Recently, my wife and I were looking for a moving company for a big relocation we have coming up in the not-too-distant future. I was amazed when looking at the web sites of the local moving companies - every single one of them had ineffective copy. Not a single one of them excited me to do business with them and most just presented reasons not to!

The number one, most important job of your website is to make your visitor feel great about your company, but so many don't rise to the challenge! I am going to share three ways you can do that.

1. STRUCTURE your home page. No one is going to get further into your website if the structure of the home page is not crystal clear and to the point. Make sure your home page answers these questions and then shift everything else to ancillary pages:

a. What do you do? Be specific and avoid technical jargon. Talk TO your customers, not AT them.

b. How do you do it? Let them know what systems and methods you use to be able to come through with exactly what they need.

c. Why are you qualified to do it? Remember that anyone can make a claim, particularly in the faceless world of the Internet. Offer some credibility statements.

d. What is unique about how you do it? Think about the ways you differentiate from your competition. Are you more responsive? Do you have a greater selection? Think about the special "signature"' that you present to the marketplace.

2. Know and utilize your CORE VALUES. Your core values are the principles you use as the basis for your decisions. You should have four or five core values that represent your company. These values should be thought out and well defined. Samples of core values are integrity, passion, quality, customer service, affordability, joy, social responsibility ... the list goes on.

Once you have labeled your specific core values, you MUST infuse them into your web site. You should be able to feel every single one of them on your home page! If "fun"' is a one of your core values, make me smile when I read your web page. If "sincerity"' is on your list, your words MUST be from the heart. If "quality"' is a principle that guides you, your home page MUST reflect that. In other words, your home page has to be a mirror reflection of your core values.

If there are any discrepancies between what you say your values are and how your site comes across to people, these prospects might not be able to put their finger on what they don't like about your site, but they WILL NOT give you their business. Your core values are the heart and soul of your company and infusing them into your website will help you attract the people who should be doing business with you.

3. PROOFREAD your copy. This is the easiest and yet most overlooked issue that comes up time and again - and proofreaders are incredibly inexpensive! It would probably cost you less than $100 to ensure that your site is error-free. Websites with errors are sites with emotional road blocks. When visitors see that you did not take the time to invest in clean copy, they are immediately turned off (especially your higher end clients - the people who have the capacity to refer you to their entire network). Think about inviting someone to your home. Would you let them see a sloppy place? What kind of message would that send? That you just don't care. Don't give your visitors a reason to never even get to the heart of what your business offers.

Ultimately, when it comes to your site, you have to put out there who you truly are and make it easily understandable and error-free so people can experience your message in the way it is intended. Not doing so is like trying to enjoy a movie when the couple in front of you is making out, the kid behind you is on his cell phone and the film itself keeps stopping and starting. When you have a distinct message to give your visitors, make it easy for them to receive it loud and clear.

Follow these three simple steps and you'll convert more visitors to customers.