4 Ways to Screw Up Your SEO
These days all most people can talk about is getting more hits to their website. If their website is designed to sell, that's all well and good -- but I see far, far too many companies worry more about traffic and not enough or not at all about conversion rates.
"Conversion rate" refers to the percentage of people who visit your site that get converted into actual customers. Optimal website conversion rates hover between 1-3 percent.
1. Put your visitors in "shopping mode".
Not everyone who visits your website comes because they want to buy. In fact, most of them don't. Just like the majority of the people you see at a mall, most of your visitors arrived for one of the following reasons:
A. Just to browse B. Because they were bored C. Because they were curious D. By accident
I think it's safe to say that no customer fitting into any of the above categories is in true "shopping mode" -- that is, actively looking for something to buy.
How do people "get into shopping mode"? Mall stores do it chiefly with enticement -- from creating the illusion that everyone else buys from their store, so you should too, to intentionally wafting delicious-smelling food as far as it can reach (you don't think they could could contain the smell of the popcorn or stir-fry if they wanted to?)
Unfortunately for you, websites don't smell and it's likely that none of your visitors' peers will ever know that they visited your website -- so there "it's cool to be here" and "this smells awesome" go, straight out the window.
So, how do you put your visitors into shopping mode? By giving things away.
I'm not talking about the whole farm here -- just enough to show them who you are, what they need, and that they want what you have. This article is a perfect example -- it's free, it's written to help you and to convince you that you need and want to up your conversion rate. The most important part is that I'm not writing about something that can easily be done yourself, nor something so complex that you couldn't accomplish it if you really wanted to. The subject matter is just complex enough that some people reading this will be motivated to increase their conversion rate but either wont want to do it themselves, or would prefer to have a professional firm handle it (or both).
2. State EXPLICITLY what you do.
It boggles my mind how often I have clients come to me that just can't figure out why their website isn't converting when their website doesn't even explain what the company does in the first place. Let's have an example!
"But we make shoes!" He'll say. "There are pictures of shoes on the website! See?"
No, I don't see. The problem is that the business owner in this situation is either unable or unwilling to see his website through the eyes of a potential customer that has never heard of his company before. I don't know whether he designs shoes, sells shoes, fixes shoes, shines shoes, or just has a shoe fetish.
You would be shocked at how many potential new customers your website is losing right this very minute because of nothing more than confusion about exactly what it is you do.
3. Earn peoples' trust.
This one is an easy one, but also an extremely important one. Too many websites feel like they're stealing a potential customer's attention away from "the important things" like a products page by including a prominent "about us" section. The problem with this philosophy is that in an age of identity theft, Nigerian princes, and all other manner of digital crime and trickery, very few people are going to be compelled to purchase from a faceless, soulless website.
The four most surefire ways to earn a visitor's trust are as follows:
A. Create an "About Us" section. Introduce in plain language both yourself and your staff, being sure to include a healthy mix of both personal and professional details -- that is, tell your visitors why each person is great at what they do (professional) and also why each person is a great person (personal).
B. Start a company blog designed to entertain and educate your visitors about your industry. (Important: NEVER use a blog post to explicitly advertise a product -- you will lose all credibility and any benefit that your blog has given you.) When blogging, it is important to write in such a way as to make the reader feel as though you and they are having a personal conversation: use your own name, and write in a conversational tone. Never use your company as your identity. (For example, this blog is written and maintained by Carter Schimpff -- not Garraty Group Marketing.)
C. Include customer testimonials prominently on your website. I can't stress the importance of this one enough. It's one thing for you to tell potential customers that you're trustworthy. It's quite another for their peers to do so. (Important tips: Whenever possible, include a candid headshot of the customer providing the testimonial. Research has shown that if the headshot looks too professional, people are given to assume both it and the testimonial are fake. Most importantly of all: NEVER write fake testimonials for your website. Trust me when I tell you that you'll be the only one who "can't tell it's not real.")
4. Make a brave guarantee to show them you mean business (and that you want theirs!)
What do I mean by a "brave" guarantee? Let me give you two examples -- you pick the one that most appeals to you:
Your satisfaction is guaranteed!
Your satisfaction is guaranteed. If you are unsatisfied with our product or service, we will refund your money with no obligation!
As a "pretend customer", which of those appealed to you more? Statistically, 92 percent of you are telling your computer monitor that the first one appealed to you "almost none or not at all" and that the second one made you far more inclined to trust the company, its products or services, and more willing to give them a try.
Most likely, some or all of you are scared to death to try offering a money back guarantee -- too worried that some unscrupulous customer is going to try and screw you out of your hard earned money. I know it can be tough to take the plunge, but let's work some numbers:
Of the percentage of customers who are unsatisfied with your product (which hopefully isn't large -- if it is, you've got bigger problems than conversion), only a minuscule 2 percent are statistically likely to take you up on your money back offer. Putting some real numbers to that, let's assume that on par, an average of 8 percent of your customers are "unsatisfied".
Next, let's say you have 1000 customers per business cycle. Out of that 1000, 80 people will statistically be "unsatisfied" with your product -- however, only 2 percent of those 80 will actually bother to ask for their money back. That's an average of 1.6 customers per 1000 that you'd actually have to pay back.
