Your web site is the centerpiece of your brand. It’s often your first and only chance to make a good impression. Visitors decide in 5-8 seconds if they will stay or go. Here’s a few lessons from those that failed in keeping our attention.

1. No hooks to entice the visitor to dig deeper.People go to your web site because they hope you’ll solve a problem, provide an insight, or entertain them. Offer your customers a “hook” or “bait” relating to why they came to your site. This link should connect them to relevant content.
2. You don’t immediately speak to your customers’ wants and needs.Even a clever “hook” will fail if you don’t speak to their needs. Have you ever actually asked them? Understand the top three reasons why they go to your web site and make these easy to find.
3. You welcome your visitor. Your intentions are good but you may delay your visitors from learning about your company. You have 5-8 seconds. Explain what you do and how they will benefit from working with you instead. Some call this a “Value Proposition”.
4. No free resources.Free resources are a very pervasive marketing strategy. Do you offer your clients scores of juicy resources and value-packed content? People are always looking for free stuff. To give is to receive.
5. Title isn’t descriptive or Search Engine Optimized.“Index” in the title (top of browser) is like calling your company “Name”. Most people put their company name up top. Titles offer an easy free way to improve SEO. Include keywords that describe your business, a tagline, key services and your city. Nielsen/NetRatings claim 24.4 percent of searches include the city. Here’s the HTML code: <TITLE>Put your descriptive title here.</TITLE>
6. No tagline.A catch phrase (three to eight words) at the top of your site is an excellent way to communicate what you do and how your customer will benefit from working with you. Help your visitor answer “Where am I and what can I do here?” and you’re golden.
7. No BlogBlogs are excellent for SEO and building your reputation as an expert in your field. Blog 3-5 times a week? Pat yourself on the back. Rarely or don’t blog? Think again. The payback is opportunities and leads. No time? Outsource it or publish a few lines or even a picture. It doesn’t always have to be anin-depth article. New content keeps ‘em comin’.
8. Mystery Navigation and Flash IntroductionsPeople will leave if they have to guess what to do next or if something is tricky click on. Just because things move, doesn’t make them good. It may seem impressive but it often delays, frustrates and confuses. Content must be relevant and delivered efficiently. Aim for predictable instead.
9. Your design isn’t distinctive.Stand out from the crowd and be different. Communicate your brand’s message. TIP – Avoid offering too many products or services. It’s diluting and confusing. Aim to specialize instead.
10. Not telling people what your services are.Learn what your clients need to motivate them to make a commitment. Do you have a services page? You’re on the right track. If it’s loaded with answers to questions they often ask you, enjoy a gold star! A bulleted list is helpful but can leave people wanting more. Give them insight into the process of working with you. Include packages.

BONUS  You speak in your words, not your clients.
Mirror your client’s style. Speak in their words and to their needs. Your messages will be understood and have an impact. Write to connect. Value their time and avoid unnecessary details.

www.wisewinebuys.com

and Bring In More Money and Clients in 2010!

George Plumley
Author 24-Hour WordPress Trainer

Joanne Probyn
Creative Director, ReadyGo Media

Are you ready to learn some killer tips that will make your website REALLY work for you in 2010?

I’ve teamed up with web developer George Plumley for a FREE 60 minute webinar that can take your site to the next level. We’ll share with you 15 Power Tips that I’ve personally used on my own site – and best of all, you can start using these “Power Tips” right away!

Whether you’ve just started your website or you’ve had one for several years, the tips from this webinar will make your site more useful to visitors and more visible to search engines. And because we can show you what we’re talking about on screen, the easier it will be to absorb these tips and see how they can work for you!

The webinar will also give me a chance to announce my newly branded company – ReadyGo Media – and again you’ll be able to see how powerful even just a few changes on your website can be.

Join us for this FREE ground-breaking webinar and you’ll learn:

· The single biggest mistake you can make on a website.

· The easiest way to drive more traffic and increase your Search Engine ranking with Google

· The fastest way to build trust with any website design

· One single change that will quickly reveal incredible opportunities and important relationships you never dreamed were possible

· You usually have one opportunity to make a good first impression. Don’t send the wrong message. Learn how employ powerful marketing to leverage your time for growing your business, instead of being a slave to it.

