• Quick Power Tips
• Attract
  • SEO (Search Engine Optimization)
    • Titles
    • Keywords
    • Meta Descriptions
    • Meta Keywords
    • Robots
    • Alt Tags (Alternative Text)
    • CSS & JavaScript
    • Links
    • Site Maps
  • SEM (Search Engine Marketing)
    • AdSense
    • AdWords
    • Pay Per Click and Other Online Marketing
  • Social Media/Networking Marketing
    • Blogs
    • Podcasts
    • Videos/Photos
    • RSS
    • Forums & Groups
    • Viral Marketing
    • Social Networking
    • Twitter
    • LinkedIn
    • Facebook
    • Social Bookmarking
    • Word of Mouth (WOM)
    • Press Releases/Social Media Releases
  • Marketing/Advertising
    • Landing Pages
    • List Building
    • eNewsletters/Email
    • Public Speaking
    • Article Marketing
    • Online Media Marketing
    • Offline Media Marketing
    • Google, PC/Mac, and other Tricks
• Retain
  • Usability
    • Scannability
    • Navigation
    • Page Links
    • Screen Resolution
    • Usability testing
    • Accessibility
    • Other Usability
  • Writing for the Web
    • Content
    • Splash Pages
    • Homepage
    • Paragraphs & Sentences
    • Fonts
    • Backgrounds
    • Text
    • Colors
• Convert
  • Persuasive Writing
    • WIIFM (What's in it for me?)
    • Benefits over Features
    • Psychological Triggers
    • USP (Unique Selling Proposition)
    • Customer Care & CRM
    • Landing pages
  • Conversion
    • Conversion rates
    • Personas
    • Conversion Pathways
    • Above the Fold
    • Pricing
    • Shopping Cart
    • Checkout
    • Shipping
    • Payment Methods
    • Reviews/Testimonials
  • Testing
    • Analytics
    • A/B Testing
    • Multivariate Testing
    • Usability Testing

Quick Power Tips

Quick Power Tips 7 More Quick Power Tips to Make Your Content Easy to Read Rick Henkin Here are 7 more quick power tips to make your content easy to read. This serves two purposes: 1) You'll keep visitors on your page longer, which gives you more of a chance to sell them on your product or service; and 2) More visitors will actually read what you've written and possibly become customers.keep reading 6 Quick Power Tips to Make Your Content Easy to Read Rick Henkin It's more important that your user can easily read your content than anything else. Certain fonts, font sizes, backgrounds and colors are easier to view on a computer monitor than they are on the printed page due to differences in resolution. Here are 6 quick power tips to help ensure that your content is easy to read . . . keep reading Next Top 4 Things You Can Do To Improve Your Website's SEO - Search Engine Optimization Karl Kasca Once you have the Top 2 Things to Improve SEO covered on each web page, then you can make sure you've got each of these absolutely vital things covered: . . . keep reading Top 2 Things you can do to improve your Website's SEO - Search Engine Optimization Karl Kasca There are two extremely powerful things you do very quickly and easily to greatly improve the SEO for your website. . . . keep reading 7 Quick Power Tips to Keep Your Visitor on Your Web Page Rick Henkin How you format your paragraphs, sentences and words will help determine whether or not they get read. Visitors want to find the information they're looking for with as little effort as possible. They won't read dense blocks of text no matter how carefully you've chosen your words. Here are 7 quick power tips to help keep your visitor on your web page: . . . keep reading Answer These 4 Questions on Your Homepage Rick Henkin Part of keeping visitors on your website and turning them into customers, is anticipating and answering their questions so they don't move onto your competitor's website.  They won't take the time to decipher anything that is unclear to them. The 4 most important questions your visitor has that your homepage must answer are: . . . keep reading Quickest Ways to Attract Visitors to your Website Karl Kasca The quickest ways to "Attract More Visitors" to your Website are easy and can be put into action right away. Pull people into your website quicker than using SEO by using these techniques. . . . keep reading 7 Quick Power Tips You Can Use to Easily Reduce Shopping Cart Abandonment Rick Henkin Shopping cart abandonment takes place when a visitor begins the checkout process on your website, but leaves without completing it. Here are 7 Quick Power Tips you can put to use immediately to reduce the chances of this happening to you . . . keep reading 10 Ways to Show Customers That You Care Rick Henkin There are many things you can do to show your customers that you care. Some of them take more time and effort than others. But, here are 10 quick and easy things you can do right now to let your customers know that you understand that you're in business to serve them: . . . keep reading 2 Quick Power Tips Guaranteed to Increase Your Sales Rick Henkin Have you ever experienced the frustration of trying to buy a product on a website and you can't even find out the total price (shipping, handling, sales tax, etc.) unless you either fill out a long registration form or give up your credit card information? Or maybe you're shown the item but you have to click to another page to find the price? How did you feel about that company? . . . keep reading The Top 7 Tips to Make Your Website More Accessible to the Impaired Rick Henkin People with physical impairments represent a significant portion of web users and they have income to spend. A few simple changes to your website will not only make it easier for them to use, but will also put you way ahead of your competition. . . . keep reading

Attract

SEO (Search Engine Optimization)

Titles

Titles Next Top 4 Things You Can Do To Improve Your Website's SEO - Search Engine Optimization Karl Kasca Once you have the Top 2 Things to Improve SEO covered on each web page, then you can make sure you've got each of these absolutely vital things covered: . . . keep reading Top 2 Things you can do to improve your Website's SEO - Search Engine Optimization Karl Kasca There are two extremely powerful things you do very quickly and easily to greatly improve the SEO for your website. . . . keep reading Title Tags for your Web Pages Karl Kasca The Title tag is the single most important thing you can do to optimize your web site. Here are some great tips for creating a Title Tag that will help your web page rise to the top of Google's search results rankings. . . . keep reading How to Write Great Web Page Titles Using Powerful Keywords and Symbols Karl Kasca Supercharge your web page Titles using powerful keywords & Symbols: 1) Raise your web page in the Google search engine rankings and 2) Make your title stand out from others in the search results so people will feel enticed to click on yours. . . . keep reading How to Write Blog Post Titles Karl Kasca Here's the low-down on how to create great titles for Wordpress Blog Posts including choosing the key words and how they should be formatted for the greatest effectiveness. This will help internet searchers find your blog posts so they can read, subscribe (RSS), and vote on them (e.g., digg). . . . keep reading

Keywords

Keywords Next Top 4 Things You Can Do To Improve Your Website's SEO - Search Engine Optimization Karl Kasca Once you have the Top 2 Things to Improve SEO covered on each web page, then you can make sure you've got each of these absolutely vital things covered: . . . keep reading How to Write Great Web Page Titles Using Powerful Keywords and Symbols Karl Kasca Supercharge your web page Titles using powerful keywords & Symbols: 1) Raise your web page in the Google search engine rankings and 2) Make your title stand out from others in the search results so people will feel enticed to click on yours. . . . keep reading How to Create your First Google AdWords Campaign Karl Kasca Google AdWords is a very powerful way to advertise your website on the Internet. You can be up-and-running with AdWords in almost no-time with this article and video. . . . keep reading Using the Google Search-based Keyword Tool to Optimize your Website Karl Kasca Here's a powerful way to use the new Google Search-based Keyword Tool to Optimize your website. This method will easily show you which keywords are best for your site. Benefit: This is a free way to raise your site in the search engine results. . . . keep reading

Meta Descriptions

Meta Descriptions Top 2 Things you can do to improve your Website's SEO - Search Engine Optimization Karl Kasca There are two extremely powerful things you do very quickly and easily to greatly improve the SEO for your website. . . . keep reading Using/Improving Meta Descriptions of Web Pages Karl Kasca Having great Descriptions for your web pages could place them higher in Search Engine Results, but more importantly could entice people to visit your website. . . . keep reading Submitting Your Website to Online Directories - DMOZ - and Search Engines Karl Kasca By submitting your Website to Online Directories and Search Engines you'll boost your site's placement and findability on Search Engine Results Pages (SERPs). . . . keep reading

Meta Keywords

Robots

Alt Tags (Alternative Text)

CSS & JavaScript

Links

Links External Links: Should They Open in a New Browser Window or the Current Window? Rick Henkin There are a lot of arguments for both sides of this question. It would seem that it should be a matter of user preference. However, from a design, usability and accessibility standpoint, there really is only one conclusion . . . keep reading

Site Maps

SEM (Search Engine Marketing)

