So, you want to know what can make your website really effective? I cant tell you. It is your concern for visitors. Understanding their needs and their wants. Responding to their wishes, because you are building the web page for them - not for you, right?

So, take a look at your website and examine how it fits in with the psychology of your visitors. Keep in mind that people act and react differently on the web - so much so, that sometimes it is difficult to believe that these are the same people who behave so "normally" in the "real" world.

They are always rushing
Maybe because they have soooo many places to visit, maybe because they feel guilty that they should be doing something else. Whatever the reasons - they are always in the hurry.

They have in their hands a deadly weapon (mouse) and they click away whenever they get bored (and they DO get bored really fast and easily).

Make sure then, that your pages load fast, that you tell people quickly what and where they can find information and provide them with a way to jump to any page from anyplace with really easy navigation.

They expect a LOT for free
People on the internet are on the internet because they know that it is a gold mine of free information. They are expecting to find it - and they will. Once they find it, if the gold mine is really rich - they come back for more. And they send their friends to visit the same places.

However, they simply refuse to come back to the place that didn't interest them when they landed there for the first time.

Build your offer around the rich, free content like (AuthorConnection.com). Don't think about selling - but about what you can give. Then, and only then, offer them something so incredibly valuable, that your visitors will be willing to pay for it.

They don't trust easily
People on the net are often misinformed and even paranoid about buying on line. They are aware that anyone - even a 10 year old kid - can build an awesome website full of unique graphics and they need to be skillfully persuaded before they are ready to leave a name or e-mail address. And they need to be persuaded even more before they will hand you their credit card number.

Don't even think about selling something in the first paragraph - resist selling on the home page at all. Use it to establish rapport and to provide information. Romance your visitor and use as many ways as possible to inspire their trust.

They love to click
Their mouse-finger is literally begging them to click. They will request and subscribe to just about anything that somehow looks promising - as long as it is offered free of cost and you don't ask for too much information. Your visitors will enter chat rooms even if they plan to remain silent, they will vote, and they will even click on some advertising banners - all for that thrill of clicking.

Make sure then that you satisfy their need to push that mouse button while exploring YOUR site. Use that craving to your advantage - ask them to subscribe, to vote, to click for more information, to ask questions. If you don't give them opportunity to interact, they will click anyway: they will click to surf away.

Don't follow into the steps of those who try to change the surfers habits instead of taking advantage of them - it is a very costly mistake!


Wanda Loskot is business coach for self-employed professionals who LOVE what they do but HATE to sell! She is author of the award winning newsletter, "Referrals Unlimited."