One of the things that I’m acutely aware of, as I prepare to launch my own website, is SQUIRRELS.
Squirrels are distractions. They are the shiny, colorful and pretty things that grab your attention, distract you, and entice you away from your course of action. When you place a trail of “nuts” on your website, you are feeding the squirrels.
Wondering what those “nuts” look like that attract squirrels? Here are three examples:
Social Media Links
While it’s great to promote your social pages on your website so you can gain more followers, there are a few consequences to doing so. For instance, once I click the Facebook link on your site, I’m going to be transported off your site and into the Facebook platform where I can “Like” or “Follow” you. But after that is done, the odds are I’ll check the timeline and see that someone had a birthday or posted pictures from their recent trip and bye bye…. SQUIRREL!
Of course, if people do follow you then you get more chances to impress them, but with all of the social media noise out there, I am skeptical.
Social buttons are a topic that my web designer and I went back and forth on, and ultimately I do have them on my home page, but only four options. That’s the best way I could figure out how to balance promoting my social networks but not distract visitors.
Non-Embedded Videos
I recently checked out a clients videos on their website and upon clicking they immediately took me to YouTube. After watching her two videos, a competitors videos came up automatically and then after that I saw my favorite dog playing with deer video…bye bye, SQUIRREL!
Links to Other Places
If you sell your book on Amazon, considering using a tool like CreateSpace. An order comes in through your site, goes to Createspace, and the book gets shipped directly to the buyer. You get the name and email, and a 70% commission. No shipping, no hassles. (Thanks to Jeff Slutsky for this tip – I’ll be changing some of my settings when my physical books run out). If you send your prospects directly to Amazon, bye bye, SQUIRREL!
We spend so much time trying to get people to our website, why are we leading them away with squirrels?
[Tweet “We spend so much time trying to get people to our #website, why are we leading them away with squirrels?”]
I know these are strategic and tricky decisions, especially the social media button debate. Hopefully, I’ve provided some food for thought, so you can analyze the effectiveness of your site and any “nuts” that need to cracked and tossed away.
Let me know your thoughts on squirrels and what distractions to avoid in the comments below. And stay tuned… we’ll be rolling out our new website soon!
See you soon, Wealthy Speakers!
