1. Front Page
Make it brief and quick loading. Avoid large graphics, fancy
Flash movies and hefty Javascripts. Have a sharp marketing
focus. Display your most important marketing information on
your front page. Avoid filling it with tons of details or
hyperlinks. Your front page's primary function is to capture
the visitors' attention and generate further desired actions
such as the browsing of your sales catalog.
2. Web Design
Adopt attractive and professional designs. If you are not
skillful with HTML and graphics, engage a professional web
designer to produce your website. This is one investment that
will pay off in the long run. Your website is your online
salesperson. It reflects your business image. An attractively
designed site builds sales credibility and trust.
Create a uniform theme. Use uniform colors and graphics throughout
your site. Take a peek at the websites of top market players
in your industry. What kind of design do they adopt? If they
are at the top, they are definitely getting it right! Test
your pages on computers with different screen resolutions
and connection speeds. Do you encounter any bugs or layout
issues? Browse your website from your potential customers'
prospective!
3. Site Navigation
Lack of navigational links or too much of them affect sales.
Sites with little navigational links leave visitors stranded
as they browse deeper. A common navigational menu, either
at the left-hand side or the top and bottom of every page,
ensures a smoother browsing experience.
Having excessive links in your navigational menu also confuse
visitors. If your average visitor spends just 15 minutes at
your site, you want them to go to your most important pages.
Avoid fanciful navigational menus that load too slowly.
Regularly monitor and update the hyperlinks on your website.
Dead or outdated links reflect poorly on your business.
4. Order Form
Place your ordering link at a prominent position. Let your
visitors find your order form easily. Test the form thoroughly
for bugs. Don't lose sales because your order form doesn't
work or hang halfway through the transaction!
Make sure that your prices, shipping and handling costs,
delivery schedule, return policy and guarantees are clearly
displayed or linked.
Ask only for the necessary information to complete the sale
transaction. Avoid unnecessary fields. Your customers want
to complete their transaction quickly.
5. Seal Programs
Seal Programs such as the Better Business Bureau Online (BBBOnline)
Reliability Seal at http://www.bbbonline.org can enhance your
business image.
Displaying these seals on your website assure potential customers
that your business is credible and legitimate. This is especially
useful for new startups or small businesses.
Source: "Chee Wee is a professional internet marketing
consultant. Join his FREE affiliate program and EARN a generous
commission of US$50 per sale! Commissions are paid in 7 global
currencies with realtime online stats. Accurate tracking with
5-year cookies. Check it out at http://www.internetmarketingfocus.com/affiliate"
More Articles