Website Design and Internet Marketing Basics

September 2010
M	T	W	T	F	S	S
« Aug
	1	2	3	4	5
6	7	8	9	10	11	12
13	14	15	16	17	18	19
20	21	22	23	24	25	26
27	28	29	30

Apr 18th, 2010 by Spider Choice

Many online marketing consulting firms look at SEO and search engine advertising in a vacuum. They don’t consider the big picture. The idea behind all search engine marketing is increased revenue. That requires conversions, not just more traffic. And certain website design problems can kill your conversions!

Don’t Destroy Your Online Marketing Results with Bad Website Design

So, you’ve embarked on a search engine advertising program, maybe even SEO. Whether you’re doing this on your own or using an online marketing consulting firm, there are key points to become aware of.

If you miss these, you won’t increase conversions.
What good is a Number 1 organic search engine ranking or AdWords ad listing, if you don’t have increased sales or if you don’t generate more sales leads?

Too often, we get all focused about the Internet marketing — the ads, the offer — that we don’t think the whole process through step-by-step and consider the experience our website visitors will be having.

If we did, we’d be thinking “big picture” and we would head off some of these potential problems before they occur.

Overcoming Your Website Visitors Anxiety

When people come to our website it’s natural for them to feel anxiety. After all, look at all the cr*p on the Internet today, all the too-good-to-be-true products and services.

But when you and I offer REAL products or services, we have to overcome that concern, even if we’re treating our site visitors fairly and not making outrageous claims.

So, how can you overcome these anxieties?

1. Offer more than a 1-page website. Credible companies have multi-page websites, including Privacy Policy, Terms of Use | Service and About Us pages.

They also have more than 1 page about their products or services.

I’m surprised by the number of 1-page websites I see from companies using infomercials to advertise their products. Often, they have the purchase form right on their home page, their only page (and often their page isn’t secured for credit card ordering).

Websites that are only 1-page don’t seem credible. And having the purchase form right on the home page comes across as very pushy!

Doesn’t this type of site seem all about the company and NOT about their customers? Why would we want to buy from that type of company?

What kind of online marketing consulting firm did these companies use…or did they use any??

2. Next to any sign up or contact form buttons clearly state that you don’t sell your customers’ private information and link to your Privacy Policy page.

3. Effectively communicate what your Value Proposition is, also called your Unique Selling Proposition. If you don’t know why someone should buy your product or service versus your competitors’, now is the time to figure it out. (And by the way, based on my experience, if you don’t know this, you’re not alone, by any means.)

But our websites have to be about more than just us. They have to be about our visitors. What’s in it for THEM, to do business with us? What unique voids in the marketplace can we fill?

As a Small Business Owner, Personally Relate to Your Site Visitors and Communicate Directly with Them

People don’t buy from websites, they buy from people! So, how can you apply this to your own website?

1. For many small businesses and solo proprietorships, their website text should speak to your visitors directly in first person.

This should be written from the voice of the Owner or President. They shouldn’t use third person, institutional-sounding language, getting rid of “we” and “our”, using “I” instead, speaking first person, in an actual conversation. Don’t try to sound like you’re Microsoft!

And while your at it, be careful about overuse of words about you…whether “I”, or those words, “we”, “our” or “us”.

Check out the WeWe calculator (Google: wewe calculator). Make sure to focus on customer-focused words and NOT on words about you or your company.

2. Include your picture on your Web pages.

For a larger small business trying to make that personal connection with their website visitors, try the idea used by the nutritional supplement company Lumina. (Google: Lumina Health Contact Us)

In this execution, notice how Lumina gets you to relate to their customer service department. I still remember it was John I spoke with and that’s been over 1 year ago that I called them!

Again, people buy from other people, not from websites.

For us as small businesses, why should we sound large, pretending to be something we aren’t? And why should we run from our advantage of being small: low overhead, friendly, personal service and accountability, among other advantages.

Make Each Step in Your Marketing a Smooth Handoff from One Step to Another

Whether you’re using AdWords, SEO, or both, make sure your title and description matches the experience your website visitor will have when they come to your landing page.

Quite often when I’m Coaching my small business owner clients or performing online marketing consulting, I find the wording for their organic listing or AdWords ad says one thing and their landing page says something that doesn’t sound the same.

This causes confusion is the best case scenario. In the worst case, it causes a lack of trust. Dangerous!

We should understand our products or services. And we know what we want our visitors to do on our site.

Our potential customers may not understand either. We need to think like them, when we explain what we have to offer them and how to use our website to take advantage of what we have to offer.

And when “shifting” from one page to another, we need to hand-off from one page to another naturally and smoothly, like a car with a smooth automatic transmission.

Don’t advertise one offer in AdWords or organic search, only to have your landing page sound like it was written for another advertising offer. I see this problem a lot!

Often times, having an affordable online marketing consulting firm reviewing what you’re doing can offer easy, inexpensive fixes that can yield big improvements in your search engine advertising and SEO conversions.

Your Action Plan

Let’s review what we’ve talked about.

First, overcome visitors anxieties by offering a multi-page website which answers questions about your company and your services or products, while inspiring confidence in your company. Effectively communicate your Value Proposition.

Second, personally relate to your site visitors. Avoid using the wrong words that may put off your site visitors. Use your picture on your Web pages.

Third, hand-off from one page on your website and one step in your selling process to another smoothly and naturally. We should understand what we want our site visitors to do, but they won’t unless we make the process really clear.

