointment with you before you leave for the weekend.
You need to let them know that you really do have the solution to their problem – and that you will be able to communicate it to them.
How Well Does Your Website Communicate?
It’s hard to step back from your own website and look at it objectively, but try and do so for a moment. Consider these questions:
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Does it tell me what you do and who you work with – clearly and concisely?
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Does it pique the interest of your ideal client?
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Does it help them solve – or at least identify – a problem?
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Does it explain why I should want to learn more?
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Does it tell me where to go for a solution?
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Is it urgent and engaging enough to catapult me into action?
If you’re not sure, then you should talk it over with a friend or colleague, do some more work on your copy, or hire a professional copywriter to write it for you. Did you know that even professional copywriters sometimes hire other copywriters? Sometimes we’re so close to our own business that we can’t see the forest for the trees and we miss the items that make us unique and fascinate others.
Visibility – Credibility – Impact
The problem is that if you can’t make your unique qualities visible to others on your website, then they won’t be discovered. It’s your job to become visible to your prospective clients so that they can find you, to build credibility so that they know and like you, and to make an impact on them, so that they remember you when they need your services.
You can become visible without paid advertising by using appropriate keywords consistently, by expanding your reach through social media and organic interest in your topic, and by producing or curating valuable content in your field.
If you think about the people you like and trust, you know that credibility does not come overnight. It is earned by presenting a consistent message over time, and by giving your readers access to valuable material. It doesn’t all need to be free, but most people won’t hand you their money until you have proved that you have something of value to offer them in return.
Making an impact is the result of the previous two steps. Once people start seeing your name pop up in different media, they will start to recognize it and associate it with your specialty. You will become known and experience exponential growth in all three areas because each one feeds the others.
This is not a recipe for overnight success, but it is a proven recipe for solid growth if you are willing to put in the effort it takes to succeed.