Why your Website could be destroying your Business

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Lesley Kennedy
8 years ago
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1 stuckdesign Spring 2015 Why your Website could be destroying your Business Plus the most effective way to immediately double your online conversions In this report you'll discover: A very expensive mistake you re making on your homepage Why your website is almost certainly ineffective when it comes to making you money online. Why Search Engine Optimisation () is not always a sensible choice Why a well designed website isn't enough to make you money online. Why up to 99% of the people visiting your website are leaving without doing business with you. The three huge mistakes you might be making with your website that can DESTROY your online profits. The 10 essential strategies that must be in place for you to be successful online.

Why Search Engine Optimisation () is not always a sensible choice Why a well designed website isn't enough to make you money online.

2 The three Big Website Mistakes In order to benefit from the Internet and to make the most of your existing web assets such as your website and social network presence you should stop making the same three mistakes that many businesses are blindly doing. People believe their website is their 1 Internet Marketing campaign Don t confuse the process of Internet Marketing with your website design. The two are very different and require separate strategies to work effectively together. Whilst your website is important and conveys your business potential and demonstrates your professional image, it is not the sole required component that many believe it to be and is only one part of the equation. It is possible to generate many more leads through the Internet and your online presence outside of users simply hitting your homepage and browsing through your site. It is worth considering your website as a online business card with an explanatory brochure. Both aspects are important and an essential requirement for any business. However this is where many businesses stop and then consider the web marketing project complete. The reality is that this stage is just the beginning and it is what happens from here that determines the future success of the site. The business owners that park up their new glossy site and let it idle away day by day, month by month will wonder why their sites are not delivering results. Unfortunately for many businesses this pattern will repeat itself in an endless cycle. Every two to four years later they upgrade or redesign their sites with the latest features hoping this time for better results only to find the same happens again, and the site sits dormant. Many web design companies will sell the latest features in the belief this is what the customer needs. Instead the customer should invest the budget in implementing an on-going web marketing strategy. 2

The two are very different and require separate strategies to work effectively together.

3 2 Stop trying to get free customers vs Google AdWords PAY PlAY Google AdWords Google AdWords The perception of websites opening the floodgates to a non-stop source of new customers that you effectively gain for free is outdated and reserved solely for big brand organisations. Search Engine Optimisation () is often considered as the Golden Grail of free traffic, but there are some important factors that have made this in many cases a non-viable route forward and the term free traffic is far from the truth. is unpredictable. No single company can promise or deliver guaranteed results. Your rank on Google s search pages is determined at Google s sole discretion. Therefore every search engine optimisation company is playing a game of catch up and when Google changes their rules there is a dramatic shake up in search results leading to a lottery as to how well you fare or how badly you suffer. As is time consuming and a lengthy process, it is therefore a recurring and costly affair with no guarantee of results. The caveat to the above statements are if you already have a search engine presence worth maintaining or improving, or if you have such a niche/locality based key phrases that natural search rankings can be achieved. In most cases these rankings can be attained or improved without the need of on going campaigns. In order to gain customers you need to become an Internet marketer and investor in Internet marketing. There are two key criteria that dictate your online business growth. These are: Scalability Are you able to easily scale your business offering (service or product) inline with demand? Predictability Can you predict with certainty what investment is required to gain x many enquiries? If you can, you have a formula that you can use to calculate exact profit and the investment needed to generate this profit. Using paid Internet marketing strategies allows you to put mechanisms in place to achieve this. The key difference between businesses who are successful online and those who are not happens when that business becomes active in internet marketing and invests in the process of buying customers. 3

Search Engine Optimisation () is often considered as the Golden Grail of free traffic, but there are some important factors that have made this in many cases a non-viable route forward and the term

