The goal in having a web site built is to attract more customers to your business. Web Sites are a relatively inexpensive way to market your business. The audience is global and so the potential to attract new customers is definitely there. So why is it that once you have your site up and running, your business does not show any gain?
In answering that question, I want you to think about your web site. Give special attention to the site structure and navigation. More than likely, there is a Home Page, an About Us, Services, and Contact Us form. Maybe a few other pages that focus on your company. The site really looks good and represents your company well, doesn’t it.
Now step outside the box. If you were a visitor to your site, what would call you to action? What would hold your interest and cause you to view more pages on the site so as to determine if your company can meet the particular need. Hopefully, this isn’t the case with your web site, but in many cases, the answer is nothing. With many web sites, there is nothing that will instill the confidence in the visitor that the company represented by the web site can handle his or her need.
A web site is a visual representation of your company to a global audience of potential customers. In order to increase your conversion rate, you need to instill confidence in the visitor.
The best place to start instilling that confidence is on the home page. In most cases, that is the first impression that a site visitor will see. In countless SEO projects, I have seen the bounce rate from the home page at 70% and even higher. If your home page is not engaging your site visitors, you need to restructure the page.
A method that I have found to be extremely effective is to show the knowledge of the particular company on the home page. A good example is my own home page. If you visit www.premierewebdesign.net, on the right sidebar, I have feeds from other articles in the site. When someone visits the site, they see the articles and realize that I have a degree of knowledge in the field in which I am writing.
Also, in that model, I am giving something away. I want all of my client’s web sites to do well. So, I am supplying free information that will help give them an edge over their competition. However, the information is there for anyone, whether they are one of my clients or not. So, in essence there is no obligation in order to use the information. People love to get something free. Give it to them! It is good business practice to provide something free for potential customers.
Make sure your site’s navigation is clear
Nothing will turn a visitor away from your web site any faster than having difficulty in navigating the site. I can’t put enough emphasis on this point. Make sure that your navigation is clear and easy to navigate. Most likely, you already know that you are much better off using textual links in your menu rather than images from a SEO perspective. While that is true, make sure that your anchor text is meaningful for a site visitor and that you are not just using a keyword in the hopes of gaining some benefit in the search engines.
Call to action
Don’t say “Contact us”. Be more aggressive in your call to action. Make it instill in your site visitor a sense of urgency. What you want is for the visitor to feel the need to contact you without looking at another site.
Let your visitor know that you have an answer for their need and that they need to contact you immediately so that you can begin tackling that need. The link for my contact form says “Contact Us Now!” That is a call for immediate action. That is the type call that is going to produce the absolute best results.
Let the fire burn
I am willing to bet that when you started your business you done so with a sense of elation and thoughts of how you would tackle the world in your particular niche. That same fire that burned within you at that time needs to be in you now.
Owning a web site is not the end of your marketing woes. Neither is it the end of your marketing work. If anything, it is a starting point for the work.
Now, it is up to you to get your brand out there. Do not wait on someone to visit your site and simply hope that they will take the time to fill out your contact form.
Aggressively pursue avenues where you can promote your business by using your web site as a tool to do so. Join the social networking sites. But do so with the purpose of establishing your business in the network.
Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, StumbleUpon-These are all tools for you to use to promote your site. Use those tools! Get your business recognized and you will see an increase in your business.
Marketing your web site is a job in itself. It is not going to happen overnight. But by following these steps and the other articles that I have at www.premierewebdesign.net/marketing-tips you can create an effective marketing campaign for your web site.
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