10
Ways to Lose Web Sales
The basic
elements of a web site include the content, the appearance,
and the mechanics of a site. Mistakes made in any of these
areas can have an impact on your sales. You can avoid some
of the common errors by learning what they are. The following
list points out ten of the more common mistakes web designers
make, and how to avoid them.
1.
Poor site navigation. This arises generally from
having inconsistent navigation links, not having enough navigation
links, and links that are not clearly labeled. Easy navigation
is essential to keeping prospective buyers at your site. Providing
plenty of links on your home page gives visitors an overview
of your web site's content and choices. Provide links to your
home page and main sections (such as order form, contact page,
products, and articles) on every page because visitors may
not visit your pages in the sequence you would like them to.
Provide a site map (table of contents) if your site has more
than twenty pages. Make sure all links are working.
2.
Large images. If images have not been optimized,
the pages (or graphics) will load slowly. Web visitors are
usually not patient people and will leave if they have to
wait too long for a page to come up. Reduce the number and
size of your images, and make sure to optimize them.
3.
Too many colors. Too many colors on a page can be
distracting and colors that clash can be disruptive. Keep
colors consistent and generally limit them to a maximum of
three colors.
4.
Hard to read fonts. If the font is too ornate, such
as a calligraphy font, your text may not be readable. Use
easy-to-read fonts such as Times Roman and Arial. Use dark
text on a light background for easy readability.
5.
Too many images or not enough images. The right pictures
can add a lot to a web page. If you only have text and no
images, your web page is less interesting to look at and visitors
may easily become bored with reading all of the text. On the
other hand, too many images can be distracting. Use targeted
images that support your text content.
6.
Inappropriate images. If your images are inappropriate
for the contents of your site, they will do more to hurt your
sales than help.
7.
Too much text. If your text is too long, visitors
may very well lose interest early on and may never get to
your special offer. If you have a long sales letter, make
it interesting, put your most important benefits at the top
of the page, and break up the text with benefit-oriented subheadings
and bulleted listings.
8.
Unfocused text. This is a sure way to turn your readers
and potential customers off. If your writing is unclear, rambling,
or lacking in useful information, readers will assume that
you lack professionalism and this will certainly result in
lost sales. The solution? Focus your content to your audience,
talk their language and provide plenty of benefits.
9.
Spelling and grammar errors. These will reflect badly
on you and your product. Thoroughly edit your content and
have someone else edit it as well.
10.
Lack of action words. Tell people what you want them
to do. If you do not include enough action words (e.g. buy
now, subscribe now, download now, join now), your visitors
may not make the decision to make a purchase from you. If
you don’t tell them what you want them to do, they likely
will not do it.
Avoid
these errors, and you will be well on your way to having a
focused, user-friendly, effective and successful web site!
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