When was the last time you visited a big website like Amazon.com or Comcast? When you landed on the site, what was the first thing you thought? Most likely, it was something like: “Terrific, now that I’m here, lets get to what I need.”
Now, think for a moment about a site you may have visited that was less effective. Maybe it was clearly done on the cheap, looked like about a hundred other second-rate sites, or just seemed to be thrown together by an amateur. I suspect that what came to mind when you saw that web site wasn’t “what can you sell me?”, but rather “is this a real company?”
A key component to an effective website on the Internet is trust. For authors and speakers who are selling their personalities, this fact is particularly critical. If a visitor your site has any reason to doubt you or your integrity, they will click away and won’t be back. This article will detail a few of the key components needed to create visitor’s belief in your integrity, and therefore creating an effective web site.
Number one is to make sure that your web site clearly identifies you as a real person. Visitors to your web site must know from the first moment they arrive how you stand out from all the others out there. There are numerous ways to achieve that goal. Pay careful attention that your website copy is in your own words and you might want to find website art to cement your message. The core component is to never lose site of how you want to present yourself to your visitors.
Second, your web site must immediately show people that you have a proven track record in your industry. Effective copy writing and testimonials are two great ways to make this happen. Don’t hide your victories deep in your website, make sure they are well displayed on every page for your site visitors to view.
Finally, your web site must communicate to your visitors that you can solve their problems. Site visitors have plenty to do and would be thrilled if you could offer them a solution to their problem and they could stop hunting for one. Your effective, believable website is your advertisement to make that happen.
Be sure to stop by ProfessionalSpeakerPromotionOnline.com to find many other resources for successfully promoting your professional speaking career online.
