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 Dead or outdated links reflect poorly on your business.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.
Chee Wee is a professional Internet Marketing Consultant. Subscribe FREE to his highly popular marketing newsletter and get a 215-page marketing book worth $19.00 free! Redeem Your FREE Copy at http://www.InternetMarketingFocus.com/freebook today!
