Headlines

Rule of Thumb: 80% of your eventual sales will come as an indirect result of your headline.

Why?

80% of your viewers will decide to read further or click off on the strength of your headline.

Poor Headline = Poor Results. No Headline = Very Poor Results.

Scan (Skim) Reading

When a person reads a website – they scan (skim read) it first for tidbits of information. Based upon what they can glean from a quick overview – they’ll decide whether or not it’s worth their time and trouble to read further.

If they can’t easily skim your copy – they won’t. Which means…. CLICK! The sound of their mouse offering their condolences at leaving the party early.

It takes 25% more time and energy to read off a computer monitor than off a piece of paper. Why make that even more difficult by using a construction & typeface only someone with 20/10 vision could easily read

Call To Action

Here is where a lot of websites fall down on the job. They fail to make it crystal clear what the next step for their prospect to take should be. If you leave it up for your web visitor to figure out, they’ll more than likely do what you asked: Nothing.

Creativity is allowing yourself to make mistakes. Art is knowing which ones to keep.- Scott Adams.

This is our recent web design mock up for IT Company - Musa.

www.musatechnology.com

The design of a website is the first thing that people notice – it’s the first impression of your company, and it’ll either reel people in, or jab them with a fish hook and make them run away! Our websites come with very sticky hooks, by the way

But after the design, it is the copy that can make all the difference – and over the next couple of weeks we have a series of tips for creating great copy for your website.

Keeping it Personal

Most of you out there will be selling products or services. Actually, I can’t think what else you would be selling! When you are talking about your product or service in the copy, think about what it actually does for the customer. Don’t think about what it is … think about what your customer will have at the end, when they have engaged your services or bought your product.

So, if a customer is buying a lawnmower from you, they won’t just be getting something that has a 40hp engine (!), blades of razor sharp steel and an unblockable trimmings chute. They’re getting a lawn that is beautifully manicured and flat, and a perfect surface for lazing on in a deckchair or playing with the kids. They are also buying time from you in a way – less time spent unblocking trimmings chutes means more for relaxing.

If you think about the benefits of the product, not just what it is, your copy will work seamlessly with our striking designs to create a millionaire machine.

Design is such a subjective area – what one person thinks is the bee’s knees, another person thinks is a much less appealing part of a bee’s anatomy!!

That’s part of what makes web design such a challenging, but rewarding career for me. The creativity I get to use is awesome and so stimulating … and we want the experience to be just as good for you as it was for us !!! That’s why we’ve posted the five best questions you can ask when looking to have a website designed – so you get a site that does everything you want, even better than you expected!

1.What sort of sites have you done on a similar budget and scope to mine?

Just give us a yell on the contact page or through email, instead of just looking through the portfolio on your own. This way you don’t end up getting thinking that our lower budget projects are top of the range, or vice versa! What, when and how much?

2. It’s good to get these sorts of things set down before we begin. Everyone ends up much happier!

3. How will the site be managed? We are always happy to help with ongoing maintenance, updating and management issues, as well as the initial design. All partof the service!

4. What will you do with the site, technology-wise? We are constantly looking for new ways to get your message across – the best possible mix of the traditional and the cutting-edge. Ask us about all of the tricky things we can do for your company!

5. Do you have any questions for me? Doesn’t hurt to remind us that you are a wealth of information also! Tell us about your company, your approach to business, and your expectations and hopes for this website. It all helps build a picture so that we can get a design that you absolutely love!