Online Persuasion

In the online realm, it is especially important to be persuasive. Unlike face to face communication, it takes more work to convince someone on an internet site because there’s no actual conversation that can be had. Online persuasion is achieved through a combination of different concepts such as visual appeal and the overall arrangement of the webpage. According to logit.net, there are 3 key elements that make a webpage persuasive and they; are data, proof, and examples. I surfed the web and discovered a very persuasive website, Nutrisystem.com. Nutrisystem is a dieting program that guarantees weight loss results. After carefully observing their website, I came to the conclusion that Nutrisystem is a very persuasive company. This website uses many different tactics to attempt to convince visitors to follow through with the purchase of their products. In this paper, I will be discussing the effectiveness of Nutrisystem.com, the strategies used, and why I believe that it is a very persuasive webpage.

​Nutrisystem.com is a weight loss website that sells supplements and diet plans to assist people in reaching their weight loss goals. This site also sells a variety of different meal options that you can purchase through the web page. This site’s one major goal is to convince visitors to follow through with the purchase of a plan. There are three different plan payment options and there is also an option to have a plan customized to your individual needs. For example, if you have diabetes or if you are vegan, there is an option for you. A subordinate goal that this site has is to convince visitors to develop a healthier lifestyle in general. The two goals go hand in hand because if someone decides to follow through with a purchase, they are developing a healthier lifestyle by default. Upon visiting this website, someone who is unhealthy and out of shape may be immediately persuaded to purchase a plan from Nutrisystem. This company does a great job making their end goal very direct. “When a visitor comes to your site, he/she needs answers and need them quick” (Mailman, B). The bright colors and bold fonts used display exactly what a person needs to know upon visiting the webpage.

​There are many persuasive elements on this website that add to its’ convincing nature. One of the main concepts is symbols. Symbols can be a variety of different things aside from words. Symbols can be pictures, logos, or even artwork. According to the textbook a symbol is, “something that represents something else by association, resemblance, or convention” (Larson, p.120). Symbols are all around us and play a huge rule in persuasion whether we realize it or not. They are very powerful because they have the ability to stay in our minds long term. For example, if you see the Target logo, you are immediately think of Target and may even be persuaded to visit the store simply based off of seeing their logo. Nutisystem.com is full of different