10 Ways to Increase Online Sales
This blog post marks the first in a series that will show you how to increase your online sales by converting website traffic.
It seems everyone is talking about search engine optimization these days. At least in a lot of Internet marketing circles. It's SEO this and SEO that. Everyone is obsessed with search engine rankings and visibility.
I get it. These things are important, and I've been known to check my own Google rankings from time to time. Okay, maybe once a week. But I also realize the importance of website conversions (lead and sales generation). This is something a lot of business website owners tend to neglect. They have plenty of traffic, but they are not generating online sales from their traffic -- at least not like they could be.
So in this article, I'll explain the importance of traffic conversion and show you to ten ways to increase your online sales for greater success.
Let's start with a definition, just so we are on the same page...
Within the context of online marketing, a website conversion takes place when somebody goes from being a casual website visitor to something else. For example, if somebody visits your website and eventually purchases a product or service, a website conversion has occurred. The person has "converted" from a casual website visitor to a customer. You have generated an online sale from one of your visitors.
There are many kinds of conversions, and they differ from one website to another. It all depends on what you want people to do when they reach your site. If somebody contacts you about your products or services, another type of conversion has taken place (from casual visitor to inquiry). If a person signs up for your newsletter, yet another type of conversion has taken place (from website visitor to subscriber).
Donations, sign-ups, clicks, purchases, downloads -- these are all forms of website conversion. In each of these actions, the visitor has become something more than "just a visitor."
And that brings me to another point...
Website traffic is not the ultimate goal of an Internet marketing program. Many people obsess over their traffic levels to the point of neglecting other things (like website conversions). So let me say it once more. Traffic is not your ultimate goal. It is only a stepping-stone toward your ultimate goal -- online sales and lead generation.
Here's an Internet marketing observation that may shock you. The average business website has more than enough traffic to support the company's business goals, but simply does not capitalize on that traffic. In other words, people are visiting the website on a regular basis, but not doing anything once they get there. In this common scenario, the business owner needs to do something to increase online sales and grow the business.
I can give you a prime example of this from my own experience...
I once did SEO work for a real estate agent who swore he did not have enough traffic. After analyzing his website analytics, we found that he actually had about 1,000 visitors per month. Those of you familiar with (A) Internet marketing and (B) the real estate business will realize that this person had plenty of traffic. If the agent turned five of those 1,000 visitors into clients each month, he would have had more business than he could handle!
But therein lay the problem. The vast majority of visitors were leaving without doing anything. This is a website conversion problem, and it was costing him a lot of business. So we addressed that problem in tandem with the SEO services he wanted.
This real-life story underlines the importance of converting web traffic. By itself, website traffic will not help you grow your business. You have to get those people to do something. In order to increase your online sales you need an effective system in place designed to do just that.
How do you go about it? Good question! That's the subject of this new article series. In the dozen or so blog posts that follow, I will offer you many tips for increasing your online lead and sales generation.
It seems everyone is talking about search engine optimization these days. At least in a lot of Internet marketing circles. It's SEO this and SEO that. Everyone is obsessed with search engine rankings and visibility.
I get it. These things are important, and I've been known to check my own Google rankings from time to time. Okay, maybe once a week. But I also realize the importance of website conversions (lead and sales generation). This is something a lot of business website owners tend to neglect. They have plenty of traffic, but they are not generating online sales from their traffic -- at least not like they could be.
So in this article, I'll explain the importance of traffic conversion and show you to ten ways to increase your online sales for greater success.
Let's start with a definition, just so we are on the same page...
Within the context of online marketing, a website conversion takes place when somebody goes from being a casual website visitor to something else. For example, if somebody visits your website and eventually purchases a product or service, a website conversion has occurred. The person has "converted" from a casual website visitor to a customer. You have generated an online sale from one of your visitors.
There are many kinds of conversions, and they differ from one website to another. It all depends on what you want people to do when they reach your site. If somebody contacts you about your products or services, another type of conversion has taken place (from casual visitor to inquiry). If a person signs up for your newsletter, yet another type of conversion has taken place (from website visitor to subscriber).
Donations, sign-ups, clicks, purchases, downloads -- these are all forms of website conversion. In each of these actions, the visitor has become something more than "just a visitor."
And that brings me to another point...
Turning Web Traffic Into Sales
Website traffic is not the ultimate goal of an Internet marketing program. Many people obsess over their traffic levels to the point of neglecting other things (like website conversions). So let me say it once more. Traffic is not your ultimate goal. It is only a stepping-stone toward your ultimate goal -- online sales and lead generation.
Here's an Internet marketing observation that may shock you. The average business website has more than enough traffic to support the company's business goals, but simply does not capitalize on that traffic. In other words, people are visiting the website on a regular basis, but not doing anything once they get there. In this common scenario, the business owner needs to do something to increase online sales and grow the business.
I can give you a prime example of this from my own experience...
I once did SEO work for a real estate agent who swore he did not have enough traffic. After analyzing his website analytics, we found that he actually had about 1,000 visitors per month. Those of you familiar with (A) Internet marketing and (B) the real estate business will realize that this person had plenty of traffic. If the agent turned five of those 1,000 visitors into clients each month, he would have had more business than he could handle!
But therein lay the problem. The vast majority of visitors were leaving without doing anything. This is a website conversion problem, and it was costing him a lot of business. So we addressed that problem in tandem with the SEO services he wanted.
This real-life story underlines the importance of converting web traffic. By itself, website traffic will not help you grow your business. You have to get those people to do something. In order to increase your online sales you need an effective system in place designed to do just that.
How do you go about it? Good question! That's the subject of this new article series. In the dozen or so blog posts that follow, I will offer you many tips for increasing your online lead and sales generation.
Labels: Internet Marketing
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