A good looking WordPress website does not guarantee results . . .
No matter how fabulous your website is and how fantastic it looks, if you don’t give people a clear call to action they will not do anything! Surprisingly enough, people like and want to be told what to do! Even on the Internet we need a bit of a pull that encourages us to take action and we like to be pointed in the right direction. So I highly recommend that you focus on a clear, very prominent and easy call to action! Make it something that they can’t miss. Make it completely obvious, and super simple, and don’t make people think! If they have to think and “figure it out” more than likely you will not get a good response. Do your absolute best to make it simple, and realize that even then, some people will still miss it!
Basic human psychology applied to your website
People will go to further distance to avoid pain than to gain pleasure. So make sure to highlight the pain it would cause them to not have your product or service. Make them feel it and visualize it and experience that unwanted pain. Don’t just go on and on about how great your product or service is, tell them what it can do for them and show them exactly what they need to do to get it! It is very important to have a single and definite purpose on each of your pages. Ask them to do one thing, and one thing only. Don’t create confusion or give people too many choices. Some people are indecisive and won’t make a choice when they feel overwhelmed or on the spot. Oh and remember to tell them what will happen afterwards. Sometimes people don’t take action because they don’t know what to expect next, if you take away that fear of the “unknown” it will make it much easier to move forward.
People already have a short attention span so don’t distract them!
Usually having ads, sliders, and other distractions and moving graphics will drive people away from your intended result. Even social media icons can be somewhat distracting and send people away from you instead of inviting them to stay on your site longer. The more “stuff” there is to click on, the more likely they will not give you their undivided attention. Give people one thing to do and highlight their pains and tell them how you can help them avoid them. Encourage them to take action by giving them specific instructions, while also creating a sense of urgency. People usually seek instant gratification on the internet so providing easy access to information that they are hungry for and not having a lot of clutter around is something they will be thankful for. A good example would be: Click Here to instantly download your copy of “Title of Book Goes Here” Now! Keep it simple. Don’t complicate it or over think it. One possible approach could be a choice, choices empower people make them feel like they are in control. If you have the ability to give your visitors a choice and single themselves out from a bigger crowd this will make them like feel like they actually belong there and you know how they feel and who they are. You will not have their attention for very long so be clear and tell them exactly what they need to do to take action. It’s ok to break it down into steps like:
- Step 1: (Who? – You! ) Click Here
- Step 2: ( What? – Download ) Download your copy
- Step 3: ( When? Do it now!) NOW!
Remember to have big, bold, and clear call to actions, people can’t read your mind! Tell them to buy, or subscribe, or comment, or like, or follow. Make sure that there is no confusion about what they should do, and get a five year old to go to your site to see if they can figure it out, best usability testing ever! Simplicity matters. : )