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Dead or outdated links reflect poorly on your business.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.
About the author:
Michael Low is a widely-published marketing consultant. He
provides top-notch press release (PR) services at affordable
rates. Check out his full-range of PR services at
http://www.prbuilder.com/pr.cgi?a005