AdSense

AdWords

Pay Per Click and Other Online Marketing

Social Media/Networking Marketing

Blogs

Blogs-Social Media Quickest Ways to Attract Visitors to your Website Karl Kasca The quickest ways to "Attract More Visitors" to your Website are easy and can be put into action right away. Pull people into your website quicker than using SEO by using these techniques. . . . keep reading Blogging: How to Set-up a Quick and Easy Blog in Minutes Using Blogger Karl Kasca Ever thought that would take a lot of time to set-up a blog? Here are the Action Steps to get a blog up-and-going in minutes using Google's Blogger. . . . keep reading How to Write Blog Post Titles Karl Kasca Here's the low-down on how to create great titles for Wordpress Blog Posts including choosing the key words and how they should be formatted for the greatest effectiveness. This will help internet searchers find your blog posts so they can read, subscribe (RSS), and vote on them (e.g., digg). . . . keep reading How To Promote Your Blog - Part I Karl Kasca Just as you need to promote your website, you need to promote your blog (which promotes your website). These action steps will assure that your blog is found...so your website can be found too! . . . keep reading Blogging: Evaluating your Blog (or Website) Karl Kasca Already have a Blog or Website?  Then maybe it's time to step back and ask yourself 10 questions about it to see if you're on the right track. Setting up a Blog...then skim these points first and make sure you take them into consideration. . . . keep reading Posting On Blogs, Forums, and Groups Karl Kasca Posting can be a very effective way of promoting your website. If done the right way, you can generate interest in your site from those who are truly interested in it (in other words, from the best potential prospects for your information, products, or services). - Note: Some of Karl's killer tips on how to search blogs, forums, and groups are included in this article/video as well. . . . keep reading List Building Part 5: Social Media, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and blogs Rick Henkin In part 5 of this series, we'll examine the following list building methods: Social Media (including Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn) and blogs . . . keep reading

Podcasts

Videos/Photos

RSS

Forums & Groups

Viral Marketing

Social Networking

Social Networking Slideshare: How to get great visibility on the web using Slideshare Karl Kasca By using PowerPoint slideshows (or just documents) you can leverage the power of the Internet so you ("brand you") and your website/business will be found. . . . keep reading Twitter: Overview and What it is Karl Kasca Posting to Twitter is one of the quickest ways to attract people to your web site or business, but you have to use it frequently and do it the right way. Here's a description of what Twitter is and why you should be using it. . . . keep reading How to Get Started and Send a Tweet in Twitter Karl Kasca Getting started in Twitter is quick and easy. But once you start you need something great to Tweet about. This is the low-down on how you find interesting content for your tweets which will attract Followers (your people) to you on Twitter. . . . keep reading Facebook: Overview of Facebook Karl Kasca Facebook is a huge source of potential visibility and engagement for your business on the Internet. Current statistics show that Facebook has over 200 million active users. Over two-thirds of Facebook users are outside of college and the fastest growing demographic is 35 years old and older. Clearly Facebook is a great place to have a business presence if you do it the right way. . . . keep reading List Building Part 5: Social Media, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and blogs Rick Henkin In part 5 of this series, we'll examine the following list building methods: Social Media (including Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn) and blogs . . . keep reading

Twitter

Twitter Quickest Ways to Attract Visitors to your Website Karl Kasca The quickest ways to "Attract More Visitors" to your Website are easy and can be put into action right away. Pull people into your website quicker than using SEO by using these techniques. . . . keep reading Twitter: Overview and What it is Karl Kasca Posting to Twitter is one of the quickest ways to attract people to your web site or business, but you have to use it frequently and do it the right way. Here's a description of what Twitter is and why you should be using it. . . . keep reading How to Get Started and Send a Tweet in Twitter Karl Kasca Getting started in Twitter is quick and easy. But once you start you need something great to Tweet about. This is the low-down on how you find interesting content for your tweets which will attract Followers (your people) to you on Twitter. . . . keep reading How to Set-up a Twitter Account with a Killer Profile Karl Kasca Setting up a Twitter account is very quick and easy.  But there are a couple of things you can do to make your profile and bio line much more effective. . . . keep reading Twitter: How to Write Valuable Tweets in Twitter Karl Kasca It's one thing to send tweets, but it's another thing entirely to send "valuable" tweets. Here's how to leverage the power of valuable tweets to attract the right people to follow you in Twitter and beyond... . . . keep reading How to Write Replies to Twitter Tweets Karl Kasca It's one thing to write great tweets (updates/posts) in Twitter, but another to effectively reply to other people's tweets. Here are the best ways to do this, including some tips to make them even more powerful. . . . keep reading Twitter -- The Power of Hashtags (#) in Twitter KarlKasca Twitter is great, but sometimes it seems like random tweets in the wilderness. Here's how to bring organizing power to Twitter so you can bring attention and findability to you and your business. . . . keep reading Twitter: How to Send Direct Messages (DMs) in Twitter Karl Kasca Twitter is great for sending public messages to the world, but here's the inside scoop on how to properly send private/personal messages in Twitter. And should you send an automated Direct Message to new followers? Answer: "No!" . . . keep reading List Building Part 5: Social Media, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and blogs Rick Henkin In part 5 of this series, we'll examine the following list building methods: Social Media (including Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn) and blogs . . . keep reading

LinkedIn

LinkedIn Quickest Ways to Attract Visitors to your Website Karl Kasca The quickest ways to "Attract More Visitors" to your Website are easy and can be put into action right away. Pull people into your website quicker than using SEO by using these techniques. . . . keep reading LinkedIn - Overview of LinkedIn and the Power of LinkedIn Karl Kasca Find the power of LinkedIn for yourself, your company, and your website. What's all the fuss about LinkedIn? LinkedIn is showing up everywhere now, in articles and on the web, just like Twitter. Find out why everyone's connecting in LinkedIn and you should too. . . . keep reading How to Set-up a LinkedIn Account with a Killer Profile Karl Kasca Setting up a LinkedIn account is quick and easy.  But there are some things you need to do to assure that your profile is as effective as possible. . . . keep reading List Building Part 5: Social Media, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and blogs Rick Henkin In part 5 of this series, we'll examine the following list building methods: Social Media (including Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn) and blogs . . . keep reading

Facebook

Facebook Quickest Ways to Attract Visitors to your Website Karl Kasca The quickest ways to "Attract More Visitors" to your Website are easy and can be put into action right away. Pull people into your website quicker than using SEO by using these techniques. . . . keep reading Facebook: Overview of Facebook Karl Kasca Facebook is a huge source of potential visibility and engagement for your business on the Internet. Current statistics show that Facebook has over 200 million active users. Over two-thirds of Facebook users are outside of college and the fastest growing demographic is 35 years old and older. Clearly Facebook is a great place to have a business presence if you do it the right way. . . . keep reading Facebook: How To Set-Up A Facebook Fan Page Karl Kasca How to set-up a Facebook page for your business/ company/ brand/ product/ website quickly and easily. . . . keep reading List Building Part 5: Social Media, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and blogs Rick Henkin In part 5 of this series, we'll examine the following list building methods: Social Media (including Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn) and blogs . . . keep reading

Social Bookmarking

Word of Mouth (WOM)

