When someone is interested in a particular product or in need of a service, they are most likely to start their search online. In fact, research has shown that 87% of consumers begin their search for a product or service online and of these consumers, more than half are conducting their searches on mobile devices. This means that when someone searches for a product or service you provide, they will be introduced to your business through your website.
The importance of having a good website goes without saying. Your website is what introduces your potential customers to your business as well as your products and services. However, you should not think of your website only as a hub of information, it also has the potential to be your best salesperson.
A website that is highly optimized to be found in the search engine results pages (SERPs) for your main keywords and contains quality content is a valuable tool for selling your products and services. With the high percentage of people beginning their search for products and services online, most consumers are going to learn about your company and your products and services through your website before ever talking to one of your employees. You can gain edge on your competitors by turning your website into an effective, 24/7 salesperson.
In this guide, we will discuss important tips that will help you turn your website into a salesperson that works to get sales for your business 24 hours a day. If you believe that your website is in need of a redesign to attract more customers and get more sales for your business, our professionals at Proceed Innovative can help with web design services.
Analyze the Performance of your Website
Before you start a website redesign or implement any changes to your website to generate more leads and sales, analyze the current performance of your website. Use tools like Google Analytics to determine how people are finding your website and your most visited pages. This will give you some insight into what your website is doing well to attract visitors and what information interests your visitors the most.
Also check basic performance factors of your website such as page load speeds, ease of navigation, and mobile responsiveness. Any issues with these three performance factors are likely to turn people away from your website. The free PageSpeed Insights tool from Google will measure the loading speed of your website and even offer suggestions to help speed it up.
Analyzing the websites of your main competitors is also important to show where you stand in comparison. This will help you identify opportunities that you are losing to your competitors and understanding what works best for them will give you ideas to improve your website. Proceed Innovative offers competitor and website analysis as part of our SEO and web design services.
Research Relevant Keywords
In order for your website to generate leads and sales, it has to be found in online searches for relevant keywords. Determine what keywords you should target that are relevant to your products and services so that your website appears in the SERPs for these specific keywords.
Start by brainstorming keywords and phrases that are relevant to your products and services. Also research your competitors to see what keywords and phrases they use to rank in the SERPs. You can then enter these keywords into the Google Ads Keyword Planner tool to see how many times each of your keywords and phrases are searched and get suggestions for other related keywords and phrases. Keywords and phrases that are highly searched have the potential to drive more traffic, but there may be more competition to rank for these keywords.
Optimize Website Pages, Title Tags, and Descriptions
Once you have determined the main keywords that you want to target, optimize the pages on your website with these keywords. Make sure you use the keywords naturally in the content on your website. The days of keyword stuffing are long gone as Google does not like keyword stuffing and users will instantly lose trust in your website because it will appear too spammy. Your keywords should also be used in a way that speaks directly to your target audience.
In addition to optimizing the content on your web pages with your keywords, also optimize the title tag and description for each page. The title tags and meta descriptions are not seen by visitors on your website, but they are crawled by Google and other search engines, and it is this text that appears in SERPs. It is important for the title tag of each page to include keywords that are specific to that page and for each page description to be a concise summary of the content found on the page.
SEO experts like those at Proceed Innovative can help businesses like yours determine your target keywords, optimize your website, and monitor the rankings of your website in the SERPs.
Create Straightforward Home Page and Landing Pages
Your home page and landing pages is where you really need to represent your brand and sell your products or services. These are typically the first pages visitors see of your website and it is important for these pages to provide concise, accurate information to keep your visitors on your site.
Your home page should be a good introduction to your business as well as your products or services. Include a description of your business on your home page and a summary of your products and services so that visitors get a good understanding of what you offer. Visitors should feel like they have gotten to know what your business is about and what you offer without having to go through more pages of your website.
Landing pages are pages through which visitors typically enter your website that are not the home page. You can create landing pages about a specific product or service, or a special offer, and build links to these pages through social media posts, blog posts, and paid ads to draw traffic specifically to the pages. You can also focus on getting your best landing pages to rank well in the SERPs to drive more organic traffic.
