In todays online world, you have about ten seconds to capture the interest of a Website visitor. If the benefits you offer are enticing, you may gain a customer. If not, your Website visitors will quickly move on. That is why you must present a compelling sales argument, or unique selling proposition, in the visible portion of your Home page.

Few things are as important in business as defining just what it is that distinguishes your offerings from the competition. What makes your product or service better? Why should someone do business with you rather than the ten or one hundred other sites returned by a search engine query?

Not only must this head-scratching question be answered, but it must be answered it in a way that conveys benefits. Whats in it for me? is the question your Website visitor will be asking. The difference between success and failure in capturing online customers is often as simple as how well your unique selling proposition resonates with viewers.

Uniqueness can be defined in several ways. The unique benefit you offer may be a one of a kind product or service, but that is rare. Typically, uniqueness is expressed in terms of nuances. For example, you may offer convenience, location, easy financing, a turnkey solution, a broader selection, free or fast delivery, discount pricing, more personal attention, extraordinary experience, hard to get credentials, a guarantee, a special endorsement, or packaged support. There must be some strength that sets your business apart from competitors, or otherwise you should be asking yourself why you are in business in the first place.

Once you have developed your unique selling proposition, test it on customers and prospects. Ask their opinion and get constructive feedback. Often the proposition itself is good, but the fashion in which it is expressed needs refinement. Remember, your sales argument must address a problem or need that your Website visitor is seeking to satisfy. Ask yourself why someone would look at your Website? If you understand what search engine terms or keywords drive traffic to your site, you already have a pretty good idea what visitors are after.

Keep at it until you are convinced that you have a winning sales argument. Then make sure that your unique selling proposition is prominently visible above the fold so that it is easily viewed when the first page of your Website is displayed.

Test your unique selling proposition by running it for a week or two. Look at your site statistics to determine how long visitors stay. If more than 75 percent of visitors leave your site within 30 seconds, then your sales argument is not satisfying expectations. Refine your proposition and keep testing.

Also, make sure the Website description that is displayed in search engine returns reflects your unique selling proposition so that you are truly attracting likely buyers. And to improve your search engine rankings, include your keywords in the proposition.

Keep at it, and sooner or later you will find the message that strikes a chord with your target audience. Then stand back and watch your sales jump!

Al Kernek

Al Kernek has thirty years of hands-on marketing experience in both Fortune 500 firms and entrepreneurial start-up companies. He has an extensive background in marketing, Internet marketing and the use of e-mail newsletters to promote products and services.

His credentials also include a master's degree in business management, numerous courses in high-tech marketing, plus many industry and company awards for outstanding achievement.

A licensed real estate broker, Al has also published a book for real estate agents interested in email newsletters. Another book, "Put Your Business Online," is directed towards small businesses and entrpreneurs as well.

Among his many interests is a passion for bike riding along the California coastline, good mystery and horror novels, and charitable works. Al is a Toastmaster who resides with his wife and an assortment of critters in San Diego, California.