Website Analyst Newsletter
Meeting Your Needs With Excellence
Issue 6
May 2000
Editor: Lucian Millis, editor@website-analyst.co.il
Publisher: Website Analyst http://www.website-analyst.co.il/
Website Analyst offers free website evaluation, ratings,
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IN THIS ISSUE
1. Editor's Note
2. 6 Must Haves For Your Site by Dee Brian
3. FreeWebspace.net - The Largest Free Webhosting Guide
4. Links of Interest
5. List Management
6. Contact Information
1. Editor's Note
Dear Friend,
If you like this newsletter, please, support it by forwarding
to a friend who may be interested in Website Analyst's
services. But please don't do this on the regular basis, ask
him to subscribe instead. Thanks so much!
2. 6 Must Haves For Your Site by Dee Brian
(How To Get Your Customers To Trust You)
The subtitle of this article is "How To Get Customers to
Trust You". If you expect to be successful on the web you must
be able to gain the trust of the people who visit your site.
Since these visitors can't see or hear you, you have to gain
their trust through your words and deeds.
This article outlines some of the most important things that
your web site needs to gain the trust of your visitors.
Contact Information
How many times have you gone to a site and been interested in
the product but had some questions? You look around and can't
figure out how to contact the site owner. This is more then
just providing your email address. You need to provide a
street address, phone number, and fax number.
This will do 2 things.
(1.) It will give your customers several ways to order (some
people are still not comfortable ordering over the web).
(2.) It portrays you and your business as more established.
If you don't have this information on your site, it makes
you look less legitimate to your customers and potential
customers.
Testimonials
Testimonials will reassure your customers and potential
customers that your product does what it is supposed to, and
you will take care of your customers. Before you use a
testimonial make sure that you get permission from the writer
to use it. Also make sure you use full names. It makes the
testimonials more believable. For example, a testimonial from
Jim Morgan sounds more believable then one from J.M.
(who is J.M.?).
A Picture of You
This helps your customers identify with the site. Put your
picture down a bit in the page, this will allow the text to
load and you customer to be reading about it instead of
waiting for your picture to load. Also you will want to
include a picture of your product. Direct mail has proved that
putting a picture of your product in your sales material will
increase your sales.
Information About You
Any business transaction comes down to this simple fact,
people do business with other people. The more your customers
know about you the more comfortable they feel. The more
comfortable they feel with you the more likely they are to
do business with you.
Opt-In List
This is one of the easiest way and cheapest ways to reach
your customers. Depending on who you listing to, you can
expect 5-10% of the subscribers to your list will buy a
product from you. Keep in mind that it may not be your primary
product, but something like a book, tape or course.
Information About Your Product
This is the main reason that people visit your site. They
have a need and think that your product will solve that need.
Be sure to present your product in terms that tells the
customer how it will solve their problem.
If you make sure that your web site has all these factors you
will be well on your way to gaining the trust of the visitors
to your site and turning these visitors into customers.
About the Author
Dee Brian is the owner of Used Mice Web Hosting
http://usedmice.com/
She works with people to set up and establish a presence on
the web. She can be reached at mailto:dee@usedmice.com
3. FreeWebspace.net - The Largest Free Webhosting Guide
Searchable index of more than 400 free webspace providers.
You can compare the different providers offers fast and
decide which one that fits your needs.
How much webspace they offer, how to transfer files to their
server (FTP - Browser), if they offer an online editor, if
they put ads on your site, if they offer cgi-scripts, if
commercial content is allowed, etc. Reviews, Message Boards.
http://freewebspace.net/
TIP: Don't put a revolving door at the top of your page!
Page tops are "prime real estate" and should be used to
promote your company, products and your services. Unless an
external link works for you, it should be positioned low on
your page.
4. Links of Interest
Designing Your Audience (users, readers, or viewers)
"Before you can puzzle out the problem of how to design a web
project, you must resolve the riddle of who you are designing
it for."
http://www.alistapart.com/stories/who/
TIP: Automated submissions of unoptimized web pages to 100's
of "search engines" produces little or no results.
Small customized doorway pages, manually submitted to the
MAJOR search engines, gives the best results. Customize pages
for EACH engine!
A Web Statistics Primer
"Useful Web site statistics are not just numbers; they're
tools for making decisions and taking actions. They have a
single purpose: to make your Web site more effective in
achieving its goals."
http://www.builder.com/Servers/Statistics/
Submit Your Press Release - Free!
http://www.prweb.com/
TIP: Something for nothing CAN be worth plenty! Boost your
web traffic by offering and promoting FREE stuff on your
website. Give free reports, help, info, cool resources, etc.
Website Analyst
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Netanya, 42101 - Israel
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Thanks for reading another issue of WA Newsletter!