It's a proven fact simple and user friendly websites generate more sales. To improve your sales, look for ways to simplify and make it easier for your visitors. Test your ordering process. Remove the clutter, broken links and anything that distracts or confuses. Here's a quick checklist to help your site pass inspection with your visitors and convert more of them to customers:



1. Create A Compelling Opt-In Offer

It's a proven fact that most first-time visitors don't make a purchase. However, the fact they clicked through to your site usually says they are interested. To pursue a relationship with your visitors, you should collect their email addresses by encouraging them to subscribe to a free newsletter, ecourse, report or a free download.

In the old days, creating an effective Opt-in offer meant posting a link or sign-up box that said, "Sign-up for my FREE ezine!" When first exposed to this tip, all I could say was, "Ouch!" I know my sites were filled with links like that. Perhaps we thought the magic word was FREE and people would automatically click on it and download. The truth is 'Free ezine" tells our audiences nothing.

In the new millennium, you have to make it a little more enticing. To craft a compelling opt-in offer, give your offer the power of benefits. Create an offer that yes gives away the same free ezine but adds a bonus or a powerful benefit of the ezine. For example, a client of mine to get rid of the worn-out invitation used, "Send any email to poemlight@poetzone.com to receive unique inspiration including a 7 mini-session poetry workshop.

Impart life to all your offers with benefits. Review each opt-in offer and pretend you have to get every visitor to click on it. Remember compelling opt-in offers turn visitors into customers.

2. Gather Testimonials

Have you ever felt afraid to buy online? Like it or not, many are still cautious of buying on the web. A Boston Consulting Group Consumer Survey found that 70% of respondents worry about making purchases online. After you have used all the techniques for capturing your visitors interest, be sure to include enough supporting information on your website. If you sell graphic design services, the supporting information would be a portfolio or samples of your work. Case studies solving your client problems, how you solved them and how they benefited as a result would be great supporting information for consulting services. A testimonial page would help build creditability as well. You've done what it takes to attract visitors, capture their interest when they arrived, now reward them with a professional trust-worthy website.

3. Develop a Separate About Us Page

Focus your home page and product page on your customer's needs not yours. Winning website owners identify the benefits of their product/services. Remember to explain what's in it for your visitors. Avoid lengthy bios and discussions of your company's accomplishments. Get their attention with benefit driven headlines and text. The headline should clearly state what you offer and suggest a benefit. For example, "Fast accurate billing for Dallas County Doctors and Medical Offices" or "Computer Systems that grow with your business."

With all the fuss I made about not filling your home page with your accomplishments and credentials you might think you need to leave out your personal information altogether. No, don't leave out the company information. After you have captured your customers' interest with benefit driven headlines your customers may want to know more about your company before doing business with you. If you have purposed your site to sell your product or services make a special page for company information or credentials and link it to your home page.

4. Test Its Function and Usability

About 4-5% of all links on the internet are broken. Broken links are a frequent cause of failing inspection with visitors. It creates a bad impression and may cause search engines and directories to not list your site. Test and double test everything and then test again. Poorly written or misspelled text, broken links and inaccuracy on business sites speak unprofessional. Be professional and prosper. Free link validator: http://www.elsop.com/linkscan/quickcheck.html

5. Post Visible Contact Information

Customers not only want to know what you offer, what's in it for them, and who you are, they want to be able to contact you. Especially, if you are selling a product or service they may have questions about the product you are selling. They want to know they can contact you if a problem arises with their order.

Web Wit Tip: Capture more sales by including your phone number and contact information on every page.

Now for your homework. I bet you didn't know homework came along with this article. Well it does. Now that you have discovered or re-discovered this information you must act upon it. Remember the old phrase, "Use it or you lose it. I don't want you to lose. I want you to win?win more sales, more subscribers, more clients, more profit. As we have covered, to win your site must pass inspection with its visitors.

Don't worry it's a take home assignment and there's no timer involved. All you need to do is go through your site and make sure the above items are in place: sizzling headlines, sizzling sales copy, simple navigation, clear call to action, harmonic images, compelling opt-in offer, testimonials, about us page, usability/function test, and visible contact information. Pass inspection with all your web visitors and prosper!