Press Releases/Social Media Releases

Marketing/Advertising

Landing Pages

Landing Pages Above the Fold: Its Importance and Meaning Rick Henkin The concept of "above the fold" is still a very important concept although not in the same way as previously thought. . . . keep reading List Building Part 1: Why Build a List and How Do I Do It? Rick Henkin List building is an essential tool for online marketing. Without a list of customers and/or prospects who are interested in your product or service, who will you sell to? And who will you sell to again and again? . . . keep reading List Building Part 2: Google AdWords, Yahoo! Sponsored Search, Microsoft adCenter, placement targeting and Pay Per Click Rick Henkin In part 2 of this series we'll examine the following list building methods: Google AdWords, Yahoo! Sponsored Search, Microsoft adCenter, placement targeting and Pay Per Click. These methods are not presented in any order of importance . . . keep reading List Building Part 3: Search engine marketing, Search engine optimization, article marketing, forums & groups, teleseminars and webinars Rick Henkin In part 3 of this series, we'll examine the following list building methods: search engine marketing (SEM), search engine optimization (SEO), article marketing, using forums and groups, teleseminars and webinars . . . keep reading List Building Part 4: Online media marketing, CPA networks, ad networks, co-registration and affiliates Rick Henkin In part 4 of this series, we'll examine the following list building methods: online media marketing, CPA networks, ad networks, co-registration and affiliates . . . keep reading List Building Part 5: Social Media, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and blogs Rick Henkin In part 5 of this series, we'll examine the following list building methods: Social Media (including Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn) and blogs . . . keep reading List Building Part 6: Podcasts, Videos, Viral Campaigns and Press Releases/Social Media Releases Rick Henkin In part 6 of this series, we'll examine the following list building methods: podcasts, videos, viral campaigns and press releases/social media releases . . . keep reading List Building Part 7: Joint Ventures, Word of Mouth Marketing, Offline Media Marketing and Direct Mail Rick Henkin In part 7, the final part of our series, we'll examine the following list building methods: joint ventures, word of mouth marketing, offline media marketing and direct mail . . . keep reading Persuasion and Influence Part 1: 6 Psychological Principles Rick Henkin This is the first in a series of articles on ethical persuasion techniques used in marketing. By ethical persuasion, I simply mean that you have your customer's best interest in mind without using covert or overt influence. . . . keep reading Persuasion and Influence Part 2: Reciprocity Principle Rick Henkin In almost all societies, we feel obligated to repay in kind for something that someone has done for us first. It's practically an unwritten rule of society. You smile at someone on the street, and more often than not, they'll smile back. Someone holds a door open for you and you hold a door open for someone else. This is the principle of reciprocity at work. We're programmed to help those who help us . . . keep reading Persuasion and Influence Part 3: Commitment and Consistency Principle Rick Henkin As human beings, we are hardwired to behave and act in a consistent manner. This need to behave consistently is further reinforced when we've "taken a stand" or in some way committed ourselves to a stated "point of view". Think of people you might know who constantly change their mind, don't you find it frustrating? We don't attach much value to people whose words and actions don't match. We might see them as dishonest, lacking integrity, confused or even mentally ill . . . keep reading Persuasion and Influence Part 4: Social Proof Principle Rick Henkin Social Proof- we will do what others have done or are doing in a given situation. The more people taking a specific action, the more likely it is to be seen as the correct action to take, especially . . . keep reading Persuasion and Influence Part 5: Liking Principle Rick Henkin We are more likely to say "yes" to people we like or with whom we want to identify.. That seems to be a pretty obvious statement. Unless we have to, none of us "wants" to do business with people we dislike. And so, we are marketed to all of the time by people who try to get us to like them or show how similar they are to us. . . . keep reading Persuasion and Influence Part 6: Authority Principle Rick Henkin We learn to obey authority figures from a very early age and usually without question. We learn to obey our parents and teachers. If a doctor tells us we require a certain medication, most of us will accept that at face value. If a policeman tells you to step out of your vehicle, you'll do it first and ask why later. . . . keep reading Persuasion and Influence Part 7: Scarcity Principle Rick Henkin How many times have you bought something at a store because you were afraid they might run out of it?  Have you ever made a purchase now because you were told the price would be going up soon?  Ever watch a product being sold on the Home Shopping Network? The quantities are limited and as each one is sold, a countdown timer displays on the screen letting you know how many are left. How about something as simple as interrupting a face-to-face conversation with someone to answer your phone?  If you don't take the call, you might miss out on something. These examples illustrate the principle of scarcity. . . . keep reading 7 Online Landing Page Tools to Help You Rick Henkin It's important to know how well your landing page is converting your visitors into customers, subscribers, members or whatever your goal is for them.  Even a small improvement in your conversion rate (the % of visitors who complete your goal) can dramatically increase your bottom line without increasing your expenses. . . . keep reading 14 Tips to Improve Your Landing Page Conversions Rick Henkin Landing pages or squeeze pages are those pages that visitors arrive at after clicking on your advertisement or promotional material. Their purpose is to convince the visitor to give you the information you want from them, usually in exchange for something of value from you. If you're successful, this is called a conversion. You've converted the visitor into a customer or more likely, a potential customer . . . keep reading How to Build an Opt-In Page Karl Kasca The most powerful step for Listbuilding: How to create a "quick and dirty" Opt-In Page so visitors can easily sign-up for your eNewsletter on your website. . . . keep reading How to Create a Sign-up Box Using AWeber's Web Form Karl Kasca Here's how to create a quick sign-up form using aWeber that you can use in your Opt-In page. This is crucial for successfully building your list of eNewsletter subscribers. . . . keep reading How to Find, Download, and Edit an Image Karl Kasca Need an image for your Sign-up page or Landing Page? This is the scoop on how to find a free image (e.g., a attention-getting arrow), download it, and edit it. A eye-catching image can draw attention and help guide people to signing up for your e-Newsletter. . . . keep reading How to Upload/Transfer/FTP Files to Your Website Server Karl Kasca Here's the quickest and easiest way to upload a file, like an image file, to your Website Server. Once you've uploaded a file (like a graphic file) it will be available for you to link to in the other web pages you design. This will help you when creating sign-up pages for your e-Newsletter. . . . keep reading How to Insert an Image into a Web Page Karl Kasca Here's the way to insert an image into a web page, edit its settings, and have text wrap around it. Visually this is a great way to draw attention to the sign-up box on your opt-in page for your eNewsletter. . . . keep reading Conversion Rates: What They Are and Why They're Important Rick Henkin Conversion simply means turning ("converting") your visitor into a customer, subscriber, registrant or whatever your goal is for them. You can have a thousand people a day visit your website, but if they all leave without responding to your call to action, it really doesn't matter how many visitors you have, does it? The assumption here is that you want them to do something- whether it's purchase, subscribe or sign-up. Tracking and improving your conversion rate is paramount to your goals . . . keep reading 52 Ways to Increase Your Conversion Rate Rick Henkin It's incredibly important to always work on increasing your conversion rate (the % of visitors who act on your desired goal). What if 10%, 25%, 50% or 90% of the people who visit your website actually purchased, subscribed, registered or whatever your goal is for them instead of the 2% Internet wide average? How much greater would your sales be, your cash flow, your profitability? What if you could dramatically increase your conversion rate just by testing and changing a few things? . . . keep reading

List Building

eNewsletters/Email

eNewsletters/email E-Newsletters - The Basics Karl Kasca Electronic newsletters sent via emails are a great way to reach your people and attract them to your website, blog, or podcast. In fact, Email Newsletters are the backbone of e-Marketing and communications (even with all of the buzz about Social Media). . . . keep reading How to Format Your eNewsletters- Part 1 Rick Henkin The manner in which your newsletter is formatted has a direct impact on your reader's opinion of you and your services. If it's unprofessional, filled with typos and grammatical mistakes, the impression is that you don't care, so why should they? We're not talking about content at this point, nor are we speaking about email promotions, that are either acted upon or trashed. We're talking about having a newsletter that your audience looks forward to receiving, and hopefully forwarding on to others. . . . keep reading How to Format Your eNewsletters- Part 2 Rick Henkin In Part 1 of How to Format Your eNewsletters we discussed the "To Line," "From Line," "Subject Line" and "Plain Text or HTML." Now we'll look at the rest of the elements including "Header," "Body," "Footer" and "Unsubscribe." . . . keep reading Email: Building a Relationship with Your Subscribers Rick Henkin Your list of opted-on subscribers is your greatest asset. These are people who have given you their permission to email them. They're interesteed in what you have to offer, what you have to say. But how do you build a relationship with someone who may not even be a customer? . . . keep reading Email Subject Lines Rick Henkin Just like an advertisement, where a good headline captures the attention and interest of the reader, the subject line of your email is the headline for your message. If it's too boring, your reader might not even open the email and see your message. If it's too salesy or pushy, it might not pass the spam filter in their head, let alone the ISP's spam filter. Even the length of the subject line can influence whether it's opened or not. . . . keep reading 7 Online Landing Page Tools to Help You Rick Henkin It's important to know how well your landing page is converting your visitors into customers, subscribers, members or whatever your goal is for them.  Even a small improvement in your conversion rate (the % of visitors who complete your goal) can dramatically increase your bottom line without increasing your expenses. . . . keep reading 14 Tips to Improve Your Landing Page Conversions Rick Henkin Landing pages or squeeze pages are those pages that visitors arrive at after clicking on your advertisement or promotional material. Their purpose is to convince the visitor to give you the information you want from them, usually in exchange for something of value from you. If you're successful, this is called a conversion. You've converted the visitor into a customer or more likely, a potential customer . . . keep reading How to Build an Opt-In Page Karl Kasca The most powerful step for Listbuilding: How to create a "quick and dirty" Opt-In Page so visitors can easily sign-up for your eNewsletter on your website. . . . keep reading How to Create a Sign-up Box Using AWeber's Web Form Karl Kasca Here's how to create a quick sign-up form using aWeber that you can use in your Opt-In page. This is crucial for successfully building your list of eNewsletter subscribers. . . . keep reading How to Find, Download, and Edit an Image Karl Kasca Need an image for your Sign-up page or Landing Page? This is the scoop on how to find a free image (e.g., a attention-getting arrow), download it, and edit it. A eye-catching image can draw attention and help guide people to signing up for your e-Newsletter. . . . keep reading How to Upload/Transfer/FTP Files to Your Website Server Karl Kasca Here's the quickest and easiest way to upload a file, like an image file, to your Website Server. Once you've uploaded a file (like a graphic file) it will be available for you to link to in the other web pages you design. This will help you when creating sign-up pages for your e-Newsletter. . . . keep reading How to Insert an Image into a Web Page Karl Kasca Here's the way to insert an image into a web page, edit its settings, and have text wrap around it. Visually this is a great way to draw attention to the sign-up box on your opt-in page for your eNewsletter. . . . keep reading

