Net Words by Nick Usborne - A Book Review
Business online differs dramatically from business offline in
several key areas. The first and most important is the
difference between the behavior of online buyers and their
offline counterparts. Offline buyers must first be AWARE that
the service or product they seek is available near their
location, then either call a specific company they know and
trust or visit a particular dentist, accountant, hardware store
or auto parts retailer. When an offline buyer decides to
purchase an item or a service, he first must decide where to
spend his money, what his budget will allow him to purchase and
when he will get in his car and drive to whatever location is
necessary to complete his actions. Even if the product or
service he intends to buy comes to his home in the case of tree
trimming service or pool man, he will decide who to contact
based on what? Advertising! In the phone book, promotional
flyers, newspaper classified ads, billboard advertisements, word
of mouth, television or radio ads. This is why we are constantly
bombarded from every one of those sources by companies that sell
their products and services locally, regionally and nationally
with ADVERTISING.
This is also why advertising online has failed so miserably and
contributed to the bursting of the high-tech bubble. We tried to
apply that offline advertising model to the online world and it
just doesn't fit! How do people behave when considering a
purchase of products or services online? Do they wander around
to different web sites to purposefully look at those annoying,
blinking flashing, beeping banner ads. NO! They go to a search
engine, type the product or service into a search box and click
the "Search" button! They don't look for a billboard telling
them where to go, they don't look for an exit sign, they don't
reach for a phone book or ask their neighbor, THEY GO TO A
SEARCH ENGINE! They may change the words they type into that
search box, they may misspell the words they use to search for
your product or service, they may use a brand name to search for
a product, they may specify the town they hope to visit in that
search query. They may research the problem that they hope to
solve with their purchase before deciding where, when or from
whom to buy it. These are very important clues to determining
how to market your product or service online! Nobody sits down
in front of their computer knowing the answers to all of their
buying decisions! They search, research, shop randomly, shop at
YAHOO! But in all of that bouncing around online, they will, at
some point use a search engine or directory to find what they
want to know, then they will decide where to buy it, whether
that is done online or offline. You are dealing with someone
seeking information, features, benefits, resources, solutions,
pricing, comparisons when seeking online buyers. They are NOT
looking for your business name, your widget, your service
offering, nor will they necessarily purchase online! They are
seeking a solution to their problem. Whether that is how to
treat their sensitive skin after a summer sunburn, or seeking
price comparisons on used cars, or real estate values and
finding local agents. Search and research -- That is online
behavior. The online buyer is seeking something that can be
found using WORDS, TEXT, DESCRIPTIONS and INFORMATION! They
don't shop based on who has the best Flash Movie, they aren't
searching for nice photographs of your building, your fancy
equipment or technical illustrations of your products. They will
find YOUR SITE one way and one way only if they haven't already
bookmarked your front page. By USING A SEARCH ENGINE, TYPING
WORDS into the search box!
I'm about to offer the shortest and most concise book review Ive
ever written. "Net Words" by Nick Usborne. A great case is made
here for the importance of text on the web and why it is
critical to make your NET WORDS more focused as well as the need
to speak with a unique "voice" on the internet. Corporate
doublespeak won't compel anyone to buy from you. TEXT written in
an engaging manner without wasted words is what WORKS online.
Buy "Net Words" and read it if you hope to have even the
slightest chance of success on the web. Usborne laments the lack
of respect paid to words in online copy and makes a solid case
for hiring professional copywriter for business web sites. I
think he missed though, in making a case as strong as he could
by failing to emphasize the role of search engines in making
text so critical to all online business owners. I suppose I knew
when I decided to review the book that Usborne would be
"Preaching to the choir" when telling me, a search engine
optimizer, about the importance of words on the web. You may
have noted that I agree heartily with the idea of "Creating
High-Impact Online Copy" as the "Net Words" subtitle recommends.
Usborne provides examples of strong and effective words as
effective sales tools, as you might expect from a copywriter.
But I don't think he makes nearly enough of a case for words as
he could had he emphasized more on their role in attracting
traffic to your web site in the first place.
Net Words is a quick read making a very important point that all
online business can benefit from. I believe I'll approach
Usborne to add a couple of chapters from yours truly on how
important those words are to the search engines.