| In a world where many people have seen the same | | | | friends, and, likely as not, they will tell them where |
| thing time and time again, and again, and again, and | | | | they heard it from. Word of mouth advertising is |
| again, it pays to be new, fresh, and unique. But | | | | primo. |
| sometimes fresh and unique aren't enought to get | | | | 3. Use an interesting template or design. Design pages |
| someone to click to visit your website. There's | | | | to be interesting, strange, and memorable. The close |
| something to be said for getting someone to think, | | | | and closer one gets to the point of being annoying |
| "WHAT!?!?!?!". When someone thinks, "WHAT!?!?!?!" | | | | withought actually getting there is excellent. |
| with a significant amount of emotion behind it, they | | | | Annoyance is caused by an excessive amount of |
| are going to click... guaranteed. | | | | stimuli which have little or negative emotional |
| Why do so many teen kids dress strange and weird? | | | | significance to a particular individual. The morepositive |
| It's because it makes people look at them and | | | | emotional significance attached to an idea, the |
| remember them. Why wouldn't you want your | | | | greater the tolerance to stimulation relating to that |
| website to be like that? | | | | idea. You want to be the most stimulating you can |
| Four steps you can take to make your website | | | | be to the majority of your website visitors without |
| stand out from the pack. | | | | being annoying. Strive to walk as close to the line as |
| 1. The links to your website should be designed to be | | | | you can without ever stepping over it. To make a |
| a little strange. For example, how do you think the | | | | site that people remember well requires that the site |
| clickthrough rate for each of these links would | | | | be noteworthy, and to be noteworthy requires that |
| compare to the other? | | | | the website visitor was stimulated enough to cause |
| A. Investment, Investing, Stock Picks | | | | her to remember it well. Often subconscious |
| B. Make money by picking your nose and selling the | | | | stimulation may be achieved through the use of |
| residue to high powered investment firms | | | | bright colors, movement, flicker, etc. Don't be gaudy, |
| Sure, one has more keywords and, according to | | | | though... gaudy is the same as annoying. |
| people who know more about search engine | | | | 4. Give something weird away free. A strange |
| optimization than I do, might help Google rank your | | | | e-Book, four very odd pictures of cats, a program to |
| website just the tiniest bit higher on ("investing" and | | | | turn your cubicle partner's computer screen upside |
| "stock picks"), but the other will get more traffic to | | | | down... be creative. |
| your website. Usually a lot more, especially if your | | | | That's right, be creative. Be odd. Be funny. Make your |
| niche is dull and boring already, and especially if you | | | | website fun, and people will perhaps even be |
| can continue the joke a bit on the page they click to. | | | | stimulated enough to bookmark it. Otherwise, you're |
| 2. Use jokes on Your Website. People remember it | | | | going to have to rely completely on the stimulation |
| when they laugh. Have you ever seen a website that | | | | of your written content, and if your could rely on |
| didn't have anything funny on it at all? If you have a | | | | your written content to enthrall and thrill people, you |
| website on real estate investing, you better put at | | | | wouldn't be writing on a website, instead you would |
| least a few real estate jokes on there for people to | | | | be writing bestsellers for Random House Publishers or |
| giggle about. Giving someone a laugh, and they will | | | | John Wiley and Sons. |
| remember it. Give someone a joke to repeat to their | | | | |