I talk a LOT about website overwhelm around these parts.
And usually I’m referring to the overwhelm travel agents feel when they have to put their own websites together, how hard it is to write “objectively” about themselves. How daunting it feels to put pen to digital paper.
But there’s another type of website overwhelm you need to know about:
The overwhelm that too many prospects feel when they check out a travel pro’s website.
This kind of overwhelm can cost you tons of leads. So let’s break it down.
Cognitive Load—It’s Weighing Down Your Web Visitors
Have you ever heard of “cognitive load”?
It’s a psychological theory that deals with how we learn and retain information.
Essentially, the theory suggests that when you have a high cognitive load—you’re going to have a much harder time committing things to memory.
What gives you a high cognitive load?
Trying to learn amid distractions.
And while you can’t control whether or not your prospect is scrolling through your website while also playing Candy Crush on their phone …
… you CAN do a lot to reduce their cognitive load, simply through how you write and organize your travel agent website.
Reducing Cognitive Load When You Write Your Travel Agent Website
Here are a few ways you can eliminate your web visitor’s overwhelm by reducing “cognitive load”:
- Make sure your website’s design isn’t cluttered—no flashing side bars or changing fonts, please!
- Make only a single ask on each website page—don’t ask your web visitor to fill out a form, call you, follow you on FB, and sign up for your freebie. Streamline their decision making.
- Write concisely. Don’t go off on tangents (you’ll just lose your reader).
- Break down concepts. For example, when you explain your planning process, break it down step by step for your web visitor, clearly labeling “Step 1,” “Step 2,” etc.
If you want your prospect to actually REMEMBER what they read about you on your website, make sure you’re doing the above.
Finally, to reduce cognitive load, you can make your website so magnetic and engaging your prospect logs out of Candy Crush and really focuses on what you have to say.
This comes down to nailing your messaging and speaking right to the heart of your ideal clients’ desires.
But that’s a topic for another blog post 😉
Leave a Reply