Bob's Home Business Blog

The human mind and the way we process and perceive things play an important role in the psychology of the buying process. From the first time we see something the attraction trigger takes over and will ultimately determine whether or not we like how the merchandise looks. This will make a huge impression on our psychic and will eventually influence our final decision as to whether or not we want to buy.

Therefore, the first thing you should consider when you’re selling merchandise from your home business website is the curb appeal of your product. When you’re buying a house and you’re looking at it for the first time from the outside the first impression you get is from its overall appearance. Immediately you’re asking yourself whether or not you think it’s attractive and if you would buy it?

The same situation goes for products displayed on your website. The packaging and the graphics have a huge impact on your prospective customer’s first impression. Bearing this in mind always make sure your product presentation is very professional in appearance and don’t pinch your pennies when it comes to your budget for this aspect of your Internet marketing campaign because it may come back to haunt you in the end.

Always remember first impressions are vitally important when it comes to enticing your prospect to the next level along the sales path to purchasing your product.

Secondly, don’t appear to be desperate for your prospect’s business. People perceive desperation in a negative light when it comes to doing business online so you should always give the impression of having confidence in your merchandise and your home business. In other words don’t bend over backwards to prove yourself to a customer.

It’s always helpful to display your rewards and your testimonials but don’t go overboard by trying to impress your visitors at every turn. If we appear desperate we’re more likely to be turned down when it comes to a final decision because this impression carries with it a negative connotation of weakness.

Third, you should always try to highlight the positive characteristics of someone who would need the product you’re promoting while pointing out the negative aspects of the person who would walk away from your offer. This helps to cast the potential buyer in a positive light while portraying the nay-sayer as someone who will be stuck in the same position six months from now as they are today.

Next, try not to talk down to the person from your website. Your sales copy should read as personable as possible so that your visitor gets the impression that you know how they feel and you can help them with their problem.

We all want to be treated like human beings and not approached as some statistic that will improve the company’s bottom line at the end of the month. Therefore, try to create a relationship via your text by talking to your prospects and not at them.

Finally, a hard sales line approach often alienates your prospective clients and often forces them to look elsewhere to satisfy their needs. Don’t be persistent to the point of turning off your visitors. Know when to draw the line and when to give them a break from your messages.

It’s always nice to give them something of value during the process in order to help cement the relationship and to display your good will toward the person. A soft sales approach can convert your prospects into clients rather than just customers because this strategy also involves relationship building which often leads to a long term commitment from your prospects.

Looking at the online sales process from a psychological point of view will not only help your home business website convert more often but will also help increase the length of commitment your clients make to your Internet enterprise.

Bob Withers

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Everyone wants to improve their website conversion rates especially if you’re completely new to Internet marketing and you’ve just started your online home based business or even if you’re an experienced Internet entrepreneur who has been very successful on the web, you can always use more sales and a higher conversion rate. This term is really self explanatory and simply means employing different website techniques in order to convert your prospects into paying customers.

Now that we all understand what this is about here are 5 ways you can increase the number of converts on your home page while enhancing your sales and profits:

1. First of all, before most people will even consider doing business with you online they want to feel secure and safe with providing you their credit card information. If your visitors don’t see that stamp of approval with the accompanying explanation regarding the security measures you have in place to protect their vital information and their identity they won’t purchase your product no matter how good they believe it to be.

So make sure you provide your prospects with a safe and secure Internet environment in which to do business. SSL certificates are probably the most recognizable and most respected online and are very economical to purchase so there’s no reason not to have one displayed on your web page.

2. Provide your visitors with an enticing and inviting landing page in order to make them want to stay on your website and look around. Your squeeze page should offer a quality freebie to your prospects so they will feel comfortable giving you their name and email address to help you build your list.

This opt-in page should be simple and to the point by telling your visitors exactly what to do and then explaining what will happen when they do it. A lot of bells and whistles aren’t necessary to convince people to part with their contact information. All you have to do is make them an offer too good to refuse and they will subscribe immediately. Now that you have them on your list the first step in the conversion process has been successful.

3. Something as simple as providing your detailed contact information can make a big difference in your website conversion rates. You’ll be surprised how many Internet marketers fail to give the basic information necessary for their prospects to contact them if they feel the need.

Display your name, your physical address and not a post office box because they don’t instill a feeling of confidence in you visitors and give them your phone number so they know you are a real person who is accessible when needed and of course provide your email address. When people see this information displayed on your home page they will feel more at ease about doing business with you and your home business.

