© 2002 by Scott T. Smith, Copywriting.Net

Introduction

Every week, tens of thousands of new people and organizations are jumping onto Internet bandwagon. How can you ensure that you will be found, and better yet, stand out as unique among this rapidly swelling crowd?

The key is to clearly define your Unique Web Proposition (UWP). Your UWP defines your place in Internet marketplace, making you separate – and better – than everyone else.

Three Basic Questions

Here are three basic questions you must ask to separate yourself from competition:

1. What are you selling?

2. What is unique about what you sell – or how you sell it? What do you offer that your competition doesn't?

3. How can you describe answers to above questions in one tight, persuasive line?

If your UWP feels narrow and restrictive, that's good- you have defined your market niche.

Finding Your Niche

Niche marketing is an essential element of your Internet success. Clearly define who you are, and right away you know which newsgroups to search for, where to post your classified ads, and how best to gather your leads. Nobody can ever market to everyone, everywhere. Being a jack-of-all-trades means you become a master of none, and mastery of your market niche is what you should strive for.

^V^

The UWP Survival Questionnaire

The above questions are only a starting point for defining your UWP. But paradox is that these are actually some of last questions you ask. As a wise man once said,

"To know a lot, you only need to know a little. But to get to that little, you need to know pretty much."

I urge you to take time to put yourself and your business partners through this next series of questions, because it's key to your survival. The result will be true clarity on who you are and what you do, providing razor-sharp definition you absolutely must have to find leads and customers on swelling Internet.

Your Company

1. What is history of your business? 2. What is philosophy of your business? 3. How and why has your business grown?

Your Product & Services

© 2002 by Scott T. Smith, Copywriting.Net

Figuring out what makes a smart, profitable Web site is a process of elimination. Look around at what's out there on Web. Take a very close look at your competitors by inputting your key words into a search engine. You will be amazed by what you find.

There are certainly sites that are great, and full of good ideas that you can take and make your own. But majority could use a good housecleaning.

Let's define a smart Web site by first identifying various red flags. Get rid of these problem areas, and smart Web site is revealed.

There are 7 main reasons why Web sites fail in their basic structure, even before they begin to market their presence to customers. People will visit Web sites for 3 primary reasons: to find information, to be entertained, or to make a purchase. Listed here are roadblocks that get in their way.

1. Red Flag #1- Contact Information Is Difficult To Find

(Somewhere, deep beneath some hidden link lurks contact information. You know it is there, because nobody would be so stupid as to leave this crucial part out. Would they..?)

Knock this red flag down by putting your contact information on home page, and adding links between pages within your site. Include name, phone, fax, email, and surface mail address prominently. Show visitors clearly on your home page how to place an order with you. Make it easy for them.

2. Red Flag #2- Not User-Oriented

("How about giving visitors really useless information about something I find "cute," or that really tickles my personal funny bone? What if I bury content I've advertised -- material my potential visitors are hungry to find -- beneath layers of my exceptional personality? After all, this is my Web site. Isn't it all about ME?")

The truth of matter is that visitors to your site are totally self-centered. They are looking for what they can gain for themselves, and they want it NOW. Give it to them first, beginning with home page, or they will be gone in a click and they won't be back, ever.

Right away you must give them an up-front reason to stick around, and to get lost in your site. Tell them to BOOKMARK your site. Demonstrate in your writing and graphics that they have arrived at their dream site, filled with benefits for them, about them, answering their specific and important needs. PS: Tell them about "YOU" later.

3. Red Flag #3- Too Difficult To Navigate

("This site best viewed through Netscape Navigator version 18.c- download a copy now -- only 18,000k, so smoke 'em if you got 'em because it'll be awhile -- bye for now, but then come on back so you can proceed. By way, we've modeled this site after a rat maze, because our feeling is more intellectually challenged you are, greater appreciation you will have for our fabulous content- IF you can find it, because there are a ton of links taking you away from here to other sites all heck over cyberspace…")

This red flag flaps very loudly indeed. Here are 4 simple rules to observe:

- Everything you offer visitors should be no more than 2 clicks away.

- Your sales information is never more than 1 click away.

- Prominent links at top of pages get higher click-through rates than those buried deep within.

- Organize your site like your favorite magazine cover. The cover equals home page; articles headlined are all your other pages. Just like you when you read a magazine, not every article/Web page will have same appeal for a visitor. Provoke their response with a headline, 'forcing' them to click and take a look inside.

4. Red Flag #4- Too Many Bells And Whistles

("Less is more? Says who? We're on leading edge, so we go for titanic graphics; really dark screen colors to separate us from all those other sites; 3D, textured backgrounds for sake of interest (just don't try to read our pages); frames, just because we can; lots of jiggling java and other "cool stuff," at least a dozen a screen… And sound -- just download extension! So you connect at 14.4 kbps -- so what? We're worth wait!")

Definitely not. Until online world has across-the-board access to high speed modems, and everyone uses very same browser you do, it's best to follow these 7 basics:

- Keep it simple.

- Try to keep each page size under 30k, and never over 40k.

- Use a solid background on text-heavy pages (white is best).

- Test. Connect through a 14.4 kbps modem to learn how long it really takes to load.

- Don't put graphics at top of your page, because they take longer to load. Place them beneath a benefit-laden headline and opening salvo of your text.