Four Tips for Overcoming Website Shyness

About 50% of Americans classify themselves as shy, and I'd guess more than 50% of websites are what I consider shy websites.

How could a website be shy?

As defined by the Encyclopedia of Mental Health, shyness is "a form of self-focus." Too many websites today are guilty of self-focus.
The website is company focused instead of customer focused. Just like being on a date with someone who spends the whole time talking about himself, a self-focused website bores you to death.

Here are four tips for creating an interesting and engaging website:

#1 - Get Rid of Mission Statement

Get rid of the Mission statement on your website. That has got to be the most boring, misused piece of information on a corporate website. Mission statements are an internal communication for the company, not the customers.

Sad to say, but your customers don't care about your company's mission; they care about what they get for themselves. It's all about them, not you.

#2 - Get Rid of Corporate Speak

Get rid of the corporate speak. In order to build rapport with your customers you need to communicate with them in a way that creates a dialogue -- a conversation. The writing on a website needs to be clear, understandable, and free of stuffy, long winded paragraphs.

Write more like you speak, in a conversational tone. Choose words that you would normally use if someone was sitting at the table across from you. Avoid using company jargon that confuses the reader.

#3 - Write in One Voice

Write in one voice. Probably the biggest mistake companies make when putting content on a website is to let each department write their own content. Yes, they may have the knowledge of the department, but each person has a different writing style. So what you end up with is a mishmash of disjointed writing for each website page.

A better plan is to have each department write their content and then bring in a professional writer to rewrite and edit the content so that it looks like one person did all the writing.

#4 - Tell a Story

Don't just "put" information on a website, make it interesting.
Tell a story. People love stories, especially about other people.
Why do you think reality TV is such a hit?

Rethink those boring bios on your About Us page and consider a different approach. Yesterday I discovered a website with cleverly done and interesting About Us pages (www.IPGbook.com). Not only was the content informational, but it was interesting because it told a story from the reader's viewpoint. In other words, it was written from the angle of what the reader would want to know. It emphasizes how customers benefit by working with IPG.

That alone is a fresh approach, but what makes the About Us section even more fascinating is the way it incorporated the company executive bios throughout the pages like testimonials. For instance, the Bio page for the national accounts manager is not so much about him, as it is about the benefits he provides to the customers. Brilliant!

Conclusion

A shy website is not only boring, it is ineffective. It doesn't matter how much traffic you have coming to a website if you can't convert that traffic into leads or sales.

An interesting and engaging website has higher conversions and repeat visits from satisfied customers. Start reworking your website today and to be on your way to increased profits.

© 2007 Michelle Howe

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