December 1st, 2008 | 
Author: When it comes to your website, extra attention should be paid to every minute detail to make sure it performs optimally and serves its purpose. Here is the sixth of ten important rules of thumb to make sure your website performs well.
Have a way of capturing visitors’ names and e-mail addresses
There are two reasons why you should do this. First of all, it is very rare for people to buy from your site on their first visit. Often people will visit several sites offering similar products in very quick succession. They may become confused and get your site mixed up with someone else’s. A gentle reminder by e-mail is the simplest way to get them coming back.
The second reason is: it’s vital that you build up a mailing list if you want your website to be successful.
A mailing list is the lifeblood of your online business. The old adage “the money is in the list” cannot be true enough – if you have a targeted list of prospects to contact each time you launch a new product, you will be able to save a lot of time and effort by marketing it to your existing list first.
You can actually build up a targeted list of prospects interested in your products by offering a relevant download on your website. For example, let’s take a look at a very good example – apple.com. When you download the free iTunes and Quicktime software from their site, they will ask you to fill in an optional name and e-mail form so that they can send you offers on songs that you can purchase via – guess where – iTunes!
A quick way of building a list is by having a “squeeze page” as the first page on your site. This is simple page where people have to sign up for a report before they can get any further into your site. Don’t confuse this with a “splash page” (see rule 1). You should ensure what you’re giving away is irresistible, otherwise visitors will just click away. Always give an assurance that you won’t send them spam or share their details with third parties – and mean it!
Shaun Pearce is a video maker and webmaster. You can find out more about running a website at http://www.yourwebsiteacademy.com
Article Source: 10 Golden Rules in Website Design: Rule # 6
