No Website Sales? Maybe Your Site is Missing the Mark!
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.