When discussing Search Engine Marketing (SEM) with clients, I sometimes use “the mall” analogy.  Think of the internet as a giant shopping mall and your website as an individual store.  SEM helps you to get people to walk through the front door of your store.  However, once they enter your store (visit your website), the work has just begun — you now have to convince them to buy something.  Here are eight tips we recommend for converting website visitors into clients.

1. Make a Good First Impression — Would you buy food from a grocery store that was dirty and smelled bad?  Probably not. When web users click a link to your site, they make a quick decision about whether or not your site is worth their time.    If your site is not appealing or is difficult to use, they’ll hit the “Back” button and try another site.  Don’t let this happen!  Spend the money for a good modern website design.  If you’re not sure if your site needs a refresh or not, check your site bounce rate.  If it’s above 50%, consider a redesign.
    
2. Establish Trust — One of the biggest strengths of the internet is that buyers can access merchants all over the world.  However, this strength is also a weakness.  How do you know if the site that’s selling you a digital camera isn’t going to also sell your credit card information?  As a website owner, you have to establish trust with your users so that they will feel comfortable doing business with you.  List your Phone Number and Physical Location on your “Contact Us” page.  If you belong to trade organizations or the Better Business Bureau, display their badges on your site.  Finally, if you’re collecting sensitive information, install an SSL certificate and collect this information over a secure connection.  If a client is nervous about doing business with your site, they will most likely leave.
    
3. Remove Distractions — Impulse items are a staple in Supermarkets.  As shoppers check out, they’re tempted by candy, magazines and many other items that they may not normally buy.   For websites, upselling at the time of checkout (or conversion) is much tougher.  You must be careful not to impede the checkout process with too many offers for additional items or information.  Start with a bare-bones checkout page — as few links as possible.  If you must have links on your checkout page, make them open in a new window so that the potential buyer does not lose their place in your checkout process.  If you plan on adding additional steps or offers to your checkout process, A/B test them thoroughly to make sure they do not hurt your conversion rate.
    
4. Provide an Incentive — Retailers have used sales and coupons for years as a way to increase sales.  For Lead Generation websites, similar tactics can work.  For instance, try offering a free Whitepaper with additional information about your site’s subject matter.  Or if you provide a service, offer a Free initial consulatation.  Users are more likely to complete your form if they will receive something of value in return.
    
5. Don’t Ask for Too Much Information – Often, website owners make the mistake of asking for too much information up front.   The more information you ask for on your lead form, the less likely website users are to complete that form.  Remove as many fields as possible from your form — you can always get this information when you follow up with the user later on.  
    
6. Send an Automatic Thank You Email – When a user submits information on your website, your website should immediately send a thank you email to them.   This tactic helps the website user to feel confident that your site is legitimate and that they shouldn’t worry about becoming your client.  Spend time on your thank you email, making it as professional as possible.  This email is the first direct communication your prospective client receives from you and you should make a good impression.
    
7. Follow up by Phone ASAP — We’ve said it before in other posts about lead conversion – contacting the prospective client as soon as possible is one of the best ways to convert a website visitor into a client.  If the user is seeking information or help, contact them right away so that they do not look elsewhere for assistance.  Every minute you wait before contacting the user is another minute where they could find help from one of your competitors.
    
8. ABT: Always Be Testin’ — Take a lesson from Alec Baldwin – if you’re not testing, you’re losing.  Use Google’s Website Optimizer to test all aspects of your site to find combinations that improve your conversion rate.  If you don’t have the time or money to hire a full-time website conversion specialist, consider hiring a lead conversion expert to help you with your efforts.

This entry was posted on Monday, January 26th, 2009 at 2:17 pm and is filed under Lead Generation. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.