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No Website Sales? Maybe Your Site is Missing the
Mark!
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> Design > Tips
by Merle
If you've moved your brick and mortar store online or recently
started an Internet business and the sales just aren't coming in, the
culprit may be your website.
Many people call me and say "My site's not generating sales; what
can I do to get more traffic?" Before you can begin promoting, you need to
take a long hard look at your website from your customers' perspective.
Customers always ask themselves the same thing: "What's in it for
me?" Your site must answer that question, and answer it fast before they
click away in discouragement.
Your first step is to go to your home page and view it as a
stranger who doesn't know you or your product and services. Does the first
paragraph state clearly what is being offered and the benefits you
provide? It needs to. I can't tell you how many sites I've visited only to
leave wondering what the hell they do. Your home page should also use
powerful "selling words" that excite people and makes them want to learn
more. It should have plenty of white space and be kept free from clutter
and distractions.
A lot of Web designers will try to tell you to use plenty of Flash
and other bandwidth thieves. Don't... The Web is still about information
and you need to deliver it without crashing your visitors' browsers or
making them wait five minutes to get through a Flash intropage.
Remember this rule: "Content is king." If your site is packed with
good information, you don't need fancy bells and whistles. People will
like it just fine because it tells them what they want to know and more.
Keep your target market in mind. If you sell salt water fish and
equipment, then your site should include tips and tricks on taking care of
livestock, setting up a system, or maybe even a helpful message board
where visitors can help each other out by sharing information. You want to
enlighten your guests with helpful information, not just "shove" what you
do down their throats. The fact is they don't care about you or what you
do. Show them what's in it for them and they'll be back often, turning
into lifelong customers.
Make sure your web pages include plenty of calls to action. You
need to tell them what it is you want them to do for example:
call now
click here to order
subscribe to our
ezine
Your website pages all should work together under the same
theme. The look and navigation must be consistent throughout the site and
should reinforce your offline brand identity. When building your site, use
your brochures, business cards, and sales literature to incorporate your
company image throughout.
For example, if you've been in business for 20 years and your
company colors are gray and maroon, then your website shouldn't be pink
and purple...follow me here? Keep your identity consistent online and off
it will help with your company branding.
Another common error online marketers make is neglecting to update
their websites, or keeping the same look for over a year. A website is not
static, like a brochure. Its strength as a marketing tool is its
capability to evolve as time goes on, and you should add to it regularly.
Experts say you should totally re-design every year to keep visitors from
getting bored. An easy way to add fresh content is to add a news feed on
whatever subject matter matches your site. The best service I have found
that won't cost you a dime is http://www.moreover.com/ It's easy to set up, just cut
and paste the code they give you.
There are plenty of services online that will give you a single
piece of JavaScript to paste into your pages giving you the capabilities
of showing new articles written by online experts on a weekly basis.
Shelley Lowery of Web-Source has just started a new syndication service
find it at http://www.web-source.net/syndicator.htm If you're
interested in having your content appear on other people's sites take a
look at "Master Syndicator" software at http://mastersyndicator.com/
The promotion process should not begin until your website works as
an effective sales tool for your business. If your site is poorly designed
and lacks content you'll just be wasting advertising dollars if you try to
market it.
So next time your site sales are in a slump, take a look in your
own backyard. You may be surprised at what you find.
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