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Archive for the ‘Web Design’ Category
Thursday, July 9th, 2009
 Given the state of the economy, it is more challenging now than ever before to increase sales and revenues. To keep your business growing you need to keep your pipeline of leads flowing. A great way to acquire new leads is through your website. One thing you know for sure is that these visitors are already interested in your products or services, perhaps they are not ready to buy, and they are still in the research phase. Won’t it be nice to capture these visitors information, rather than having them leave your website without knowing who they are? After all, you have already spent time and money to drive these visitors to your website, don’t let your efforts and resources go to waste, capitalize on it by ensuring you are able to capture your visitors information in more ways than one, utilizing every opportunity that you have.
Here are six tips for capturing your website visitors’ information through your newsletter signup in order to help you generate more leads, win new customers, accelerate growth and increase sales.
1. Give Your Newsletter a Title. Increase interest and entice your visitors to sign up for your newsletter, start with a killer title that exemplifies value to your visitors or implies the benefit. For example Captivate’s newsletter title is “Turn Your Website Into a Lead Generation Machine”.
2. Make Your Newsletter Stand Out. Very often you will visit a website and the newsletter signup box is hardly visible or the design is poor or generic. Add an image of your newsletter to the signup box so subscribers can see what they are getting. Make the design captivating and outstanding so that it captivates your visitors’ attention.
3. Position Your Newsletter Strategically. Pay attention to where your newsletter is positioned on your website. Would it be easy for others to see it? Can it be accessed on all pages easily? Perhaps adding a non intrusive pop-up to your website as visitors go from page to page is a good idea.
4. Keep your fields short. When asking for information in a newsletter, it’s best to keep it simple, by just adding fields for the first name and email address. You want the first name, because it would appear more personal when sending out the newsletter. If you must capture additional information for the purpose of acquiring visitor statistics then create a second page so that once the name and email address is captured they can continue to fill out additional information.
5. Add a value to your newsletter. Indicate a dollar amount for your newsletter or offer a free gift for subscribing. Perhaps it could be a free report, a discount, or some other promotional item that’s of value to your target audience.
6. Add a Link to Your Privacy Policy On Your Newsletter Signup Form. Instill trust to your visitors, by letting them know that you would not sell their information or spam them. Include a link to your privacy policy with a short phrase “View our Privacy Policy”. This will make the visitor more comfortable in subscribing to your newsletter.
Tags: email marketing, Internet Marketing, lead generation, newsletter, Web Design
Posted in Internet Marketing, Uncategorized, Web Design | No Comments »
Tuesday, June 23rd, 2009
Not all websites are designed equally. All you have to do is go out and search the internet for a few websites and you’ll see the quality difference between competing websites. How do businesses generate a lot of leads and sales from their websites? How do the highest ranked websites get there? What happened to the ones that end up on page 20 for their keyword phrases? Well, besides the obvious answers of content and keywords, there is also design. Website design can have a huge impact on how your website is ranked, how it is found on the search engines and most importantly whether it converts your website visitors into leads or paying customers. Every web site needs to consider certain design aspects in order to reach its full potential. Here are some things to consider:
1. Web Sites that are Graphics Heavy
Have you seen those websites with all the pretty graphics, pictures and busy flash? These sites are definitely attractive, but they are not keeping your visitors tuned in nor are they being found very easily in the search engines. Why? Pictures and Images are large files to begin with and the pages take a long time to load. People are impatient, and they don’t have the time to sit and wait for it to load, websites with such characteristics are also extremely difficult to optimize. The problem is that search engines cannot read text within graphics or animation. If you feel that you must have a lot of images and flash on your website, be sure to use alt-text and then create an html-based side of your site that is also available to visitors, if you don’t know what this is and you’re working with a professional designer, it’s something to be discussed before proceeding. This will reduce your bounce rate (fewer site abandonment after the first page), also this version of the site will have the potential of being found on the search engines and your prospects will also have the option to go to the other version, with the pretty pictures. Of course, we are available for a free web design consultation on this entire process.
2. Dealing with Dynamic Web Pages
Are you a large online retailer with hundreds or thousands of products available? These types of web sites have data that is generated by a large database and create what are called “dynamic” web pages. The problem for these sites is that some pages may not get indexed by the search engines. So what can be done about this? The first thing is using a site map. This lets Google know that you do in fact have permanent content on your site. You’ll also want to have a good internal linking system set up. These two tactics can go a long way in helping your dynamic pages get found.
3. Proper Use of HTML
One thing that is pervasive on the web is bad HTML code. Worse yet, much of this code, generated by pretty bad web design software, is not search engine friendly. You don’t want the search engines seeing line after line of font and position formatting. This is not relevant content and doesn’t employ the best HTML design. The best website design firms out there make use of CSS (Cascading Style Sheets), which significantly reduces the amount of text formatting in HTML code. You want to be sure your designer uses the very latest coding techniques to ensure your site is ranked high.
