What gives a website owner fuzzy feelings inside is not the

same thing that makes the site sell. In fact, it has been

proven and shown over and over again that UGLY, but functional

sites outsell fancy looking websites designed to win creative

awards.

Think about the most popular e-commerce sites online: eBay,

Amazon, MySpace and Skype, and you'll see that they are not big

on design. But they are simple, clear and very intuitive for the

visitor to use.

So skip the Flash introductions (or your visitors will!) and

all those slide show graphics because they are just distracting

at best to what you want to accomplish. When a prospect comes to

your site you don't want to try and win their attention because

you ALREADY have their attention. Instead you want to GIVE them

attention by making their task easier.

Speaking of tasks, people come to your website with a certain

aim in mind. You have to build a site that would facilitate the

accomplishment of that aim. So if you are promising a free

report then show them CLEARLY how they can get the report in

the least steps.

One characteristic that mark web surfers is that they are

impatient. If you website doesn't satisfy the advertised need,

then your competition is just one click away. No driving

required, no walking to the next closest store, but just one

mouse click and they are gone!

Here are some ways in which you can design a website that's

functional:

1. Make your navigation system as intuitive and consistent

throughout the website. Same placement, color scheme etc.

2. Watch the layout of your text to make the information

readable. Not too many dense paragraphs and use a lot of white

space.

3. Make your headline stand out by using a larger font and

attention-getting color.

4. Guide the user step-by-step in accomplishing their task.

Number these steps if possible. Do not assume too much. What's

obvious to you the owner of the site may not be obvious to a

new visitor. (Much like your home.)

5. Label action buttons appropriate, such as: "Click Here To

Buy", "Click Here To Subscribe!"

As a copywriter, I've found that 'marked up' sales letters

-yellow highlighting, underlines, bolding, etc. had a higher

response than clean looking copy. And what people SAY is often

the opposite of what they DO! (Welcome to the human family.)

So in other words, the colleagues who tell you that your

website looks "pretty" don't buy from such sites. "Does this

site look good?" is a wasted question.

"Would this site sell?"--that is the question.

Don't be flattered by the friends who tell you, "WOW, your site

looks good!" Aim for the UGLY site that fattens your bank

account.

About The Author:

Ray L. Edwards is a published author, a

copywriting coach and internet marketing consultant. You may

find more information on boosting your online sales by visiting

http://www.yourwebsiteconversion.com