Lost Sales Online


"One BIG annoyance that Can Lose You Sales"

Several things are annoying me, these days. Nothing earth-shaking, but I can see why some people are losing online sales.

You may, or may not, agree with me. But, I know if one person is annoyed, it's always just the tip of the iceberg.

I think most of us use the Wild, Wild Web for research these days. Since so many sites are blog based now, I don't understand why this is a problem.

I find dates missing from blogs and articles. I can't tell when most of the articles were written. How current is this information? Half the time, I can't tell.

Now, if I want that information for something I'm writing myself, I need to know whether it's out-dated!


My next pet peeve is videos on web sites ...

On many news sites, I will watch a short video. Unfortunately, they slam an advertisement in front of me before what I want to see starts rolling.

I don't have the time – or the patience for that. So, I'm gone.


Now, I don't mind a short video at the top of a site that gives me a brief blurb about what the site is all about. But, the videos that really annoy me are where someone puts their mug on the upper fold and proceeds to tell me ALL about what's on the page!

These are always on sales pages. And, maybe they get a lot of illiterate visitors. I can't think of another reason why they would do this. It's distracting if you prefer to read the page – which I do. Always.

I can read a whole lot faster than they can give me their verbal sales pitch. I can listen to a radio or a television infomercial if I want to see and/or see someone. Online, I expect to read!

Part of the problem is so many people who make these videos “pad” them. They'll spend the entire first third of the presentation telling you what they are going to tell you. I've seen this is some writing too, but it's most prevalent in videos. The only reason I can think of that makes people think longer is better is ... everybody's a STAR!

Don't waste my time with this! Just tell me, fer cryin' out loud! The length of anything should be just as long as it takes to say what you need to say. Anything else is padding, irrelevant and annoying.

Now, About Those Blogs ...


Since iCop put up a blog, I've been looking at other blogs pretty critically. Blogs have changed over the years since they started.

Originally, they were used as something like a journal: a place to write personal thoughts, feeling and opinions. In some respects, they still are.

When a blog is strictly a personal thing, I can understand not providing contact information. Comments can be made on the blog.

However, when a blog is used as a marketing tool, the same rules apply as with a marketing website. Contact information is mandatory. A Privacy Statement in mandatory. All legal documents used on a business website also need to be used on a business blog - also mandatory.

I wonder why I need to say this! It's just a matter of common sense!

Yet, I find the blogs of some iCop members that don't display the iCop seal. Why? Well, I imagine it's because the blog doesn't follow iCop guidelines - and wouldn't get approved.

Today, MOST blogs are nothing more than a different kind of website. iCop members: please bring your blogs up to iCop standards and get the seal on them. Are you an iCop member, or not?

Any blog that sells anything needs to be treated like any other marketing website.

And, lastly, ALL blogs should have their articles dated! When I'm reading about something that's happened, I'd sure appreciate knowing whether it happened last week or five years ago. BIG difference in the readers' perception!


Article Copyrights


Creative Commons License
These works are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-No Derivative Works 3.0 License
To re-publish articles by jl scott from this site, please include the following byline - with live links - after each article you use.

-----> Begin

* dr. jl scott is the Founder of Chamber of Commerce - on the Web™ http://www.ChamberofCommerce-ontheWeb.com - and also the publisher of the Online Business Trade Journal™ - the blog that keeps you up to date with online business coming of age. Visit: http://www.OnlineBusinessTradeJournal.com

-----> End

Syndicate content

C of C Solutions Web Hosting
"Web Hosting for Online Business Sites"