Public Speaking

Article Marketing

Online Media Marketing

Offline Media Marketing

Google, PC/Mac, and other Tricks

Retain

Usability

Scannability

Scannability 7 More Quick Power Tips to Make Your Content Easy to Read Rick Henkin Here are 7 more quick power tips to make your content easy to read. This serves two purposes: 1) You'll keep visitors on your page longer, which gives you more of a chance to sell them on your product or service; and 2) More visitors will actually read what you've written and possibly become customers.keep reading Headings, Subheadings, Bullets and Scannability Rick Henkin It's extremely important that your web pages are easy to read and scan. That's where headings, subheadings and bullets come in. Their purpose is to organize and quickly point out the information available . . . keep reading Paragraphs, Sentences and Words Rick Henkin How you format your paragraphs, sentences and words will help determine whether or not they get read. Visitors want to find the information they're looking for with as little effort as possible. They won't read dense blocks of text no matter how carefully you've chosen your words.keep reading

Navigation

Navigation Sitemaps - How to Get your Site on Google's radar using Sitemaps Karl Kasca Site maps let search engines know how the web pages (content) on your site are arranged so Google, Bing, Yahoo, etc. can easily understand the structure of your site and index it better. Follow these quick/easy steps and get on Google's radar . . . keep reading External Links: Should They Open in a New Browser Window or the Current Window? Rick Henkin There are a lot of arguments for both sides of this question. It would seem that it should be a matter of user preference. However, from a design, usability and accessibility standpoint, there really is only one conclusion . . . keep reading Navigation: Purpose and Design Rick Henkin The purpose of navigation and the way it's designed on your website are two sides of the same coin. Your navigation scheme won't fulfill its purpose if it's not designed from the user's perspective . . . keep reading Navigation Checklist Rick Henkin The purpose of navigation and the way it's designed on your website are two sides of the same coin. Your navigation scheme won't fulfill its purpose if it's not designed from the user's perspective . . . keep reading The Top 7 Tips to Make Your Website More Accessible to the Impaired Rick Henkin People with physical impairments represent a significant portion of web users and they have income to spend. A few simple changes to your website will not only make it easier for them to use, but will also put you way ahead of your competition. . . . keep reading

Page Links

Page Links External Links: Should They Open in a New Browser Window or the Current Window? Rick Henkin There are a lot of arguments for both sides of this question. It would seem that it should be a matter of user preference. However, from a design, usability and accessibility standpoint, there really is only one conclusion . . . keep reading

Screen Resolution

Screen Resolution Screen Resolution: What's the Best Size to Design For? Rick Henkin Designing a website that looks good and performs well for the majority of your visitors is a tall order. How do you decide what's the best screen resolution to design for? . . . keep reading Accessibility Issues, Fixes and Your Website Rick Henkin Let's discuss accessibility issues, fixes and your website. There are people with impairments both physical and technological, who represent a significant portion of web users and who have income to spend . . . keep reading

Usability testing

Usability Testing Navigation: Purpose and Design Rick Henkin The purpose of navigation and the way it's designed on your website are two sides of the same coin. Your navigation scheme won't fulfill its purpose if it's not designed from the user's perspective . . . keep reading Navigation Checklist Rick Henkin The purpose of navigation and the way it's designed on your website are two sides of the same coin. Your navigation scheme won't fulfill its purpose if it's not designed from the user's perspective . . . keep reading Screen Resolution: What's the Best Size to Design For? Rick Henkin Designing a website that looks good and performs well for the majority of your visitors is a tall order. How do you decide what's the best screen resolution to design for? . . . keep reading Usability Testing Rick Henkin We all know about testing headlines and advertising copy. Have you ever thought about testing the usability of your website? No matter how easy, simple, and intuitive you think your website is, if your visitors don't think that, that's all that matters . . . keep reading

Accessibility

Accessibility Screen Resolution: What's the Best Size to Design For? Rick Henkin Designing a website that looks good and performs well for the majority of your visitors is a tall order. How do you decide what's the best screen resolution to design for? . . . keep reading 9 Free Online Accessibility Tools Rick Henkin There are several free online accessibility tools that you can use to evaluate your web pages. Here are nine of the most useful. Remember, that people with impairments represent a significant portion of web users and they have discretionary income to spend . . . keep reading Accessibility Issues, Fixes and Your Website Rick Henkin Let's discuss accessibility issues, fixes and your website. There are people with impairments both physical and technological, who represent a significant portion of web users and who have income to spend . . . keep reading The Top 7 Tips to Make Your Website More Accessible to the Impaired Rick Henkin People with physical impairments represent a significant portion of web users and they have income to spend. A few simple changes to your website will not only make it easier for them to use, but will also put you way ahead of your competition. . . . keep reading Usability Testing Rick Henkin We all know about testing headlines and advertising copy. Have you ever thought about testing the usability of your website? No matter how easy, simple, and intuitive you think your website is, if your visitors don't think that, that's all that matters . . . keep reading

Other Usability

Other Usability Sitemaps - How to Get your Site on Google's radar using Sitemaps Karl Kasca Site maps let search engines know how the web pages (content) on your site are arranged so Google, Bing, Yahoo, etc. can easily understand the structure of your site and index it better. Follow these quick/easy steps and get on Google's radar . . . keep reading The 4 Questions Your Homepage Must Answer Rick Henkin There are a lot of reasons why a visitor might ultimately leave your website, but if you can answer these 4 questions to their satisfaction, you stand a much better chance of keeping them on your website and ultimately converting them to customers . . . keep reading Paragraphs, Sentences and Words Rick Henkin How you format your paragraphs, sentences and words will help determine whether or not they get read. Visitors want to find the information they're looking for with as little effort as possible. They won't read dense blocks of text no matter how carefully you've chosen your words.keep reading Serifs, Fonts and Font Size Rick Henkin How important are serifs, fonts, and font sizes? Well, there's not much point spending a lot of time crafting your message if it's difficult for your users to read. That's how important they are . . . keep reading Colors, Backgrounds and Text Rick Henkin Your choice of colors,  backgrounds and text will determine whether or not your visitors are able to read your message. It's too important not to get it right . . . keep reading Splash Page: Should You Use One? Rick Henkin Flash intro pages otherwise known as splash pages are a subject of controversy. They can look really cool but are they functional from the user's standpoint? Do they help or hurt the website? Should you use them? . . . keep reading

