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As web marketing and sales become the keystone of campaigns, resulting visitor numbers, enquiries and sales conversions take on greater significance.

Convert More Business Online

Online or offline promotional strategies all rely on you developing a persuasive business offer that moves people to action. As web marketing and sales becomes the keystone of campaigns resulting visitor numbers, enquiries and sales take on greater significance.
If conversion rates are disappointing you're missing out on lucrative business, do you know what is and isn't working on your site?

• You have 8 seconds
• Feature that benefit
• Images have Impact
• Close the sale or close the business.

That's why you need to concentrate on what is and what isn't working. There are plenty of web analytics tools that can help you figure out where your traffic is coming from, where you are losing your visitors and what is the most popular content.

It's All in the Technique

To improve upon the areas you find aren't working so well, some testing of a few effective techniques may be in order to fully optimize your pages for enquiry and sales conversions.

Before testing there are certain aspects of your web page design that will need some close scrutiny with an honest point-of-view.

You have 8 seconds.

Is the content appealing to the short attention spans of people browsing your site? Your competition is always just another click away, so you can't give potential customers a reason for leaving through lack of interest, usability or accessibility. They will find what they're looking for elsewhere.

Feature that benefit.

Do the people looking for information, products and services they can use, realise the benefits they're getting from your site? If you're looking for their business, a viewer has to be able to see quickly and clearly why they should be enquire or buy from you. Introduce features and reinforce them with persuasive benefits. Highlight these with headlines that make the reader sit up and take notice.

"50% Off! Make extra money! or Look better with our product!" may be quick attention grabbers but if you do get the attention of a serious buyer they'll want to know more, so linking your features to benefits gives them a more meaningful appeal.

Images have Impact

Are you using the detailed and the best quality product images where appropriate? Where people are buying product online, low quality images with little detail can put purchasers off. If you are using stock photos, make sure they are relevant to the subject material and not just an afterthought - otherwise your content credibility could nosedive. Graphic icons with blocks of text, technical illustrations and using prominent buttons instead of plain links will always add interest and appeal.

Close the sale or close the business.

Use calls to action on every page and make contacting you quick and easy. Longwinded enquiry forms are not necessary at the outset. More detailed information can be gathered as you build a relationship with the individual. The point is to find reliable customers who want to interact with you on a frequent basis. Make their visit as uncomplicated as possible with a straightforward route to adding items to checkout and easy to spot "buy it now" links.

Attract Interest

If you're serious about getting your website working for you and converting visitors into business, going through the content from the point-of-view of a customer is a worthwhile exercise. With the insight you gain, supported by good web analytics and the results from variant page testing, your web site will become more attractive to people with a desire for the products or services you provide.

Part 2 Web Optimization Testing Techniques