Photo by renaissancechambara
It is said that John Lennon fell in love with Yoko Ono after seeing one of her artworks at a London art gallery in 1966. The viewer of the piece had to climb a dimly lit, shaky ladder. Then awkwardly peer through a magnifying glass to see a tiny word written on paper suspended from the ceiling.
It was a simple word but it moved him. He immediately connected with the artist because he recognized in his own life this word's healing power.
You would think that the word that affected John Lennon so profoundly would have been "love" or "imagine." But it wasn't either of those...Yoko Ono had simply written the word "Yes" on the paper.
This story may or may not be true. I've seen different versions of "John meets Yoko," (and thanks to Robert B. Cialdini where I got this version from his book, "Yes! 50 Scientific Proven Ways to be Persuasive") but the end game for all of us in sales is the same as Yoko Ono's art piece...getting to "Yes." Especially with your website.
Actually, to get your visitors to buy or call after they've arrived at your site, you need them to say more than one "yes." Here's a valuable checklist of the "yeses" your website visitor should say to herself as she arrives at your site for the first time.
1. Yes, it looks like this site might be able to help me...
This yes should take place within just a couple of seconds after arrival. She's looking for an answer, has something in mind, and that first second or so gets her thinking that, "Yes, I'm in the right place"...or "I'm not."
This means you need to get your value proposition and what you do stated clearly and prominently on the first screen above the fold.
2. Yes, I'm getting excited that this site has what I've been searching for...A few more seconds into the visit, your prospect is scanning, looking around at the subheads and links wondering if you sell the kind of widget she needs. She doesn't want to stay long if this is the wrong site so there's a good possibility she'll click away at this point.
Be sure it's easy for your visitor to find the link they need to get to the exact product they're looking for. This is especially important in the way you structure the Homepage.
3. Yes, the info offered on these pages makes me comfortable moving forward...
She's found the page she's looking for, your Sales/Product Page. She's reading the detailed text about the product to be sure it's the exact widget she needs.
Are you telling her enough on your Sales/Product Page? Are you relieving her anxiety and motivating her to move forward and make a purchase?
4. Yes, I trust this business and have no problem giving them my email address and credit card information...
Can she trust you? Is she willing to share her personal and credit card info? At this point, probably yes, but you need to reassure her.
Use testimonials. Offer guarantees. Display Better Business Bureau logos. Describe a money-back returns policy.
5. Yes, this product can help my business and I want it as fast as possible and that means I'm willing to go thru the process of completing the purchase pages...
Here's where you may lose a lot of prospects at the last minute. A form that's too long and complicated with unclear instructions drives people away.
Keep the number of fields and questions to an absolute minimum. Ask only what you need to know for an order. Make it easy to complete the order.
So, look at the entire pathway to a conversion and always ask yourself this question: Is this page or block of text going to help my reader say "Yes"? If it does, your website will make powerful connections like a fine piece of art.
Need help getting your website visitors to "Yes"? Give me a call or get in touch here.
Until next time,
Nick
Other helpful posts to get website visitors to Yes:
Get Rid of Barriers to Your Website Usability
A Remarkably Easy Way to Create a Sticky Website
Write Copy to Your Buyer's Persona
How to Get Testimonials that Sell Online
Nick Burns specializes in SEO Web writing, website information architecture, content marketing, consulting, and publishing. Call 315.738.1890 or contact here.
