3 Key Points in Online Marketing to Avoid Tanking Your Results
Paul Marshall
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Article Title:
3 Key Points in Online Marketing to Avoid Tanking Your Results
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Article Description:
Internet marketers performing website optimization through
an online marketing consultant or d-i-y often miss these KEY
points. Affordable search engine optimization is about
increasing your free traffic. But missing these optimization
areas defeats the purpose of SEO in the first place.
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Distribution Date and Time: 2009-10-29 14:00:00
Written By: Paul Marshall
Copyright: 2009
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3 Key Points in Online Marketing to Avoid Tanking Your Results
Copyright (c) 2009 Paul Marshall
Strategic Web Marketing Net
http://strategicwebmarketing.net/
With all the changes in Google AdWords and the increased
competition these days, organic SEO looks more and more
attractive to most of us.
The key is for your website optimization to out-perform your
competition, without over spending with an online marketing
consultant (or without taking up too much of your time if you're
going the do-it-yourself route).
Remember, affordable Search Engine Optimization is about
increasing quality traffic, then * converting * that traffic to a
sale or a sales lead.
If you miss these points I describe below, your SEO goals of
increased conversions will tank, even if you have a Number 1
Google Ranking.
I often notice these missed areas when I'm Coaching a business
owner about their Web site and their need to increase sales and
sales leads.
So, here are 3 points for you to review that I hope will help
your SEO goals of increased conversions.
What's Above the Fold Counts Most, so Consider Monitor
Resolutions
Living in the world of TV remote controls and browser back
buttons, we have to capture our website visitors' attention
ASAP. Our visitors aren't going to give us much time before
making a decision to stay or to leave our website.
As much as this subject is discussed these days, it's amazing
the number of sites I review that have critical information
missing from "above the fold", in that area visible before your
visitors scroll down.
This is the area to briefly summarize what people can do on your
site and make your best case for your guests staying on your
website and not clicking away. This may also be the area to place
your contact information.
Keep in mind that what's above the fold on your monitor will
likely be different from what's above the fold on the monitor
for someone visiting your website. Browser resolution is set
differently for various computers.
For instance, on my website, I know the top resolution of my
visitors is 1280 by 1024 (53%) and the second most popular
resolution is 1024 by 768 (37%). I get this information from my
site's analytics script, although not all analytics programs
provide this critical information.
Since I make sure my site looks great for these 90% of my
visitors and make sure I communicate reasons to stay on my site
above the fold (my value proposition), I draw more people into my
site, encouraging them to scroll down.
Remember to cross test your site with recent versions of the most
popular Web browsers: Firefox, Internet Explorer, Safari and
maybe even Google's new Chrome.
These steps raise my conversion rate and they will raise yours,
too. And increasing traffic and conversions is the whole point of
affordable search engine optimization, whether using an online
marketing consultant or d-i-y, right?
So, don't miss this important step.
Carefully Select Your Type Size and Font and Remember that White
Space is Your Friend
I'm astounded by the improper text choices made by so many
website owners today. Is there really any good reason to make
people squint at your website, struggling to get the information
they need?
Consider reviewing The Easy to Read Standard at Information
Architects (you can Google it). I would encourage you to review
the size of your text, the white space between your letters and
words and between your paragraphs and headings.
Designers often believe whitespace is your enemy; if you want
people to understand your message and stay on your website,
whitespace is in fact your friend. :-)
Also consider that fonts with serifs are easier to read than
fonts without serifs.
If you want to successfully convey your message to as many of
your site visitors as possible, then make it as easy for them as
you can. When we're talking about increasing conversions, it's
all about the numbers and appealing to the largest number of
people possible.
Use Opt-in Email or Blog Postings to Maximize Your Sales
All website owners would like for people to buy from their
website the first time they visit. But is that realistic?
Consider these statics from the National Sales Executive
Association:
* 2% of sales are made on the 1st contact; * 3% of sales are
made on the 2nd contact; * 5% of sales are made on the 3rd
contact; * 10% of sales are made on the 4th contact (and) * 80%
of sales are made on the 5th - 12th contact.
For most businesses, if you don't offer an opt-in contact, like
a regular email newsletter or blog postings, you're missing out
on most of your potential sales!
When setting up an opt-in Internet marketing campaign, you should
offer incentives to subscribe. To entice people to opt-in, you
can offer:
* special pricing for email list members * a first look at new
products * ability for customer to select subjects and emails
they receive (controlling the frequency of contact by choosing
which of your lists to be on) * promise not to share email or
other personal info with other companies
Using opt-in contact allows you to significantly increase
conversions by introducing yourself over time to your potential
customers, in a soft-sell manner.
Website optimization is important; the goal is increased Internet
traffic, sales and sales leads. But whether you've hired an
online marketing consultant or you're doing the process
yourself, Affordable search engine optimization by itself
doesn't accomplish those last points of increased sales and
sales leads.
You've got to remember to design your website to alleviate
visitors natural apprehensions and make buying from you as easy
as possible.
Properly mapping out the above the fold area of your Web pages,
using appropriate size text, using adequate whitespace and
offering an opt-in process to nurture your buyers will all help
you accomplish the real goals you have with SEO and website
optimization: increased sales and more sales leads.
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Marketing online since 2004, Paul Marshall can help you market
on a budget. You can learn about his affordable Internet
Marketing Coaching and Consulting Services on his home page:
http://strategicwebmarketing.net/ He also offers Affordable SEO
services (and d-i-y Coaching), which you can learn about here:
http://strategicwebmarketing.net/seo.html You can learn more
about Paul on his LinkedIn profile:
http://www.linkedin.com/in/paulmarshallwebmarketing and at
Strategic Web Marketing.net.
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