In the spirit of our recent ‘top 10 lists’ (maybe we should get Jimmy Carr to record them as a podcast!) I have been thinking about simple ways you can improve your eCommerce website. So here goes….a simple guide that will help you convert your customers:
1) User trigger words to excite your customers
People tend to spend very little time reading web pages. Instead, we scan them, looking for words or phrases that catch our eye. Of course, there are exceptions, but if the copy is longer than a few paragraphs, we’re more likely to print it out. We scan because we’re usually in a hurry, we know that we don’t really need to read everything and we’ve become good at it – we’ve been scanning newspapers and magazines most of our lives!
So, we tend to focus on words and phrases that seem to match the task at hand. This is why we must carefully consider the trigger words and ensure that they are visible, because if we ignore them, then the customer is likely to leave and go to a site that they think better matches their needs.
Words like ‘free’, ‘sale’, ‘discount are an example of these type of words. It’s also important that if a customer arrives on your site having used a search term, then that search term must be seen on the page.
2) Call to Actions (CTA)
If you don’t ask someone to do something, then what are the chances of them doing it? It is essential that you present your customers with CTA’s that are visible and meaningful. Avoid overuse of clichés like ‘click here’, ‘read more and ‘find out more’ and make them more descriptive and persuasive.
3) Spend as much as you can afford on product images
As they say, a picture paints a thousand words. The web is a perfect example of this. A high quality photograph of a product you are trying to sell will be worth its weight in gold. 83% of eBay shoppers skip listings without images, while those with super-size photos show a 24% spike in sales.
Skimping on images will not work. If you’ve got a huge product line, make sure at the very least that the top-selling lines/products come with top quality imagery. It will also work in B2B as well. If you want someone to download a report, show a cover of the report. Make it more interesting for the user. Engage them.
4) Consider you headlines
The headline on your page is the one thing that 80% of our visitors will read. Be sure that they are clear, relevant and engaging. Test them. Optimise them. Don’t be afraid to change them.
5) Don’t be afraid of reviews
Every trade website or magazine these days seems to have a ‘site review’ in it. They are often judged very subjectively and are a trend in a market that is now demanding transparency and a voice. You mustn’t be afraid of a bad review though, because they will not necessarily lead to a downturn in business. What you must do though is bear them in mind, take any emotion out of the equation and act on any sound advice (always ask for a second opinion from someone if you disagree with the comments!).
6) Oil the wheels of the checkout process
The battle is far from over when you’ve got the customer to the checkout. You’ve now got to get them out the other side in a happy state. Eliminate all unnecessary steps, let them know that the process is secure, remind them what they are buying and don’t annoy them with too much upselling!
7) Don’t just satisfy, delight!
Customer service online isn’t just what happens after the products have been shipped. During the buying process they will invariably be a multitude of questions that are raised. Try and answer these questions before your customers thinks of them and incorporate these into the selling process. By reassuring your customers at all stages, you are much more likely to build a long-term relationship with them.
8) Test Test and Test again
A/B or multivariate testing can be time consuming but it can also have a dramatic effect on your conversion rates. The range of things you can test is wide – CTA’s, copy, layouts etc – but you don’t have to test everything at once. Write down the top-5 things that concern you about your site and start there.
9) Ask for feedback
You must listen to your customers and offer them the opportunity to give you feedback. You’ll be surprised at how helpful and how much effort your customers will put in to this. Don’t be afraid of negative feedback but do make sure that you act upon it.
10) All your customers are different
Your customers will all be at different stages of the buying process and you must address this. The failure of websites to consider this can severely hamper the sales process. Persona planning is a great way to counter this. You build up a bank of customer personas and then test the user journeys according to each one. This is a great way of ensuring that all needs are considered and met before you go live. You must be in tune with your customers and flexible enough to react accordingly.
The bottom line is that site optimisation needs to be a constant evolutionary process. A website is not a static entity and the behaviours of your customers also do not remain static. It is how you react to this that can make or break your online business.
Michael Brandreth
Showing posts with label improve website. Show all posts
Showing posts with label improve website. Show all posts
Wednesday, 23 January 2008
Monday, 7 January 2008
Spencer's top tips for website success in 2008!
2008 looks to be a challenging year, so I've put together my top 10 tips for ensuring your website's success in 2008. And it needn't be a whole new website if that's not what you want, although a new look never hurt anyone! You could just enhance your current site with a few choice features to give it that something special to set you apart from your competition.
Remember, to remain competitive on the internet DO TODAY what your competition will do tomorrow!
Can you tick all the boxes below? I can! And our new website that went live in November has already led to loads of new business enquiries!
If you don't understand any of what we're saying, then call us and we can explain, you need to know and understand what we are telling you to remain competitive online.
Make these your business New Year's resolutions!
