How to LOSE Business 
on the Net.

Large Graphics

You have to remember that only about 5% of all Americans have high-speed Internet access. The other 95% are still using 56k or less dial-up modems. So do you market toward only 5% of the US population? The answer is no!!

Web surfers have the need for speed. Yet far too many home pages open with graphically heavy home pages that load slowly and make no contribution to the effectiveness of the page. In most cases, your home page should be 20K or less in file size - including graphics. Spinning globes, scrolling text, large company logos, etc., all take up precious real estate that could be better utilized for benefit-related information.

"Welcome to My Site"

This is also another killer of web sites…the famous "Welcome to My Site". Phrases like this, repetition of your company name and other self-serving statements only cloud your main message. Remember you are selling loans…keep this in mind. Your home page and virtually every other page on your site should begin with a compelling, stimulating, interest-generating, headline or opening equivalent that tells your viewers what's in it for them. 

External Links

This is equivalent to having an office door that leads to a choice of doors that go to other businesses. When a potential customer arrives, why give that person an immediate opportunity to leave and never return? If you must link externally, do it on a page that can only be accessed after viewing the important pages on your site. It costs thousands of marketing dollars to get a new customer to your web site, why send them to Amazon.com to buy a book (and you make $2.00 in commission).

Scrolling Marquees, Counters, etc.

There was a time when these things were new and unusual. They are now like having "bell bottom pants" (they were once hip…but now they are passé). And in many cases, they are very distracting and annoying. Counters especially have lost their usefulness. They are self-serving devices that have no purpose because most visitors really don't care how many alleged hits your site has gotten. If it doesn't help sell mortgage loans…leave it off.

Typos or Grammatical Errors

Seems obvious, yet many web pages contain common spelling and grammatical errors. Your written page is a reflection of your professionalism (or lack of it), your attention to detail (or lack of it) and your commitment to excellence (or lack of it). Why give visitors any reason to doubt you? Use spelling and grammar checkers to make sure your copy is first-rate.

Framed Pages

If you don't know what they are, then ask your web master or designer. Many older web browsers do not support frames. Many search engines do not index them properly. Many frames require scrolling  to read

 

 

the text and activate links. Frame scrolling bars also take up precious real estate. Frames don't bookmark properly. Enough said? 

Don't use frames. And the funny thing is about 90% of mortgage web sites we review USE frames. Now you wonder why these companies do not get much Internet business" Site Under Construction "

What good does a web page that is not finished do for your visitors? It just wastes their time and could possibly frustrate or annoy them. Every page on your site should have a purpose or reason why it's there. Every page should also have a call to action - what you want the visitor to do after reading the information. 

Broken Links

How many times have you clicked on a hyperlink and the page went nowhere? What did you think of that web site. Unprofessional, lacking in detail, does not check their work; these are all the things you do NOT want a prospective loan customer to think about your company.

Broken links means broken (lost business). One broken link can cost your company a prospective customer…worth thousands of dollars.

Missing Graphics

This should also be obvious, but missing graphics are all over the Web - even on professional sites whose owners should know better.

Same thing goes as broken links. CHECK YOUR WORK. The Internet is extremely competitive and you need every item stacked in your favor.

Incomplete Contact Information

It's amazing how many companies try to remain anonymous and then expect people to do business with them. This is even more important when you trying help someone with the largest financial transition in their lives. Remember this is not like buying a book Amazon.com. To maximize your credibility and believability, you need a 1-800 phone number on every web page. 

Someone is NOT going to fill out a loan application for $300,000 without talking to someone…would you?? Do not expect your customers to do something you would not do.

Plug-Ins/JavaScript Pop-Up Windows

We have all experienced these pop-up windows and some of the top mortgage sites use them. Why? I have no idea because they are annoying and confusing. It is like having a billboard pop up in front of your face. And the worst pop-up windows are the ones that KEEP popping up every time you revisit the Home page. Why make it unpleasant for visitors to see what you offer?

Plug-ins are another major error many people put on their web sites. Most people will not take the time to load plug-ins to view or do something at your site unless you give them a great reason to do so. They'll just click away. Plug-ins will discussed in detail in another article.

Web site:  www.mortgagepromote.com