One of the common questions asked by web site owners is: "I’m getting plenty of hits but no sales – what is going on?" This article will give you some tips on how to address this issue.
Your Product
The first area to
review is the product or service that you are offering. Does a market exist for
it? To answer this question, you need to find out whether similar products are
being sold on the Internet successfully. If not, you may need to rethink your
Internet strategy. If others are selling a similar product successfully, then
this would tend to confirm that there is a market for your product.
Next, look at the
strategy and pricing being adopted by your competitors. How do you compare? Why
should your visitors buy from you rather than one of your competitors?
Answering these questions will provide you with valuable information you can
use to improve your situation and generate more sales.
Also, take a
critical look at your product quality. Does it live up to the claims you are
making on your web pages? If not, improve your product so that it does or
modify your web page to be more truthful about it.
Provide Solutions
Your visitors are
looking for a solution to a problem. Do you know what problems your visitors
are looking for solutions to? Does your web site show how your product will
solve your visitor’s problem? You will need to put yourself into your visitor’s
shoes to better understand what they are seeking so that you can provide the
solution they need.
One way to better
understand your visitors is to monitor where your visitors are coming from. If
they are coming from the search engines, knowing what search terms they are
using can provide some clues. You may find some surprises when you review this
information about your site.
Once you understand
the problem your visitors want solved, revise your web pages to show that your
product will provide the solution they need.
Site Design
Your site needs to
look like it is a commercial web site rather than an amateur home page. The
design needs to be consistent from page to page and it needs to be easy to
navigate. Contact details including physical address, phone numbers and email
address need to be shown.
Graphics need to be
minimized to ensure that your page downloads quickly. Also, ensure that your
web host provides a fast connection to the Internet. Most people will not wait
for a page that takes a long time to download. They will just move on to your
competitor.
Make it easy to
order. I recall seeing statistics recently that suggested that a large number
of people abandon a web site in the middle of the order process. A common
reason for this is that the order process is too time consuming and
complicated. Make yours simple and quick and you will lose fewer sales.
Ensure that your
web page has a strong headline that grabs your visitors and makes them want to
read more. Your headline should in effect say "You have this problem, here
is the solution". Your web site should then demonstrate that you
understand the problem and that you can in fact provide the solution.
Testimonials and Guarantees
Testimonials and
guarantees can have a huge impact on your level of sales. On the web, a key
priority is to build credibility. The common methods used are having a privacy
statement, publishing a newsletter, publishing testimonials from satisfied
customers and providing a strong guarantee.
Take every
opportunity to gather comments from your customers about how your product has
helped them. Get their permission to publish these comments as testimonials. If
need be, provide them with a gift for giving you their permission to publish
their comments. A way of getting comments is a customer feedback survey. This
can be used for the purpose of gaining testimonials as well as seeking ways to
improve your product or develop additional products your customers may need.
A strong guarantee
will provide your visitor with greater confidence to purchase your product. Try
to make your guarantee simple and without too many conditions. Always honour
your guarantee without question or delay.
Conclusion
Getting plenty of
hits to your web site is a very positive situation to be in. By implementing
some of the hints provided in this article, you can convert these visitors into
being your customers.
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