4. Always explain to people on your website what you want them to do and how you want them to do it in a step-by-step fashion. Many Internet entrepreneurs take for granted that people know what to do to buy something online and the individuals that don’t understand the process sometimes give up in frustration and you lose the sale as a result. So always be clear and detailed with your “How to purchase” information for your prospective customers.

5. Finally, when you’ve successfully converted a prospect into a paying client and their payment has been approved offer them a discount on an additional purchase. For example, provide 25% off their next purchase if they buy right now. Always strike while the iron is hot and your customers already have their credit card out of their wallet.

Of course there are many other website conversion tactics you can employ on your home business home page; however, if you begin with these 5 techniques you should experience an increase in sales and profits and you can continue to add more persuasive conversion strategies as you advance with your Internet marketing career.

Bob Withers

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When visitors land on your home business home page your next biggest challenge after attracting them to your website is to convert them to paying customers. There are many tactics you can use to entice them on to your customer list beginning with your website itself. Here are 5 strategies you can employ to help convert your visitors into paying customers.

1. Most people are initially driven to your site to satisfy some need or to solve a problem they may be experiencing. Once they find the solution on your web page their initial reaction afterward will be to leave, however you can persuade them to stay and check out your other offers by showing them a good time.

Everyone enjoys having fun and by adding games, quizzes, videos and interactive tools to your website you can increase the staying time of your guests and increase the odds that they will become paying clients. The longer someone stays on your site and the more often they return, because they enjoyed their first visit so much, the more likely they will become patrons of your home based business.

2. Add a forum or a chat room to your website. People online love to socialize as evidenced by the popularity of the social network and such websites as facebook and twitter. By adding a forum to your home page you’re providing the opportunity for your potential customers to make friends with your other guests. This gives them a very good reason for returning to your site on a regular basis so they can nurture the relationships they’ve been developing. Also, remember the more often they visit the more likely they will become customers.

3. Offer your website visitors a free course from your home page. For example, if you’re website theme is home business opportunities you can offer a weekly seminar on how to build a successful home based business online from scratch. This will attract your guests   back to your site regularly to take advantage of your free offer and they may also bring along a friend or two because of the high quality of your information. This will not only help you build your email list but also increase your targeted traffic and boost your potential sales.

Also through these free lessons you can begin the process of relationship building with your potential clients. You can build rapport by teaching them something new every week and this will also increase your credibility on the web because these people will begin to see you as an expert in this particular field. People who feel that they know you and trust in you are more likely to do business with you than with a perfect stranger.

4. Create a freebies section on your home page and include high quality, valuable merchandise to give away which will bring your visitors back, to take advantage of your offer, again and again. People love to get something for nothing and if they have a perceived value in what you’re offering for free they will begin to appreciate both you and your home business. Be sure to update your freebies on a regular basis so your visitors don’t become bored by seeing the same offers over and over again

5. When you’re creating your website pay attention to the fine detail on your web page so it will be as pleasing to the eye as possible. Remember, when someone visits for the first time you have a limited time frame to attract their attention in order to persuade them to stay and have a look around. Be consistent throughout your website with regard to fonts, color and type and size of graphics on each and every page. This will add to the attraction of your home page and will help to keep your guest’s attention on your site. No matter what people may want to believe or may want you to believe, looks really do matter, and it’s critical when it comes to your website design and structure.

By implementing some or all of these website conversion techniques you will not only increase your home business traffic and build your email list but you will also increase the all important bottom line by converting more of your potential customers into paying clients.     

Bob Withers

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When creating your website for your home based business you should always do so with your potential customers and product sales in mind. Attracting traffic to your web page is an ongoing daily effort on your part and when you finally entice a targeted visitor to your home page you want your website to do its part in converting this person into a paying customer.

There are many different aspects of your web page which can affect the overall outcome of your sales strategy and these five website conversion techniques can help grow your sales and profits by turning your potential customers into paying clients before they leave your home business home page.

1. Having a landing page, sometimes called a squeeze page on your website is an absolute necessity if you want to insure the long term success of your home based online business. A squeeze page captures the email contact information from your visitors to help build your list which you can use to advertise future products and promotions to help ensure long term profits. As we’ve all heard, “the money is in the list” and it’s a must for long term success online today.

Since the landing page is the first thing your visitors see it must capture their interest and attention immediately. You have a very limited time to do so because your visitor’s time is invaluable and they won’t waste it visiting a website they find to be bland or unattractive. Therefore your headline must be attention getting and thought provoking and appeal to what they’re looking for from your web page.

