Pop, Pop Goes the Web Site
There was a time when utilizing pop-ups on a web site was a
handy feature. These pop-up windows could contain useful
information such as financial definitions or mortgage
calculators so that the visitor could benefit. Currently you
will find pop-up blockers on most user computers so when
you're visitor wants to access the pop-up mortgage
calculator the calculator doesn't pop. This leads to have
your visitor think there something wrong with your site and
they depart to go find a site that doesn't have any errors.
Frequently when we should bring this to the attention of our
clients they will say, "Well, everyone knows if you hold the
control key down the pop-up will work."
At this point in time, we usually run an informal survey and
ask for five to ten people in their office to tell us how to
get around a pop-up locker. Rarely will more than 40% be
able to adequately answer this question.
They Are Not Hits, They Are People - Treat Them As Such
Many mortgage web sites write their content in some sort of
perceived corporate-speak where the site has to be dogmatic
in its delivery and lacking in human touch. We find that
sites that fully engage their visitors with professional yet
friendly wording, tend to have a much higher average length
of stay per visitor. In other words, be nice and write as
you would speak to customer.
Say What You Mean; or Don't Get Ranked
The most frequent error we find on mortgage web sites is a
failure to fully present keywords that will allow Google.com
to properly index and thus rank the mortgage site. When
Google.com spiders your site it searches for words that help
tell its algorithm what your site is all about. If it sees
words like Rolex, Timex, watch, Bulova, Seiko etc., Google
might determine your site is about wristwatches.
Take this statement, found on a mortgage web site; "We
promise to work hard for you and provide the best service
that we can."
Now, if you look closely at the above statement you will see
that there are no keywords which provide any indication that
this web site is about home loans or mortgages or
refinancing. That site could be about landscaping or car
repair or just about anything else.
Now, take a look at this statement: "Our home loan officers
promise to find the right mortgage, at the lowest interest
rates, while providing the best service of any mortgage loan
company."
If you compare statement one to statement two, you find that
the second statement contains specific keywords directly
related to the mortgage industry, and it would be far more
likely that a Web page with the second statement would be
ranked higher than the web site with the first statement.
Keep Your Eyes on the Prize
The primary function of your web site is not to entertain
your visitor, it is not about the history of home loans, nor
is it intended to be a mini ego statement about your CEO.
The primary function of your site is to bring additional
business and revenue to your company.
"Don't do anything foolish and no one will get hurt."
Al Capone
Web site: www.mortgagepromote.com