Having a website for your business is a bit like having a shopfront. But imagine someone walking into your shop and not finding anyone to talk to! That’s exactly what some websites are like. They exist online, but they don’t actively bring in sales. Your website must be a selling powerhouse if you want to compete in today’s online market. Here are seven simple ways you can leverage more leads & sales from your website.
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Talk to your customers: The importance of website content
Does a picture really paint 1000 words? Perhaps. But to sell a vision you must attach a personality to it. That’s what website content is all about. Home page & About Us content is a way of identifying with your customers and connecting with them. If customers are landing on your site and all you have is a series of images with power phrases, you’re missing out on a huge market.
Users who prefer relative information are likely to leave your website within a few seconds of landing there. Keep them on your site for longer with a great looking website and a simple introduction on what you do and how it can bring value to their lives. Convince each user that your site is the one they’ve been searching for all along.
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Answer questions with authority: The need for blogs
Regular blogging is today’s most effective way of actively advertising. The basic rules for blogging are simple to follow:
- Provide relevance & value to your readers
- Post a new blog regularly
- Be consistent by posting at the same time every day/week
- Post blogs of about 750 words or longer
- Use catchy topics to draw more readers
Your blogs have the potential to help your website rank higher on search engines like Google and Bing. Below we discuss more ways to optimize your blogs. Suffice to say that regular blogging provides you the opportunities you need to dynamically draw in customers.
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Elaborate on your expertise: Anchor text
When you use content to market your company, you are providing industry information that establishes you as an authority. People don’t know it yet, but you are trying to add value to their lives with your product or service. Unless this is your primary goal you won’t succeed!
Long articles on your website give you multiple opportunities to link to information that supports what you’re saying. An effective way to help your website draw interest is by adding these links to search terms that are relevant in your industry. These links are often referred to as anchor text. Here’s an example:
“Most flower shops in Chicago will also add optional extras such as cards, soft toys and…” See what we did there? Not only does that link lead to a flower shop in Chicago, but it also says, “…flower shops in Chicago”. This is an effective way to boost your ranking while providing relevant information for your audience.
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Share valuable knowledge beyond your customer base: Guest posting
Guest posting is arguably the most important factor in determining your rank on Google and other search engines. These search engines want to see that you are actively sharing your expertise outside of your regular customer base. After all, how else will you grow your audience?
Guest posting also gives you the opportunity to link between authoritative websites and your own website. Google will notice this quickly and up your rank in no time.
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Hire credible experts to sell for you: Beware of dubious AdWords managers
There are two types of AdWords managers; those who optimize your campaigns, and those simply manage them. Opt for the first one and you will receive regular analyses of your campaigns. Opt for the second one and you’ll pay a company for doing little more than loading your campaigns and funding them.
There are important sales factors that too many AdWords managers ignore. These include:
- Your bounce rate (how many times people click on your ad only to realize it wasn’t what they were looking for)
- Your ROI (how many leads you are getting in relation to your AdWords budget)
- Your click-through rate (how many people click on your call to action)
- Your other advertising methods (Some AdWords managers will go one step further and show you statistics on which of your advertising methods are working the best)
- A/B testing (A good AdWords manager will always seek to improve your website’s landing page in order to get more leads)
Online marketing is all about relevance. Find an AdWords manager that understands how these factors work. If yours doesn’t, find someone who does.
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Word of mouth: Establishing a social media presence
It’s not as hard as you think to create a business Facebook page for your company. In fact it’s essential if you want to encourage positive word of mouth! Social media pages are also your best opportunity to share the blogs you’ve worked so hard to generate.
If you’ve made changes to your website, let your social media audience know about it. If you’ve added a new blog, share it. Did you recently get a good review from a client? Let others know! People want value when they log on to their favorite social media platform. Give it to them by answering relevant questions, posting interesting news events on your industry and reminding them of your service.
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Build your reputation: Getting positive online reviews & testimonials
Reviews can make or break your online reputation. By giving clients good service and adding value to each transaction you will slowly build your reputation. People will notice this reputation by seeing positive testimonials on your website. They may also read about your company on other review sites or affiliate hubs. Every time your customers are happy with a transaction, ask them to put it into writing and use these testimonials to embellish your reputation online.
Your website has the potential to bring in sales. By ranking high and spending one hour a day on your website you can incrementally reach massive success. It’s not an instant process, but it’s an effective one—so start right now!
