Fly on the E-Commerce Cyberwall

The "Look at Me" Trap

Time to resume last week's look at some of the traps that keep new businesses from succeeding. Have you ever been to a site where the purpose of the site seemed to be to prove that the webmaster knew about every cutting edge tool? Ever bought anything from those sites? Yep. I thought not.

Many webmasters never get past treating their sites as an extension of their ego, a chance to show off—and to impress everyone with how totally cool they are. Now that's fine if all you want is a vanity site. Just don't expect to sell anything on it, because people aren't surfing the web for the purpose of rewarding anyone they find who crams all those cool new tools down their visitors' throats.

Your visitors are looking for someone who will make their lives easier by solving the problems that sent them off on their search in the first place. They're not looking for sites that scream, "Look at me!" They're looking for sites that clearly communicate, "I'm looking at you and want to help you solve your problem."

Wow! Talk about a message that will stop a visitor in their tracks and get them seriously considering a purchase!

Ever notice how terribly dull big name sites like eBay and Amazon look? No animated pictures, no wild color combinations. Just clear, easy to follow navigation that takes you right where YOU want to go.

They seek to meet YOUR needs, not their need to feel "cutting edge." And that's the kind of attitude that persuades people to buy.

Jeff