4 Don t rely on just having 3 a good design 99% 50% of people visiting your website are most likely to leave without of visitors to your site will leave in doing business with you 8 seconds Good design is now expected. A well designed and attractive website is no longer a stand out feature. It is the norm and an expected attribute for your site. Ten years ago it was possible to stand out and demonstrate superiority by visually communicating your prowess and standing aside from your competitors who were struggling with visually poorer offerings. The important thing to realise now is that even if you have a great looking site, it is not enough. 99% of the people visiting your website are most likely leaving without doing business with you. Even with beautiful design, over 50% visitors to your site will leave in 8 seconds. In many cases this percentage is higher. The remaining 50% will click through a few pages, and 99% of these will leave the site without taking any further action. How can you combat this and do you have these items on your website? 1. Set up Data Capture and Lead Generation Use a method of data capture to start the ball rolling in forming a relationship with the user. It is highly unlikely that a first time visitor will purchase from you after one point of contact. However if you can incentivise them to leave you their address and telephone number you can then build upon this to build the relationship. There are many things you can offer in exchange for their contact details including a report (just like this one), an exclusive offer, information they cannot find elsewhere, a video, or discount card. People turn to the Internet for information, and by providing this information it immediately puts you at an advantage over competitors who are less active. Action: Add a lead generation form on your website (ideally your homepage) and offer something of value to your users in return for their contact details. 4

Ten years ago it was possible to stand out and demonstrate superiority by visually communicating your prowess and standing aside from your competitors who were struggling with visually poorer

5 2. Use a bold and clear headline Many websites make a very costly mistake on their homepage and throughout their entire website. Each page on the site should contain a bold and clear headline that sparks the interest of the viewer. Examples of these that work well are: Get [desired result] in [desirable time period] e.g. How To Become Debt Free in 90 Days or Less [Provide social proof] [Ask a compelling question] e.g. Millions of Dollars Refinanced: Can you afford to ignore changes in mortgage rates? [Threat] + [Promise of a solution] e.g. Sidestep A Leaky Basement In 5 Easy Steps [undesired result] + [mysterious solution] e.g. How To Avoid Public Embarrassment: A Professional Speakers Secret Revealed Action: Try rewriting the headline on your homepage and other pages to something more compelling to prevent users clicking back and leaving your site after 8 seconds. The next step is to link your data capture with your headline to generate leads. It must be fundamentally clear what the purpose of each page is on your website and what action you would like the user to take when they arrive on that page. 3. Clarity of Purpose It must be fundamentally clear what the purpose of each page is on your website and what action you would like the user to take when they arrive on that page. Do not distract the user with too many choices. Key factors to improve your sites visual communication and improve conversion: 1 Keep Line length between 45 and 65 characters (meaning if your page is wide, use columns) 2 If you use an image in your header, make it either top-right (with a caption) or above the headline. All images should have captions (they get higher readership than anything but the headline). Images of faces looking out of the page get more attention than anything else (particularly women's faces) 3 Black or dark-grey text on white, light grey or ivory (ivory works best for older audiences) 4 Call to action generally works well in the bottom right corner 5 Avoid background images behind text 6 Avoid blocks of all-caps (even in headlines) 7 Avoid too much bright red anywhere - red draws the eyes because it's hard wired deep in the reptilian part of the brain 5

g. Millions of Dollars Refinanced: Can you afford to ignore changes in mortgage rates? [Threat] + [Promise of a solution] e.g. Sidestep A Leaky Basement In 5 Easy Steps [undesired result] + [mysterious solution] e.

6 Rate your Online Marketing How many of the channels below are you using to market your products and services? 1. Google Adwords 2. Other PPC: Facebook, Linkedin, Display Advertising 3. Re-Marketing 4. Offline Marketing: Newspaper and Magazine Advertising, Direct Mail, PR, Referrals 5. Marketing Social Media Marketing 8. Use lead generation and data capture 9. Use Video 10. Secrets of Conversions 4 quick tips: Make an Irresistible offer, Ease of process, Social Proof that it works for others, Video SO... How did you score? Request a free consultation now to discuss a bespoke implementation of the most suitable of the above methods to gain new customers for your business info@unstuckdesign.com 6

Use Video 10. Secrets of Conversions 4 quick tips: Make an Irresistible offer, Ease of process, Social Proof that it works for others, Video SO... How did you score?

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