I finally got my husband to to pick out the too-tight and too-old clothes in our closets. Phew what a relief.
Now the good clothes don't get wrinkled and bunched due to lack of space. And best of all, the reduced "clutter" makes finding a shirt or pair of slacks easier to see.
Got me thinking about web sites!
So go ahead and read this short article about how to clear up clutter on your own website.
Have You Experienced The Disaster of Clutter?
Take a good look at your website.
How easy is it to find the main idea or the actual product you're selling? Is your main objective clouded with graphics, flash, and too dark, too cluttered with ideas?
Are you asking too much of your visitor?
A recent prospect asked me to take a look on his site and make suggestions how he could increase his sales potential.
I looked and I saw my husband's closet! I had no idea what his product was - in fact, I couldn't find it for almost 10 minutes.
Now do you think a normal web searcher is going to spend 10 minutes looking for your main product or service?
I think we agree on this one. NO!
It's all this clutter. And I'm going to say it straight: clutter on your website equates to no marketing skill - that's it.
Clutter doesn't work.
Focus sells.
"Good writing" says copywriter Michael Masterson, "is clear writing. Pick one idea and zero in on that with everything you've got."
Clutter that forces your eyes to shift here, there, everywhere is painful.
The brain can't handle it and so quits looking. In fact, the brain finds just one thing to look for and ignores the rest.
You've lost your sale if they're looking at the wrong elements.
How can you declutter your website and leave the important information in?
Print out your page, and get one of your top customers to red-mark (just like in school) the lines and items that are not important.
You'll be surprised and pleased at the results.
How Usable Is Your Web Site?
Here's a quick short list of what your optimized, customer-focused website requires in order to attract your niche target market:
A simple, clean design that focuses on your customer needs versus overblown designs, overly word text or overbearing visual gimmicks.
Easy navigation or access to your solutions you offer, without being too busy or confusing.
Detailed information in the form of other pages or links within just one or two clicks; any more can be frustrating for your customer.
Appropriate and helpful graphics that balance with descriptive text.
And of course, a logical information hierarchy, with menus that guide customers to what they need.
Ready to rescue your website from drowning? Put in relevancy instead! Getting your prospects to act by calling you, ordering your product, subscribing to your ezine... can feel like pulling a Jeep out of a frozen lake! You need the right tools, the right resources and the desire!
