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Anonymous · Guest

That was the lesson I learned nearly 10 years ago. A lesson that instantly turned a useless combination of multi-colored pixels into the modern day equivalent of solid Gold.

As a fledgling webmaster trying to create websites for small businesses, I knew the reality was that most websites actually lose money. Back then they were costly to set-up and maintain, and very seldom broke-even...never mind making enough to legitimately be called "profitable".

But how could so many professionally designed, artistic, aesthetically pleasing websites be such a horrendous business failure?

I mean...we generated plenty of highly-targeted visitors, we sold the products and services people were looking for, we had decent copy...and we even employed many of the top "conversion tricks" of the day.

Why then could we not generate enough sales to keep our heads above water?

That's when I heard Steve Krug say his Golden-Rule: "Don't Make Me Think!"

It seemed so simple...yet so true. I instantly realized the problem.

If you make web users stop and think about anything (any one thing at all) they will instantly leave your site, return to the search engines, and find another site to purchase from.

Consider the following:

   FACT: "85% of Visitors ABANDON a new site due to poor design" - cPulse

   FACT: "50% of Visitors are LOST because visitors can't easily find content" - Gartner Group

   FACT: 70% of people who are ready, willing and able to buy online - don't complete the sale (because they can't).

It is shocking to me that 80 out of every 100 web visitors leave because of the site's design.

Of the remaining 20, half leave because they could not find what they are looking for.

And then, of the remaining 10, only 3 people who want to make a purchase actually succeed.

3 out of 100 people who are ready, able and willing to purchase the product you sell...don't.

That seems consistent with industry average 3% conversion rate...so I'm not surprised by the 3%. But I was shocked to find that the reason why people we're not buying had more to do with poor web design and less to do with their need for or the price of the product.

Poor design makes people stop. People who stop to think about your navigation don't buy...they simply leave and find what they want somewhere else.

So..."Don't Make Me Think!"

Yes -- it seems crazy, but this one single lesson has certainly changed the fortunes of nearly every website I've ever built. If you work extremely hard to build a site that any visitor can use intuitively...and give them the ability to find exactly what they are looking for without stopping to think...then you conversion rate will literally skyrocket!

Too many times webmasters and graphic designers get caught in the trap of creating the site they want to create -- this never ends up good. If you want to build a profitable site then you must...as Dr. Joe Vitale says..."Get out of your ego, and get into the ego of your visitor".

How is this done?

(1) By using commonly accepted web design conventions. This means putting things were people expect them to be and making things look like visitors expect the to look. Yes, can take away from your "artistic freedom", but if you want to make enough money to pay next month's rent, then find a way to be artistic while still keeping key website elements familiar to the user.

(2) By watching real visitors use your site, figuring out where they stumble, and fixing the problems. It really is that easy...it takes time...but this is the absolute best way to improve your conversion. When you know what real people think and do, then you know how to help them find and buy what you are selling without stopping to think.

That's it today! I highly recommend you trot on over to your local bookstore and browse/buy a copy of Steve Krug's "Don't Make Me Think!" It's a short enjoyable read that you can finish in one-sitting....but will absolutely change they way you think about web design forever.

Also -- if you want to learn more about how to create and convert web traffic check out www.Trafficology.com.

And finally -- don't miss Part 2 where I'll share with you a free little program you can use to quickly and easily discover exactly what everyone of your visitors is really doing on your site!

Enjoy!

- Dearl

If you can't wait to learn more web traffic creation and website conversion tactics then Claim Your 2-Free Months of Trafficology right now at http://www.Trafficology.com

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