I tweaked my new site a little and would like some feedback. All of the links are not live yet and some point to the old site but I would like to get your opinion on the lay out and copy.

Thanks,
Shannon

http://www.makearesidualincome.com/

Hmm... Shannon, I see some problems with the copy. I'm one of those people who will tell it to you straight. I don't know any other way to do it. :) So here goes...

I got to the site and began reading and wondered, "What is she talking about?" I kept reading and kept wondering. It wasn't until I got to this sentence:

5 of the Internet's *hottest* income opportunities strategically combined into one RED HOT money making website setup for you absolutely FREE within 24 hours! It's truly an amazing system!


That I began to have a slim idea of what your site was about. Up until then, it was all very general. Just one catch phrase after another with no substance.

There are call-to-action phrases ("Sign up for this ground-breaking opportunity now") before I have anything to act on. How can I take action until I know what it is I'm reading about?

I got to the bottom of the page and still had no earthly idea what you were selling/giving away. I clicked the "sign up here" link to get some more information and read a bit of the sales letter from the affiliate host. Now I knew what you were talking about. If I was not doing a review, I would have left a long time ago :(

You seem to be focusing on the physical features of the product you're an affiliate for. Instead, focus on the benefits. Read the sales letter on the sales site, Shannon. Do you see what this guy is doing? He's giving you end results. He's telling you what your life can be like (and what HIS life was like) after using this product/service. He's focusing on the benfits (more time, more money, no debt, etc., etc.) instead of "this is a website that you can customize and it will make you money."

Pre-selling is a good thing, but it has to make sense. Your pre-sell copy can't be a complete mystery or most people will click away out of frustration from trying to figure out what you're talking about.

Here are some of the feature/benefit statements they use in the sales letter:

This feature-packed, fully loaded and fully automated e-commerce website is set up for you (for FREE!), uploaded and ready to take orders for you in 24 hours... Guaranteed.

Features - Fully-loaded, automated, free set up.
Benefits - Completely functional with no work on your part, automated so it runs itself with no work on your part, uploaded for you with no work on you part, ready to take orders with (let's see here) NO WORK ON YOUR PART.

Also, you get your very own 400 day pre-written email autoresponder campaign built in to your website that automatically follows-up with your visitors to make extra sales for you!

Features - Follows up with visitors automatically.
Benefits - Keeps your website in their minds so they come back and buy often with no work on your part :)

Does that make sense?

Letting me know what all those other "gurus" think (through their testimonials) is great, but you also have to let me know what this thing you're pre-selling is, why I want it, what it will do for me, and so on.

I have to second everything copywriter just said with the added caveat that this is basically a MLM marketing scheme on a mass affiliate level. From what I could see its not actually selling anything although my gut reaction is they offer you the opportunity to buy domain names through them or register them thru them and thereby they make money from your domain registrations etc..

Good luck with this

When selling anything, I always use the 'so what' method. The so what method to me is simple, it help you realise if your telling, or selling. You tell people about features, but sell them on the benefits. Telling people about benefits is no good, you have to sell them on them.

EG. really easy and a great earner! SO WHAT? Those are features.

The benefits are what you derive from the features. People buy a drill bit when in fact they want the hole the drill bit makes. they DO NOT want the drill bit, they want the hole. Features - benefits.