The way we design websites has changed a lot.
Ten years ago or for that matter even to present day some web designers continue to practice the same methods of web design.
Those methods hinder your websites ability to make money online.
Ten years ago the design process would have went something like this:
You contact your web designer and let him or her know that you’re in need of a new website design.
You tell them what you’re looking for and they give it their best guess and after a little back and forth you’re happy and the web designer is on his or her way to their next client.
And folks wonder why their websites aren’t making money online.
The new approach to designing your website requires split testing and studying ways to not only convert the traffic when it lands on your website but also discovering new ways your website is actually able to go out and get traffic for your site.
This requires a new way of looking at your website.
Your website becomes much more than just a browser that tells someone about your products or services.
I talked about this a little more over here but it’s important to understand that the way we design and create websites has changed.
It’s no longer about what the web designer or for that matter the business owner is looking for or thinks the potential client might want to see. New websites are able to go out find these potential clients, drive them back to your website and then measure, compare and track how they react to your website.
Today’s #1 Challenge: Better Results with Less Money
Setting and understanding what the goals are for every page on your website helps you to know in which direction you need to move to get better results. After all, it’s all a numbers game.
The idea is to accomplish more, with less.
Let’s say at the moment your cold calling and it takes four calls to make one sale, if you double your calls, you double your sales.
This is the same principal used by most businesses owners when they are trying to increase their website sales. But it’s a poor approach.
The idea works something like this. Let’s say I have a banner ad. Every time 10 people click on my banner ad the tenth person buys.
The first thing that pops into my head is buy more ads.
But here’s the problem with this way of thinking.
When you use a model that looks like this, “more resources applied = more success” it can get really expensive, really fast.
Also keep in mind that if anything goes wrong you’re looking at bigger losses.
It all comes down to smarter marketing.
By understanding, tailoring, creating, designing, and split testing each and every page on your website you get a better understanding of what your customer is looking for and how you can better server him or her.
This isn’t anything new when it comes to marketing and sales. It’s the reason we have books written around the topics of web design psychology and conversion optimization.
Neuroscience has played a bigger role in the way I develop websites, then anything else.
Neuroscience is ab
le to unlock the full potential of our websites ability to interact with the web visitor. Through neuroscience we are able to talk directly with the unconscious mind and get it to take action without involving the conscious part of the mind.
Today’s neuroscientist has the tools to look inside our brains and see what makes us tick.
Neuroscientist can use tool like functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) brain scans, where they can see, how our brain responds to a price that is too high or Electroencephalogram (EEG) that can measure activity when you’re looking at an ad or website design.
After All, You’re Not as Rational as You Might Think
Yes, we all like to believe that we are really good at making the correct decisions and that it comes from our ability to form a conscious, deliberative process of thought. But it’s just not how it works in our world.
Every thought we make, every picture we see, and every word we hear and speak is forming our subconscious. That part of us we can’t physically see, touch or feel. Okay, well we can feel it but we can’t see or touch it.
But that’s the real you and your conscious thoughts are what teaches and trains the real you.
Neuroscientist now believe that when it’s time to make a purchase there is very little rational thought being put into the decisions or actions being taken.
