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I must admit, I like the Eisenberg brothers. Though I've never met them personally, I appreciate what they stand for in encouraging online business owners to get their sites ready to convert *before* they agonize over other marketing strategies, like SEO, etc. After all, what good will all the traffic in the world do if your site doesn't convert?

Because I'm a fan, I was excited when I heard about their new book Call To Action. I was looking forward to reading more of their insights on website development and how to improve online conversions.

What I Didn't Like

As I read the foreword, I noticed a statement that read, "This book is a compilation of some of our GrokDotCom articles, ClickZ articles, seminar presentations and training materials, as well as contributions by our staff and colleagues."

I didn't remember that being mentioned in the advertising or on the site for the book. Maybe I missed it. Sure enough, as I began to read, much of the material seemed familiar. That was a little disappointing, but not enough to make me put the book down.

What I Did Like

As usual, the Eisenberg brothers have wonderful techniques and tips to share with their readers. These are proven courses of action (or should I say Calls To Action?) that help shorten sales cycles, assist with a pleasant customer experience and increase conversions.

The book is well organized and gives plenty of examples. Yes, you could get all the information free by looking on their site and reading past articles, but that would be rather time consuming (as well as a strain on the eyes). Plus, having the articles in hardback format comes in handy.

Many have assumed this book is about copywriting. It is not. It is about creating a site ready to receive and convert visitors. There are copywriting articles in the book, however.

About five articles from the book are dedicated to copywriting. Two additional ones are on emotions. Two more are on search engine optimization (SEO).

The sections on copywriting are not designed to teach you how to write copy. Rather, they show different aspects of copywriting such as length, usability, trigger words and so on. Definitely information copywriters need, but the book is not devoted to teaching the art of writing great calls to action, as some assume.

The rest of the book is devoted to research, planning, structure (this is the largest section) and accountability.

Who Should Buy It?

If you're planning to create your own site, I'd highly recommend this book. I think every new site owner should be required to read it before launching a site. If you're a site designer or a programmer, you should also get a copy. There is highly valuable information that will dramatically increase your ability to get results for your customers. Copywriters would benefit from reading the book, but not for the purpose of learning to write copy.

It only costs about $18 at Amazon.com. That's a small price to pay for information that could easily transform your site and increase your profits (or those of your clients).

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