Successful websites don’t set out to sell
First Published: Nov 2004
Last Update: Nov 2004
Author: Glenn MurrayWhat are websites? Are they sales tools for vendors
and service providers, or are they electronic guidance
for potential customers? Put simply, are you selling
or are you helping?
Your answer to this question may determine the success
of your website. So think carefully…
How we define what a website is all depends on which
side of the fence we’re on. I suspect that most
– if not all – vendors and service providers
would say their website is a sales tool. But this is
a fundamentally flawed perspective. Adopt this position,
and sooner or later you’ll pay for it.
To really understand what a website is for, we need
to think about who the Internet serves. It’s tempting
to think cynically and argue that it serves commercial
interests, but that’s getting the cart before the
horse. The Internet serves buyers and information seekers.
That’s what most people use it for.
What your visitors are really looking for is a website
that helps them. A website that helps them buy when
they want to buy. Helps them understand when they want
to understand. And – most importantly - a website
that helps them decide when they want to decide.
So if you really want to build trust, credibility,
authority, and site loyalty, helping visitors is the
way to go. Of course, that’s not to say you have
to do it for free. We’re all in business to make
money after all. In fact, the main aim of many of your
visitors will be to buy something. But it’s important
that you focus on them, not on you. For example, your
visitors don’t want to know what you have to sell.
They want to know what they can choose to buy. If your
primary focus is sales, your visitors will pick up on
it.
To generate revenue from our websites – either
directly or indirectly – we need to build them
to help our readers. Don’t start by asking “How
can I sell?” Instead, start by asking “How
can I help?” (Even “How can I help them buy?”
is a step in the right direction.)
We need to build our websites from the ground up to
be a form of online help. Think of your website as a
cousin of the online help provided with Microsoft Office.
(If you think of Microsoft’s help as the slow-witted
cousin, you’re on the right track…)
I worked as a technical writer in the software industry
for 9 years, writing and managing online help for software
programs. And the key to successful online help is to
always try to answer one simple question: What does
the reader want to know? We knew they wanted help, but
did they want reference information or how-to information?
Did they want to know how to get started or how to get
out of trouble?
Sure, when you’re writing for a website, the subject
material is different, but the question is still the
same. What does your reader want to know?
Obviously, the answer to this question will be different
for everyone, but there are some common questions you
can ask yourself which might help you decide…
- Who is your audience?
- What time of the day are they most likely to be
searching?
- Are they searching from home or their workplace?
- Are they the business owner or do they have a boss
looking over their shoulder?
- Are they relaxed or in a hurry?
- Are they spending their money or someone else’s?
- Are they looking for something which will make their
job easier?
- Or are they looking for something which will make
their job possible?
- Are they trying to solve a problem or avoid a problem?
- Are they looking for a budget solution or a ‘best
of breed’ solution?
- Are they looking for something with all the bells
and whistles or something which focuses on one thing
only?
- Are they looking to buy immediately (just as soon
as they know they’ve found what they want)?
- Are they comfortable with internet purchases?
- Are they the final decision maker or do they need
to convince someone else as well?
- How much do they know already about your subject
material?
- How much do they want to know?
Whether you do some real research or just make some
educated guesses, it’s important that you know
your visitor very well. Then, and only then, can you
help them. And only when you help them will you start
to realize the true sales potential of your website.
Happy writing!
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About the Author
Glenn Murray is an advertising copywriter and heads copywriting studio Divine Write. He can be contacted on Sydney +612 4334 6222 or at glenn@divinewrite.com. Visit http://www.divinewrite.com for further details or more FREE articles.
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