3 Keys to a Winning Website

Okay, so you have a Web site that's ranking high enough in the search engines, but for some reason, your sales are still lagging. You know you have a killer product or service, so what's the problem?

A Web site's attractiveness, or lack of, plays a huge role in whether or not people are willing to buy.

Let's take a look at three things that can make or break a Web site's ability to keep customers in until a sale is made.

Design: Just like a brick and mortar storefront, your landing page is the first thing people see when they come to your site. And just like a physical store, if it's not inviting, many people will just pass on to the next place.

When creating or modifying your site, always keep your customers in mind. Make the navigation as easy as possible. Try testing it out on a web newbie (maybe your mom). If they have trouble finding their way around, go back and make it simpler.

Too many amateur web designers and online companies think they need a lot of flashy graphics to attract customers, but nothing could be further from the truth. Like your navigation, your design should be simple and clean. Keep the number of colours and fonts down to three. Remember that your content needs to be the focus, not gimmicks like fancy graphics and animations.

And speaking of content, the way your copy is laid out can make or break a sale. Long paragraphs and heavy blocks of text discourage most people from reading. Use short paragraphs when possible and use subheads, bullet points and even block quotes to break up large chunks of copy for easier reading.

Also, when it comes to your copy, get to the point fast. Give the visitor exactly what they need to know as soon as you can. Fluff might work in a magazine article, but on the web, it'll only lose you a sale.

Usability: As with the design of your site, navigation plays a big role in how easy it is to use. Are your navigation tabs or buttons in the same place on each one of your site's pages so that visitors don't have trouble getting around?

And how easy is it for customers to buy your product or service? Consider placing links to your checkout page throughout your copy rather than burying them at the bottom of the page. If you want prospects to spend money on your Web site, make sure the process is easy.

Marketing: McDonalds defined their customers as the “Three H's.” People that are here, they're hungry and they're in a hurry. The same can be said for people who want to buy products and services on the web. Unlike brick and mortar stores, where people enjoy browsing for hours, visitors to Web sites often want products or information right now. It's not only your job to make it easy for them to shop on your Web site, but to get them there in the first place.

Promoting your online business can be done in several ways:

• Send out newsletters and list your newsletter in an e-zine directory
• Blogging is a good way to drive traffic to your site.
• Write articles and submit them to directories that point people to your site.
• Use pay-per-click ads to attract targeted prospects to your landing page

The bottom line is that your Web site is your store-front and first impressions can't be made a second time. If you're not a web designer, hire a professional who understands Internet marketing. You'll pay more at the beginning, but you'll likely reap huge rewards in the end.

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