Example Websites
Click on the links to visit
The “Profitable Website”
Connection
Getting traffic to your website is
only one part of the job when it comes to connecting with local customers.
It’s what happens when
people GET to your website that makes all of the difference in your sales and profits!
Websites should be
built to ultimately convert visitors into paying customers - that’s the whole point. Websites are powerful
marketing tools, but unfortunately, most businesses are not using them to their full
potential.
You need a website that
is setup with all of the proper components to help you generate more leads and sales.
If your website is not
helping you generate profits, it’s probably just costing you money. Who needs a money-sucking piece of technology
that doesn’t do anything for them?
Your website
marketability and profitability is based on how well it is able to convert your visitors to paying
customers.
Here are some components that will turn your
website from an EXPENSE into a PROFIT-PRODUCING MACHINE:
Professional,
Clean Layout
Your website should be
clean, professional and easy to navigate if you want visitors to stick around for any amount of
time.
Flashy, confusing
websites only cause visitors to hit the back button as they search for information or products related to your
industry.
Many businesses make
the mistake of overcrowding their websites with stuff that their visitors really don’t care
about.
Your website,
especially your home page, should be built to grab attention quickly so people can find what they’re looking for.
Most people who visit
your site simply want to know how your business can help them solve their problem or solution.
For instance, don’t put your business
biography on the home page of your site. Your visitors aren’t really looking for that... they’re looking for that
SOLUTION that your business can provide to them.
Let’s look at some of
the other factors of a profitable website...
Lead Capture / Direct
Response
You probably already know that “The Money is
in the List!”
Building a list of
prospects and leads should be the priority of any business owner. Once you start establishing a relationship, you
will create a loyal following of buying customers.
If you are not
capturing leads on your website, you are letting potential business go down the drain. If people are already
visiting your website, this is the perfect opportunity to grab their contact information so you can continue to
build a relationship with them.
One of the easiest ways
to capture leads is by installing a lead capture system on your website. This is usually a form that asks visitors
to entire their name and email address in exchange for a free offer - such as a coupon, free report, or whatever
your customers would find extremely valuable.
Once you have these
leads in your funnel, you can then start sending emails to them about your company. Your emails should focus on
building a relationship with your list and you should only send promotions from time to
time.
When done correctly,
your list will love you and continue to do business with you as long as you keep giving them what they
want.
Strong
Call-To-Action
Every page on your
website should have a call-to-action, which is something that tells your visitors what you want them to do.
Depending on your type of business, this could vary.
Some businesses want
their prospects to call them, some want them to email them, and some want them to come into their
establishment.
Whatever you want your website visitors to do,
put this on your website and make it stand out.
This probably sounds
like basic information, but you’d be surprised at the number of businesses who do not have a call-to-action on
their websites.
Call-to-actions have
proven to help businesses convert more website visitors into actual, paying customers. Some people simply need to
be told what to do when they hit your site - and it works!
Whichever
call-to-action you use, just be sure to make it stand out and available on every page of your
website.
The ideal place for a
call-to-action is in your website header... this way, it will be shown at the top of every page of your
website.
Also include the
pertinent information they will need in order to perform that call-to-action.
For instance, don’t
just say “Call Us Today!”...
Instead, say, “Call Us Today at XXX-XXX-XXXX!”...
Include your phone number - don’t make them
search for it.
If you want them to
come into your establishment, don’t just say “Come See Us
Today!”...
Instead, say, “Come See Us Today at XXX Main Street City, State!”
Again, make it as easy as possible for them to
act.
Speaking of contacting
you...
Make sure that all
methods of contact are easy for your visitors to see on all pages of your website. Some business owners make the
mistake of only putting their contact information on their “Contact Us” page.
However, your contact
information should be on all pages of your site to make it easy for your customers and prospects to get in touch
with you.
It is very frustrating to land on a website
home page only to find out that their contact phone number is not there… and now you have to search for
it!
Also be sure to put a contact form on your
Contact Us page so visitors can reach you right from your website.
