It seems like every day, its getting harder and harder to get people to purchase your product. Whether its on the internet or in real life, people need to be convinced that your product or service is worth the money they are paying. That's why it is more important than ever to have a website that sells. If you can master the art of converting your site's visitors into paying customers, then your success will be guaranteed. For your convenience, I have compiled 5 tips to making your website sell.
1. Homepage
Your visitors need to know exactly what you are and what you do when they get to your home page. If you are selling a product, consider having 3 bullet points that tell them why they need your product. Avoid technical jargon and industry language so that the average person knows exactly what you are selling them. Also, consider coming up with a slogan and put it near your logo on the home page. If written correctly, your slogan will give your visitors a quick summary of what you do. You will also need to pay attention to your site's ease of use. Use common sense when designing the site so that it is easy to navigate.
2. Compare Competitors
This is often done with business that are not on the web and it's for good reason. If your product or service holds its own against that of your competitors, make sure your site visitors know. If you can highlight what your product does that others do not, make sure it is easy to see and easy to find. If your prices are way better than your competition, put their prices on your site to show the customer the deal that they are getting.
3. Make Your Pages Load Quickly
There are a few things you can do to make sure your visitors are not waiting forever to get your page loaded. Using small, optimized images is a great way to get started. If you must use images, then make sure they are compressed and optimized to the smallest file size possible without losing too much quality. Also, let the user decide if they want to load a song or video on your page. Videos that play automatically can look nice but when you want your page to load as quickly as possible, its best to just let the customer start the video on their own. In addition to music, pictures, and videos, make sure you are careful with the technologies you are using on your site. Flash embeds can add appeal to your site but make sure you understand that there is a trade off of load times when using it.
4. Make the Buyer Feel Safe
Even though millions of people shop online every day, other people have fears about making online purchases. You need to establish credibility early on and eliminate this apprehension. Make sure your contact information and full address are easily accessible so newcomers can see that you are a real person and even contact you if they have any questions. Consider linking to review sites that have review about your website so that customers can see how others feel about your website. Also, create a privacy policy and link to it at the bottom of each page.
5. Show Testimonials
Nothing works quite as well as other people's testimonies. Its human nature to be more interested in a product that friends or other people suggest to you. Place a link to some real testimonials or rotate a few on your home page. This will establish even more credibility and just might be the last push that your visitors need to purchase your product or service.
These 5 tips are great for those who are getting started, but they are in no way complete. Use these to get the basics covered and when you are ready, dig deeper and do some more research. Most importantly, get out there and start selling as soon as possible!