You Have 3 Clicks and if You’re Lucky.. 3 Minutes
Hard headed as us engineer types can be, I’m totally convinced of several issues effecting law firm and other professional services web site performance. I study Google Analytics results daily and here's what the data tells me…
3 clicks and 3 minutes; to do what you ask?
- Get the readers attention.
- To deliver your main message.
- And most critical … get the reader to your most wanted response.
My own web site statistics, along with many more, support what I am saying here. This is not some story I read somewhere, its cold hard facts. And it's not just my websites. I see client stats frequently.
To further support that you don't have the reader long, one of the internet’s main benefits (purposes) is saving time finding what you are seeking. If your visitor gets confused or lost once onsite, say bye-bye to them. I'm betting you would leave too, because I certainly will.
The Google Analytics data I study clearly says first time visitors do not take a lot of time looking in one place.
Your websites content goal is to keep them longer, see more, learn more about you. Do a good job, they may stay longer. When you do that good job they will be back! Data also shows me people make return visits and you do want to encourage that.
OK, You Got 3 Minutes.. Now what?
- On landing, allow the visitor to focus. Real pretty, flashy web sites are distracting to that need. Home Page summarizes what the visitor can expect to find on your site. Describe the benefits your services offer don't talk about you.
- How the visitor gets to the next page must be clearly marked and the words used in text links and navigation buttons are descriptive of what they will find when clicked.
- Next describe who you work with.
- Next talk about how you do what you do.
- Then discuss who you are, what qualifies you to do what you do.
- Be brief and to the point and always lead them to the next page and to your most wanted responses for the page.
- Speak in people terms not professional lingo.
- Practice KISS, keep it simple.
At this point your 3 minutes is running out!
If your marketing funnel is right and what you said was right, your visitor has landed on your most wanted response. In some cases earlier in the process than you expect.
My most wanted response is for you to take advantage of my valuable free offers, and you can see that on almost every page. So I spend the last of my 3 minutes offering information exclusive and important to their interest. With one Major Rule..
Make it valuable. You have heard the term you have to give to get? It applies here extremely well.
Time is running out I know… so consider this. Knowledge is the difference in success and failure.
