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To Convert Browsers to Buyers: Don't Give Your Visitors a Cozy Home
http://www.articlesnare.com/articles/179213/1/To-Convert-Browsers-to-Buyers-Dont-Give-Your-Visitors-a-Cozy-Home/Page1.html
Cathy Goodwin
Dog Fanatic and Copywriter Cathy Goodwin wrote Dog Health at Home, a resource to care for your sick, injured and senior dogs, in memory of her first dog who crossed the bridge recently. Download your copy at http://www.dog-health.org/dogbook.html
http://www.makewritingpay.com 
By Cathy Goodwin
Published on October 12, 2008
 
Independent professionals want their clients to feel comfortable. But when your planning your website, you have to be careful not to make your Internet home too cozy.
When you work professionally with your clients, you want to create a comfortable experience. You want clients to feel they've settled into a cozy armchair in your virtual living room.

But before they become clients or buyers, you can't let them sink into that chair. Your website focuses on one question: Are you the right person to solve their biggest challenge? Here are the most common ways to let your visitors get too comfortable before they've decided to buy.

(1) Turning your website into your cozy home on the Internet. Your *real* home has pictures on the wall and possibly objects, souvenirs and knickknacks that display your personality to guests. But your website doesn't express your personality the way your home does.

Your website expresses the needs and desires of your prospective clients. So you can remove pictures of sunsets and quotes from your favorite poets. These components direct attention to you - not your visitors.

(2) Rolling out the welcome mat. Just about every home has a welcome mat. But website visitors know they're welcome. They want to know, "Am I in the right place to solve my problem?" The top of your site should feature a strong headline that helps visitors decide they're in the right place.

(3) Trying to create a "memorable" site. At home you can enjoy a memorable visit with friends and relatives. But website visitors have short memories. Most visitors surf around from site to site. They rarely remember what they typed into the search engine, five minutes after they started.

Instead of "memorable," think, "irresistible." Design a giveaway that motivates visitors to say "yes" to your opt-in subscriber link. Then you are no longer dependent on your visitors' fragile and fading memories.

(4) By-passing the benefits. Your friends come to visit because they enjoy your company. But your visitors have no idea why they should stick around. Typically they are seeking relief from pain or a fast solution to an urgent problem. They click away from sites that focus on process and steps.

(5) Believing "brag" is a 4-letter word.

Your friends will feel you're rude if you brag about how good you are. But your website visitors want to know, "If I hire you, what benefits will I get? How will I be better off?"

You aren't claiming, "I'm great. I'm amazing." Instead, you follow the writing adage to "Show, don't tell." Visitors want to make a good investment if they buy from you. So they want to believe, "We're lucky to get you." Make it *really* easy for them to say that.