Article - 10 Ways To Increase Your Website Sales

10 Ways To Increase Your Website Sales

What would happen to your bottom line if you could convert twice as many of your current visitors into customers?

You work hard to get your visitors, right? Increasing your conversion ratio - the number of average sales per 100 visitors - would be like giving yourself a raise.

A better conversion rate may sound like something that you have to work hard at, but it could be something simple, something that you take for granted but your visitors are confused by...

Maybe all it will take is a small re-arrangement of your ad copy, a different color scheme, removing some cool-but-annoying animation or a switch to a different payment service...

It's hard to say, from here, what will improve the conversion ratio for your website, but the following tips should give you an idea of what to take a hard look at.

Do you remind people to come back and visit?

People usually won't buy the first time they visit - so the more times they visit your website, the greater the chance they will buy something.

Give them a reason to return by telling them that you update regularly. You should also encourage them to get a free subscription to your e-zine, which you can use to tell them what's new, on sale, etc.

Do you tell them about yourself and your business?

People feel more comfortable if they know who they are buying from. Publish an "About Us" section on your website and include your business history, personal or employee profiles, contact information, photos, etc.

You can also add a blog to your website and use it as a place to let your personality show... that puts a human face on your website and makes people feel more at ease.

Can you make your ad copy more attractive to potential buyers?

Tailor your headlines to your target audience and remember to list the benefits - not the features. Features provide information, but it's the benefits that create the desire-to-buy. Include testimonials as you get them and don't be bashful about telling potential customers about your guarantees.

Good testimonials are priceless. You can't buy them, but if you contact your customers and ask if they would write a short note about how they liked your product/service you may be surprised at how easy they are to get. If you are selling a good product most people are happy to help.

Give personal testimonials too - share your opinions and experience with your visitors. But be honest about it, people can spot a phony pretty quick and once you loose your credibility it's gone forever.

Do you make people feel safe when they order?

It never hurts to remind people that they are ordering through a secure server. It's also a good idea to reassure them you won't be selling their e-mail address and other information to anybody else.

Do you give people as many payment options as possible?

Good payment processing services offer all the normal electronic payment options - but it never hurts to give customers the option to place orders by phone, email, fax, and snail-mail. Money orders and personal checks spend just as well as e-payments.

If you offer downloadable products, use a payment processor that supports different currencies, so that people world-wide can buy from you.

The path from the home page to the order confirmation page should also be easy to follow and as hassle-free as possible.

Does your website look professional?

Poor spelling, broken links, jagged-edge graphics, confusing navigation, poor or non-existent templates and large images that don't relate to your theme can all make your website seem un-professional - and won't inspire trust.

Provide the professional features that visitors expect. A good template, professional-looking graphics, a good site-search, a website map, easy to find privacy policy, shipping policy and contact info, etc.

Do you make sure that visitors see your products/services before they get your freebie?

If you use a freebie offer to lure people to your website you need to place it below your ad copy - or better yet, on another webpage and/or only after they sign up for your newsletter. If you give away your freebie too easily they may never see what you're selling.

Do you attract the right target audience for your product or service?

All traffic is not created equal: Don't try to sell artwork with ads or links that target new moms, unless it's artwork for a nursery.

You could do a survey of your existing customers to find out what attracted them to your website in the first place and use that information to improve the advertising for your target audience.

Can you improve your advertising strategy?

Different landing pages for different ads and/or ad placements will show you where the traffic is coming from. That will show you which ads and placements convert best, and more importantly - which ones don't. Adjust your advertising strategy accordingly and your conversion rate will go up.

For affiliates - remember that text links integrated into articles, reviews and product descriptions generate more clicks than banners. It's a fact that many advertisers just don't get. But if you watch your traffic stats for a while, you'll notice that the text links get ten times as many clicks as the same advertiser's banner ads.

Does your website create the urgency to Buy Now.

Encourage impulse buying with a limited-time discount, a freebie-with-order or just tell them that the normal price may go up at any time. (Don't forget to hammer on the money-back guarantee)

Without the sense of urgency, people may be interested, but they will put off buying until something else captures their interest and they forget.

Can You Start Today?

Take a good hard look at your website, and if possible get a neighbor or a stranger to look it over while you watch... It's important to get an un-biased opinion!

Your friends and relatives have reason to overlook poor ad copy and other things that don't help make sales. They don't want to hurt your feelings and they don't realize that they really aren't helping.

When someone visits your website:
Do they have any trouble navigating?
Do they think it looks professional?
Do they understand all the important points?
Is the order process easy and quick?

Try this, try that, try the other thing... and watch your numbers. Keep what works for you and your target audience and toss out the rest.

To Your Success!
Tim

By Tim Brown © 2006. About the author: Tim is the webmaster at http://BLT-Web.com, where webmasters can find free tools, advice, tips and other useful resources designed to help them build a successful website.

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