Give Your Website a Makeover

You're surfing the Internet, and a random site grabs your attention. But when you get there, it's nothing but glaring spelling errors, vague descriptions of the site's offerings and hideous graphics-not to mention that it's completely unclear what the company is selling or why the site even exists. Do you click the e-mail address at the bottom and ask for more information? Unless you've been practicing your Tai Chi patience exercises, probably not.

The importance of good Web site copy and design can't be overstated. Surfers will only stick around for a few seconds if they can't find the information they need or if they don't see the benefit of your product or service. "Lots of sites lose out by hiding their most important benefits further down the page or on inner pages," says Dr. Kevin Nunley, a Web consultant in Salt Lake City. "Some people read a few paragraphs and quickly decide to buy. Others want to read as much copy as you can give them before making [a buying decision]."