4.Content is King
Typically, you want to design for a large site. In other words, plan on growing the number of pages you have over time. Why? Google loves it. They reward you for updating your content frequently, hence the reason a lot of businesses are now adding a business blog onto their website. You want to ensure that the design you use on your site lends itself to being built out over the next year, and for as long as you own the business. If you have only a few pages on your site and your competitors have many, you’ll have a tough time competing with them for that top search engine spot. You also want to keep visitors on your site as long as possible, as well as keep them coming back, and they will do this if there is a lot to see on your site.
Tags: affordable search engine optimization, affordable website design, affordable website design and seo, custom web design, custom website design, free web design consultation, free web design quote, Search Engine Optimization, search engine optimized websites, Web Design
Posted in Uncategorized, Web Design | No Comments »
Thursday, February 26th, 2009
In business perception is everything. How prospects perceive you and your business often times is the determining factor in whether they choose you over the competition. As they say, “a picture is worth a million words”, and with the web this is indeed true. Attention to Details and Professionalism is of the utmost importance, as well as a Strategically Designed website that invokes emotion and engage your web visitor(s), that can prompt the action you seek. With the emergence of the web businesses now have a vast opportunity to increase their clientele affordably, when compared to television, radio, newspaper and/or magazine advertising, since 70% of U.S consumers turn to the web to find businesses just like yours. Moreso, the web puts you infront of people who are actively searching for your services at a time when they need it. This article is writtten to help you make the most of the web by making your Business Website effective and successful.
1. Captivate Your Audience - Experts say that most websites are abandoned within the first three seconds due to poor design and navigation/usability. This can be avoided by designing a website that appeals to your target audience. Assuming that you already know who your prospective clients are, use your website to project the image you want them to have of your business.
2. Highlight the Different Services You Provide – Make it easy for prospects to choose between you and your competition by highlighting the services you provide and/or any packages that you offer. For those impulsive shoppers make it easy for them to purchase your packages online (be sure to add your terms of service and refund policy). By the way, this option works not just for businesses that sell products but service providers as well.
3. Define Your Process/Methodology – Defining your process or methodology could set you apart from your competition. Describe the steps you take to ensure quality control and customer satisfaction.
4. Validate Your Expertise – If you have been mentioned in the press or worked with a very important person, include it on your website. Write articles that relate to your business and showcase your expertise. Most importantly, send out a Press Release each time you get a new client and include it on your press/news page.
5. Talk About Yourself and/or Your Company – Include a bio about yourself and/or company and define what the core values are, behind your business success. Highlight your professional affiliations education and certifications.
6. There’s Nothing Like a Satisfied Client – Commission testimonials from your satisfied client(s) and add it to your website. Adding a case study on the success you have had working with some of your client(s) would be an added bonus, because it will give you the opportunity to highlight how you were able to deliver for your client(s) despite any challenges you may have had to overcome.
Posted in Web Design | No Comments »
Thursday, February 26th, 2009
Many business owners are very often left wondering, why their websites are not working for them, why it isn’t delivering the results that they want. Well, one of the reasons may very well be that you’re not giving your visitors what they came for or you’re not making easy for them to do business with you.
You see websites and web design as a whole go beyond the pretty aesthetics, flash, music, videos and other bells and whistles that appear on so many sites that fail to deliver. Following are some tips that should help you increase your website success.
Implement a Website Strategy.
Website Design, should be treated just as any other marketing strategy, such as print, television, radio or direct mail, it must be carefully thought out and executed. When designing a website, you should have a thorough understanding of your target market and what they are looking for. You should also know who your competitors are and what they are doing, this way you can position yourself ahead of them.
Answer Your Website Visitors Questions.
In addition, when a prospect visits your website, you need to make very clear what you do, what you’ve done for others and more specifically what you can do for them. The reason being is because when someone comes to your website they are looking for answers and clarity. Failure to answer or address your visitor’s questions on your site will send your prospects to your competitor(s).
Your content must be well written to get the reaction that you want, including sales specific call to actions, prompting them to take the step(s) that you want them to take.
Create a Steady Flow of Leads.
Collect Your Customers Information with a Newsletter Signup Box, Free Report or Article Download. Since, they are already at your website, you can be certain that they are interested in your product/or service and although they may not be ready to buy at the moment, you can continue to market to them through a more affordable means like email marketing.
Tell them what you can do for them by displaying case studies, keep them informed and highlight your expertise with white papers or articles or better yet, keep them coming back with a blog.
Make it Easy for Your Website Visitors to Spread the Word.
Add a Tell-a-Friend feature to your website. It’s an affordable and easy way to have your web site visitors and paying customers refer you to their friends and family. You may also want to add a bookmark this site feature to your website, so that customers can easily remember you, when they are ready to make a purchase or utilize your service.
