Check the Article Index for more information pertaining to web sites.
This article may not be reproduced without permission.

Get more visitors to your web site

Offline businesses have a huge potential to attract paying customers with their web sites ...to use their web sites as low cost, low maintenance advertising machines.

This document discusses the “how” and the “why” of giving visitors what they want from a web site. Studies have shown repeatedly that most people use the Internet to find information. So simply put, the “how” is in providing free and useful, even valuable content that people want. The “why” of it is that valuable, informative content can be a powerful sales tool. Just look at the success of infomercials. You may not watch them, but a great many people do and a great many people buy the products being sold in those infomercials.

Plus, by having visitors return to your site again and again, there is added exposure to your company and its products/services, so you are branding your company at the same time. Visitors also have the opportunity of getting to know you. Most people prefer buying from someone they know.

Many businesses use their web sites for what really amounts to online brochures. They put up web sites just so they can make the claim that they have an online presence. Such web sites usually describe the businesses and their products/services - they say "This is who we are and this is what we do." A brochure style web site is okay, if that is all you want and if it suits your needs.

But let's face it, people look at brochures and unless they need those products or services at the time, the brochures get tucked away, or even discarded. Then, when people have a need for that product or service, the most recent advertising to which they were exposed usually influences them. Wouldn’t it be nice if your web site could provide that most recent influence?

The information/content you provide on your web site can go a long way in attracting visitors to your web site and having them return, so that you can provide that most recent influence.

Are you ready to go beyond the brochure?

Look - we may not know each other yet, but you're a business person so I'm going to be very honest with you. This entire web site is designed to sell my products and services - including most of the items in the Articles Section. I invite you to take a look at the articles section - even if it's just a quick look - and confirm that I am indeed providing very useful information. Then note how that very useful information illustrates a need for my products and services.

There is another way to provide valuable information/content and at the same time, establish closer contact with web site visitors and your future customers. Please read this article on Permission Marketing to see how you can target individual web site visitors and market your product/service directly to them - with their consent.

Matthew Barbour has been writing professionally for more than 30 years. He has written news and advertising copy for radio and television and his work has appeared in a variety of publications. He also produces creative text for web sites at Dundas Web Internet Services.