From online research red headlines tend to provide higher conversion rates but these colors can vary in importance from time to time so it’s best to check before hand to discover which color is most effective at the time. However it’s best to avoid large graphics and logos on your header because they only slow the download time of your web page which can discourage your visitors from waiting to view your offer.

2. Make sure your sales page text is short and to the point. Your paragraphs must be one or two sentences in length once again keeping in mind your potential customer’s time because they aren’t there to read a book but to find only the information they need to make an informed buying decision.

Highlight the benefits your merchandise can offer your visitors and what problems it may solve for them. Highlighted bullet points are excellent attention getters and help to draw the reader into your sales copy. High quality, informative and attention getting sales copy will help increase your conversions and profits.
 
3. Always write your sales copy with your audience in mind. Tailor your text around your target’s needs and not your own. Your copy should be written to make your potential customers happy and not you as the home business owner. Remember, always approach your sales pitch with your potential customer’s needs and wants in mind and your conversion rate will increase exponentially.

4. Offer your visitors a free gift in your sales copy. Added value goes a long way toward helping build a relationship with your visitors as well as increasing your credibility in their eyes. People are searching for information and knowledge and if you offer it free of charge they will pay more attention to your product and what it can do for them if they purchase.

5. Psychological triggers can help improve your website conversion rate. For example, offer your visitors a much more expensive product at first and then follow up with a more normally priced good and they are more likely to take advantage of your second offer and buy the cheaper merchandise. People are much more likely to agree to an offer they would normally turn down, if you ask them to purchase something much more expensive initially.

By employing some or all of these website conversion tactics you will increase your sales and profits as well as the size of your email list to help ensure the longevity of your online home based business.         

Bob Withers

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When you’re creating your home based business website and deciding which type of content you’re going to add you should always do so with your visitors in mind. After all, anyone who drops by your home page is a potential customer and, keeping this in mind, you want to make their visit as enjoyable as possible in order to keep them there as long as you can with the main objective being to keep them coming back for more.

Return visits are a must because very rarely do people purchase a product on their first visit. There are several very effective strategies you can employ to ensure the majority of your guests over stay their welcome and keep coming back for more and here are 5 of the most successful tactics you can use:

1. People love free stuff so give them a gift every chance you can get. For example, offer them a free e-book for subscribing to your newsletter or you can provide a reward for every link they click through on your home page. For instance, click here to receive a free course on driving traffic to your home business website.

2. Add video to your website. The popularity of video has soared on the Internet with the emergence of YouTube and other video sharing websites on the web so the addition of this medium can only enhance and prolong your visitor’s stay. If you’re into article writing, for example, you could turn them into videos by using any of the conversion software available online today.

This is also a great way to market your home business because you can upload your productions to the wide array of  video sharing sites on the web with your link attached to your signature file within the video so people who are interested can visit your home page.

3. During the design phase make sure your website will be as user friendly as possible. Make it very easy to navigate and make your product information readily available so people don’t have to search for it. Speaking of searching, adding a search feature to your website will help people find any information they’re having a problem seeing on your web page. This will also help extend your visitor’s stay because people usually become involved and extend their searches to other information or products they may be seeking.

4. People enjoy interacting with different features so by adding games and contests to your website you will be adding enjoyment to your visitor’s stay while at the same time convincing them to remain a little longer. Consider adding a monthly contest with a prize at the end so people will revisit to enter next month’s giveaway and to find out if they won this month’s competition.

5. Provide a forum or chat room for your guests to socialize and make acquaintances and friends on your home page. Most people love to socialize and by making friends your visitors will want to return to your website to continue their relationships and this will also entice them to stay longer.

Remember, the longer your visitors stay on your home business website and the more often they return the more likely they will become paying customers. So, with this in mind, always strive to add new content to make your web page as enjoyable and as user friendly as possible.    

Bob Withers

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There are many factors to consider when you’re just starting a home based business online with one of the most important being how your website can create an experience for your visitors so they will decide to become paying customers. This is where conversion optimization comes into play.

According to wikipedia: “conversion optimization or conversion rate optimization is the science and art of creating an experience for a website visitor with the goal of converting the visitor into a customer. It is also commonly referred to as CRO.”

Here are 5 strategies you can employ to increase you home business website conversion rate:

1. Use split testing on your home business website. Split testing can be an extremely effective Internet marketing strategy to employ to help increase your conversion rate. First of all for the uninitiated according to Internet marketing definitions: “split testing is an extremely powerful strategy for increasing the effectiveness of a web based offer.

