Book Yourself Solid: The Fastest, Easiest, and Most Reliable System for Getting More Clients Than You Can Handle Even if You Hate Marketing and Selling, Second Edition

Part 1 Designing Your Web Site

Design is not just what it looks like and feels like. Design is how it works.

—Steve Jobs

In this first part, I walk you through the purpose and benefits of having a web site, the biggest mistake most people make online, how to structure the content on your web site, the 10 most effective web site formats for service professionals, and what to look for in a web site designer. And I promise to make it as easy to understand as a day at the beach—or at least a day at the beach with your laptop.

Purpose and Benefits of Having a Web Site

There are numerous purposes and benefits to having a web site and developing a strong web presence, many of which I'm sure you've considered. Your own web site:

• Positions you as an expert. Having your own web site increases your visibility, credibility, and trustworthiness.

• Builds your brand identity. Your web site represents you and your business in the marketplace.

• Reaches a global marketplace. If you have a product available on your web site, you'll expand your geographic marketplace from your local neighborhood to the entire world.

• Creates a 24/7 passive-revenue profit machine. The Web never sleeps, which means that you can turn your computer and web site into a cash register around the clock, and many, if not all, of the processes can be automated.

• Builds your database. A web site can instantly increase the effectiveness of your sales cycle by building a targeted list of potential clients who have given you permission to follow ...