The Silent Avatar Speaks

I’m very grateful for the readers of my blog, and especially the comments which inspire me to give out some more useful information about webdesign and Internet marketing in general.

A reader (Casey) recently posted a comment to my previous post “How to get your site visitors (NOT) doing what you want”.

Casey wanted some feedback (which I am happy to do), and I hope that you will relate my feedback I am giving on this website PropertyWishList.com.au to your own site in evaluating its effectiveness. You can open the site I am evaluating in another browser window to check it out as we go.

The first comment I want to make is not to launch a site until you have tested the site.

Testing encompasses a lot of things, not the least to make sure everything works technically. Another test should encompass what users think of the site. Now I’m not talking about you, your offsider, or your web developer. When you have been working on a site for any length of time you can become quite blind to what the site obviously needs. Find someone who fits a typical user. It could be a friend, an acquaintance, or a respected business person. You will want to go through the site and do what I am doing - evaluate it from a user perspective.

Your task for them should be clear. Does our site encompass everything that you (as a user) want and need to be of benefit to use this site? (this is especially the case when your site is a “service” website).

If necessary get them to fill in an online form, or ask them to just make notes and give you a call, or send them to you via email. You many even want to offer an incentive.

So lets go…

How do I think this site stacks up against the competition?

While it might bruise some egos, send out a collective *groan*, and put you in a spin, what I about to say could have been alleviated if you had assessed the wants and needs of the users first over what your competition offers.

I heard something recently (can’t remember where) the saying “Never be the first one to do anything”. I’ve pondered this good advice and now know why. When you are the first to do something you never get it right. You just set the benchmark for someone else to do it better.

I’ve used real estate sites often. In fact very often. For the past 3 years I have been trying to sell a property which I have moved on from (due to re-locating).

Realestate.com.au is by far the biggest competitor (and I have used this site extensively when searching for property to buy), so first know who your competitor/s are and evaluate their website for areas which don’t work or could work better. Do this from the prospective of a user and make notes. Then do it from the prospective of a developer (and take notes).

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Tags: Business Tips, Internet Marketing, Web Design by the silent avatar
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I’ve realised something..

There must be a gazillion advertisers simply throwing money way using Google AdWords.

I’ve just finished watching Brad Fallon’s and Andy Jenkins video on AdWords Triangulation and it’s jaw dropping!

If you use Google AdWords to advertise your website viewing this video is a must!

The video is a true Stompernet production - I just wish I had the resources to put out videos like the ones these guys do

The video is long… a full 54 minutes, buy it’s jam packed with information you need to know. In fact I would go far as to say that spending money on Google AdWords without viewing this video is as good as throwing money away.

This video gives the low down on everything you need to know about advertising with Google AdWords to drive traffic to your site (well almost everything - they freely admit they keep some of their tools exclusively for their members)

Not only do they show you how to

• set up and split test an advertising campaign
• creating a compelling advertisement
• use Google Webmaster tools

they also include valuable information on

• how to tweak your website Meta tags Title and Description Keyword tips
• how to make your all important Title tag “Ad quality”
• how to think like a consumer when creating your ads
• why each page of your website should have its own title tag and keywords
• why a Site map is important
• the techniques Stompernet uses for its members (well.. not all of them - you have to be a member to get the heavy duty stuff.

I would sincerely suggest you ‘opt in’ to their newsletter to keep up to date with the information these guys give freely to their readers.

I also viewed the Stomper SiteSeer video and took advantage of the free service Stomper SiteSeer generates about your website.  The report has some “fluff” which I guess is there for “newbies”, but well worthwhile for them to read.

The report is a web generated report (without a print option), but cut and paste of the information you need will suffice.

For certain I can say that in my line of work I come across countless websites which have the all important meta tag information missing completely! And the only way anyone is going to find their website is to Stumble upon it, or be given the URL of the site.  Sheesh!! No tags? No way!

So check out  Brad Fallon’s and Andy Jenkins video on AdWords Triangulation before they pull it down, and while you are there check out Stompernet Site Seer.

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Tags: Hot Off The Press, SEO, Traffic Generation, Web Design by the silent avatar
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If you’re someone who has been marketing online you know the lifeblood of an online business is the traffic of a site. The simple equation is this: More visitors = More sales.

However, I would like to share with you some ways that you can tweak your sites to improve sales without the need to get more visitors.

1. The first tweak is to have a good read over your sales page and weave in your personal touch in your sales message. Nobody likes risking cold hard cash with a total stranger, but many people will buy on a recommendation from a friend. If you can convince your audience that you are a personal friend who has their best interest at heart, they will be more likely to buy your products. Just remember to speak to an individual in your sales letter - not to your whole audience.

2. The second tweak is to publish testimonials and comments from your customers. A good idea would be to publish both good and bad comments; that way prospects will be more inclined to see your testimonials as real. When prospects see testimonials on your website, they’ll have more confidence buying from you because human beings follow the herd mentality; when others have bought and proven it authentic, they will jump on the bandwagon and buy too.

3. Use visual representations for the problems and solutions that your product offers. Not everyone reads your sales copy from go to woe, but most people will pay attention to images on your website.

4. Offer quality bonuses to accompany the product. When you offer bonuses that complement your product, your prospects will feel it’s a very good deal and it would be stupid to miss it. Be sure to state the monetary value of your bonuses so that people will be even more compelled to grab your good bargain.

5. Lastly, Go ahead and ask for the sale! Many website owners entice their prospects with the benefits of their product, sell to them with stories of how it has solved many problems, even offer great bonuses but forget to ask for the sale. Give a clear instruction on how to buy your product (e.g. “click the button to buy now!”).

By going over your site and implementing these small but dynamic changes, you will give your site every opportunity to secure the sale. J

Tags: Traffic Generation, Web Design by the silent avatar
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Convincing prospects to purchase from you is a hard job, and you certainly don’t need to make it any harder - but have you ever thought that you could be making the process twice as difficult for both parties when your prospects are convinced and want to buy but don’t know how to buy from you?

In a nutshell, no matter how good you are at convincing your prospects, they won’t buy if they find the process cumbersome.Time to take a good look at your site and view it through the eyes of a purchaser.

First, you’ll want to check your order form can be found easily and is hassle-free. Write a clear, concise paragraph to direct your prospects to your order form so that you can minimize the chances of them getting lost.You can also reduce the chances of losing prospects by putting a prominent link to your order page from every other page on your site.

Do you offer multiple payment options? Some people may feel comfortable paying via PayPal, others may only want to pay with their credit card, and then there are others who might want to send a cheque.The more options you offer, the better your chances of covering your prospects’ preferred payment method. After all, it wouldn’t make any sense to sell hard to a prospect only to find that they won’t be able to pay you when they want to.You’ll also want to prove that you are a credible merchant.

Is your order form secured using encryption technology? You would want to look into SSL for this.You can also offer a money back guarantee so that people will feel confident about buying from you.

How about after sales support? Who do they contact when they have problems after purchasing? Do you have a means of a purchaser contacting you without going to the ends of the earth to find your contact details?

Additionally, you can add customer testimonials, your contact information, address, and so on to boost your prospects’ confidence. It all goes towards making them feel safe about buying from you, who in truth is a total stranger to them on the other end of the Internet.

In finishing this post , it would be very pitiful if you sold hard and sold well to a prospect and something goes wrong when he or she is ready to pay.Eliminate any chances of that happening to maximize your profits! Test your site regularly.

Tags: Internet Marketing, Traffic Generation, Web Design by the silent avatar
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