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Things That Turn Affiliates (& Visitors!) Off:


The Look & Feel of the Site


First impressions are everything, especially online, so once a visitor (or an affiliate!) arrives at a website, they make an unconscious decision on whether or not the company is professional and trustworthy and if what they’re offering is a quality product or service based on what they see and feel within the first 10 seconds.



Every smart marketer knows the
one simple truth of selling online:

  No one will buy from you online until
 you’ve established trust and credibility.



If your site looks homemade, like you took the quick and easy (cheap!) route just to slap a website up, your visitors (and potential affiliates!) will hit their “Back” button faster than you can finish reading this sentence.

You do the same thing.  We all do.


What’s your first impression of a site with a header like this? 


FranksGolfTips.com


Fly-by-night?  Shady?  Would you trust this guy with your credit card?  Probably not. 




But you wouldn’t think twice about handing your credit card to this guy:

Professionally-designed banner
[Image courtesy of XWebGraphics]


“Frank” could be a huge corporation, a guy working on his computer in his basement, or a thirteen-year-old kid from Paducah – we don’t know.  All we know is what the “Look & Feel” of his website tells us.  And the professionally-designed header above makes us “feel” like we’re dealing with a big company who stands behind what they sell, sells quality products and will be there if we ever have a problem.  And we won’t expect to see mysterious charges on our credit card statement after we buy from them.


What separates the sites that look homemade from the ones that look professional?



One important thing to notice on the following sites: 

Whatever the customer is looking for is right
there on the screen in front of him or her. 

You don't have to hunt to find what you’re looking for.



Here are a few well-known sites that sell one product or service (we’ll talk about sales letter sites in a minute):

Chemistry.com


Gold bullet
 This site has a clean, simple layout.

Gold bullet
 It has a box that speaks directly to what their target customer – someone who’s looking for that someone special – really wants:
“We Vow to help you find the kind of diverse, passionate
people who make you go weak in the knees.”

Gold bullet
 And an irresistible “Find Chemistry Now” button



Vonage.com

This is a perfect example of a site that sells! 


Gold bullet
 They use a free, one-month trial as bait.

Gold bullet
 They broadcast all the features people want, and get, with their service.

Gold bullet
 They make it easy to sign up online or call their 800-number.

Gold bullet
 They make it easy to find what you’re looking for on their site.

Gold bullet
 They use video testimonials – genius!

And did you notice how the bright colors keep your eyes moving on the page?



BlueHost.com


 Gold bullet
 This site has a clean, uncluttered layout.

Gold bullet
 It’s easy to find what you’re looking for.

Gold bullet
 They broadcast everything you get with their service.




 All of these sites are designed FOR the customer.

What does the customer want?
What do they want to know?
What will it take to get the sale?

People who build their website for themselves, not the customer, don’t get the sale.





Here are a few sites that sell multiple products or services:


Bowflex

Gold bullet
 Headlines that speak to what the visitor wants:


   “Are You Ready For Real Results?”

   “Make 2009 the year you get the body you want”

Gold bullet
 Clean, simple layout.

Gold bullet
 Easy to find what you’re looking for.

Gold bullet
 Easy to order online or call 800 number.



Esurance


 Gold bullet
 Nice color scheme.

Gold bullet
 Clean layout makes it easy to find what you’re looking for.

Gold bullet
 They make it sound like it’s easy (read: painless) to get their insurance with their “Quote, buy, print” slogan.

Gold bullet
 24/7 Customer Service 800-number.

Notice they have their own seal – “Our Commitment to You - Secure, Reliable, Superior.”
Click on it. 

That’s a smart way to reinforce the sale.  Wink



Quickbooks


 Gold bullet
 Nice, good-looking site.

Gold bullet
 Easy to navigate.

Gold bullet
 Toll-free number.

[If you haven’t tried Quickbooks yet for your business, check out the free trial.  I love it!]



Some sites, like Amazon.com and Buy.com, try to be too much to too many different people.  Their sites are so busy, you don’t know where to look so your only choice is to either dive into the chaos or go to a different site. 

CreditCards.com is another one.  They offer a great service but their site is so cluttered and busy...

But look at Blockbuster’s site.  They offer thousands of movies and games to rent or buy yet their site is clean and simple. 

Overstock.com offers tons of products and their site is so inviting, it draws you in.

It is possible to have a lot to offer without overwhelming the visitor the second they land on your site.



But What If Your Site is Too Big to Fit Within the Screen? (Not Sales-Letter Sites!)

SouthBeachDiet.com is a great example of how to do it right without being overwhelming.  They put the important stuff is at the top to make it easy to find what you’re looking for.  The page itself is eye-candy.  [I like the way they incorporated their TV commercial (you know… the one we’ve all seen a hundred times) on their site] 



Sales Letter sites

Like their sales letter counterparts you find in your mailbox, an online sales letter site’s only purpose is to sell one product, usually an ebook or a software program.  And they’re l-o-n-g.  They go on and on and on… for as long as it takes to sell that product.

One of the best sales letter sites I’ve seen is The Butterfly Marketing Manuscript.  Although it is no longer being sold (Mike Filsaime is now giving it away for free as a bonus for signing up for his new monthly magazine, The 7 Figure Secrets), the site is still a perfect example of a sales letter site that sells.

Another prime example, even without a header graphic, is SEO Equalizer.


Just like any other site selling something online, sales letter sites have to build trust and credibility and make you feel that what they’re selling is a quality product.



Any one of the companies behind these websites could be a huge corporation, or a one-man show – we don’t know.  What we do know is that seeing a slick, professional-looking site makes us feel like we’re dealing with a real company and that makes us feel better about making a purchase.



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