Writing for the Web

Content

Content 7 More Quick Power Tips to Make Your Content Easy to Read Rick Henkin Here are 7 more quick power tips to make your content easy to read. This serves two purposes: 1) You'll keep visitors on your page longer, which gives you more of a chance to sell them on your product or service; and 2) More visitors will actually read what you've written and possibly become customers.keep reading 6 Quick Power Tips to Make Your Content Easy to Read Rick Henkin It's more important that your user can easily read your content than anything else. Certain fonts, font sizes, backgrounds and colors are easier to view on a computer monitor than they are on the printed page due to differences in resolution. Here are 6 quick power tips to help ensure that your content is easy to read . . . keep reading Next Top 4 Things You Can Do To Improve Your Website's SEO - Search Engine Optimization Karl Kasca Once you have the Top 2 Things to Improve SEO covered on each web page, then you can make sure you've got each of these absolutely vital things covered: . . . keep reading Answer These 4 Questions on Your Homepage Rick Henkin Part of keeping visitors on your website and turning them into customers, is anticipating and answering their questions so they don't move onto your competitor's website.  They won't take the time to decipher anything that is unclear to them. The 4 most important questions your visitor has that your homepage must answer are: . . . keep reading Headings, Subheadings, Bullets and Scannability Rick Henkin It's extremely important that your web pages are easy to read and scan. That's where headings, subheadings and bullets come in. Their purpose is to organize and quickly point out the information available . . . keep reading How to Format Your eNewsletters- Part 1 Rick Henkin The manner in which your newsletter is formatted has a direct impact on your reader's opinion of you and your services. If it's unprofessional, filled with typos and grammatical mistakes, the impression is that you don't care, so why should they? We're not talking about content at this point, nor are we speaking about email promotions, that are either acted upon or trashed. We're talking about having a newsletter that your audience looks forward to receiving, and hopefully forwarding on to others. . . . keep reading How to Format Your eNewsletters- Part 2 Rick Henkin In Part 1 of How to Format Your eNewsletters we discussed the "To Line," "From Line," "Subject Line" and "Plain Text or HTML." Now we'll look at the rest of the elements including "Header," "Body," "Footer" and "Unsubscribe." . . . keep reading The 4 Questions Your Homepage Must Answer Rick Henkin There are a lot of reasons why a visitor might ultimately leave your website, but if you can answer these 4 questions to their satisfaction, you stand a much better chance of keeping them on your website and ultimately converting them to customers . . . keep reading 7 Steps to Easy Content Creation Rick Henkin Do you find it hard writing articles and content for your website? It doesn't have to be. All you need is a method like the one this gentleman has devised and your content will practically write itself . . . keep reading Serifs, Fonts and Font Size Rick Henkin How important are serifs, fonts, and font sizes? Well, there's not much point spending a lot of time crafting your message if it's difficult for your users to read. That's how important they are . . . keep reading Colors, Backgrounds and Text Rick Henkin Your choice of colors,  backgrounds and text will determine whether or not your visitors are able to read your message. It's too important not to get it right . . . keep reading Persuasion and Influence Part 1: 6 Psychological Principles Rick Henkin This is the first in a series of articles on ethical persuasion techniques used in marketing. By ethical persuasion, I simply mean that you have your customer's best interest in mind without using covert or overt influence. . . . keep reading Persuasion and Influence Part 2: Reciprocity Principle Rick Henkin In almost all societies, we feel obligated to repay in kind for something that someone has done for us first. It's practically an unwritten rule of society. You smile at someone on the street, and more often than not, they'll smile back. Someone holds a door open for you and you hold a door open for someone else. This is the principle of reciprocity at work. We're programmed to help those who help us . . . keep reading Persuasion and Influence Part 3: Commitment and Consistency Principle Rick Henkin As human beings, we are hardwired to behave and act in a consistent manner. This need to behave consistently is further reinforced when we've "taken a stand" or in some way committed ourselves to a stated "point of view". Think of people you might know who constantly change their mind, don't you find it frustrating? We don't attach much value to people whose words and actions don't match. We might see them as dishonest, lacking integrity, confused or even mentally ill . . . keep reading Persuasion and Influence Part 4: Social Proof Principle Rick Henkin Social Proof- we will do what others have done or are doing in a given situation. The more people taking a specific action, the more likely it is to be seen as the correct action to take, especially . . . keep reading Persuasion and Influence Part 5: Liking Principle Rick Henkin We are more likely to say "yes" to people we like or with whom we want to identify.. That seems to be a pretty obvious statement. Unless we have to, none of us "wants" to do business with people we dislike. And so, we are marketed to all of the time by people who try to get us to like them or show how similar they are to us. . . . keep reading Persuasion and Influence Part 6: Authority Principle Rick Henkin We learn to obey authority figures from a very early age and usually without question. We learn to obey our parents and teachers. If a doctor tells us we require a certain medication, most of us will accept that at face value. If a policeman tells you to step out of your vehicle, you'll do it first and ask why later. . . . keep reading Persuasion and Influence Part 7: Scarcity Principle Rick Henkin How many times have you bought something at a store because you were afraid they might run out of it?  Have you ever made a purchase now because you were told the price would be going up soon?  Ever watch a product being sold on the Home Shopping Network? The quantities are limited and as each one is sold, a countdown timer displays on the screen letting you know how many are left. How about something as simple as interrupting a face-to-face conversation with someone to answer your phone?  If you don't take the call, you might miss out on something. These examples illustrate the principle of scarcity. . . . keep reading Product Page Checklist Rick Henkin Your visitors can't touch your product, see your product, turn it on or try it out. They don't have a salesperson to speak to either. They only have your description to rely on, to convince them to buy from you. It would be a shame to lose a sale just because of a poor . . . keep reading Product Pages: How Should They Be Designed? Rick Henkin Most visitors will have arrived at a specific product page on your website, not because they're ready to buy (although some will be ready), but because they want more information. The starting point . . . keep reading Splash Page: Should You Use One? Rick Henkin Flash intro pages otherwise known as splash pages are a subject of controversy. They can look really cool but are they functional from the user's standpoint? Do they help or hurt the website? Should you use them? . . . keep reading

Splash Pages

Homepage

Homepage 7 Quick Power Tips to Keep Your Visitor on Your Web Page Rick Henkin How you format your paragraphs, sentences and words will help determine whether or not they get read. Visitors want to find the information they're looking for with as little effort as possible. They won't read dense blocks of text no matter how carefully you've chosen your words. Here are 7 quick power tips to help keep your visitor on your web page: . . . keep reading Answer These 4 Questions on Your Homepage Rick Henkin Part of keeping visitors on your website and turning them into customers, is anticipating and answering their questions so they don't move onto your competitor's website.  They won't take the time to decipher anything that is unclear to them. The 4 most important questions your visitor has that your homepage must answer are: . . . keep reading The 4 Questions Your Homepage Must Answer Rick Henkin There are a lot of reasons why a visitor might ultimately leave your website, but if you can answer these 4 questions to their satisfaction, you stand a much better chance of keeping them on your website and ultimately converting them to customers . . . keep reading 7 Steps to Easy Content Creation Rick Henkin Do you find it hard writing articles and content for your website? It doesn't have to be. All you need is a method like the one this gentleman has devised and your content will practically write itself . . . keep reading

Paragraphs & Sentences

Paragraphs & Sentences 7 Quick Power Tips to Keep Your Visitor on Your Web Page Rick Henkin How you format your paragraphs, sentences and words will help determine whether or not they get read. Visitors want to find the information they're looking for with as little effort as possible. They won't read dense blocks of text no matter how carefully you've chosen your words. Here are 7 quick power tips to help keep your visitor on your web page: . . . keep reading Headings, Subheadings, Bullets and Scannability Rick Henkin It's extremely important that your web pages are easy to read and scan. That's where headings, subheadings and bullets come in. Their purpose is to organize and quickly point out the information available . . . keep reading Paragraphs, Sentences and Words Rick Henkin How you format your paragraphs, sentences and words will help determine whether or not they get read. Visitors want to find the information they're looking for with as little effort as possible. They won't read dense blocks of text no matter how carefully you've chosen your words.keep reading Serifs, Fonts and Font Size Rick Henkin How important are serifs, fonts, and font sizes? Well, there's not much point spending a lot of time crafting your message if it's difficult for your users to read. That's how important they are . . . keep reading

Fonts

Fonts 6 Quick Power Tips to Make Your Content Easy to Read Rick Henkin It's more important that your user can easily read your content than anything else. Certain fonts, font sizes, backgrounds and colors are easier to view on a computer monitor than they are on the printed page due to differences in resolution. Here are 6 quick power tips to help ensure that your content is easy to read . . . keep reading Headings, Subheadings, Bullets and Scannability Rick Henkin It's extremely important that your web pages are easy to read and scan. That's where headings, subheadings and bullets come in. Their purpose is to organize and quickly point out the information available . . . keep reading Paragraphs, Sentences and Words Rick Henkin How you format your paragraphs, sentences and words will help determine whether or not they get read. Visitors want to find the information they're looking for with as little effort as possible. They won't read dense blocks of text no matter how carefully you've chosen your words.keep reading Serifs, Fonts and Font Size Rick Henkin How important are serifs, fonts, and font sizes? Well, there's not much point spending a lot of time crafting your message if it's difficult for your users to read. That's how important they are . . . keep reading

Backgrounds

Backgrounds 6 Quick Power Tips to Make Your Content Easy to Read Rick Henkin It's more important that your user can easily read your content than anything else. Certain fonts, font sizes, backgrounds and colors are easier to view on a computer monitor than they are on the printed page due to differences in resolution. Here are 6 quick power tips to help ensure that your content is easy to read . . . keep reading Colors, Backgrounds and Text Rick Henkin Your choice of colors,  backgrounds and text will determine whether or not your visitors are able to read your message. It's too important not to get it right . . . keep reading

Text

Text 6 Quick Power Tips to Make Your Content Easy to Read Rick Henkin It's more important that your user can easily read your content than anything else. Certain fonts, font sizes, backgrounds and colors are easier to view on a computer monitor than they are on the printed page due to differences in resolution. Here are 6 quick power tips to help ensure that your content is easy to read . . . keep reading Headings, Subheadings, Bullets and Scannability Rick Henkin It's extremely important that your web pages are easy to read and scan. That's where headings, subheadings and bullets come in. Their purpose is to organize and quickly point out the information available . . . keep reading Paragraphs, Sentences and Words Rick Henkin How you format your paragraphs, sentences and words will help determine whether or not they get read. Visitors want to find the information they're looking for with as little effort as possible. They won't read dense blocks of text no matter how carefully you've chosen your words.keep reading Serifs, Fonts and Font Size Rick Henkin How important are serifs, fonts, and font sizes? Well, there's not much point spending a lot of time crafting your message if it's difficult for your users to read. That's how important they are . . . keep reading Using an Online Spell Checker to Check Your Articles You probably know that a few misspelled words in an otherwise well-written article can hurt the credibility of the author and the web site. Worse, it can make an intelligent person seem semi-illiterate. Here's a Free solution to the problem. . . . keep reading Colors, Backgrounds and Text Rick Henkin Your choice of colors,  backgrounds and text will determine whether or not your visitors are able to read your message. It's too important not to get it right . . . keep reading

Colors

Colors 6 Quick Power Tips to Make Your Content Easy to Read Rick Henkin It's more important that your user can easily read your content than anything else. Certain fonts, font sizes, backgrounds and colors are easier to view on a computer monitor than they are on the printed page due to differences in resolution. Here are 6 quick power tips to help ensure that your content is easy to read . . . keep reading Colors, Backgrounds and Text Rick Henkin Your choice of colors,  backgrounds and text will determine whether or not your visitors are able to read your message. It's too important not to get it right . . . keep reading

Convert

Persuasive Writing

WIIFM (What's in it for me?)