Make it Easy for Your Website Visitors to Take the Next Step.
One of the things that upset people the most is when they visit a website and they have to search for the phone number or contact information. How are you going to convert your website visitors, if you make it difficult for them to contact you? Add a call to action box to request a free consultation or quote or better yet point them to your online store. If you offer a service, package your services, so they can order it online.
Close the Sale and Provide Superior Customer Support.
Explore the benefits of adding a live chat feature onto your website, so that you can connect with your customers from the moment they get to your site. Live Chat will allow you to answer any of their questions, tell them why they should do business with you and more importantly help you close the sale. Click here to learn more about Live Chat.
Tags: affordable website design, custom web design, custom website design, free report, free web design consultation, free web design quote, landing page, live chat, search engine optimized websites, strategic website design, Web Design, web design firm, web page design, website conversion, website leads
Posted in Web Design | No Comments »
Friday, February 20th, 2009
The Internet has become more and more mainstream for business owners and most now take for granted that their companies must have an online presence. Some businesses have websites just to say that they have one, while others recognize the important role a website plays in their overall marketing strategy. Whatever your reason, you should know that if you’re going to invest the time and money in developing a website, you should reap every advantage it can offer:
With over 2 billion Internet users and nearly 200 million users in North America alone according to internetworldstats.com, the practicality of taking your business online is obvious. In case you need further convincing, take a moment to think of the number of emails you receive per day, the last time you searched the Yellow Pages for a listing, or the number of times a business associate or prospect asked, “What’s your website address?”
Global Awareness of Your Business – The Internet is made up of multiple distribution channels such as online directories, e-zines, blogs, networking forums and more that can generate awareness of your business, products and services through linking, submitting articles or interactive participation.
Level the Playing Field – Whether you’re a mom-and-pop shop or a Fortune 500 company, whether you’re doing business on Main Street or Wall Street, establishing your business online gives you the presence and image to compete at every level.
Put Your Best Foot Forward – Your website can reinforce or replace your corporate print material and work 24/7 to promote and sell your products and services. Unlike print brochures, catalogs and other static media, your online information can be enhanced on the fly, allowing you to adapt to rapid changes in business climates, inventory, customer needs or to your competitors.
Get More Satisfied Customers – An online presence will allow you to provide your customers or prospects with immediate answers to their questions without their waiting for your physical storefront to open, being placed on hold, or awaiting delivery of your company brochure. Saving your customers time in turn saves you the exorbitant cost of print advertising design, manufacture and mailing – and possibly the cost of losing your prospect during the wait.
Reduce Operating Costs – You can sell your products and services online and automate responses to customers without the need for additional sales or customer service staff.
Minimal Investment, Higher Returns – Whether you build your website yourself, purchase a low-cost template or get a custom design by a professional designer, a successful website produces a higher return on investment than any other medium. Consider the cost of a website compared to the expense of an ad in the Yellow Pages, print marketing materials or the additional staff required to offer round-the-clock service, and you’ll find that a website can offer your business greater exposure, savings and profit potential than other methods for only a fraction of the price.
The fact is that the world of online commerce is thriving and if you’re not there yet you should be – to ignore this trend is nothing short of committing business suicide. To help you get there I’d like to share a few important steps and tips to make your trip to the World Wide Web a success:
1. Know your reason for going online. Whether it’s to replace your company brochure, sell your products and services or lend credibility to your business, knowing your purpose will help you achieve your goals and objectives faster.
2. Hire a professional web designer. Of course you can attempt to build your website yourself or rely on your friend’s nephew, but having an amateur website will only hurt your business. It’s not the image you want to portray to prospective customers and it certainly won’t give your business the credibility it needs to compete.
3. Select an appropriate domain name. Your domain name is your online address; the easier it is to remember the better for business. Keep it simple and make sure it appropriately represents your business. I suggest using your business name if it’s available.
4. Get the right hosting provider. Your hosting or Internet service provider will give you the space you need to put your business online. Make sure they have at least 99% uptime, because whenever your host’s servers go down your website will too, potentially costing you business. Make certain they offer 24/7 customer support so you don’t waste excessive time troubleshooting.
5. Find a happy medium between copy that sells and keywords. Installing the right keywords may make your website more appealing to search engines, but remember that your text is also being used by your prospective clients to decide if you’re the right choice. Hire a professional copywriter if necessary.
6. Market and promote your website. Once you’ve successfully taken your business online, it’s important to promote and market it effectively to reach the 2 billion-plus users on the Web. You can do so by submitting your site to online directories, optimizing your site for search engines, gaining top search engine placement using pay-per-click, and placing your web address on all marketing collaterals including business cards, direct mail, email signatures and more.
Tags: affordable website design, custom web design, custom website design, professional website design, search engine optimized websites, Web Design, web design company, web design firm, website design
Posted in Web Design | No Comments »
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