You have had a web site designed or have designed one yourself. Your site is up on the Internet. You have worked hard (or hired a company to work hard for you) and now your site is beginning to show up in the natural listings. You are paying for clicks and possibly management with Google Adwords or Yahoo Search Marketing. Potential clients or customers are clicking through to your site. Since all these clicks come from people who have been looking for a site like yours, these visitors are all potential public for your business. But how do you turn those clicks into leads?

Internet Marketing is an art and many things can be done to maximize your click to contact ratio. The first one is to make sure your site is clear and readable. Look at it from the perspective of a prospective client or customer. The first page of your web site must state clearly what product or service you deliver and why people should go to you for this and not one of the other thousands or tens of thousands such sites available on the net. If you have a location specific business, such as real estate, make it clear what areas you serve. Be simple, concise and obvious. You have just a few seconds to capture the visitor's interest. Once you have captured their attention there are just a few other generally acknowledged points to keep in mind.

A concept that has come into increasing prominence in the world of Internet Marketing recently is that of having a web site that is “sticky”. A website that gets a visitor to stay for longer than just a quick “browse” and return often is known as sticky. The stickier your site the better your chances of converting visitors into customers. The way to make your site “sticky” is to have plenty of information; lots of content. This can be anything from interesting trivia or jokes about the general subject of your site to historical references, quotes, a weather feed, real estate listings, area information or simply a lot of information about your products or service.

Quality content can lead to the next important concept in Internet promotion known as “viral marketing”. The idea behind this concept is to get your site, its content, and therefore your product or service to be “contagious”. That is, people pass it on to each other (like catching a cold – only more fun). At different points in your site, be sure to put up a button for people to “Email this site to a friend”. Very often visitors will do just that and suddenly you have begun a word of mouth or actually a word of e-mail campaign that can boom your business.

A way for the visitor to contact you should be placed on every page of your site. This should include not only email but, if possible, a phone number as well. People feel safer dealing with a company they've found on the net when they know the business can be reached by phone.

Have a place on your site where visitors can sign up for a free newsletter. This way you have their name and e-mail address. If they don't become clients or customers right a way, you know there's every chance they will in the future since they're obviously interested in what you have to offer.

Lastly, if there is anything you can give away free (such as the newsletter mentioned above) in exchange for the visitor's name and email address do so. The word “free” is the singularly most attractive word on the Internet so use it if you conceivably can. But make sure you actually do give the visitor something and make sure you promise them you will not give their address to anyone else. And, obviously, keep this promise.

Using just a few of these suggestions will substantially improve your click to lead ratio and the usefulness of your web site.

Good Luck!