Does Your

Website

Smell Like

a Skunk?

Too many

websites

repel visitors

like a skunk

They came,

they puked,

they left

Avinash KaushikDigital Marketing Evangelist

How do you

neutralise

a skunk?

Every visitor to your website

wants the answer to

one critical question

“Will this website

solve my problem?”

Every visitor

has 2 voices arguing

in their head

A positive angel

and a miserable devil

Angels look for…

• Reasons to stay

• Rewards and benefits

Devils look for…

• Reasons to leave

• Risks

Your visitors have been

squirted by too many

skunky websites

Skunk Alert!

Reward Risk

So the devil has the

upper hand

Your website has

4 to 8 seconds

to grab visitors’ attention,

or they’ll leave

So a strong

first impression

is vital

When your visitor

believes the

rewards are greater

than the risks, they’ll stay

Reward Risk

Reward must beat risk

But when they think

the risks are too great,

they’ll rush to leave

Reward Risk

Never let risk beat reward

As long as your visitor’s

perceived reward beats

their perceived risk

they’re more likely to act

Reward must beat risk on

every page

Every page must

build or reinforce the

rewards,

or lower the risk

Or you’ll lose visitors

Let’s look at

some

examples

3 Skunk Alerts

1. Immediate rejection

2. Premature proposition

3. Abandoning the goal

1. Immediate

Rejection

Every visitor to your website

wants the answer to

one critical question

Will this website

solve my problem?

They must be given

3 instant answers

to these questions…

1. Where am I?

2. What’s your offer?

3. Why should I choose you?

1. Where am I?

Does what I see on my

screen (without scrolling)

look relevant to my search?

2. What’s your offer?

Does what I see on my

screen (without scrolling)

show me what you

can do for me?

3. Why should I choose you?

Does what I see

on my screen

convince me to stay

and find out more?

Angels win when…

• The page is very relevant

to their search

• Immediate reason to stay

• Positive first impressions

Devils win when…

• Mismatch to their search

• They have to scroll down

• Looks like a waste of

their time…

How to avoid

immediate

rejection

• Your headline

• Your photo

• Your benefits

Weapons to avoid

immediate rejection

Attention grabbing headline

• Your headline is vital

• It’s more important than

design, photos, videos or

anything else

Confidence building photo

The closer your photo is to

the ideal outcome they are

searching for, the more

likely they are to stay

Bullets to hook their interest

• Use captivating bullets

• Explain why your offer is

the best

• Keep it simple

2. Premature

proposition

Buy

Now!!!

Your customer

buys when they

want to buy,

not when you

want to sell

They won’t buy

until their reward

beats the risks

Reward Risk

Reward must beat risk

Too many websites

try to force a sale

before their

visitors are ready

Reward Risk

Risks beat the rewards

Boost the rewards

and

lower the risks

Build their

interest

and desire

Give value to your visitors

• a free video

• a helpful report or

• a free trial…

…in exchange for their e-mail

The aim is to begin a

relationship, so you can build

their trust and confidence

in your service

So that

when they’re

ready to buy

they choose

you

3. Abandoning

the Goal

Is there anything

more frustrating

than leading a visitor to the

brink of taking action

only for them to disappear?

It happens all the time

A website persuades a

visitor to act

Then…

It hits them with

a cold, sinister

payment page

Suddenly there are…

• no rewards

• no reminders of the

benefits

Just a page demanding…

• credit card details

• name and address

• telephone number

Risk

A page that looks too risky

So they leave

How can you

persuade

them to

score?

Reward Risk

Keep reassuring them

Remind them why

completing the action is such

a good decision for them

Lower their risks

• show your guarantee

• add some testimonials

• add a trust icon to prove

your cart is secure

Break an

intimidating

process into

baby steps

Learn from

and remove

distractions

Little baby steps

and every click takes you

closer to buying

There’s no menu on their

checkout pages.

All distractions

have been removed

Let’s

wrap up

If you want to

neutralise

a skunk

Reward Risk

Rewards must beat the risks

Here are

some ideas to

test on your

website

• Headlines

• Photos

• Bullets

• Offers

• Benefits

• Easy next

steps

• Simplicity

Angels Respond to…

• Guarantees

• Social Proof

• Contact

details

• Clarity

• Trust icons

• No hype

• Testimonials

• Fast loading

pages

Devils Are Calmed By…

Thank you.

May your website

have the aroma

of a fresh strawberry

drizzled with melting

chocolate

Steven Hourston

Internet marketing specialist

steven@BusinessSparks.com

BusinessSparks.com

+44 207 112 8814