"Conversion rate" refers to the percentage of people who visit your site that get converted into actual customers. Optimal website conversion rates hover between 1-3 percent.
1. Put your visitors in "shopping mode".
Not everyone who visits your website comes because they want to buy. In fact, most of them don't. Just like the majority of the people you see at a mall, most of your visitors arrived for one of the following reasons:
A. Just to browse B. Because they were bored C. Because they were curious D. By accident
I think it's safe to say that no customer fitting into any of the above categories is in true "shopping mode" -- that is, actively looking for something to buy.
How do people "get into shopping mode"? Mall stores do it chiefly with enticement -- from creating the illusion that everyone else buys from their store, so you should too, to intentionally wafting delicious-smelling food as far as it can reach (you don't think they could could contain the smell of the popcorn or stir-fry if they wanted to?)
Unfortunately for you, websites don't smell and it's likely that none of your visitors' peers will ever know that they visited your website -- so there "it's cool to be here" and "this smells awesome" go, straight out the window.
So, how do you put your visitors into shopping mode? By giving things away.
I'm not talking about the whole farm here -- just enough to show them who you are, what they need, and that they want what you have. This article is a perfect example -- it's free, it's written to help you and to convince you that you need and want to up your conversion rate. The most important part is that I'm not writing about something that can easily be done yourself, nor something so complex that you couldn't accomplish it if you really wanted to. The subject matter is just complex enough that some people reading this will be motivated to increase their conversion rate but either wont want to do it themselves, or would prefer to have a professional firm handle it (or both).
2. State EXPLICITLY what you do.
It boggles my mind how often I have clients come to me that just can't figure out why their website isn't converting when their website doesn't even explain what the company does in the first place. Let's have an example!
"But we make shoes!" He'll say. "There are pictures of shoes on the website! See?"
No, I don't see. The problem is that the business owner in this situation is either unable or unwilling to see his website through the eyes of a potential customer that has never heard of his company before. I don't know whether he designs shoes, sells shoes, fixes shoes, shines shoes, or just has a shoe fetish.
You would be shocked at how many potential new customers your website is losing right this very minute because of nothing more than confusion about exactly what it is you do.
3. Earn peoples' trust.
This one is an easy one, but also an extremely important one. Too many websites feel like they're stealing a potential customer's attention away from "the important things" like a products page by including a prominent "about us" section. The problem with this philosophy is that in an age of identity theft, Nigerian princes, and all other manner of digital crime and trickery, very few people are going to be compelled to purchase from a faceless, soulless website.
The four most surefire ways to earn a visitor's trust are as follows:
A. Create an "About Us" section. Introduce in plain language both yourself and your staff, being sure to include a healthy mix of both personal and professional details -- that is, tell your visitors why each person is great at what they do (professional) and also why each person is a great person (personal).
B. Start a company blog designed to entertain and educate your visitors about your industry. (Important: NEVER use a blog post to explicitly advertise a product -- you will lose all credibility and any benefit that your blog has given you.) When blogging, it is important to write in such a way as to make the reader feel as though you and they are having a personal conversation: use your own name, and write in a conversational tone. Never use your company as your identity. (For example, this blog is written and maintained by Carter Schimpff -- not Garraty Group Marketing.)
C. Include customer testimonials prominently on your website. I can't stress the importance of this one enough. It's one thing for you to tell potential customers that you're trustworthy. It's quite another for their peers to do so. (Important tips: Whenever possible, include a candid headshot of the customer providing the testimonial. Research has shown that if the headshot looks too professional, people are given to assume both it and the testimonial are fake. Most importantly of all: NEVER write fake testimonials for your website. Trust me when I tell you that you'll be the only one who "can't tell it's not real.")
4. Make a brave guarantee to show them you mean business (and that you want theirs!)
What do I mean by a "brave" guarantee? Let me give you two examples -- you pick the one that most appeals to you:
Your satisfaction is guaranteed!
Your satisfaction is guaranteed. If you are unsatisfied with our product or service, we will refund your money with no obligation!
As a "pretend customer", which of those appealed to you more? Statistically, 92 percent of you are telling your computer monitor that the first one appealed to you "almost none or not at all" and that the second one made you far more inclined to trust the company, its products or services, and more willing to give them a try.
Most likely, some or all of you are scared to death to try offering a money back guarantee -- too worried that some unscrupulous customer is going to try and screw you out of your hard earned money. I know it can be tough to take the plunge, but let's work some numbers:
Of the percentage of customers who are unsatisfied with your product (which hopefully isn't large -- if it is, you've got bigger problems than conversion), only a minuscule 2 percent are statistically likely to take you up on your money back offer. Putting some real numbers to that, let's assume that on par, an average of 8 percent of your customers are "unsatisfied".
Next, let's say you have 1000 customers per business cycle. Out of that 1000, 80 people will statistically be "unsatisfied" with your product -- however, only 2 percent of those 80 will actually bother to ask for their money back. That's an average of 1.6 customers per 1000 that you'd actually have to pay back.