Whether your using an online marketing consulting firm or doing the work yourself, if you take these steps, your search engine optimization | advertising plan will convert at a MUCH higher rate, when you take these steps.

About The Author:
Marketing online since 2004, Paul Marshall can help you market on a budget. He’s an Online Marketing Consulting expert offering marketing services (and d-i-y Coaching). You can learn more about Paul on his Internet Marketing LinkedIn profile and at Strategic Web Marketing.net.

Read more articles written by: Paul Marshall

For more information about Website Design and how it can affect your Internet Marketing campaign contact us at info@spiderchoice.com

Spider Choice Inc.
Web Marketing Solutions
SEO – PPC – Internet Marketing
Toronto & Port Dover, Canada

Tags: Internet Marketing, Website Design

This entry was posted on Sunday, April 18th, 2010 at 8:27 pm and is filed under Internet Marketing, Website Design. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.

132 Responses to “Website Design and Internet Marketing Basics”

Louis Vuitton
August 24, 2010 at 4:46 am

You really make it seem so easy with your presentation but I find this topic to be really something which I think I would never understand. It seems too complicated and very broad for me. I am looking forward for your next post, I will try to get the hang of it!

beijing escort
August 24, 2010 at 5:25 am

Nice Info . Do you mind if I talk about this post in my blog. You and your blog will surely get the credit

pearl jewelry
August 24, 2010 at 6:05 am

Hi there may I use some of the information here in this post if I provide a link back to your site?

party supplies
August 24, 2010 at 11:49 pm

Wonderful blog! I actually love how it is easy on my eyes and also the facts are well written. I am wondering how I can be notified whenever a new post has been made. I have subscribed to your rss feed which need to do the trick! Have a nice day!

Seo Tips
August 25, 2010 at 3:18 am

As a hardened search engine professional, I can really see eye-to-eye on the things you’ve said. However, one meaningful detail for anyone to always consider is that search engines will rank your site on page 1 if you obtain high PR Dofollow backlinks to your site with decent anchored text. Do that, and nothing else really matters.

Jeanmarie Schnader
August 25, 2010 at 11:51 pm

Hi there could I use some of the insight here in this post if I provide a link back to your site?

Ghislaine Tulley
August 26, 2010 at 10:27 am

By far the most concise and also up-to-date data I stumbled upon for this subject. Sure delighted that I stumbled upon your webpage by chance. I’ll be opting-in for the rss feed so I can get the current posts. Love the information here.

Dave
August 26, 2010 at 10:39 am

Great post!

Albany Web Design
August 26, 2010 at 5:38 pm

I really liked this post. You describe this topic very well. Optimized content will help drive your site’s credibility and link building will add page rank to improve your placement on search results pages. Existing web sites in all industry segments will benefit from optimization, driving more traffic through organic placement and links.

Bleka tänderna
August 26, 2010 at 11:18 pm

Just found your site through google and I think it is a shame that you are not ranked higher since this is a terrific post. To change this I decided to add your site to my RSS reader and I will try to mention you in one of my posts because you really deserv more readers when publishing content of this quality.

Payroll Services Albany
August 27, 2010 at 2:45 pm

I really enjoyed this post. You write about this topic very well. I really enjoy reading your blog and I will definetly bookmark it! Keep up the super posts!

replica patek philippe watches
August 28, 2010 at 9:55 am

Can I just say what a relief to find someone who actually knows what theyre talking about on the internet. You definitely know how to bring an issue to light and make it important. More people need to read this and understand this side of the story. I cant believe youre not more popular because you definitely have the gift.replica rolex submariner,replica rolex yachtmaster,replica cartier watches,replica patek philippe watches,replica bell ross watches,replica a lange & sohne.

prostate cancer
August 29, 2010 at 6:56 pm

Hiya, i just supposed i’d distribute and let you know your blog is helpful for pointed out the important mystery.I in reality adore your blog.Expertly, the write-up is in inescapable fact the perfect on this really worth even though subject. I concur together with your findings and will impatiently appear forward to your forthcoming update versions. Exactly saying thanks will not just be adequate, for the awesome lucidity inside your posting. I will instantly take your rss feed to stay updated of any updates.Suitable function and significantly achievements with your give good results and online business tries.In any case keep up the good work.Thank you.

Legalsounds
August 29, 2010 at 7:45 pm

I just couldnt leave your website before saying that I really enjoyed the useful information you offer to your visitors… Will be back often to check up on new posts

NY Web Design
August 30, 2010 at 2:06 pm

I really enjoyed this post. You describe this topic very well. Optimized content will help drive your site’s credibility and link building will add page rank to improve your placement on search results pages. Existing web sites in all industry segments will benefit from optimization, driving more traffic through organic placement and links.

Appendicitis
August 30, 2010 at 7:15 pm

I just imagined i’d publish and let you know your aticles is valuable for disclosed the handy mysterious.I actually adore your weblog.Effectively and efficiently, the content is in fact the top on this really worth when subject. I concur with your findings and will excitedly look forward to your arriving revisions. Absolutely saying thanks will not just be adequate, for that incredible lucidity with your publishing. I will promptly pick up your rss feed to remain abreast of any updates.Genuine do the job and significantly being successful in your perform and organization endeavors.Anyways continue to keep up the wonderful show results.Thanks a lot.