It’s Free – and Registration is Easy…

Just enter your information in the boxes below, and you’ll receive the complete webinar details via email in a few minutes.

FREE Webinar Reservation Form

Yes George and Joanne, please sign me up for this exciting free 60-minute webinar on

Tuesday, January 26th at 5 pm Pacific/8 pm Eastern

Tuesday, February 16th at 5pm PST / 8pm EST

It’s Free – and Registration is Easy…

Click here to Register

CAN’T ATTEND THE LIVE WEBINAR? Sign up anyway, and you’ll receive a link to a video recording of the entire event!

Please note upon registration you will also receive a complimentary subscription to

ReadyGo Media’s newsletter. Privacy is important to us, we will not share or sell

your information to any other organization.

LIMITED LINES AVAILABLE FOR THIS WEBINAR —

RESERVE YOUR SPOT NOW.

Here’s a few remarkable stats on the world’s #1 social network, Facebook:

· Top 2009 Google search term was “Facebook” (Google Insights)
· 2nd most visited site next to Google at #1 (Alexa)
· 350 million users and increasing rapidly
· Fastest growing demographic age 30+
· 700,000+ local active business Fan Pages

Facebook Pages (aka Fan Pages) are much like a second, more interactive, website. They are SEO. I don’t want you to miss this so I’ll say it again. They are Search Engine Optimized and that means that your Page can be found through powerful search engines like Google… driving traffic and generating leads! You can send mass messages, promote events and share a wide range of engaging and educational content. It’s really more like an event than a site or brochure. It’s a great opportunity to share your company’s message and build relationships.

Check out how these Pages are doing it right:

Customized Landing Page

Victoria’s Secret Pink has a great landing page. By default, all Facebook landing pages are set to the “Wall”. You can easily change this by adjusting the settings under “Wall”. You could offer viewers a more attractive and engaging welcome. Pink’s landing page offers free stuff, promotes sales, entices with internal links (polls, photo gallery) and even offers cell phone wallpaper when you text your phone.

Build credibility. Share the workload.

Orange Salon. They take care of basics in their Information panel (hours of operation, phone, address) and share customer reviews on their “Wall” and in “Photos”. Fans are really engaged and grateful. A “Reviews” tab would also be good here, too. There’s nothing more powerful than a loyal fan. They posted what seems to be a customer submitted video. After a closer look, it’s made by the salon. In any case, it’s great to have video to help build personality and credibiliy. Even better if it’s a real fan video. For example, Coca Cola found a “real” Fan Page and made it official. They acknowledged them publically then supported them to do the work.

Fun with video.

Dunkin Donuts. A talking coffee bean may not be what comes to mind when considering what makes a great Page, but hey… social media is best when it’s fun! Dunkin Donuts added a custom tab called “Maurice”. You can make Maurice the bean say some funny things and send it to a friend or post it to someone’s wall (viral). You may want to consider an attractive custom tab page including a welcome video introducing your company. Post it on YouTube to take advantage of additional SEO benefits.

Trick our your page.

Alicia Keys. There’s a ton of apps out there and choosing the right small selection depends on your business. If music is your thing, enhance your Page with iLike, an app (tab) which allows you to post audio, video, bulletins, links, “sounds like” tags and tour dates, all on one page! Pizza Hut actually has an app so you can order a pizza without ever leaving the comfort of your Facebook site. Make interacting with your business easy.

Become a resource to you clients.

The Wilson Law Firm. What caught my eye with this Page was their effective use of “YouTube” and “Discussions” tabs. Postings such as “10 Biggest Mistakes People Make Following a DUI Arrest and How to Avoid Them” and “What to Look For in a Virginia DUI Lawyer” build credibility while offering help and giving people a reason to return and share. Many other law firms including Fenwick & West LLP also offer a “Documents” tab which is a great way to share pdf articles.

Discover how we can partner to create a much better web site that generates scores of leads, builds customer relationships and creates massive profit at this link: www.readygomedia.com (www.joanneprobyn.com until official ReadyGo Media launch).