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by Kristie Tamsevicius

We've all done it... We surf to a website hoping to find a solution to our problem. The web page pulls up and we start reading. Amidst the blinking of flashing links and hyped up promotional language, we think, "Does that website really have what I am looking for?"

The truth is, that if your visitor can't answer in about 5 seconds "What's in it for me," you've lost them. And with every lost visitor go lost profits. How can you be sure that your website isn't losing profits? Below are the top 10 reasons why your website is leaking money. See how your website measures up.

1. No clear marketing message. To see an example of the absolute worst example of no clear marketing message visit this site: www.alerchek.com/. Amidst the purple flowers and name AlerCheck, visitors are given NO clue what this website is about. Even when you click thru to the second page, the key real estate area "above the fold" is wasted with the company name and contact information.

Now to see an example of a marketing message done right, visit www.MarkLeBlanc.com. Immediately Mark tells you he is "For groups of small business owners who want to grow their business and independent professionals who want to sell more products and services." The focus is all about what he does, who he serves, what value he provides."

2. Link overwhelm. Recently I read a horrifying statistic that said that the average home page has about 27 links on it. Talk about confusion. Imagine that you have just walked into a mansion. You look around and see so many rooms - it all looks enticing. But where do you go first? Think about the top 3 actions you want visitors to take and limit your links to that. For example maybe your top 3 actions are: signup for e-zine, visit online store, or call for frëë consultation.

3. No call to action. Every page on your website needs to be designed with a purpose. What action do you want visitors to take? You may want them to: call now, sign up for e-zine, contact for consultation, start frëë trial, email for more information, or just click here to read more. End each page with the call to action you want to visitor to take.

4. Not capturing lead information. The biggest sin in website marketing is to let your visitors leave your website without capturing their contact information. Some marketers have taken this to the extreme by only letting visitors enter a site after they have provided their email information. This is called a "name squeeze" page. See an example of this here on Armand Morin's Big Seminar page www.bigseminar.com/. Another way to capture lead information is to offer a frëë teleseminar, audio recording, video, or special report when they sign up for your e-zine.

5. Poor navigation. There's nothing worse than not being able to find a page. Inconsistent or confusing website navigation frustrates visitors. Having two forms of navigation can eliminate this problem. In addition to having top or left navigation buttons or links, create an additional set of text links at the bottom of the page. Additionally, adding a site map can help people find a page in a pinch (as well as make Google love your site!)

6. No personal touch. Technology can be so cold. In order for you to create a relationship with the visitor, you need to add a personal touch to your website. You can do this by adding your picture, using conversational language. For some whole bunch of clever ways to add your personal brand to your website, get a frëë report "Website Branding Secrets" by visiting www.BrandingontheNet.com!

7. No compelling reason to buy now. Once you have someone's interest, you need to give them an offer they can't refuse. Coupons, discounts, and bonus gifts can create that extra incentive. Other ideas include limited quantities, time sensitive offers, and prices going up soon.

8. Too annoying. There's nothing worst than a "color happy" designer that has gone a little overboard with their website design. Sometimes, less is more. Keep load time reasonable, avoid color overload, and make sure there is ample white space. Additionally, too much flash, music, or animation is a turn off to many visitors. Finally, for our eyeglass wearing friends, let's make sure the font size is readable for them too!

9. Lack of professionalism. Want to turn off a client? Typos will do it. Having a proofreader review your website helps you eliminate those pesky typos, grammar and punctuation errors, and broken links.

10. Missing or hard to find contact information. Let's say that your customer has his credit card out and has a question. He searches your website for your phone number and can't find it anywhere. Frustrated he leaves your website and surfs on to another site. Don't risk losing business like this!

Have a contact page listing your full contact info. Take a little tip from Victoria's Secrets. Did you ever notice that at the bottom of every page of their catalog they have their 1-800 order number? Adding your phone number to the bottom of every page can net you a few more orders!

SUMMARY: Websites can be a confusing place. Let's do our job of making it easier for people to do business with us. By taking a second look at your website, you can plug up the money holes and be on your way to greater website profits!

About the Author:

Kristie Tamsevicius - Dubbed as the "Marketing Maven & Brander Extraordinaire" Kristie Tamsevicius turns entrepreneurs into the lavishly paid in-demand experts in their field. Learn how branding helps you to attract customers, build income, & gain visibility while successfully promoting your business online with our FREE report "Web Branding Secrets" by visiting brandingonthenet.com.