Question:
Want to know how to increase the effectiveness of your website without spending a dime?
Answer:
Optimize your landing pages.
1. Continuity
If you are advertising a special offer, make sure that offer is also prominently displayed on the web landing page that is referenced. Make sure there is continuity of offer, design (colors, fonts, images) and copy on the landing page. Breaking the connection between the ad and the landing page could decrease response and sales.
2. Clarity
Guide your web visitor through the page. As author Steve Krug suggests, don't make your users think. If you want to compel web visitors to inquire, your landing page content should tease them into responding. Keep graphics and copy simple and clear.
If you are trying to incite a purchase from your landing page, include all the information and benefits necessary for the visitor to evaluate and purchase your product or service.
3. Credibility
If your company is not a well-known brand, include elements that will communicate credibility on your home page or web page. Credibility builders included: Customer testimonials, awards, security/privacy symbols, Better Business Bureau certification logo, well-known brands, guarantee, industry recognition, customer satisfaction scores, and high-quality graphics. Include some of these on your landing page to increase your web visitor's feeling of trust, thus reducing their risk in their mind in responding or buying.
4. Call-to-Action
Conversion is getting the most people to respond or buy relative to the visits (Conversion rate = # inquiries or sales divided by the # of web visits). In addition to the recommendations above, there are a few more tactics to consider. Want more inquiries or sales? Give something of value in exchange. Also known as a "call to action." For inquiries, try giving something for free. Free evaluation, free book, free report, free newsletter, etc. For sales, make sure your benefits outweigh the price to maximize perceived value. Exclusive or limited-time incentives will also increase conversion to sale. This is a great technique as long as it is profitable. Again a call to action is the combination of an offer and telling the visitor how to respond.
Deborah Kania is a direct marketing professional, author and college instructor. Deborah has served in executive marketing positions at Lens Express and Vitacost.com (INC 500 Hall of Fame and Top 500 Internet Retailer). Deborah has written Internet marketing and ecommerce books including: Internet World Guide to One-To-One Web Marketing (Wiley, translated to Japanese, Korean and Chinese), Web Catalog Cookbook (Wiley), Branding.com (McGraw-Hill), as well as numerous online marketing articles. Deborah received a Bachelor of Fine Arts from University of Massachusetts, and a Master of Business Administration from Virginia Tech. Deborah has also taught Direct Marketing at Florida Atlantic University (FAU). For more information and FREE marketing tools visit: http://www.responsology.com
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