One of the first questions mediators often ask me is, How do I get more people to visit my website? It’s a reasonable question and one I’ve written a lot about here and elsewhere. There’s an equally important question that’s overlooked, though:

How do I make sure my ideal visitors want to stay and visit for a while…and maybe come back again?

In 10 Rules for Your Small Business Home Page Download Squad offers a laundy list of too-common website homepage turn-offs like this one:

Your mission and vision are lovely sentiments, but I want to know what you do. Can I use your services? Do you sell to my business or are you wholesale only?…Is there a single statement that says what you do or sell smack in the middle of your homepage?

The Squad’s list includes good wisdom about making sure you have the following on or easily findable from your homepage:

• Clear contact information or an easy-to-find link to it.
• A search function to help visitor quickly locate the information they seek.
• A design that’s easy on and welcoming to the eyes (no weird fonts!).
• Images that have been maximized for web usage, since dial-up is probably still a reality for some of your market.

I agree with their list of turn-offs and would add the following features that have me reaching for the mouse instantly:

• Audio that begins to play automatically on the home page. Let me choose to play it…or not. I don’t want media forced upon me.
• A site that looks templated…you know, the ones that tell me nothing differentiating about that professional.
• A lot of hype, not a lot of credibility. Anyone can make grand promises, but can you tell me enough about your experience and education to demonstrate you’ve got real substance behind your hype?
• Stand-alone squeeze pages. I know they’re popular. I know there’s research showing they work. But I’m not alone in finding stand-alone squeeze pages a real turn-off. Don’t try to squeeze my contact information out of me until you’ve shown you have something that’ll be worth it to me. That means offering substance on your site alongside your squeeze option. Promising a great report or that you’ll reveal the secrets of the universe aren’t enough for me…I want to see substance first.

Mediators, what turns you off or attracts you to a website? Share your view by leaving a comment!

Copyright © 2007 by Tammy Lenski. All rights reserved.