These Optimization Tips Will Increase Your Sales Drastically

Let’s face it; prospective customers can be a skittish bunch. They are ever ready to go to and fro from one website to another looking for the perfect site that meets their needs. It is not an easy task to capture new customers, but when you do, and if your business is able to meet on its promises, you can be sure that you will retain them.

It can be heartbreaking when you sacrifice a lot of time, effort and resources on your business website but don’t make enough sales. Could it be you are doing something wrong? The following sales optimization tips if adopted will help you double sales this New Year.

Your homepage matters

When a visitor visits your website, they should be able to tell at a glance what you do. The products and services your offer should be very obvious. Most websites are so congested and filled up with unimportant information that it takes the visitor a long time before they can make any sense out of what the company does.

Your website should have a clean and professional design. A cluttered or busy page can sidetrack your visitor from what you want them to do, which is to buy your products.

Don’t make it hard for your customers to buy your products. It doesn’t make much sense if your company sells bicycles but your website contains a lot of home improvement tips. That is what a blog is for. Your homepage should carry those items you know your visitors are coming to you for.

In a study conducted by One Up Web, more than 70% of shoppers said that the products displayed on the homepage is an important factor in their buying decision. The images you feature on your homepage should display your best sellers. These are crowd-pleasers that would pique your customers’ interest in your store.

If you already have a website, you may need to discuss with an SEO professional to determine if your homepage follows the accepted best practices.


Display trust signals

Customers only buy from businesses they trust. A lot of people have been burnt in the past when it comes to buying online. Either they didn’t get what they paid for, or their money was stolen, or their personal information was stolen.

One sure way to make customers know that you run a trustworthy business is to make use of trust signals. Trust signals such as customer reviews, security certificates and genuine customer policies tell customers that you run a tight ship and can be trusted.

Featuring reviews on your website can increase your sales as much as 18%. Ask your existing customers to review your business on social media, on your website and on third party review platforms. Some of these reviews should be displayed on every page of your website for visitors to see.

It is important however, that you do not post only positive reviews about your business as this can appear doctored to your visitors.

Tell your story

One way to set your website apart from the millions of online stores that litter the internet is to have a unique story that identifies you. You may think it is not relevant, but put yourself in the shoes of a customer for a minute, customers want to know who they are buying from; they want to give the business a face.

Having an about section on your website gives your business a personality. When visitors know your story, your visions and your prospects, they feel more comfortable doing business with you.

An about page that tells the story of your business, it also lets your customers know that you are not only interested in their money. It shows that you are interested in building a relationship with them. Don’t overlook an about page for your business website, it is actually the beginning of customer engagement.

Think about what makes your business unique, it can be funny, serious or even sarcastic. Put it on your about page and share it with your visitors.

Play the urgency card

Fear, they say is a motivator, and this can work in boosting your sales. Create a discount, timed based offer for a product on your website, share it on your social media platforms and see the rush.

Customers tend to make up their minds faster when they know that an offer or promotion will soon go off the market. A 75% off deal for the first 100 buyers or an 80% off deal until midnight will see a lot of customers rushing to make purchase before the deadline expires.

Playing the urgency card works every time, especially for hot sell products. You may be afraid you will be making a loss, but if you manage your homepage display properly, placing your time based discount products side by side with other complementary products, you will be surprised at the amount of impulse sales you will generate.

Use personalized messages to retarget visitors

Not everyone who visits your website is coming to buy. Some come to browse your products and service, compare your prices with that of other stores or simply make a wish-list for next time. They may not be willing to share their contact details with you for a follow-up. This means you have to be proactive.

Their visit should be able to tell you a bit about their preferences. With this, you can retarget them with a personalized message when they are leaving. Exit intent technology can detect when a visitor is about leaving your website without making a purchase. You can use it to retarget your visitors to another of your product or service that might interest them, based on the information your website gathered about their visit. With this, you can reduce cart abandonment, increase wish-listing and even convert leaving visitors to subscribers and customers.

Conclusion

Of course not every visitor will make a purchase the very first time they land on your website, but with the above 5 tips, you can greatly increase your chances of closing more sales this year.