Making Sales Online

Location, Location. Location

  • Studies show that placing links within text often helps ensure that they will be seen by the reader
  • Studies show readers look at a page in a somewhat of a "Z". They tend to start at the upper right hand corner then move towards the center and then across to the left. Place links in the this "read area" for best results. See Report Eye Tracking IIIfor even more specific information
  • Links placed in the upper right-hand corner of a site are more likely to be seen and clicked. Include special offers and new content in this location to maximum exposure.
  • Add descriptive content around a link to improve the odds of search engines picking up link and the description.
  • Innovative placement of banners helps get them clicked
  • Avoid horizontal lines between ads and text. People stop ready when they see a line.
  • Add a call-to-action words: "buy this here," "order now," and "click here," to alert readers to an opportunity.

    • Format Your Page to Sell--Web Page Layout is Important

    According to Eye Tracker III studies, smaller type encourages focused viewing behavior (that is, reading the words), while larger type promotes lighter scanning. And that for headlines -- especially longer ones -- it would appear that the first couple of words need to be real attention-grabbers if you want to capture eyes. Readers eyes typically scan lower portions of the page seeking something to grab their attention. Their eyes may fixate on an interesting headline or a stand-out word, but not on other content.

    Short paragraphs are read more often then long ones. Studies show that short paragraphs get twice as many overall eye fixations as longer paragraphs. Long paragraph formatting discourages viewing.

    A one-column format is more likely read than two or more columns. Surprisingly most readers look at text before photo's. However, they almost always at least briefly scan photo's when looking at a web page.