"Learn from other’s mistakes," my Mom always advised me. Learn from mine, save three precious marketing years, tons of frustration, energy, and come out way ahead of
game. Best of all, this will not create a loss of sales, as it did for me.1. If you use a shopping cart, check if zip code request appears before city and state on order form. Most carts don't do this. Why is this important? Because if ordering is not easy, I mean real easy, for your buyers, they drop out in process. Ordering should be as effortless as possible for purchaser.
If zip code is before city and state and is set to drop their city and state into next two fields automatically, it saves purchaser's time. Believe it or not, this one "little" item leaves a memory chip and they will remember experience in future. Did you know that 60% of buyers opt-out and don't complete transaction because of little things?
2. Do you have boxes or radial buttons that they need to check off in ordering process? If you do, then go ahead and fill-in checkmark "in" for them. Let them uncheck it if they do not want choice you gave them. Again, making it easier to buy from you and reduce chance of them leaving before completing transaction.
If you have a questionnaire or survey form, check all "yes" categories or one of radial buttons for them so they don't have to do work. They will remember experience as "easy" and it will be imprinted in their minds for next purchase or experience with you.
3. Many people forget to set up "error page" on their web site. Do not leave that to chance. Ask them questions on error page so that you will know what occurred. Example: "Tell me how you saw this page please." Add your e-mail address. Hyperlink address and spell out full address for those with different browsers. Make it easy for people to identify any errors on your web site so you can fix them quickly.
If you think that will never happen to you and that you have checked your links repeatedly, it can still happen. Software has glitches and they happen to be best of best. In addition, an error page is a great place to add other hyperlinked navigational bars (a list of main areas of your web site). Also, offer an opportunity for them to enroll in your ezine here as well.
4. Omit metaphors. Most adults do not have time or patience to play games on Internet. If your market is teens, this is a different story. Teenagers will enjoy entertainment.
If you offer an entertaining feature on your site, you will need to carryout theme throughout your site, otherwise they will leave as soon as it stops. This has occurred quite often lately as professionals add video to their site (considered entertainment) and then rest of site is flat. They get a lot of hits to video and then no response on call to action that they have set up.
5. Please do not activate "under construction" pages. Wait until page is ready and then upload it. If you are using FrontPage, you can remove it from Navigational system by right clicking on page and turning it off.
6. Don't beat around bush with your visitors. Make your message so clear that even a ten year old will understand it. Make language conversational -- easy English.
7. Make your "buy me" buttons "Amazon" blue. Backed by good research, Amazon has trained millions of their visitors in this color and in their design style. Use their success to your advantage. Visit http://www.amazon.com to see what "Amazon" blue looks like.
8. Do you offer a search form on your site? You need to. Once again -- making it easy for your visitors to find information they want quickly. Here is a tip that I learned only a few months ago that has paid big since. After all I have read and learned over past 10 years, nothing was every mentioned about this. When someone searches for something and it is not found, set up a default-selling page.
Here are a few ideas on how to use default page when their search comes up empty. Offer them a 10% coupon for something else, or for anything on your site. Tell them this is a one-time offer (they will not know otherwise). On other hand, you could provide a list of available discounts or offer them a choice of sections to proceed to. Do not let them get "Can't find a match" message at any time.
9. When collecting visitor information for your database, do it one step at a time. Do not try to do everything at once. If you offer an ezine, first step is to ask for their e- mail address only. After they type that in, take them to another page to answer questions.
Alternatively, you can send them an auto responder asking them questions. Better yet, send them to a survey page after they have subscribed to your newsletter. You will enjoy an increase in subscribers and survey submissions.
10. If you use drop down menus for your states or countries, remove them. "Techies" like drop down menus, but visitors don't. Let visitor type in their state and country. It is ten times faster and much easier than looking through a long list searching for a state and country. Even if United States is at top, it still makes buyer search.
11. The best way to give your visitors what they want is to keep it simple. This is especially true for landing page of your web site. The landing page is your main or index page.
What do you want your visitors to do when they reach your site? If they are there to subscribe to your ezine (electronic newsletter), send them to that page by giving them that immediate option. Then send them to a page that focuses them on subscribing. Give them all information they need to make a choice and to subscribe. If they are first-time visitors, where do they click first?
For example, if you are a coach, ask them if they want to know more about coaching. If you are a virtual assistant (VA), send them to a page or two about what a VA does and how you help your clients. After they get to next page, give them choice of different areas where you can help them as a virtual assistant or a coach.
Walk them through process in steps, "hold their hand" as you lead them through all things that you can do for them. Create a walk-through easy-to-follow effect. It will pay off in profits.
