November 18, 2010 ( PowerHomeBiz.com )
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One of the first steps in starting your own online business is making a
website. This website is your place of business and must be treated as such.
Your potential customers will visit your site and decide within seconds if
they will stay or go. Turning these quick browsers into buyers is one of the
major obstacles in building your new business.
(news continued below)
Below are ten things you can do to help increase your
website’s conversion rate:
Call to Action – Telling your visitors what to do can help turn their
indecisiveness into action. Tell them what to do to begin the ordering
process. Tell them why they should buy from you and that they should “Buy
Now”. Tell them to Click Here to make the purchase. Give clear and concise
instructions.
Easy Navigation – Do not make your site a maze for your visitors to try
and navigate. Have a simple, clean design with a n easy navigational menu.
Use short, straightforward, easy-to-read paragraphs. Make all your pages
uniform and professional.
Be Direct – Write your page copy like you would talk to your customer.
There is no need for fancy words. You do need to be professional but your
web pages DON’T need to be written like a complicated legal contract.
Contact Info – Always have your name and contact info on every one of
your web pages. Be sure to write an About Us page. People will NOT trust you
if they do not know who you are. Make up a Privacy Policy page so your
visitors feel secure, which will add to that trust.
Professional Graphics - Graphics can help increase sales but do not use
the childish looking cartoon clipart. Use professional well-designed
graphics. There are some sites where the cartoon clipart will fit but most
will need sharp, clean professional graphics.
Easy Ordering Process – One sure way to lose a customer is by having a
long, drawn-out ordering proces s. Having to click through too many pages to
order will have your potential customer clicking to another site. Be sure
your shopping cart is secure and doesn’t ask your customer to write a book
or click to the moon!
Upfront with Prices – One thing that makes me leave a site very quickly
is if they try to hide their prices. Even if your prices are a bit high, you
will be better off to be upfront with them than to try and hide them. Also,
have easy access to your shipping rates and return policies.
Sense of Urgency – Sometimes people need a little help deciding if they
should order or not. Creating a sense of urgency can help them make that
decision. Limited Time Offer, Limited Supply, First 10 Customers, Buy Now
for Free Gift. All these types of phrases help get the customer in the “Buy
Now” frame of mind.
Stress the Benefits – Be sure to explain what your products and/or
services can do for your customer.& nbsp; Benefits sell more than features.
For example: If you are selling office chairs, be sure to tell them how it
will help their posture thus minimizing back pain instead of explaining what
the chair is made from. Let them know the chair will support their spine
rather than going on and on about the fabric. People want to know what your
product can do for them!
Make Your Visitors Feel Appreciated – If your visitors feel appreciated
just for being a visitor, then they know they will be treated well as a
customer. Give a free gift just for stopping by. Give them a discount on
their first order. Let them know you appreciate them and thank them for even
stopping by your site.
All these things can help sway a person’s decision “To Buy or Not to
Buy”. Try as many as you can and see how effective they can be.
Terri Seymour (also known as “The eBook Lady”) has over ten years online
experience and has helpe d many people start their own business. Visit her
site at http://www.seymourproducts.com for resources, $1 resell ebooks &
software, free tutorials, affiliate programs, free ezine and free business
ebook with Master Resell Rights.
http://www.seymourproducts.com/free.shtml