In other words, the copy displayed on your website should be specific.  The example is thus.  You go into a grocery store and hit the canned goods isle.  You are confronted with hundreds, maybe even thousands of choices.  Imagine if the only thing listed on the label of those choices consisted of a very general description of its contents.  ‘Vegetable’ for instance.

Now imagine if this is the label on your product, and it sits right next to a can that is labeled ‘Diced stewed tomatoes’.  Even if your can contains the same diced stewed tomatoes, which one do you think the consumer will take off the shelf and home with them?

Exactly.

You may think this is a no brainer, but you would be amazed how many websites attempt to sell products with a general description or generic declaration.

Here is an instance of what we mean: http://www.thesecretheadquarters.com/index.php

Can you, by scanning the homepage, tell what this site is even about; much less what products or services it might be offering customers?  That large graphic to the left looks kind of like a card catalog.  Maybe it’s an online library…  The title graphics coupled with the drawer graphic give the site a very ‘XFile’ feel.  Maybe it’s an archive site of secret government black ops?  You really can’t tell.  It’s not till you get to bottom the second page of the profile link, that you find that the site actually sells comics, graphic novels and books.

I am a writer myself, and though I can appreciate the ‘aura’ of this site, I would not want it selling one of my books.  Why?  People tend not to stay on websites in which they have to search for information, especially when they are looking to buy online.

In contrast, take a look at this site: http://www.bargainsla.com/

The URL itself gives us a clue to what the site is about, bargains.  As soon as you hit the homepage, the headline on the right proclaims what the site is about, bargain hunting in Los Angeles.  These guys want you to know what you are going to get by browsing their site.

Just as a grocery shopper is not going to take the time to figure out what the ‘vegetable’ in the can actually is, even if the context around the can (the properly labeled cans) hints to them that it is diced stewed tomatoes, a visitor to your website is not going to take the time to figure out what your website is about based on generic context ‘clues’ scattered about on your site.