This will give your visitors a variety of
options when it comes to contacting you.
Once they fill out and
submit the form, you will receive a notification at the email address you tie to the form.
Relevant
Website Content
The content on your
website should not be one big advertisement. It should be valuable information that explains how you can help your
target market with their problem or solution.
Especially the home
page since this is your visitors’ first stop.
Unfortunately, some businesses use their
website home page as a brochure to talk about their business background, goals, missions, accomplishments, and
more.
While this is great
information, the home page is not the place for it. Create a different page to display this information, such as an
“About Us” page.
When customers first
hit your site, they’re looking for information that can BENEFIT them.
Your website content
also determines how well your website will rank in the search engines. When people go to the search engines to find
a local product or service such as yours, they type in the keywords - as we talked about
earlier.
If your website content
has your profitable keywords on it, it will enjoy higher search engine rankings when people enter those
keywords.
Basically, the search
engines actually read the content on your site to determine whether or not your business is “relevant” when it
comes to certain searches.
In order to improve
your relevance, be sure to work your profitable keywords into your website content.
Images and
Graphics
Having images and
graphics on your website is crucial - they help convert your message to your target audience as well as improved
search engine rankings.
As they say, “a picture
is worth a thousand words...”
Graphics and Images can
help your visitors immediately see what your website is about as well as engage them into finding out more about
your business.
Not only that, but
graphics and images also make your website more pleasing to the eye. However, be careful not to “over-do it”
as it can easily become a distraction that causes your visitors to bounce.
You can also help your
search engine rankings by renaming your pictures.
Google has “robots” that crawl every website
to figure out what they are about based on the content.
However, they can’t see
things such as images - only text. But they can see the “name” of the images.
Therefore, it’s a good
idea to use keywords when naming your images. This way, your site will gain relevance when those keywords are
entered into the search engines.
Not only that, but your
images will also show up in Google Images, which is where Google houses all of the images found on their search
engine.
Blog
In case you haven’t
heard the news... your website needs a blog.
A “blog” is a web-log
website feature that allows you to post fresh, new content consistently.
Google and the other search engines LOVES
fresh, unique, constant website content and a blog is the perfect way to give them what they
want.
The more content your
website has, the better.
A blog can be viewed as
an online journal that you make posts about your business. The content can be short, sweet and to the point -
meaning it’s easy to create. However, you should post frequently and build a substantial amount of fresh content
for your website on a consistent basis.
How often you post
depends on your type of business, but you should post anywhere from every day to at least once per
week.
The search engines
don’t like stagnant websites. Websites with no “action” are considered irrelevant for their keyword terms and they
lose rankings along the way.
Blogging also allows
you to brand yourself as the expert in your field. You can answer questions and provide valuable information about
your industry on a frequent basis. Just remember to use keywords that relate to your business in your posts
for optimal results.
A “keyword” is a word
or phrase that people type into the search engines to find your type of product or service. Your role as a business
owner is to optimize your web properties to capitalize on some of those keywords by including them in your
content.
But don’t over-think
things... keep it simple.
Once prospects find
your business based on your website content, you could have a new customer for life.
Setting up a blog is a
big step and it can be accomplished a couple ways.
You can have an
independent blog, which would be located on a separate domain from your website... or you can have a blog attached
right onto your website.
The
method you choose depends on what makes the most sense for your type of business.
The
best independent blogging platform is WordPress. It’s easy to install, configure, and setup. Not only that, but
maintaining a WordPress blog is simple once you learn your way around the back office.
One
of the best features of WordPress is that it allows you to add several features and options to your website without
having to know a bunch of HTML and coding.
In a
nutshell, WordPress blogs are great for feeding the search engines with fresh content.
However, if you already
have a WordPress website, you can simply add on a blog to your existing website. This is a simple process and will
help you boost your website’s rankings as well as keep in touch with your customers and
prospects.
If you would like professional help implementing any of the methods feel free to contact me.
David Simon
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