When you create pages to be landing pages, you must make sure that the content is accurate and matches the expectations of visitors. This means that the social media posts, ads, and blogs that include the link to your landing pages should accurately represent what is on your landing pages. If visitors do not get the information they expect on your landing pages, they will quickly leave your site. Personalizing your landing pages in a way that speaks directly to your audience can make these pages more engaging.
Streamline Navigation Menu
An engaging home page and landing pages should interest visitors to explore more of your website. However, if your navigation is confusing or too overwhelming, it will discourage visitors from exploring your website and they will likely leave.
Your top navigation menu should include no more than 5-7 tabs that will help guide visitors to the different sections of your website. You can also include drop down menus under these tabs if necessary to help visitors find all the pages of your website. Visitors should have no problem finding what they are looking for in the navigation menu.
If your navigation menu is confusing or does not function properly, then you should consider redesigning your website with the help of a professional.
Create Great Content
The content is the most important part of your website because this is where you sell your products and services. Make sure you write engaging copy that speaks to your target audience and highlights the benefits of your products and services. You should also include a clear call to action within your copy to entice your visitors to take the next desired step.
Make sure that you are regularly adding fresh content to your website as well. Updating your website with new content will help maintain your rankings in the SERPs and avoid penalties from Google. The best way to create fresh content is to include a blog on your website and updated it with new articles each month. Write blog articles that better inform your audience about your products and services or discuss topics that are important to your audience. Don’t forget to include links to your landing pages in your blogs.
Even though the purpose of your website is to sell your products and services, you should avoid sounding too “salesy” in the content. Instead, appeal to the emotions of your audience and use compelling language to show them how your products or services can benefit them. The content should always be more about your customers than you. This is where understanding your target audience comes in handy.
Offer Email Subscription
Offering an email subscription gives your visitors the option to connect with your business and stay up to date about your offerings and special promotions. While you can engage with your customers on social media, email lists are much more effective as you can send messages to customers directly to their inboxes.
You can add a button or contact form to your website to encourage visitors to sign up for your email list.
Provide Answers
It is natural for visitors to your website to have some questions about your business, products, and services. Pay attention to search queries and questions people ask you through emails and social media so you can make sure these questions are answered on your website.
One way to provide answers is to create a frequently asked questions (FAQ) page on your website that lists these questions along with your answers. You should also revise your content to better answer repeated questions about a particular product or service. Answering the most common questions you get from customers preemptively will ensure that they have the information they need to take the next step in the buyer’s journey.
Make Contacting Your Business Easy
Your visitors should always be able to contact your business quickly and easily. Make sure every page of your website has your phone number and a contact form. When creating your contact form, try to think of ways to make the content form more engaging with creative content instead of offering a generic contact form.
You can also choose to include a live chat on your website to allow customers to engage with your business directly. Live chats are cost effective and those who communicate with businesses through live chats are three times more likely to make a purchase.
Include Strong Call to Action
We mentioned earlier that the content on every page of your website should contain a strong, clear call to action. With your call to action, make sure you tell visitors what step to take next, whether it is calling your business, booking a service on your website, subscribing to your newsletter, or making a purchase. The CTA should be tailored to each page of your website so that your visitors can follow a logical path to taking the desired action. For example, on a page that is about a particular service, include a call to action to call your business to book the service or to schedule the service on your website.
Highlight Customer Testimonials
Before customers make a purchase or schedule a service, they may want to know about the experiences other customers have had with your business. You should always encourage your customers to submit testimonials and include them prominently on your website. Potential customers will have more trust in your brand when they read positive testimonials from previous customers.
Web Design and SEO Services from Proceed Innovative
Your website is the first representation of your business that many potential customers will find and if you manage it according to these tips, you can transform your website into your most effective salesperson. Remember, your website is working for you 24/7 to generate leads and sales so it should always be optimized with great content and performing at its best to drive traffic, engage your customers, and guide them to the desired action.
If you are having a hard time generating traffic and leads from your website due to an outdated design or poor optimization, our professionals at Proceed Innovative can help. We are a full service digital marketing agency that provides web design and search engine optimization (SEO) services to develop user-friendly websites that are optimized to rank well in the SERPs. We will also continuously track the success of your website and make changes to ensure optimal performance.
To learn more about our digital marketing services, you can all Proceed Innovative at (800) 933-2402 or submit a contact form.