THE LIST
1. Web 2.0 style redesign (make sure your site is fully designed in CSS)
If your website hasn’t been redesignd in 12 months, it needs an update! Internet trends have changed, business to business or business to consumer websites are all changing in design.
2. Add a tag cloud to your website search
Websites are now using tagging more and more as a way to label up content, add a tag cloud, you’ll see one on http://www.bluhalo.com/, click ‘spencer’ to see an example of how it works (all the resulting articles or products from a search can be tagged by you or your website customers!
3. Add a fat footer!
Add a fat footer to your website to increase usability, they are simple to build! They’re very en vogue and encourage click throughs around your website…
4. Add a Podcast – it's no longer a gimmick but a valuable business tool!
Bluhalo now has our very own recording studio to produce podcasts. Want customers to listen you or someone talk about your products or services? Podcasts can be played through your website as well as itunes and emailed to your customers directly to deliver regular updates.
5. GET A SOCIAL MEDIA STRATEGY! – a WHAT?
Ensure your customers can add your content to their social bookmarking sites! Its not only good for your natural search results but also good for syndicating out your content, look at the bottom of every Bluhalo story, click the ‘share with’ button, even the BBC uses this, do you?
6. RSS and ATOM News Feeds
Is your website content available for distribution?
7. Add a blog today
Google likes websites whose content is updated regularly through news and blogs. It takes about two days for Google to update Wordpress and Blogger.com blog stories, get Bluhalo to put a blog on your website!
8. Create a show reel or video piece to bring your business alive…
Bluhalo now has access to a wide range of video services – it’s exciting, it’s cool to watch and it adds a new facet to your brand.
9. Create a first phase mobile website.
Get your content onto a mobile site, regardless of whether or not the iphone and Opera revolution will negate the need to a mobile sites in the future, there is nothing to say. This is now.
10. HTML Email Newsletters
If you do are not currently sending your customers at least one nicely designed email html a month because you don’t have the time, then let us do it for you!
Most of the above can be implemented with modest budgets… but could make a world of difference.
If you want to know more, you can speak to Spencer, Michael, Vim, David, Simon or Rob and we can point you in the right direction for your business! (You can call on 01252 70 11 11 or contact us online.)
Remember, to remain competitive on the internet DO TODAY what your competition will do tomorrow!
Can you tick all the boxes below? I can! And our new website that went live in November has already led to loads of new business enquiries!
If you don't understand any of what we're saying, then call us and we can explain, you need to know and understand what we are telling you to remain competitive online.
Make these your business New Year's resolutions!
THE LIST
1. Web 2.0 style redesign (make sure your site is fully designed in CSS)
If your website hasn’t been redesignd in 12 months, it needs an update! Internet trends have changed, business to business or business to consumer websites are all changing in design.
2. Add a tag cloud to your website search
Websites are now using tagging more and more as a way to label up content, add a tag cloud, you’ll see one on http://www.bluhalo.com/, click ‘spencer’ to see an example of how it works (all the resulting articles or products from a search can be tagged by you or your website customers!
3. Add a fat footer!
Add a fat footer to your website to increase usability, they are simple to build! They’re very en vogue and encourage click throughs around your website…
4. Add a Podcast – it's no longer a gimmick but a valuable business tool!
Bluhalo now has our very own recording studio to produce podcasts. Want customers to listen you or someone talk about your products or services? Podcasts can be played through your website as well as itunes and emailed to your customers directly to deliver regular updates.
5. GET A SOCIAL MEDIA STRATEGY! – a WHAT?
Ensure your customers can add your content to their social bookmarking sites! Its not only good for your natural search results but also good for syndicating out your content, look at the bottom of every Bluhalo story, click the ‘share with’ button, even the BBC uses this, do you?
6. RSS and ATOM News Feeds
Is your website content available for distribution?
7. Add a blog today
Google likes websites whose content is updated regularly through news and blogs. It takes about two days for Google to update Wordpress and Blogger.com blog stories, get Bluhalo to put a blog on your website!
8. Create a show reel or video piece to bring your business alive…
Bluhalo now has access to a wide range of video services – it’s exciting, it’s cool to watch and it adds a new facet to your brand.
9. Create a first phase mobile website.
Get your content onto a mobile site, regardless of whether or not the iphone and Opera revolution will negate the need to a mobile sites in the future, there is nothing to say. This is now.
10. HTML Email Newsletters
If you do are not currently sending your customers at least one nicely designed email html a month because you don’t have the time, then let us do it for you!
Most of the above can be implemented with modest budgets… but could make a world of difference.
If you want to know more, you can speak to Spencer, Michael, Vim, David, Simon or Rob and we can point you in the right direction for your business! (You can call on 01252 70 11 11 or contact us online.)
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