It basically means you test different types of strategies on your site or sales pages to determine their effectiveness. Then you would implement the ones that generate the best sales.” If you don’t know what works best with your Internet marketing strategy then you will continue to spend money on tactics which are showing little or no return on investment. This is a recipe for financial disaster and something to be avoided at all costs.

2. Establish a trusting relationship with your current customers and most importantly your potential clients. You can accomplish this by following up with both groups at every opportunity. When someone visits your website and provides their contact information email them at regular intervals promoting your home business and your products.

Send them discount offers and invitations to return to your site to further explore your content. Offer them a free sample of your merchandise as an incentive to buy and invite them to join your forum in order to meet some of your current customers. Also invite them to enjoy your freebies page and download whatever interests them. People are more likely to purchase from someone they feel they know and trust rather than from a stranger.

3. When you’re designing your website make sure it’s user friendly. Make it very easy to navigate from one area to the next and make your sales ordering process as straight forward as possible so as not to confuse your visitors. If people can’t figure out how to place an order then odds are your competition is going to get a sale. Give them several methods of purchasing such as paypal, clickbank and several of the most popular credit cards. People need the payment option that’s right for them.

4. Keep your visitors interested. Boredom is the fastest way to lose a guest to another website. Provide high quality content and add an entertainment area to help keep them amused. People love to socialize online as proven by the popularity of many of the social websites on the web today such as facebook. Therefore create a chat room so they can strike up relationships with some of your current customers and potential clients.

Have a monthly contest and provide prizes for the winners. This is a great way to increase return traffic. Also build a freebie page and provide quality merchandise to your visitors for free to download. Be sure to change your free stuff on a regular basis to keep them coming back for more. Quality content drives traffic and helps increase conversion rates.

5. Post testimonials and product endorsements on your home business home page. If people don’t know you or your product they may not believe it can do what’s promised so strategically placed testaments to the quality and performance of your merchandise will go a long way toward changing people’s minds and converting them to paying customers.

The higher your website conversion rate the more sales you will make and the more successful both you and your home based business online will become. Therefore, conversion rate optimization is something you cannot ignore if you want to have a long and thriving business career on the web.  

Bob Withers

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If you’re starting a home based business online and you have your website up and running, you have your Internet marketing plan in place to drive traffic and you have the product or service you are going to promote advertised on your home page; your main focus now should be converting this traffic to paying customers or website conversion optimization.

Simply put website conversion optimization, a relatively new Internet marketing technique, is the process of turning your home business website traffic into paying customers or some other desired outcome such as sign ups for your home business newsletter. You should concentrate on improving the website conversion rate for every visitor during every stage of the sales cycle. From the first visit right through to the final decision to purchase, your home business website should be geared toward converting your guests to clients.

There are many techniques available for improving your conversion rates and we’ll look at several in this article. First of all overall website design is very important for conversion because your site should be search engine friendly. Your design should be eye catching and not cluttered with large graphics and unnecessary pictures. This makes loading your pages a slow and painful process both for your visitors and the search engines.

Your home business web page should also be very user friendly and easy to navigate. This helps keep your visitors interested and also helps increase return rates. As we know most guests don’t purchase on their first visit so follow ups are a very important component for increasing conversion rates.

Make ordering your product or service as easy as possible and offer several different options for ordering. This help seal the deal when the potential customer decides to purchase because they aren’t deterred by not having the desired payment method available to them.

Offer a money back guarantee. For example 30 days with a no questions asked refund policy. This instills confidence in the person that they aren’t being taken advantage of and that this is a legitimate home business.

Offer freebies that you update or change on a monthly basis. This also helps with return rates because people enjoy getting stuff for nothing and would be interested in returning to see what’s available next month. The more often they visit the more likely they’ll convert to paying customers.

Have a contest on your site where you provide a monthly prize to the overall winner. This is also a great way to keep people coming back for more. Having games or puzzles on your home page may also work just as well.

Display a frequently asked questions page and encourage people to ask questions and provide feedback. This helps establish or build relationships with visitors which is a key component of the sales cycle. People are more likely to purchase from someone they feel they know rather than from a stranger.

Finally, security and protecting personal information is a major concern for people ordering online today. Make sure your order page is secure and make it well known on your website that it is protected. This goes a long way toward influencing a positive outcome during the decision phase of the cycle because people are more likely to purchase from a site they trust.

These are just a few of the website conversion optimization techniques available for converting your potential customers to paying clients of your home business.

Bob Withers