Benefits over Features

Psychological Triggers

USP (Unique Selling Proposition)

Customer Care & CRM

Customer Care & CRM 10 Ways to Show Customers That You Care Rick Henkin There are many things you can do to show your customers that you care. Some of them take more time and effort than others. But, here are 10 quick and easy things you can do right now to let your customers know that you understand that you're in business to serve them: . . . keep reading Email: Building a Relationship with Your Subscribers Rick Henkin Your list of opted-on subscribers is your greatest asset. These are people who have given you their permission to email them. They're interesteed in what you have to offer, what you have to say. But how do you build a relationship with someone who may not even be a customer? . . . keep reading Customer Care Checklist Rick Henkin How do we translate our ideas of great customer service to our websites, where we probably have very little personal interaction with our visitors? . . . keep reading Customer Relationship Management (CRM): Benefits and Implementation Rick Henkin Customer Relationship Management (CRM) is a broad term used to describe the methods that a company uses to learn more about it's customers and their needs, with the goal of building a stronger relationship with them . . . keep reading Product Page Checklist Rick Henkin Your visitors can't touch your product, see your product, turn it on or try it out. They don't have a salesperson to speak to either. They only have your description to rely on, to convince them to buy from you. It would be a shame to lose a sale just because of a poor . . . keep reading Product Pages: How Should They Be Designed? Rick Henkin Most visitors will have arrived at a specific product page on your website, not because they're ready to buy (although some will be ready), but because they want more information. The starting point . . . keep reading Personas: Why You Should Use Them Rick Henkin Imagine a prospect calling and talking to your sales representative. This person is specifically interested in knowing how quickly you can customize and implement a solution for them. Now, imagine your sales representative ignoring their concerns and speaking only about the technical aspects of the product. Think you would lose a lot of sales? Think this prospect would be frustrated and go elsewhere? . . . keep reading

Landing pages

Landing Pages - Convert Above the Fold: Its Importance and Meaning Rick Henkin The concept of "above the fold" is still a very important concept although not in the same way as previously thought. . . . keep reading List Building Part 1: Why Build a List and How Do I Do It? Rick Henkin List building is an essential tool for online marketing. Without a list of customers and/or prospects who are interested in your product or service, who will you sell to? And who will you sell to again and again? . . . keep reading List Building Part 2: Google AdWords, Yahoo! Sponsored Search, Microsoft adCenter, placement targeting and Pay Per Click Rick Henkin In part 2 of this series we'll examine the following list building methods: Google AdWords, Yahoo! Sponsored Search, Microsoft adCenter, placement targeting and Pay Per Click. These methods are not presented in any order of importance . . . keep reading List Building Part 3: Search engine marketing, Search engine optimization, article marketing, forums & groups, teleseminars and webinars Rick Henkin In part 3 of this series, we'll examine the following list building methods: search engine marketing (SEM), search engine optimization (SEO), article marketing, using forums and groups, teleseminars and webinars . . . keep reading List Building Part 4: Online media marketing, CPA networks, ad networks, co-registration and affiliates Rick Henkin In part 4 of this series, we'll examine the following list building methods: online media marketing, CPA networks, ad networks, co-registration and affiliates . . . keep reading List Building Part 5: Social Media, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and blogs Rick Henkin In part 5 of this series, we'll examine the following list building methods: Social Media (including Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn) and blogs . . . keep reading List Building Part 6: Podcasts, Videos, Viral Campaigns and Press Releases/Social Media Releases Rick Henkin In part 6 of this series, we'll examine the following list building methods: podcasts, videos, viral campaigns and press releases/social media releases . . . keep reading List Building Part 7: Joint Ventures, Word of Mouth Marketing, Offline Media Marketing and Direct Mail Rick Henkin In part 7, the final part of our series, we'll examine the following list building methods: joint ventures, word of mouth marketing, offline media marketing and direct mail . . . keep reading Persuasion and Influence Part 1: 6 Psychological Principles Rick Henkin This is the first in a series of articles on ethical persuasion techniques used in marketing. By ethical persuasion, I simply mean that you have your customer's best interest in mind without using covert or overt influence. . . . keep reading Persuasion and Influence Part 2: Reciprocity Principle Rick Henkin In almost all societies, we feel obligated to repay in kind for something that someone has done for us first. It's practically an unwritten rule of society. You smile at someone on the street, and more often than not, they'll smile back. Someone holds a door open for you and you hold a door open for someone else. This is the principle of reciprocity at work. We're programmed to help those who help us . . . keep reading Persuasion and Influence Part 3: Commitment and Consistency Principle Rick Henkin As human beings, we are hardwired to behave and act in a consistent manner. This need to behave consistently is further reinforced when we've "taken a stand" or in some way committed ourselves to a stated "point of view". Think of people you might know who constantly change their mind, don't you find it frustrating? We don't attach much value to people whose words and actions don't match. We might see them as dishonest, lacking integrity, confused or even mentally ill . . . keep reading Persuasion and Influence Part 4: Social Proof Principle Rick Henkin Social Proof- we will do what others have done or are doing in a given situation. The more people taking a specific action, the more likely it is to be seen as the correct action to take, especially . . . keep reading Persuasion and Influence Part 5: Liking Principle Rick Henkin We are more likely to say "yes" to people we like or with whom we want to identify.. That seems to be a pretty obvious statement. Unless we have to, none of us "wants" to do business with people we dislike. And so, we are marketed to all of the time by people who try to get us to like them or show how similar they are to us. . . . keep reading Persuasion and Influence Part 6: Authority Principle Rick Henkin We learn to obey authority figures from a very early age and usually without question. We learn to obey our parents and teachers. If a doctor tells us we require a certain medication, most of us will accept that at face value. If a policeman tells you to step out of your vehicle, you'll do it first and ask why later. . . . keep reading Persuasion and Influence Part 7: Scarcity Principle Rick Henkin How many times have you bought something at a store because you were afraid they might run out of it?  Have you ever made a purchase now because you were told the price would be going up soon?  Ever watch a product being sold on the Home Shopping Network? The quantities are limited and as each one is sold, a countdown timer displays on the screen letting you know how many are left. How about something as simple as interrupting a face-to-face conversation with someone to answer your phone?  If you don't take the call, you might miss out on something. These examples illustrate the principle of scarcity. . . . keep reading 7 Online Landing Page Tools to Help You Rick Henkin It's important to know how well your landing page is converting your visitors into customers, subscribers, members or whatever your goal is for them.  Even a small improvement in your conversion rate (the % of visitors who complete your goal) can dramatically increase your bottom line without increasing your expenses. . . . keep reading 14 Tips to Improve Your Landing Page Conversions Rick Henkin Landing pages or squeeze pages are those pages that visitors arrive at after clicking on your advertisement or promotional material. Their purpose is to convince the visitor to give you the information you want from them, usually in exchange for something of value from you. If you're successful, this is called a conversion. You've converted the visitor into a customer or more likely, a potential customer . . . keep reading How to Build an Opt-In Page Karl Kasca The most powerful step for Listbuilding: How to create a "quick and dirty" Opt-In Page so visitors can easily sign-up for your eNewsletter on your website. . . . keep reading How to Create a Sign-up Box Using AWeber's Web Form Karl Kasca Here's how to create a quick sign-up form using aWeber that you can use in your Opt-In page. This is crucial for successfully building your list of eNewsletter subscribers. . . . keep reading How to Find, Download, and Edit an Image Karl Kasca Need an image for your Sign-up page or Landing Page? This is the scoop on how to find a free image (e.g., a attention-getting arrow), download it, and edit it. A eye-catching image can draw attention and help guide people to signing up for your e-Newsletter. . . . keep reading How to Upload/Transfer/FTP Files to Your Website Server Karl Kasca Here's the quickest and easiest way to upload a file, like an image file, to your Website Server. Once you've uploaded a file (like a graphic file) it will be available for you to link to in the other web pages you design. This will help you when creating sign-up pages for your e-Newsletter. . . . keep reading How to Insert an Image into a Web Page Karl Kasca Here's the way to insert an image into a web page, edit its settings, and have text wrap around it. Visually this is a great way to draw attention to the sign-up box on your opt-in page for your eNewsletter. . . . keep reading Conversion Rates: What They Are and Why They're Important Rick Henkin Conversion simply means turning ("converting") your visitor into a customer, subscriber, registrant or whatever your goal is for them. You can have a thousand people a day visit your website, but if they all leave without responding to your call to action, it really doesn't matter how many visitors you have, does it? The assumption here is that you want them to do something- whether it's purchase, subscribe or sign-up. Tracking and improving your conversion rate is paramount to your goals . . . keep reading 52 Ways to Increase Your Conversion Rate Rick Henkin It's incredibly important to always work on increasing your conversion rate (the % of visitors who act on your desired goal). What if 10%, 25%, 50% or 90% of the people who visit your website actually purchased, subscribed, registered or whatever your goal is for them instead of the 2% Internet wide average? How much greater would your sales be, your cash flow, your profitability? What if you could dramatically increase your conversion rate just by testing and changing a few things? . . . keep reading

