How
To Make Your Web Site Profitable!
How
To Make Your Web Site Profitable!
Six ways you can
turn visitors into buyers!
I do a lot of surfing. I don't do a lot of bookmarking. For a site to earn a
position on my favorites list, it has to meet a few of my "must
have" requirements.
Hey, I'm not that tough.
Really. I'm just looking for some basic stuff in a website that compels me to
stick around.
If I'm compelled to bookmark a site, chances are good it's a place where I'm
comfortable spending money. Think about your own spending habits on the
Internet. What it is about a site that makes you feel comfortable with your
buying decision?
It's really nothing more than knowing you're doing business with a
professional.
The following six tips are a sampling of the powerful strategies employed by
professional sites to bring in repeat visitors and higher revenues. Read them
over and see for yourself how they can help your site.
1) Get Your Own Domain Name
Having your own domain name tells your visitors you are a serious online
presence. Perception is everything, and you lose some credibility with
customers with an address such as: www.myfreehost.net/business/myname.
More than likely, that
free host site is actually costing you more than you think. With your own
domain name (www.yourcompany.com) comes an image of professionalism and
longevity. Why give your potential customers a reason to think twice about
doing business with you?
To get your own website
domain name, here are a couple of options:
http://www.homebiztools.com/hosting.htm
2) Display a Privacy Statement
What will you do with the information your visitors share with you? Security
is headline news nowadays, and for the serious buyer a full disclosure of your
practices can mean the difference between a sale or no sale.
I put together my
privacy statement in less than 30 minutes using the TRUSTe wizard at:
http://www.etrust.com
3) Use the Power of FREE!
I see way too many sites that are nothing more than a sales pitch. My favorite
sites keep me coming back with valuable, FREE information or services I can
USE. Sure they want to sell something, but by sharing their expertise and
assistance without asking for anything in return, they've turned me into a
repeat visitor. Will I be more likely to make a purchase through repeated
visits? You bet!
I have many free offerings at my website. My free download page is
consistently one of the top five most visited pages. I also offer a portion of
my time for free. By sharing my experience with visitors one-on-one, I have
the opportunity to earn a visitors confidence, and build a long-term
relationship.
4) Are You Running a Yard Sale or an Online Business?
Take a long hard look at the appearance of your site. Is it organized and
professional or does it feel like you're walking through your neighbor's yard
sale? Ask a few people (not your family or friends) to give their honest and
unforgiving opinion about your site. Shy away from being defensive towards
their remarks. Seriously evaluate their advice for changes you can implement.
You might want to try this tactic... give away something free or enter
visitors in a drawing in exchange for filling out a short form rating your
site!
5) Start Your Own Opt-In Email List
If you're not asking your visitors to leave their address, you're missing out
on the best leads you'll ever get. Give visitors a reason to subscribe to your
newsletter, "Coupon Alert", or "Hot Tip of the Week."
Convince them to subscribe with hard-hitting copy that makes them feel as if
they HAVE to subscribe. Let them know you are THE source for this information.
With regular mailings, your list subscribers become a great source of repeat
visits. Be sure to give subscribers your best specials and newest deals,
and they'll never have a reason to be disappointed!
For help starting your
own list check out this tutorial.
6) Promote Your Site Like Crazy!
The Internet is a huge place with a capital H. Use multiple advertising tools
to let people know how much they need you! Trade links with other sites,
advertise in ezines, submit your article to ezines, get listed with the major
search engines and directories, send out a press release,and the list goes on!
For more on promoting
your site, try this FREE download from the Make Your Site Sell e-book:
http://www.homebiztools.com/sell.htm
So what do you think? Is your site lacking any of these items. Just pick one
for now, and work through the list. No doubt you'll be pleased with what they
can do for the profitability of your home business!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Brett Krkosska provides how-to advice on small and home-based work issues. Get
start-up guidance, business ideas and inspiration at http://www.HomeBizTools.com.
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for a fresh and original perspective on today's business issues.
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