As the owner of a website design business, I have to admit that I've seen it all when it comes to websites. Some clients come to me with fancy, expensive sites, packed with lots of Flash animation and high-end gadgets. The sites look great, but sales are virtually non-existent. While others have homemade sites they either created themselves or with the help of a friend or relative (or the high school kid down the street). These sites usually give a very unprofessional image and don't perform. And more than a few don't even have a website (and that's the kiss of death in today's wired world). Well, no matter where you are in the process of getting on the web, this course will help you create a better, more successful website. Since most of my clients tend to be businesses, we're going to focus on creating commercial websites that increase sales and generate more leads. However, even if you have an informational website, you'll pick up a few tricks from this e-course to help you attract and retain more visitors. We'll even talk about how your website can open up additional revenue streams for you or your business. So let's get started... First, I want to share the two most important ingredients that every commercial website needs... Traffic and conversion. Here are the short and sweet definitions: Traffic is simply the people who visit your website, preferably people who want what your business produces or sells. And conversion means getting those people to perform a desired action while they are visiting your site. That action might be buying your product directly from your website using online ordering or phone, or it could be contacting you by email, phone, or online form for more information (in other words, a lead). If your site has both traffic and conversion, then it's doing its job and becomes an important asset to your business. But, if either one of these ingredients is missing, then your website (and business) is in trouble. Let's take a closer look at traffic. Quality traffic (also known as "targeted traffic") means visitors who want what your business has to offer. If you have no traffic coming to your website (a problem for MANY businesses), then nothing happens. Having no traffic is as bad as not having a website at all. Likewise, if the people visiting your site don't really want what you offer, then nothing happens. For example, say you own a plant nursery. But the people who visit your site are looking for furniture for a BABY nursery. You certainly won't sell many tree seedlings, tomato plants, or gardening supplies to new parents who are shopping for a crib. We'll get more into how to find and attract visitors to your website in Lesson 4 of this course. So keep checking your email! And conversion is just as important as traffic. That said; most people's websites are absolutely horrible at conversion. The first step is getting people to stay on your website long enough to take the action you want them to take. That's tougher than it sounds. For most websites, the average visit lasts less than 30 seconds before the visitor clicks away. A website that converts well will first capture a visitor's attention through a combination of effective design (which includes photos, graphics, and layout) with relevant copy (the text). Once your website has a visitor's attention, the copy and design should work together to persuade a qualified visitor to take the action you desire. Conversion is an interesting combination of art and science. And what's really interesting is the fact that even small improvements in conversion can mean a huge increase in sales and profits. Increasing your site's conversion rate from 1% to 2% means DOUBLING your results. That's twice as many sales or leads! |
But don't worry if conversion rates don't mean much to you now. We'll cover conversion in more detail in our next installment. |
