How to Sell Online (Part 2)

In a previous post on how to sell online we began by reviewing how sites get found online.  More importantly, we discussed that there are only 2 ways to get on the first page of Google (or any other search engine, for that matter).  They are…

1. You can optimize your site (takes time, technique and effort), or
2. You can buy your way onto the first page of Google (how they make their money)

If you haven’t checked out that article we suggest you look it over when you’re finished reading this post. Okay, let’s start with a simple observation.

Most business owners, by the time they contact us, believe they have a traffic program.  They’ll say stuff like…

“we just need to get more hits on the site.”

And before we just nod our head in agreement we ask one critical question.  What’s your conversion rate?

Believe it or not, most have no idea.  And that’s a huge problem.  Their ASSUMPTION is that more traffic will solve their lack of sales (or lead gen) problem.

So I ask them…

what would you rather have, 10,000 visits a day with 1 sale, or 20 visits a day with 5 sales?

2.  How to Sell Online: Web Conversion

Alright.  So far so good.  People are finding your site.  They are coming by and checking you out.  Now what?

Sure, it all begins with traffic (and that means doing your keyword research, etc.).  But once people come by your site you have to “convert” that traffic into a sale (or lead).  Something.

And this is where most people just drop the ball.  They have no idea that an online sales process needs to be REFINED.

So how do you do that?

The first step is getting metrics installed on your site.  This is absolutely critical.  Without it, you’re just flying blind.

Once metrics are installed, you can track data like “bounce rate” to see if people stay on your site once they get there.  Then you’ll want to check out “top content” to see what they are looking at, and what pages they are leaving from.

The key?

Test and measure.  Always.  For example, you should

1. Test your offer.
2. Test your price.
3. Test your specials.
4. Test different elements of the sales process (where are you losing them)

Whatever your process, web copy, you can refine it.  Do it better.  Make your offer more clear.  Say it a differently.  Focus on THEIR needs, THEIR concerns, THEIR issues.

Make your sales process about your customer.

It’s not rocket science.

Before we wrap this article up (to bring you part 3 soon) let us close with a short example about the absolute NEED to test and measure:

CASE STUDY:  Back in February a company contacted us because they were going broke.  They were generating leads online, but the cost for acquisition was three times what they made from the lead.  With no back end, what to do?

Improve conversion.  In refining their pay per click campaign, it took 43 different ads to get it “just right.”  Now, the ad performs at over 5% click through rate on a regular basis.  We slashed their Adwords budget by 75% while generating the same amount of traffic. Part 1 completed, we moved on to their site.

Their website conversion was just under 5% (4.86% to be exact).  We changed the landing page, changed the headline, the web copy, and rearranged the elements on the page to better tell their story while making it all about their customer.  The result?  This month their conversion is 15.9%.

That, my friends, is how you improve your results to better sell online.

Next Steps…

Any questions?  Comments?  Did we hit a nerve?

Drop us a line by leaving a comment.  We will reply (here, and by email if you’d like) as soon as we’re able.  And if there’s a topic you want us to discuss, let us know.

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