Conversion

Conversion rates

Personas

Personas Navigation: Purpose and Design Rick Henkin The purpose of navigation and the way it's designed on your website are two sides of the same coin. Your navigation scheme won't fulfill its purpose if it's not designed from the user's perspective . . . keep reading Navigation Checklist Rick Henkin The purpose of navigation and the way it's designed on your website are two sides of the same coin. Your navigation scheme won't fulfill its purpose if it's not designed from the user's perspective . . . keep reading Customer Care Checklist Rick Henkin How do we translate our ideas of great customer service to our websites, where we probably have very little personal interaction with our visitors? . . . keep reading Customer Relationship Management (CRM): Benefits and Implementation Rick Henkin Customer Relationship Management (CRM) is a broad term used to describe the methods that a company uses to learn more about it's customers and their needs, with the goal of building a stronger relationship with them . . . keep reading Personas: Why You Should Use Them Rick Henkin Imagine a prospect calling and talking to your sales representative. This person is specifically interested in knowing how quickly you can customize and implement a solution for them. Now, imagine your sales representative ignoring their concerns and speaking only about the technical aspects of the product. Think you would lose a lot of sales? Think this prospect would be frustrated and go elsewhere? . . . keep reading

Conversion Pathways

Conversion Pathways Navigation: Purpose and Design Rick Henkin The purpose of navigation and the way it's designed on your website are two sides of the same coin. Your navigation scheme won't fulfill its purpose if it's not designed from the user's perspective . . . keep reading Navigation Checklist Rick Henkin The purpose of navigation and the way it's designed on your website are two sides of the same coin. Your navigation scheme won't fulfill its purpose if it's not designed from the user's perspective . . . keep reading Persuasion and Influence Part 1: 6 Psychological Principles Rick Henkin This is the first in a series of articles on ethical persuasion techniques used in marketing. By ethical persuasion, I simply mean that you have your customer's best interest in mind without using covert or overt influence. . . . keep reading Persuasion and Influence Part 2: Reciprocity Principle Rick Henkin In almost all societies, we feel obligated to repay in kind for something that someone has done for us first. It's practically an unwritten rule of society. You smile at someone on the street, and more often than not, they'll smile back. Someone holds a door open for you and you hold a door open for someone else. This is the principle of reciprocity at work. We're programmed to help those who help us . . . keep reading Persuasion and Influence Part 3: Commitment and Consistency Principle Rick Henkin As human beings, we are hardwired to behave and act in a consistent manner. This need to behave consistently is further reinforced when we've "taken a stand" or in some way committed ourselves to a stated "point of view". Think of people you might know who constantly change their mind, don't you find it frustrating? We don't attach much value to people whose words and actions don't match. We might see them as dishonest, lacking integrity, confused or even mentally ill . . . keep reading Persuasion and Influence Part 4: Social Proof Principle Rick Henkin Social Proof- we will do what others have done or are doing in a given situation. The more people taking a specific action, the more likely it is to be seen as the correct action to take, especially . . . keep reading Persuasion and Influence Part 5: Liking Principle Rick Henkin We are more likely to say "yes" to people we like or with whom we want to identify.. That seems to be a pretty obvious statement. Unless we have to, none of us "wants" to do business with people we dislike. And so, we are marketed to all of the time by people who try to get us to like them or show how similar they are to us. . . . keep reading Persuasion and Influence Part 6: Authority Principle Rick Henkin We learn to obey authority figures from a very early age and usually without question. We learn to obey our parents and teachers. If a doctor tells us we require a certain medication, most of us will accept that at face value. If a policeman tells you to step out of your vehicle, you'll do it first and ask why later. . . . keep reading Persuasion and Influence Part 7: Scarcity Principle Rick Henkin How many times have you bought something at a store because you were afraid they might run out of it?  Have you ever made a purchase now because you were told the price would be going up soon?  Ever watch a product being sold on the Home Shopping Network? The quantities are limited and as each one is sold, a countdown timer displays on the screen letting you know how many are left. How about something as simple as interrupting a face-to-face conversation with someone to answer your phone?  If you don't take the call, you might miss out on something. These examples illustrate the principle of scarcity. . . . keep reading 7 Online Landing Page Tools to Help You Rick Henkin It's important to know how well your landing page is converting your visitors into customers, subscribers, members or whatever your goal is for them.  Even a small improvement in your conversion rate (the % of visitors who complete your goal) can dramatically increase your bottom line without increasing your expenses. . . . keep reading 14 Tips to Improve Your Landing Page Conversions Rick Henkin Landing pages or squeeze pages are those pages that visitors arrive at after clicking on your advertisement or promotional material. Their purpose is to convince the visitor to give you the information you want from them, usually in exchange for something of value from you. If you're successful, this is called a conversion. You've converted the visitor into a customer or more likely, a potential customer . . . keep reading Product Page Checklist Rick Henkin Your visitors can't touch your product, see your product, turn it on or try it out. They don't have a salesperson to speak to either. They only have your description to rely on, to convince them to buy from you. It would be a shame to lose a sale just because of a poor . . . keep reading Product Pages: How Should They Be Designed? Rick Henkin Most visitors will have arrived at a specific product page on your website, not because they're ready to buy (although some will be ready), but because they want more information. The starting point . . . keep reading Conversion Rates: What They Are and Why They're Important Rick Henkin Conversion simply means turning ("converting") your visitor into a customer, subscriber, registrant or whatever your goal is for them. You can have a thousand people a day visit your website, but if they all leave without responding to your call to action, it really doesn't matter how many visitors you have, does it? The assumption here is that you want them to do something- whether it's purchase, subscribe or sign-up. Tracking and improving your conversion rate is paramount to your goals . . . keep reading 52 Ways to Increase Your Conversion Rate Rick Henkin It's incredibly important to always work on increasing your conversion rate (the % of visitors who act on your desired goal). What if 10%, 25%, 50% or 90% of the people who visit your website actually purchased, subscribed, registered or whatever your goal is for them instead of the 2% Internet wide average? How much greater would your sales be, your cash flow, your profitability? What if you could dramatically increase your conversion rate just by testing and changing a few things? . . . keep reading Price and Why You Need to be Up-Front About It Rick Henkin We've all experienced the frustration of trying to buy a product on a website and not even being able to find the total price unless we filled out a long registration form. Being up-front about price for your product or service is critically important from your customer's perspective. . . . keep reading How to Create Effective Testimonials and Reviews Rick Henkin There's more to creating effective testimonials and reviews than just putting up a web page with a long list of customer quotes. What the testimonial says, how it's displayed and where it's placed on your website are extremely important to making them work for you . . . keep reading

Above the Fold

Pricing

Pricing 2 Quick Power Tips Guaranteed to Increase Your Sales Rick Henkin Have you ever experienced the frustration of trying to buy a product on a website and you can't even find out the total price (shipping, handling, sales tax, etc.) unless you either fill out a long registration form or give up your credit card information? Or maybe you're shown the item but you have to click to another page to find the price? How did you feel about that company? . . . keep reading Product Page Checklist Rick Henkin Your visitors can't touch your product, see your product, turn it on or try it out. They don't have a salesperson to speak to either. They only have your description to rely on, to convince them to buy from you. It would be a shame to lose a sale just because of a poor . . . keep reading Product Pages: How Should They Be Designed? Rick Henkin Most visitors will have arrived at a specific product page on your website, not because they're ready to buy (although some will be ready), but because they want more information. The starting point . . . keep reading Price and Why You Need to be Up-Front About It Rick Henkin We've all experienced the frustration of trying to buy a product on a website and not even being able to find the total price unless we filled out a long registration form. Being up-front about price for your product or service is critically important from your customer's perspective. . . . keep reading Shopping Cart Abandonment Solutions Rick Henkin Shopping cart abandonment takes place when a visitor begins the checkout process on your website, but leaves without completing the purchase. Several studies put the abandonment rate at 50%-70%. Here's what you can do about it . . . keep reading The Power of "Free Shipping" Rick Henkin I think we all recognize the value of the word "free" in advertising. But in the online world, if you combine "free" with "shipping", the combination is golden. Free shipping is the most popular online promotion and here's why . . . keep reading

