12 Questions you should ask yourself – if you want to
improve your online success!
Is your website getting visitors, but not enough are buying? Unfortunately this
is a common online problem. Following are twelve common weaknesses found with
websites that don't sell. If you answer no to any of the questions, you need to
take action, and fast!
1.
Does your text focus on emphasizing the benefits and
the results the customer will get from purchasing and using it?
Sales copy needs to be focused on the benefits to the end user, not on the
features of the product. List the features, and then translate them into
benefits the customer will get. Move away from "our Widget does this, this
and this.." to "You will soon be doing this .."
2.
Does your website convey enough strong benefits?
Brainstorm to come up with a list of benefits. Rank them in order of
importance. Then mention them in order throughout the text, best first.
Summarizing them with bullet points too also works great.
3.
Does you text stimulate the emotions?
People buy with the heart not the head - so try and stimulate emotions -
use words to paint a picture of life after they've bought your product "
Imagine the freedom of no more back pain." or "..money worries could
soon be a thing of the past, and you could soon be taking those exotic vacations".
4.
Does the headline grab and draw you in?
You've got to try to stop them dead in their tracks with the headline. Use
the best benefit of your product, and create interest so they read on. Make it
hard hitting, but not unbelievable.
5.
Do you have a call to action?
People put off decisions, even if they're 90% sold on your product, they may
still decide to "sleep on it". Don't let them have time to forget -
give them an incentive to purchase now - discounts, bonuses etc.
6.
Does your website load and function ok?
Slow load times may cause people to get impatient and go elsewhere, even
though it registers a visit. Do all links work, and more importantly, have you
tested your order page by running dummy orders?
7.
Do you have any testimonials from satisfied customers?
Testimonials are everywhere online, and people expect them as a matter of
course. Ask those who have purchased what they thought. E-mail them a simple
customer satisfaction survey, offer a freebie for replying and use the best
comments. If your product is free, try a testimonial swap with a seller of a
complementary (but not
directly competing) product. Offer to review his product if he reviews yours.
8.
Do you take a credit cards?
I shouldn't really have to ask this now should I? It's a plain fact that
you are going to lose a huge amount of customers if you don't accept them.
9.
Are you absolutely sure there's a market for it?
Does anyone else sell anything similar -if so, there should be a market for
it. If it's a highly unique product, did you do a survey or market research to
see if anyone wanted to buy it? If not, canvass opinion from forums and
newsgroups.
10. Is
your website easy on the eye?
Strong colours can make text difficult to read. It doesn't matter how good
your offer is, if someone gets a headache looking at the screen they are going
to give up.
11. Do
you offer a guarantee?
Most people are wary of getting "scammed" online, so remove those
doubts - offer a guarantee. Make it as unconditional as you can.
12. Can
you compete with your competitors?
Do you have any big competitors who are just cornering the market and
"blowing you away"? Are customers just visiting your site to
"comparison shop" and returning to your competitor to buy. If
this is a possibility, try to devise a unique selling point (USP) which
differentiates your product from others - perhaps
you can compete on quality, benefits, or price. Emphasize the differences and
advantages of your product. Research your market and familiarize
yourself with what else is on offer. Then carve out a niche for your product.
Once you can truly answer "yes" to
all the above questions, it's just a matter of constant fine-tuning until you
get a decent level of sales. You're never going to sell to everyone who visits
your site, but you can do a lot to increase the odds in your favour.
