Having a tracking and reporting tool installed to your website is a very important factor for conversion based websites and your SEO strategy. Make sure you have a tracking code on your site to track visitors and their behavior on your site. For example the bounce rate tells you how many people are coming to your website and leaving within 5 seconds this way you are able to identify which web pages are turning away the most visitors and which are making most conversions.

With today’s internet marketing technology you can run tests on different pages of your website and let your visitors decide the best version of that page. A – B testing serves the user 2 different versions of a particular page on a random basis. This way instead of just going with a gut feeling you will actually have the statistics from your users to prove usability.

The first step is to think of 2 variations of your page. The current one as the first and the second you can make a few small changes to the page. Maybe try changing photos or making links into buttons using large calls to action. Using tools like the Google website optimizer you can test your changes by randomly showing different visitors different versions of your site. These tools will then report back to you about the conversions and goals reached by each design. From these reports you can decide which design had the most valuable conversions dependant on the goals you set for your pages. These can be sales, links clicked, forms filled, etc.

Many think that there might be too many aspects of the website to change so why test at all? This is true there are many different components to each and every website but you can just start with your current most prevalent call to action on your page. Try changing simple links to buttons with calls to action. Try cleaning up the page to not be text heavy and insert some great images relevant to your business.
• Have a friend take a look! If you have a friend that doesn’t know your business very well have them take a look at your website. Give them 10 seconds to look and then ask them what you think the site is about?

• Give, Give, Give! Tell the user why they should stay on your website. Tell them the benefits of being your website: to look younger, to be healthier, to save money.

• Make your website relevant! Make sure that all of your client see your website as relevant starting with the content and pictures on the site! Make them personal and relevant to your website and your brand.

• Users love to shop and that is why they are on your website don’t make them search. Make it easy for the user to find what they want and make it even easier for the to convert. If you are basing your conversions on sales make the “buy Now” prominent if your conversations are tracked by sign ups make sure to have a quick and easy form on every page!

We have talked a lot about conversion optimization and improving ROI for your marketing investments.  This of course has never been more important.  Most companies (though everyone is negotiating the waters of the rough economy) still undertsand they need to find cost effective and creative ways to market their products and services to their target audiences.  Understanding that marketing is essential is just the first step…spending your budget wisely is a whole new ball game.

There is no point is spending a a bunch of time and money building a fancy website if it is not optimized for the search engines.  Additionally, there is no point is spending time and resources driving traffic to a website or web page that is not set up to convert traffic into business.  A good Internet marketing company will help a client define their business goals (from an online prespective) and work backwards from there.  Defining these goals first is essential so that your website can be designed to reflect the conversion fatcors that will support these goals.

Remember that your website, and pages within your website should be designed to support all outside marketing efforts including online marketing like organic search engine optimization and pay per click advertising, as well as offline marketing like print ad or direct mail.  Let’s assume a website itself is set up well for basic conversions and has the proper calls to action necessary to take people through the sales cycle.  Even if this is the case, it does not mean that your PPC ads or print ads should be directing visitors to the home page of your site.  This is where landing pages come into play. 

A good landing page strategy has multiple advantages:

• Helps you focus on the ad campaign rather than redeveloping the actual website
• Gives you the opportunity to test multiple landing pages for optimial conversions
• Gives you the ability to constantly change just one page based on goals and conversions
• Can increase conversion by up to 40%
• Helps you focus on a specific message and call to action
• Can be used to capture business leads without any extra steps

What are the main components for landing pages:

• Clean, simple, but compelling design
• Very specific call to action (i.e. 7 day FREE Trial – REGISTER NOW) – in more than one place
• Simple content (short paragraphs or bullet points are best)
• The use of a Multi Step Process Guide (i.e. 3 Step Process)
• A registration form is necessary
• Trust Factors (i.e. certifications, testimonials, etc.)
• The use of the same keywords used in your advertisements

Here is an example of a landing page we designed for a client running a PPC campaign for their new Loft condos in San Francisco, CA.  Notice the simpe design, bullet pointed info, clear call to action, and short registration form on the right side of the page: 

The goal for this client is of course to capture registrations from interested potential buyers for their property.  This helps them build a database and get their sales teams involved in building relationships directly with the customer.

So remember, when launching new marketing efforts, even if you have just redesigned your website, consider using landing pages to support the campaign.  It will help you target the customer better and improve ROI.

Conversion optimization:  The process of manipulating a web page to improve the visitor’s perception of the page and increase the conversion rate.  A “landing page” is generally referred to when speaking about the page a visitor is directed to when clicking on an advertisement, email marketing piece, or search engine result link.  The page should be a logical extension of the ad, support the “promises” made in the ad with more detail, and have clear and simple calls to action.

Three types of LPO:

• Associative content targeting:  the page content is dynamically modified for each user based on parameters such as search criteria and geographical location.
• Predictive content targeting:  the page content adjusts based on any “known” information about the user such as demographics, browsing patterns, and possibly purchasing behavior.
• Consumer directed targeting (social targeting):  page content is created using public information through metrics based on reviews, ratings, referrals, tagging, etc.

