| Your web site can be a powerful marketing tool for | | | | visitors than not knowing what to do next. Consider |
| your business, and sometimes it’s the simple, | | | | using links that give instructions like Learn More, |
| inexpensive improvements that make the biggest | | | | Sign Up Today, or Make a Purchase. Also |
| difference in your web site’s performance. | | | | be sure to tell your visitors how it benefits them to |
| Below are some low-cost and no-cost strategies that | | | | take action now, such as you can start saving |
| can help increase traffic to your web site, improve | | | | money today or sale ends September 30. |
| your conversion rates, and boost your bottom line. | | | | Optimize Your Web Site |
| Don’t you just love it when you can improve | | | | Of course, the single most important thing you can do |
| your web site AND stay within your budget? | | | | to improve your web site is to optimize it for the |
| R-E-S-P-E-C-T | | | | search engines. You may have the best web site ever |
| Aretha is right, of course. Your customers want to | | | | developed, but if customers cannot find it on the web, |
| know that they can trust you to not mis-use their | | | | then is it really doing you much good? Make sure you |
| personal information or share it with third parties, which | | | | research and carefully select the right keywords for |
| is why it is imperative to add a We Value Your | | | | your market, then optimize each web page for the |
| Privacy statement on your web site. Use this | | | | right keyword density and usage. Also be sure to test |
| simple, four-word sentence on all of your web forms | | | | and measure your site’s search engine positions |
| and on your Contact page to reassure visitors that | | | | at least monthly so you can make adjustments if |
| you won’t share, sell, or disclose their personal | | | | necessary. Remember, you are competing with millions |
| information or email address to anyone else. Make | | | | of other web sites out there, so optimizing your web |
| sure you link this sentence to your actual privacy policy | | | | site is not really a luxury anymore, it is a necessity. |
| and clearly state how you protect your | | | | Make a Big Announcement |
| customers’ privacy and keep their personal | | | | One of the best ways to bring traffic to your web site |
| information secure. | | | | is to send out a press release that links back to your |
| It’s All About the Customer | | | | site. Make sure your press release follows accepted |
| Take a look at the content of your web site’s | | | | journalistic conventions, then submit it using a wire |
| home page. Does it focus on how your company | | | | service and/or the web-based press release outlets. If |
| helps customers solve their problems? Or does it say | | | | your press release gets picked up, it could mean |
| Our company this, our company that
. | | | | multiple inbound links to your site, an increase in web |
| instead? Yes, customers want to know something | | | | site traffic, an article or mention in an industry |
| about your company, but what they really want to | | | | publication, or even a call from a reporter for an |
| know is how your company is going to improve their | | | | interview! Don’t forget to also submit to the |
| lives! Considering that you have about 7 seconds to | | | | major Blog outlets too, since these provide great PR |
| convince a web visitor that your site is worth their visit, | | | | and inbound links as well. |
| make sure that your home page focuses on them | | | | It’s the Little Things
|
| instead of you. | | | | By using any or all of these strategies, you can |
| You Gotta Ask | | | | improve your web site’s performance without |
| If you want a web site visitor to take some sort of | | | | spending a lot of marketing dollars. It’s often the |
| action on your web site (make a purchase, contact | | | | tweaking and improving that you do over time that |
| you, sign up for your newsletter, etc.), then you have to | | | | brings the best results, so don’t overlook simple |
| ask them to do it! Few things are more frustrating to | | | | improvements like the ones mentioned above. |