Victory is keeping customers on your website (Source: https://unsplash.com/photos/7okkFhxrxNw)
A website is one of the best sales tools any business could have, but it’s not enough just to get people to your site. As much as you wish that all of the time spent on off-page SEO and advertising would guarantee sales for your business, it doesn’t quite work that way.
The thing is, websites are often selling to cold traffic – and that daunting task requires that you make the ultimate first impression, purely because the internet is full of competitors. Basically, if you want to turn more visitors into customers, you’ve got to nail it.
With that in mind, here are 5 website hacks to help you get more customers:
Nail your on-page SEO
Before you can turn a prospect into a customer, you need to actually get them onto your site – and that’s where an SEO (search engine optimisation) strategy can help. In case you’re totally new to this concept, the main thing to know is that the keywords your prospect is searching for need to line up with the words on your website.
By choosing the right keywords, you can optimise your site for the customer journey at every stage – from problem-aware researchers to high-intent product-aware solution-hunters and everything in between. Short-tail keywords (more general terms) are great for catching people who are problem-aware, while long-tail keywords are more for people who are solution-aware with higher purchase intent.
Ideally, you should have a mixture of both, keeping in mind that the long-tail keywords are more likely to lead to sales.
Think about what people want to see
The most important thing to remember about websites is that they exist to serve a need. The entire purpose of the internet is to deliver the answers people are looking for, whether those answers come in the form of a product, a service, a web page, or a social networking site.
That’s why it’s so important to work out what your ideal customer actually wants to see from you. Do they want advice? A service that will help them achieve a result? Or a product they can use to do it themselves?
Ideally, you’ll give them all of those things, and if you can capitalise on the credibility of guest expert blogs and the allure of free downloadable content in the process, all the better for your business!
Write great copy
Paula from Pixelstorm says “It’s easy to get caught up in the idea of having a great website design – and that is important – but it’s nothing without effective copy.”
The right words can talk people into buying your products, booking your consulting sessions, and generally giving you money – and do it in a way that makes them feel like it was their idea.
The best part is that you don’t have to make it all up as you go. There are plenty of brilliant copywriting formulae that have made business owners everywhere very wealthy, and there’s no reason why you can’t use the very same ones in your own way.
If you’re feeling really unsure about it, though, consider hiring a professional copywriter or copywriting agency. The return on your investment will make it all worthwhile!
Every great customer relationship starts with a plan; Source: https://unsplash.com/photos/FHnnjk1Yj7Y
Don’t underestimate calls to action
Remember the point about showing people what they want to see?
Well, once you’ve shown them, it’s time to sell them on your products and services – and there’s no sale without a click-worthy call to action.
It’s an important principle in online marketing and business in general: if you don’t ask for what you want, you probably won’t get it, so don’t be afraid to be direct. Short, snappy phrases like “buy now”, “get it now”, and “sign me up” might sound impolite, but your readers are expecting them and will be less likely to take action without them, so snap away!
Create a great user experience
In the digital world, user experience is everything – and with the amount of competition online, your visitors are expecting nothing short of greatness.
Fortunately, once you have a copy and a design you’re happy with, streamlining the experience online comes down to a handful of checkboxes.
If you want to maintain a positive relationship with Google and with your visitors, first make sure that your loading time is under two seconds. Then, have new users test your navigation for intuitiveness and working links. Finally, perform a few basic accessibility checks, add a sitemap for good measure, and prepare to welcome more people to your online home.
Landing more customers through your website is the ultimate victory, and a website that works hard on your behalf to make it happen is a beautiful thing. If you manage to nail each of these five components, you’ll stand a much better chance at making money, and with any luck, your visitors will never want to leave.