Yep! It's been a long hiatus. (A ten dollar word meaning break, gap, pause or suspension.) Not because I'm lazy - but because business has been good. The old story about the shoemaker's children does indeed ring true.
But let's start anew. I've written before that I often review what my peers and competition are up to. Especially when it comes to their websites. The good news is this: Many of them stink.
Well … it's good news for me at least.
Why do I write this? Simple. Read and learn from their mistakes!
THE UNREADABLE SITE:
One competitor has made it all but impossible to read his site. (Thanks Bill!) He uses an orange font against a dark gray background. Whew! Talk about non-contrasts!
THE FALSE LINKED SITE
What's up here? Another site I've seen has a bunch of small lettered copy listing the areas of their expertise. Ads, Headlines, Commercials, Testimonials, and so on. Very nice - for all the world they look like hyperlinks. One immediately tries to click these ditties on and be whisked away to actual examples of that particulars wordsmith's craft. But click as hard and long as you like - you ain't goin' nowhere!
Lesson Number Two:
It's what I call an "expectational disconnect." (Yeah - I know there's no such word as expectational. There should be!) If something looks like a hyperlink, feels like a hyperlink, then it should act like a hyperlink. If not - and your prospective client clicks it on and gets zilch - expect to hear this: CLICK! The sound of their mouse giving their fond farewells.
THE GRAMMATICALLY INCORRECT SITE
Here we have a "master copywriter" that starts off with a mistake in punctuation! (Hey Ray - my congratulations and tip of the hat.) He has a big honkin' four line headline that for all intent and purposes is a declarative sentence. He ends his with a question mark. Now listen … why would I hire a copywriter who can't decipher the difference between making a statement and asking a question? The answer - I wouldn't.
THE LACKLUSTER BRAGGART SITE
We now come into a realm where the copywriter seems to feel that he can brag himself to success. Here's an example:
"Our experience covers hundreds of businesses in more than four dozen industries, with companies ranging in size from one-person shops to multi-national corporations in Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America and extensively throughout North America."
"For captivating Web page copywriting and print marketing commnunications and collateral, we invite you to contact us today."
WOW! Does this make me want to rip out my wallet and start plunking in my Credit Card numbers? Nope - no way, no how. Plus, did you notice the misspelling? Now that's a deal buster all on its own. (Hint: It's the word after "print marketing.")
I'll continue to evaluate my "fellow travelers" as the days and months go by. But my sincerest gratitude to all of you who make it your business to improve mine!
Ciao!
