The Call To Action
Does your site get a lot of views, but very little reward because of those views? The problem probably isn’t with your company, but probably with the site itself. This might be tough to tell at first, especially because it seems like your site is attracting a lot of views to it. In this sense, it seems like the site is doing exactly what it’s supposed to. But there’s a lot more to web marketing than just attracting clicks on your page.
The end goal of your business is to make money while doing something that you enjoy. By having your site optimized for generating sales–and not just traffic–this becomes a lot easier for you to do. This is accomplished through what is referred to as the “call to action.” It might seem like this should be a small part of your site, but in reality, every single part of your site should be leading up to this point. Beginning with the moment that your site’s link pops up on Google, to the time that begin to peruse the site itself, to the moment when they decide that your product might be just what they’re looking for, each part of your site should be confirming that the answer to whether or not they should buy your product is a resounding yes.
The call to action should be gradual and natural. Your potential customers clicked on your link for a reason. What is that reason? They might be looking for info on a topic, or they might have a need that your product could resolve. The first step is to figure out why people are searching for keywords that relate to your product. Make a list of keywords that will help people to identify with your services and use them here and there within your site. Next, take those keywords and relate them to the necessity for your product. Also use images that create a sense of contentment and usefulness for your product. Images are an easy way to enhance your site, and they really do speak a thousand words. While you can write a lot of content explaining just how your product will do what your customers want it to, the picture gives a nonverbal reassurance of this. And because it’s nonverbal, it is a complementary method of selling your product besides the words alone.
Finally, make sure that the sales page is very easy to find. If your customers can’t easily find where to submit their order, they are very likely to just click on a different page. The ability to make a purchase should be the easiest thing for your customers to do on your site. There should be no confusion, no distractions, and there should be several different methods for them to navigate to this point.
Just remember, if you don’t have this continuous call to action, you are losing sales. Your customers will miss out on how important your products are, and they will be less inclined to purchase from you. There’s an old adage in sales: “Always Be Closing.” If you apply this to your site, then your results will be that much better.