Good business advice

Day356
I found a good article today that I want to share. It’s really too long for one blog post so I’ll print the author’s first 5 suggestions today and his last 5 tomorrow.

It’s called “Make more money online with less customers” by Roy King.

Most website owners are on the Internet to ultimately earn money. Internet marketing, traffic building, and search engine optimization has become a difficult challenge for all who seek the financial rewards from their ecommerce ventures.
There are many ways to direct traffic to one's website, a few are free, but most will cost you time, money, and patience to gradually develop.

Many experts who have carefully analyzed Internet traffic patterns admit that your website visitor will give you between 5 -10 seconds to influence them to stay.
When you actually think about this, 5-10 seconds is a very short time to convince anyone about anything.

Now you are expected to reassure a new client that has for the first time visited your site that your site is relevant to their immediate demands and desires, and will provide them with the primary solutions to their problems. How can this be done?

Traditionally an acceptable online conversion rate for Opt-in clients versus buyers is about 1-2 percent. Simply put, one out of 100 visitors will possibly purchase from your website. These are just terrible odds.

The vast majority of the ecommerce community seem to willingly accept these percentages as a part of doing business online. Most website owners constantly spend tons of money developing SEO tactics along with paid advertisements to lure bigger volumes of prospects to visit their website with no regards to super weak conversion ratios.

New traffic should always be a priority, but persuading prospects to buyers should rank supreme.

Let's say for an example that your established website incorporates 10,000 opt-in clients. The traditional conversion rate is about 1.5 percent. These figures equal a potential sum of about 150 buying customers out of 10,000 clients.

Now let's raise the bar to a 10 percent conversion rate. We now have 1000 consumers that have purchased from us, that's an increase of 850 buyers from the same opt-in list.

Well you say, ok, but who actively produces a conversion rate of 10 percent?
The answer is site owners who really understand their clients!
Here are 10 steps to help you make more money online with fewer customers....

1. Evaluate your website.
Simplicity is the key here. The simpler the better. Review the biggest revenue bearing website on the world wide web today... Google.com. This site is as simple as it gets, that's the way the web visitors like.

Simple navigation to destination articles or products should not be a difficult hurdle. Just click on a subject or title and you’re there, period. A maze of links and clicks turn visitors off. Make it simple and to the point.

Article or product links should be within 2 clicks. Your client should not have to thoroughly search your site for the pertinent information that they may desire. Remember you have less than 10 seconds to convince that client that this is the place for them, or else, click, they’re gone!

2. Clearly present what your website is all about.
Your main header (headline) should clearly state what your website has to offer. Your potential customers should not have to guess or get frustrated while trying to determine the relevance of your site. Your customer is there to seek solutions to his or her problems; it's your job to resolve them, not to create another problem.

3. Establish your website with statements of confidence.
Your website presentation should carefully place confidence into your visitors mind as a trusted authority of facts, information, or for products in demand.

4. Using Power words, Phrases, and Emotional Triggers.
Compile a list of intelligent words that interact with your customer and your website peaking your customer’s interest.

Power words are the essential ingredients to a successful website. These words respond with the mindset of your customer's needs and the fundamental reason they are there.

Power words further develop curiosity in your customer's mind. Can this product or informative article resolve my problem? Power words relate to the primary resolution of their problem, concerns, or desires. The more frequently you can establish a mutual relationship between your client's problems and the different ways you could possibly solve them, the more sales you will ultimately make.

5. Establish a Perceived Value to Opt-In.
New clients will not give their email addresses out willingly to just anyone. Most customers already have flooded e-mail boxes with junk e-mail. Customers do not like receiving worthless junk mail that is annoying and consuming their time.

Never try to sell your customers anything with your e-mail messages. Emails to clients should be committed to establish complete confidence and curiosity within your valued client. Email should be used as a tool to credibly connect the message that your website is a realistic resolution to their problems or desires. You definitely desire your customer to be eager to open your e-mail having them feeling confident that you will be helping them. Remember, this is your invitation to your website.

Simply stated, these types of emails are called pre-sells. Making your client aware that your their trusted friend, and are here to help them. Concentrate your efforts for a long-term relationship. Your main goal here is having your client enjoy receiving your emails and visiting your website.