Crystal Clear Clarity

April 28, 2010  |   Posted in Blog   |   0 Comments   Tags: action page, Book, target audience, website clarity

It all begins here but what do I mean?

Information is king when it comes to building great websites but information squeezed into every corner of the page is confusing. An effective website is a road map that leads your consumer to where you want them to go, not just a collection of information. Many builders make the mistake of treating their website like an online brochure by just offering information about their homes in as many places as they can in hopes that their consumers get the message.  Unfortunately this is not a clear message.

Consider for a moment how you or one of your sales professionals would present your home during a walk through with a buyer.  You would actually lead them through the home pointing out certain qualities and amenities asking closing questions all along the way.  Eventually the walk ends at the Salespersons desk  where you ask the buyer to purchase the home and close the deal.  What you wouldn’t do (at least hopefully) is wave your hand towards the home and say “Well, there it is! I hope you find something you like! I’ll be over here if you’re really serious about buying.” Now, you might giggle about that approach but believe me it happens. What’s worse is that you may not approach a walk in buyer that way but chances are you’re doing it online and may not even be aware of it. This dynamic is actually pretty typical because we’ve been taught in the past that websites are tools that you can just “set and forget”. Let the website do the presentation for you and maybe someone will like what they see and call you.  No doubt homes have been sold this way but I would argue that with the expectation of today’s consumers that mentality is gone. I’ll cover the mindset of the online home buyer a little later but for now, let’s agree that you no longer can afford to “forget” your website and have wishful thinking about its influence on your consumers.

So then what is the ideal website look like as it pertains to clarity? Remember the road map? Well, now it’s a treasure map and the treasure that the consumer finds is their new home, but the treasure map that is your website is actually designed to give you the treasure! A qualified lead from your targeted audience. Obviously if you sold a home to a consumer online without ever having to work to close the deal then that’s awesome but  let’s all live in the real world for a moment. The greatest treasure, besides the afore mentioned, that you could get from your website would be to have that consumer provide their correct contact information and request to be contacted for additional questions or more info on the home. Here’s the kicker. YOU MUST INSPIRE THEM AND THEN LEAD THEM TO YOUR ACTION PAGE!