Seven Words That Will Make Your Web Site Worth Viewing
Seven. A number like any other. But it does seem to come up on a fairly regular basis: the Seven Wonders of the World, the Seven Deadly Sins, and the Seven Dwarfs: Happy, Sneezy, Sleepy, Bashful, Doc, Dopey, and (my favorite) Grumpy.
Phone numbers have seven digits. And may say the optimum brand name should be no more than seven letters long. Seven, it seems, is a magical number, because the human brain can grasp only seven things at a time (on average).
So I've been thinking, What are the seven most important words associated with Web-marketing? I'll give you a hint: Search, engine, and optimization don't make the cut.
So what words do make the list? What are the seven words that will make your Web site worth viewing?
Words Can Move You
By someone's count there are 171,476 entries in the Oxford English Dictionary, plus another 47,156 words that have fallen out of favor, but not counting the 9,500 additional permutations that don't deserve their own special attention.
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Jerry,
Appreciate the idea, but you made me wade through almost 700 words before I got to the "focus" of your "Seven Words..." article. I'm not an important person and my time is not valuable, but please spare me your fluff.
As a direct response copywriter, I find your seven words to be important for more than just Web site content -- they're vital to any form of marketing copy. But you may want to go back and review word three: focus. I had to wade through a page and a half (online) before I found the focus of your article. Next time cut the fluff and get to the point faster.
694 words to be exact, and the next 789 used to describe 7 words were nearly as useless as the first 694.
%3E%3E%3EThe most important feature you can offer your audience is psychological fulfillment,%3E%3E%3E
Really? Why do I buy from the places I shop online? I'm looking for best price, free shipping and reliability of the seller. Each weighs in my decision, although the reliability factor is extremely important. That's what psychologically fufills me.
Admittedly, after the first paragraph I skimmed right to the list. The points made are not overly original but are absolutely good refreshers.
I enjoyed ALL of the article, including the "fluff." It provides a context for the seven words. To the rest of you: SLOW DOWN!
My brain is ticking! especially on words psychology and personality.
Great tips and i agree - its not just appropriate for website it is relevant for all business communication.
Our websites need to be backed up by our verbal brand and vis versa eg. are you a marketing agent? or do you create fantastic opportunities to small business giving them the greatest difference in their market". Sorry for digressing a little but it gives you the picture.
Great article - even with a bit of fluff. Have to admit i use a bit of fluff too but appreciate your comments Dave and Kathy as that also has helped me.
I agree - too much preamble ... the seven words / concepts were good though ... next version, take your own advice and get right to it:)
PS - where did the Video tidbit at the end come from? Seems thrown in there - but I am interested ... consider writing a full article on that.
We are seeing web marketers pretty intimidated by video and are trying to demystify it for them (and even ourselves). Please share your thoughts.
Decent, albeit high-level article. What would bring it to life is a real life before and after case study.
The 7 things you've listed seem to be the main things that capture the attention of anyone, website or not. It's like anything else, you need to grab the attention of your audience with a relatable connection of some sort. By using personality, language or focus you're going to be able to reach a specific person and I find it hard to use all three to capture the attention of EVERYONE. Thanks for sharing!
oh goodness, Waaaaayyyy too many words to wade/read/skim through to get to the point of this article.
Emotion. That would be my remember word - the emotion you emote/evoke makes or breaks you.
And what Ogilvy said: "You can't bore your prospects into buying from you."
Thanks for this article, although...
You lost me somewhere in the middle... I'm a DR copywriter too and after the firt para I skipped to the end, sorry. Too many words.
On a web site you have to assume short attention spans, time in seconds and skimming. We are impatient and want to get right to it.
Which means using words economically, and getting straight to the point - fast. A good rule of thumb I use is "how can I tell my reader what's in it for them" in a way that paints a picture and tells them " their problem is solved" ? How can I answer their questions better than the next person? That's where your 7 points come in online or off.
But don't offer your audience features - offer them benefits. Or if you do offer features, you must offer the benefits of each one, relevant to their needs.
Quite an interesting header... but I had to cut it short and reach the bottom part to get an idea of what was it all about. Isn't it better to come straight to the point... atleast when it's about so many people visiting so many website and having so many options to read.... Maybe we can cut short these so many, for our benefit by coming straight to the point.
critical maybe could be added to the list as many commenters seem to be. so sticking one's head above the prairie encourages potshots - which, i presume is a reaction in which the person responds by saying "I am too!" to an "I am view." what fun
dr jim sellner, PhD., DipC.
Okay--think I've got it:
1. Remember to be memorable
2. Remember not to ramble on as long as this author has
3. Remember your website is a website, not a non-website
We at Prism Ltd don't believe this article meets Marketing Profs standards.
Prism Ltd/San Francisco
In summary: Zzzzzzzzzzzz