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Isn’t the bottom line of having a website conversions?

Yeah, this sounds pretty simplistic but the truth is this one major fact is often overlooked by business when building a web marketing plan. What you really want to do is create a path for your customer to make a decision.

I believe a conversion is different in web marketing, because your website may not be the location where the final decision is made. If you are selling services, a contact form submission or an email is a conversion created by the site that allows you an opportunity to close the sale on a personal level.

So the website is the vehicle that drives a customer to make a decision, if it is created properly. There is no such thing as an “Informational” website, I believe all websites have a specific purpose and it’s best to embrace this concept to get the most bang for your buck.

Your website may also be your best salesperson. Many consumers do online research (a local Real Estate agent suggested to me that in that market it is 50% or more) before making a purchase decision. Is your website ready to handle that kind of responsibility? Does it provide the right amount of information? Does it present your company and products in the way you want to be represented? An outdated or poorly executed website essentially tells your prospective customer

a) I am not successful enough to have a good website.
b) I don’t see the value in new technologies.
c) I have a friend who does it but I can’t break up.
d) I hate spending money on marketing to grow my business.

Why is this important to you? Because you need a plan!

Your website should be designed with its customer in mind, and that means you, as a business owner, may not be the best judge of that! You need to think about what your customer needs to know to make a decision and make it easy for them to act on it.

So what does your potential customer need to experience when he visits your website?

• A professional looking website that says “We respect our customers.”
• Easy to use navigation that allows visitors to find the information they need.
• Calls to action that help the potential customer make a decision.
• Relevant traffic using search marketing and social networking.

Look for blog articles on these 4 topics in the coming weeks!