Does Your Site Have Stopping Power?Written by Jim Daniels
About one in every ten sites I visit succeeds at keeping me around longer than a minute. I'm usually in a hurry when I surf web, and I'm not alone.Actually, term "Web surfer" is a misleading one. Not too many people I know actually "surf" web at a leisurely pace. Instead, most times they are on web they click and click in a frenzied search for something in particular. Perhaps a better term than web surfer would be "Speed Clicker." Once you come to accept that fact you'll see why it is crucial to give your visitors a reason to slow down as soon as they arrive at your site. Too many webmasters don't do this right away and risk losing another web surfer and potential customer. Slowing your visitors down a little is first step in getting them to actually stop and stay a while. If you can accomplish that you'll be on your way to generating a new subscriber or customer. And ain't that what it's all about? OK, so now that you know that your number one task is to slow down these speed clickers, I'd like to share with you exactly how to do it... Once you're sure your website loads quickly and looks professional, it's time to post your "slow down" sign right at your main page. No, I'm not talking about one of those tired old "under construction" signs. Instead, I'm talking about smacking your visitors right square in eye, with a compelling reason to calm their pace a bit and investigate your site further. No, it is not done with fancy graphics or technology like audio or video. It is best done with number one tool at your disposal -- words. But before you start thinking up some catchy headlines or attention grabbers, I'd like you to throw those tired old axioms away. Instead, take a moment today and consider why these "Speed Clickers" have happened upon your site in first place. What are they looking for? As a webmaster it is your responsibility to know what your best prospect is thinking and searching for. If you plan to have a successful web business, most of these speed clickers should be hoping to find very things you've built your business on. Do you know what they are? Here's a little help. Ask yourself these questions...
| | CAN A SINGLE PRODUCT SITE MAKE IT?Written by Bob McElwain
The short answer is no. The difficulty in making this model work is that cost of generating a sale must be subtracted directly from net from single sale. Given multiple products, this cost is distributed over a number of sales, and thus is less per sale. More important, an existing customer is your best prospect for a subsequent sale. While there are exceptions, such as a successful affiliate program marketing say a private site, a single product site will produce modest profits. While they may be sufficient for one building a hobby or personal site, they are unlikely to produce a livable income. If you have a single product site, or are planning one, path to increased profits lies in adding additional products. Customer loyalty is goal. You want all to return for more. Given shopping bots and so many web shoppers determinedly looking for price only, building repeat business can be difficult. Still, even though many buy never to return, your best prospect remains previous customers. To take advantage of this, you need additional products of interest to them. Expanding A Single Product Site As you consider adding products, be clear about your target. Be certain you have an accurate picture of your Perfect Customer. Every offer added to your site must be perceived as being beneficial by your target. Further be alert to impact it will have upon your position in your market. Negative just won't make it. If you try to sell harmonicas to an established target of opera lovers, your credibility about opera will drop dramatically. Serious visitors and subscribers will quickly disappear. Note reverse is equally true. Try selling opera to harmonica fans. It won't fly worth a hoot. Beating Up On The Competition Another grand benefit in expanding your product line is strength it adds to your position relative to that of your competitors. While such expansion needs to be within constraints of your position and target, a broader range of products can greatly increase perceived depth and scope of your business. Ebooks As An Example I recently compared all ebook compilers I could find. (For details, send email to mailto:ebookcraze@sitetipsandtricks.com ) There are about a dozen that compile from HTML code to a Windows EXE file. They all face direct competition from Adobe Acrobat, which compiles to a .PDF file. And there is plenty of indirect competition from handhelds, such as eBookMan. (Then, of course, there are hard copy books, still much favored.)
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