First Impressions - What Your Site Is Saying About You

First Impressions - What Your Site Says About You.
By Jenean Matthews

I'm sure you've heard the saying "First Impressions,
are lasting impressions". This saying is very true.
Every time you meet someone for the first time an
impression is made. Things are no different on the internet.
Even though you, as a person, can't be seen, your site says
a lot about you once it is visited for the first time. What
type of impression are you leaving?

In our online experience we've clicked on many sites.
We have developed first impressions on numerous occasions.
Here are a few impressions a site may leave:

The Immediate Sales Site
How would you like it if you went to purchase a new
computer and upon walking into the store the salesperson
met you at the door with a computer in hand and escorted
you to the cash register? You would turn around and walk
out wouldn't you.

Well some sites are like that. As soon as you click on the
URL you are immediately hit with a sales pitch. You don't
know who the site owner is and you're not familiar with the
brand of products being offered. They may be offering the
type of product you're looking for, which is why you're at
the site but you need more information before you make a
decision and it's just not offered. Like the computer example,
you'll probably leave that site.

A good salespeople introduce themselves, ask you what you
are looking for, allow you to browse around if you want, give
you directions to specific areas of the store that may interest
you and are there for you when they're needed. A site that
doesn't have an immediate hard sales pitch, is user-friendly
and introduces the owner of the site leaves a good impression.

Flea Market Site
This site occurs as a result of the associate programs wave.
I'm all for associate programs. I have signed up for a few also.
The problem with the flea market site is everything is being
offered on the same page. It's to cluttered.

When you first walk into a flea market you're presented
with everything you can possibly think of. People are
selling used items, collectibles, some new items, and everything
else. Nothing is neat or orderly, it's a flea market. You’re there
to find bargains and no more.

Is that what you really want said about your site? You have a
lot of good quality products to offer but the site needs some order.
Ebay is an excellent example of a flea market site that's set up
correctly. Even though they are offering a wide variety of items
through their sellers, the site is set up with specific categories and
everything is easy to find. They don't try to offer all the
products on the first page. That would be overwhelming and
confusing.

Analyze your products and determine which ones have something
in common. Divide them into categories. Put a headline and brief
description of each category of products on the first page and put
the products on other pages throughout your site. A well-organized
site leaves a good impression.

Beat around the bush site
Don’t you love going to the dealership to purchase a car. Once you
find one on the lot you think you like and you ask for more
information including the price, the salesperson will proceed to
ask you questions about your employment and your ability to
pay and go on and on about the quality, look and feel of the car.
They don't want to discuss the price until you test drive the
vehicle hoping you'll fall in love with it and pay full or close
to full price for it. Even after you've test driven it they will
sit you in their cubicle, bring out all the paperwork hoping
you're more concerned about qualifying for the loan than
haggling over the price.

Some sites are just like that. They take you through page after
page of promotions and information only to get to the end of
the site and there's no price. The only way you can find out
what the price is, is to click on the order button. By then they
hope you will just proceed with the purchase instead of clicking
away. After all you have invested a lot of time at the site.

A good site will give just enough information for you to make
a decision. They will give adequate points about all the benefits
of the product. They will also provide a way for you to obtain
more information should you need it. Everything is up front
and if after you've made a decision to purchase and change
your mind it's easy to make that change. An upfront,
customer service oriented site leaves a good impression.

I'm sure you have impressions of your own that you have
experienced. Go to your site and analyze it. Do your
customers know who you are? Are they able to browse
around without a hard sales pitch everywhere they click?
Can they make a purchase and make changes to the
purchase if they change their minds? Is the site orderly?
Make sure you're leaving a good impression.

First Impressions - What Is Your Site Saying About you?
© 2000 Jenean Matthews is a businesswoman who believes
in encouraging and helping others to accomplish their
dreams. She believes people can overcome obstacles, rise
to any occasion, and accomplish their entire dream with enough
faith. She can be found accomplishing her dream at
http://www.1stshoppingavenue.com or subscribe to the newsletter
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