Thursday’s Profit Tip for Authors

Recently, I participated in a fascinating and eye-opening series of exercises intended to highlight differences between perception and reality–the gap between what you’re you’re selling and what your prospects find on your website. The exercises were part of Stephanie Diamond’s No Nonsense Web Workshops: How to Make Small Changes for Big Profits, which I previously described.

The results were eye-opening, and resulted in my taking a fresh look at not only my Published & Profitable site, but my entire web presence (including my other sites, this blog, guest contributions to other blogs, Twitter, etc.)

Audit your website

I encourage everyone to audit their website offerings and ask themselves questions like:

• Freshness. Does your website promote all of your current products and services?
• Emphasis. Does your website highlight your most popular and profitable products and services?
• Accuracy. Are customer benefits, deliverables, and terms clearly described?
• Proof. Does your site contain the latest testimonials you’ve received?
• Balance. Does your website contain a healthy balance between educational and helpful content and promotion?

Does your website support your brand?

Finally, check the consistency between your online and offline marketing materials. Is there a consistent “look” to your marketing? Do all of your marketing materials use the same version of your logo?

As Stephanie Diamond showed during her No Nonsense Web Workshops, constant vigilance and updating is necessary in today’s fast-paced Web 2.0 world.