(Wikipedia)

Below is an example of a nicely laid out landing page with a very clear call to action.  Notice how the layout gives the visitor a very simple multi-step process, additional content about the page and offering, a short registration form, and the appropriate “trust” factors associated with the serrvice.  All of these elements exist to improve conversion rates.

All website design elements should define a specific conversion.  The client should be first asked to lay out their business goals and goals associated with their online presense and Internet marketing plan.  If you haven’t defined the conversion factor you can not take the necessary steps to design the site appropriately.  The website and its landing pages are probably the most crucial element and the key foundation to the online marketing strategy.  There is no point in building a fancy site that noone will see.  More importantly there is no point in spending time and resources to drive traffic to a site that is no set up to convert visitors into customers.  Until “traffic” is converted, it should always be considered a cost, not an asset.

We can all work very hard to drive as much traffic as we can get; but in the long run is it really helping our businesses grow?  It certainly can!  Earning the trust of the visitors your bing to your site applies for all kinds of websites whether they are e-commerce related, B2B, or just information resources.  Getting people to your site can be hard enough and take a lot of strategy, planning, and budget…why waste all that time and money by not earning their trust when they get there.  This is why using a knowledgable Internet marketing company can help you properly position your site for rankings as well as conversions.

Let’s assume your site is B2B related and your campany is interested in not only driving more targetd traffic but also converting that traffic into potential customers.  We have talked before about conversion optimization and the science behind it, but let’s focus first on making the visitor feel comfortable.  (Please keep in mind that some of the suggestions listed here are not yet used on this site.  We are launching a new site that will include everything – so stay tuned!)

How do you earn the trust of that potential customer?

• You want to first make them feel comfortable and engage them enough to dig deeper.  Your home page or landing pages should be interesting and offer specific information on your products or services.  Having a professional and clean look to your site will let the visitor know that you might be a reputable company and encourage them to keep looking.
• Use testimonials from former or current clients that have used some or all of your services.  You don’t want to use testimonials that are too long so have the customer just highlight the reason they chose your company, what you did for them, and why they are so pleased.
• It is usually best for conversions to keep things simple and focused.  Each visitor will go through a sales process while navigating your site.  You want to keep them engaged and let them know you are a trustworthy source.  Consumers are more savvy these days so be transparent in your “pitch”.  If they want to go elsewhere to find the real scoop, they can and will.  If they decide that they are not yet convinced during their time on your site, they might leave and never come back.
• Any types of relevant associations or credible groups your company is involved with should be displayed on the site…possible in the footer.
• Use video content and clean images of your people, products, and services.  If you have an event, consider taking video and posting the video on your site.  Consumers want to know who they are dealing with which is why photos of management teams are good too (again, I know we do not have this up yet but we will!).
• Having a clearly accessible privacy policy and safety measures are especially good for e-commerce sites.
• If your company is partnered with other recognizable firms, consider posting their logos and business descriptions on your site.  The same should be done for your clients, especially if you have some big brand names under your belt.

We did not really get into actual conversions this time but it has been discussed before.  Earning the trust of the visitor is really one of the main underlying factors in generating conversions through your website.  Your company’s website should act as a sales and marketing tool all by itself…so set it up accordingly!

Conversions

Conversion optimization is basically a methodology and series of specific practices designed to create more customers using your various marketing strategies.  Conversion optimization is not necessarily new, but it has definitely advanced in the world of Internet marketing.  Let me put that another way…advances in technology and Internet marketing have allowed conversion optimization to take on a whole new meaning.

Persuasion architecture in this context is essentially the science behind creating customer roadmaps and coordinating your marketing campaigns accordingly.  Before true conversion optimization can begin, a company must define its business and revenue goals so that it can specify what a “conversion” means to them.  A conversion can mean different things to different companies.  Often times one company could have many different “conversion” based goals depending on the marketing strategies and the sales cycle. 

The whole idea behind using true conversion optimization for Internet marketing is to allow all the pieces of the puzzle to come together to reach a common goal.  Or you could break it down it these simple terms:

• Why have a website if it does not properly communicate your message?
• How are you going to communicate that message unless you invest in building traffic to your site?
• Once you have the traffic, how are you using persuasion architecture and conversion optimization to turn the traffic into customers?

Conversion optimization should not just be considered for search engine optimization, website development, or when operating a pay per click campaign.  This concept applies across all marketing efforts.  One of the major ways companies large and small fall short when coordinating their efforts, is that they do not all support and compliment one another.  All offline and online marketing efforts must be coordinated.  For example, a print ad promoting a specific offer must guide the customer to a landing page that supports that offer and gives more details and calls to action.  A PPC ad should not click through to a home page but rather an optimized landing page engineered specifically to the keywords, titles, and descriptions used in the campaign.  The page should have information specific to the target audience and a call to action that will foster conversions.

As long as all the strategies compliment one another and have conversion optimization at the root of everything, you will be more likely to hit your goals.  One of the best ways to do this is use an Internet marketing company that can implement all the strategies for you.  When everything is coordinated through one source you are less likely to waste time and money!