Shopping Cart

Shopping cart 7 Quick Power Tips You Can Use to Easily Reduce Shopping Cart Abandonment Rick Henkin Shopping cart abandonment takes place when a visitor begins the checkout process on your website, but leaves without completing it. Here are 7 Quick Power Tips you can put to use immediately to reduce the chances of this happening to you . . . keep reading 2 Quick Power Tips Guaranteed to Increase Your Sales Rick Henkin Have you ever experienced the frustration of trying to buy a product on a website and you can't even find out the total price (shipping, handling, sales tax, etc.) unless you either fill out a long registration form or give up your credit card information? Or maybe you're shown the item but you have to click to another page to find the price? How did you feel about that company? . . . keep reading Product Page Checklist Rick Henkin Your visitors can't touch your product, see your product, turn it on or try it out. They don't have a salesperson to speak to either. They only have your description to rely on, to convince them to buy from you. It would be a shame to lose a sale just because of a poor . . . keep reading Product Pages: How Should They Be Designed? Rick Henkin Most visitors will have arrived at a specific product page on your website, not because they're ready to buy (although some will be ready), but because they want more information. The starting point . . . keep reading Price and Why You Need to be Up-Front About It Rick Henkin We've all experienced the frustration of trying to buy a product on a website and not even being able to find the total price unless we filled out a long registration form. Being up-front about price for your product or service is critically important from your customer's perspective. . . . keep reading Shopping Cart Abandonment Solutions Rick Henkin Shopping cart abandonment takes place when a visitor begins the checkout process on your website, but leaves without completing the purchase. Several studies put the abandonment rate at 50%-70%. Here's what you can do about it . . . keep reading The Power of "Free Shipping" Rick Henkin I think we all recognize the value of the word "free" in advertising. But in the online world, if you combine "free" with "shipping", the combination is golden. Free shipping is the most popular online promotion and here's why . . . keep reading Do You Need Multiple Payment Choices on Your Website? Rick Henkin When it comes time for your visitor to make his purchase and check out, how many payment choices does your website offer? If you only offer payment by credit card, you may be losing sales . . . keep reading

Checkout

Checkout Choosing a Merchant Account Provider Rick Henkin On the surface it seems that choosing a merchant account provider (so that you can accept electronic payments online) is just a matter of deciding which company has the lowest discount rates. The reality is that there's a lot more to consider than just that . . . keep reading 2 Quick Power Tips Guaranteed to Increase Your Sales Rick Henkin Have you ever experienced the frustration of trying to buy a product on a website and you can't even find out the total price (shipping, handling, sales tax, etc.) unless you either fill out a long registration form or give up your credit card information? Or maybe you're shown the item but you have to click to another page to find the price? How did you feel about that company? . . . keep reading Product Page Checklist Rick Henkin Your visitors can't touch your product, see your product, turn it on or try it out. They don't have a salesperson to speak to either. They only have your description to rely on, to convince them to buy from you. It would be a shame to lose a sale just because of a poor . . . keep reading Product Pages: How Should They Be Designed? Rick Henkin Most visitors will have arrived at a specific product page on your website, not because they're ready to buy (although some will be ready), but because they want more information. The starting point . . . keep reading Price and Why You Need to be Up-Front About It Rick Henkin We've all experienced the frustration of trying to buy a product on a website and not even being able to find the total price unless we filled out a long registration form. Being up-front about price for your product or service is critically important from your customer's perspective. . . . keep reading Shopping Cart Abandonment Solutions Rick Henkin Shopping cart abandonment takes place when a visitor begins the checkout process on your website, but leaves without completing the purchase. Several studies put the abandonment rate at 50%-70%. Here's what you can do about it . . . keep reading The Power of "Free Shipping" Rick Henkin I think we all recognize the value of the word "free" in advertising. But in the online world, if you combine "free" with "shipping", the combination is golden. Free shipping is the most popular online promotion and here's why . . . keep reading Do You Need Multiple Payment Choices on Your Website? Rick Henkin When it comes time for your visitor to make his purchase and check out, how many payment choices does your website offer? If you only offer payment by credit card, you may be losing sales . . . keep reading

Shipping

Shipping 2 Quick Power Tips Guaranteed to Increase Your Sales Rick Henkin Have you ever experienced the frustration of trying to buy a product on a website and you can't even find out the total price (shipping, handling, sales tax, etc.) unless you either fill out a long registration form or give up your credit card information? Or maybe you're shown the item but you have to click to another page to find the price? How did you feel about that company? . . . keep reading Price and Why You Need to be Up-Front About It Rick Henkin We've all experienced the frustration of trying to buy a product on a website and not even being able to find the total price unless we filled out a long registration form. Being up-front about price for your product or service is critically important from your customer's perspective. . . . keep reading Shopping Cart Abandonment Solutions Rick Henkin Shopping cart abandonment takes place when a visitor begins the checkout process on your website, but leaves without completing the purchase. Several studies put the abandonment rate at 50%-70%. Here's what you can do about it . . . keep reading The Power of "Free Shipping" Rick Henkin I think we all recognize the value of the word "free" in advertising. But in the online world, if you combine "free" with "shipping", the combination is golden. Free shipping is the most popular online promotion and here's why . . . keep reading

Payment Methods

Payment Methods Choosing a Merchant Account Provider Rick Henkin On the surface it seems that choosing a merchant account provider (so that you can accept electronic payments online) is just a matter of deciding which company has the lowest discount rates. The reality is that there's a lot more to consider than just that . . . keep reading Shopping Cart Abandonment Solutions Rick Henkin Shopping cart abandonment takes place when a visitor begins the checkout process on your website, but leaves without completing the purchase. Several studies put the abandonment rate at 50%-70%. Here's what you can do about it . . . keep reading The Power of "Free Shipping" Rick Henkin I think we all recognize the value of the word "free" in advertising. But in the online world, if you combine "free" with "shipping", the combination is golden. Free shipping is the most popular online promotion and here's why . . . keep reading Do You Need Multiple Payment Choices on Your Website? Rick Henkin When it comes time for your visitor to make his purchase and check out, how many payment choices does your website offer? If you only offer payment by credit card, you may be losing sales . . . keep reading

Reviews/Testimonials

Testing

Analytics

A/B Testing

Multivariate Testing

Multivariate Testing The Importance of Web Analytics- Plus 7 Free and Almost-Free Online Analytic Tools Rick Henkin According to the Web Analytics Association, "Web Analytics is the measurement, collection, analysis and reporting of Internet data for the purposes of understanding and optimizing Web usage." It's a tremendously important tool to place in your arsenal. Here's the reason why- You can't improve what you don't measure . . . keep reading Google Website Optimizer: A Valuable Free Tool Rick Henkin Google Website Optimizer (GWO)is a free tool offered by Google for testing and optimizing your site content and design. It allows you to choose the pages and content you want to test, offer these alternatives to your visitors and see which does the better job of converting. While analytics will allow you to track the effectiveness of your content in converting visitors to customers, this tool from Google will allow you to test the content itself . . . keep reading Usability Testing Rick Henkin We all know about testing headlines and advertising copy. Have you ever thought about testing the usability of your website? No matter how easy, simple, and intuitive you think your website is, if your visitors don't think that, that's all that matters . . . keep reading

Usability Testing

Usability Testing Navigation: Purpose and Design Rick Henkin The purpose of navigation and the way it's designed on your website are two sides of the same coin. Your navigation scheme won't fulfill its purpose if it's not designed from the user's perspective . . . keep reading Navigation Checklist Rick Henkin The purpose of navigation and the way it's designed on your website are two sides of the same coin. Your navigation scheme won't fulfill its purpose if it's not designed from the user's perspective . . . keep reading Screen Resolution: What's the Best Size to Design For? Rick Henkin Designing a website that looks good and performs well for the majority of your visitors is a tall order. How do you decide what's the best screen resolution to design for? . . . keep reading Usability Testing Rick Henkin We all know about testing headlines and advertising copy. Have you ever thought about testing the usability of your website? No matter how easy, simple, and intuitive you think your website is, if your visitors don't think that, that's all that matters . . . keep reading