Online Sale Conversion – So How Do You Convert Visitors Into Customers?

Getting people to convert to customers is something that provokes a lot of noise on the blogosphere.

I guarantee you  though that 90% of websites don’t have a good handle on their conversion ratios and a strategy in place to improve their numbers.

So, in this post I’ll go through some common sense strategies for getting more people to become your customers as a result of visiting your website.

The most common mistake of having a really low conversion rate is getting the wrong people to view your website.

This may be as a result of using the wrong keywords on your website, or not understanding what your customers are really looking for.

But lets assume for the purpose of this example that someone arrives at your website and that they are both are in the market for your products/services and you are offering them what they actually want.

There is still no guarantee they will convert!

So Here Are My 3 Golden Rules For Online Sale Conversions.

1. Your need to Build Your Credibility

Is you website credible? That may be a subjective thing but if you don’t appear credible immediately you’ve probably lost the sale.

What makes a website credible? Simple things in my opinion (in no particular order):

• Clean design
• Black text against a white background
• Little or no obvious advertising
• No pop ups
• A clear message on the homepage as to what your value proposition is
• Clear navigation

After landing on your homepage, a visitor will typically make up their minds in less than 10 seconds. If they are not impressed the most popular button on the browser is hot – THE BACK BUTTON and you are HISTORY!

Assuming the visitor thinks they have landed on a credible website and they find the product or service they are interested in. What next? Well now you have to come across as being trust worthy.

1. 2. Make Sure You Are Seen As Trustworthy

How do you build trust into your website?

Have a privacy policy clearly displayed. Even though its been shown that most people don’t read it, they do notice if it is on the website or not.

Put a video with a real person on the website – instantly build trust and credibility. Doesn’t have to be the owner, it could be any employee. Point is that visitors see real people behind the website.

Member affiliations – Do you belong to the local Chamber of Commerce, the national association of your profession, member of BNI, whatever! Again show you have real world connections.

Contact Us Page – Why should visitors contact you? Remind them on the contact page and give them an indication of when they can expect a response.

Add a picture of your premises on your About Us page

Display your company address and telephone number. There is nothing more irritating than a company that refuses to let you call them (This is a practice followed by many consumer product websites – mobile phones come to mind as an example).

Show visitors when your website was last updated

Testimonials – Very important that they are spread across your website and that they are relevant for each page. Have a link if possible to the testimonial.

Don’t use overly promotional words in the writing style of your website. Try to be clear, direct and sincere.

And finally, One big thing, ask your customers what elements they found as adding credibility to your website and emphasise this element.

1. 3. Always Give Before You Take

Offer real benefits in return for obtaining email opt-in permission. This could be in the form of valuable information in the form of a video, an e-book or a handy information guide.

Then you have permission to contact them again and again. Avoid too frequent contact and too much sales promotion. Your objective should be to continue to build trust and confidence by staying on the radar until they are ready to buy.

One of the best ways to do this is through a blog that is educational, informative or entertaining.

If your blog content is of good quality and your readers keep coming back for more you can be sure that your conversion rates will increase over time. Online purchases often take 10 communication contacts or more before you can expect to make a sale.

The beauty of a quality blog is that you are hopefully continually giving a stream of good information with no real time limit. In this way you will build a subscription base and your conversion rate will grow and grow.

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