VisionSnap: April 2007

How to Convince the consumer to Buy Online Instead of Off:

1. Website must look professional. The art of seduction always begins with presentation. Sloppy never gets the girls.

2. Don't make me look a hundred different places for information. Give me product details until you've made me sick with them. Link to product reviews.

3. Don't try to be slick by overselling an inferior product. Be honest about why it's not as good as the higher-priced item. The consumer (that's me and you) appreciates being able to balance value and affordability.

4. Make all serious considerations clear. It builds trust. For example, if the TV's refurbished or needs an external tuner, let us know up front.

5. Shipping cost matters. It matters a lot. If I can get the same product at Target for the SAME or lower, I will buy it there. Don't try to trick me with giant discounts offset with huge shipping costs – it makes me think you're tying to pull a fast one.

6. Ease my mind more about the shipping. I worry when kids, wives, mothers, siblings, and products are in transit. I need to know returning the product won't be a hassle, that I can track it in case something seems lost in the shuffle, and that the seller won't ship-and-stick me with something I didn't order.

7. There needs to be positive user ratings about you and your product easily found. Link me to where people say nice things about you. Link me to where people say nice things about your product.

8. If you have a sale price, don't just mark through the original price and make me click to find the new one. That's annoying and wastes my time – and forms a (small) negative impression.

9. Don't make it complicated to buy from you. More than four steps to make a purchase? Forget it, just because your site's a pain in the butt.

10. Under-promise, over-deliver, and then deliver, deliver, deliver some more. As an online retailer, you online reputation is the most valuable web property you have. If you get customers gushing about you, other customers will come.

20 Things To Remember For Good Web Copy

1. Tight writing. That doesn't mean bad or easy writing.

2. Copy of about 600-800 words is better for SEO and catching the long tail of search.

3. Title – Subject – Support, in that order, like subject, verb, object.

4. Titles should be snappy and informative – clickable, but clear.

5. Leads (first sentence or paragraph) should get to the point. Tell the reader what the article's about first thing.

6. No fancy, wordy intros where it's not clear what you're talking about.

7. Information beats fluff every time. Pretty is for books and newspapers (and only sometimes).

8. Information does not beat style every time. Style keeps people awake.

9. Sans serif fonts are easier and faster to read on computer screens.

10. White space is awesome – even better than big, pretty pictures.

11. Content should be scannable.

12. Think in bullets and subtitles.

13. People like lists.

14. Pictures should be specific and informative, not generic, decorative and ad-like

15. Photos should be relevant to content.

16. People in pictures should look friendly and approachable (and have their whole head).

17. Photos should be full body if possible (so guys can check out packages and stuff).

18. Spell stuff right. It makes you look smarter.

19. Grammar IS important. Unless you're not really a professional.

20. Online press releases should be even tighter than Web copy.