Internet Marketing Series: Improving Website Effectiveness

The Internet has changed our lives more than anything else. It has drastically altered the way many businesses work. Now, Internet Marketing has added a new dimension to how businesses sell their products and services. And lets face it, in this online world, your skill doesn’t matter as much as advertising yourself does. If you have a skill, no one will know about it unless you advertise it. On the other hand, business with good marketing strategies grow more rapidly, and their excellence comes over time.

This post is a part of a short series related to Internet Marketing. In this series, we will tell you how you can increase your individual or business productivity, with focus on topics like improving website quality, generating traffic, email marketing etc. In this particular post, we start off with tips on improving your website quality, since your website is the “front window” of your shop (business).

Before we start off, keep in mind one thing. There is no “instant formula” for getting rich in any business, online or out there in the physical world. For success, you need to make efforts, dedicate time, and above all, build a comprehensive marketing strategy to build your business. Many successful businesses out there have a dedicated and specialized marketing staff. But for a small business, you will have to do that for yourself.

All you’ll need to is have the right focus. It will take some time getting used to, so make efforts and educate yourself in some basic marketing strategies. After that, you will notice the possible dimensions your business could grow into, which you might not have even imagined before! I am not saying you need to major in business or something. You don’t need to have a degree to make your business successful. Like I said, you need to have the right focus, and you only need to be proficient in a few areas, after which you will be well on your way to success

We have put together a small resource for you which will help you in your path to success. These are some of the top tips that you should know. Don’t try to implement them all at once. As already mentioned, these things take time. So work upon them one by one, starting from now!

Starting off…

Remember that your website is the “front-line” where the war for your success is fought! Therefore, it must be PERFECT (or as perfect as it can be). If you hope to get any customers, then your front window and display (your website, in other words) show be worth the customers’ attention. Follow these steps to ensure that your website is up for the challenge.

1. Make it eye-catching!

There is an online traffic rule. Your viewer is the busiest person in the world (in the same sense as “the customer is always right”). He has landed on your page (thankfully). Now, he will stay on it for just a few seconds. The first impression can be the last one. So if your website isn’t attractive to him, he will scamper off! Hence, make your home page attractive as well as informative, so that the viewer finds what he is looking for at the first glimpse.

2. It should be to-the-point

Once again, you have only a few seconds to convey your message. So present your home page wisely. Reader should immediately be able to recognize what you are selling/offering, so that he can decide whether he should stay.

3. Is the information “above the fold”?

Thin of it like this. You’re browsing through a local book store, looking for something interesting to read. There’s a shelf with magazines or newspapers on it. They are all neatly folded. You look over at what is visible on the top, and then pick something that interests you.

This is known as “above the fold” strategy. You didn’t have to open up all the available issues to look for something interesting. You decided upon a selection based upon what was “above the fold”. Websites work this way too. Viewers don’t like to scroll down to get the required information. Therefore, you should clearly describe why someone should buy your product, on the visible part of the screen.

4. List all benefits clearly

This is fairly common sense. You should list the features and advantages of your product clearly so that your potential customers can decide whether your product will have a good impact on their life or not.

5. Make a clear “call to action”

A “call to action” is a short statement that motivates the reader or addresses him directly and asks him to take an actin. Such common calls are “Try it Now!”, or “Start a Free trial!”, or “Learn More” etc. Make sure this call to action is clearly visible and recognizable. It will increase your chances of ‘capturing’ a potential customer.

6. Pay attention to typography!

Make sure your font size is sufficiently sized so that it is easy to read. Your font-face should be pleasing as well. Not only that, it should work with all computers. If you select a custom font-face, chances are, the reader might not have that font available on his system. So use a font that is universal, and yet pleasing to look at. For the most part, sans-serif fonts like Ariel will do. My personal favourite, however, is Calibri. Then again, it depends upon your preferences.

Your content should be adequately split. Do not write large chunks of text in a single paragraph. Divide it into multiple paragraphs, and bullet-ed lists if necessary. Also, there should be adequate line spacing between your lines and paragraphs so that it is easier to read. Use the padding option for this matter.

7. Add Visuals

Visuals are as important as the text, maybe even more important. As they say, “an image is worth more than a thousand words”. While this might be (in some cases) exaggerated, it is none the less true. Images and Videos are the eye-candy that your visitor wants to see. So be sure to include them in your website. Design a captivating header for your website!

8. Website navigation – a quick word

For me, if I can’t navigate a website easily or understand its structure, then there is the deal breaker right there for me. Label your menus clearly, so viewers know exactly where it will take them. Your whole site should be easily navigable, and its structure and organisation should be easy to figure out.

9. Add a “Contact Us” page

For many visitors, it is reassuring to know that they can contact you any time in case they have any problems/queries/questions. Therefore, you should include a Contact page. Create a contact form, or use any popular online contact form services. Just giving your email isn’t adequate.

10. Write something about yourself

In addition to the Contact page, there should also be an About Us page. Readers always want to ensure that they are dealing with “real people”. Hence, you should write about who you are, and what is your mission statement. Include photos too. That’s how visitors will associate a face to your business.

11. Make them feel personally connected!

Visitors are likelier to hang out for longer f they feel personally connected. Telling them your story will engage them. Being honest is another way. Use such a conversational style that addresses the visitors directly. Also add real testimonials from other customers, so that your visitors have a sense of security and give you their trust (something hard to come by these days).

12. Writing style; conversational or corporate?

If you are a big firm/company, then you will need to adopt a professional writing style where you address people formally (if at all), and use professional tone. But for small business, you need to engage your customers more. For that, you need to have a conversational (semi-formal or slightly casual) writing style, so that visitors don’t mistake you for some too-formal corporate maniac who won’t even reply to their questions (yes, professional people tend to do that :().

13. Provide Incentives

Provide incentives to your readers for subscribing via email etc. These can include anything from tips, advice, special deals to free ebooks and other stuff. That way, users will readily subscribe. But mak sure the offer is worth the visitors’ emails.

14. Include multimedia

Multimedia is a great way to add character and interest yo your website. Multimedia like Videos, podcasts, tutorials etc. allow you to present your message to your visitor in an appealing way.

15. Link to Social Media

Social Media allows you to communicate with your potential customers, and also allows your customers to interact with each other. Be sure to add links to your profiles on major Social Networks like Facebook, Twitter, Google+ etc. Make it easy for customers to find you, so that they may follow you in any fashion. Always encourage such followers.

 

That concludes our tips on increasing website effectiveness. Keep in mind that you can’t implement ALL of them at once. Use them one at a time. And once you’re done with them, you can move on to the next post in the series, which will most probably be on traffic generation. Till then, stay tuned. And drop your comments in and let us know what you think. You can also mention your website URL and we’ll be happy to give a short review and suggestions.

Best regards 🙂