A majority of companies in Denver have their own websites. Some paid professionals around $50,000, while others created theirs themselves with the help of free platforms that charge a monthly maintenance fee. The Internet is cool because it allows access to endless streams of buyers. Let’s be honest, very few companies get loads of clients from a website. I am talking about a full stream, not 1-2 calls per year. After working in the web development industry for more than 10 years, I can confidently say that only 5% of businesses receive this stream. Most companies launch a website, then do nothing to promote it; this is a fatal error. In this article, I will share 15 easy-to-follow steps to converting website traffic into customers that will deliver immediate results for your business.
Complete your Google Business profile
This step takes less than an hour and costs you absolutely nothing. If you don’t have a Google Business profile, create one right away. Encourage your previous customers to review your company, so that you have more feedback than your competitors. Also, add a few photos, your address, business hours, etc. Keep in mind that Google doesn’t like dead profiles and is less likely to promote them.
A Google Business profile is just as important as showing up in search results.
Ask customers for online feedback
This, too, is free; however, it requires some time to do. Do not hesitate to ask your customers for feedback. An ideal scenario is to ask for email addresses, so you can send links to customized services to satisfied customers. Feedback drives sales. Key platforms for feedback are Google Maps, Yelp, and Facebook.
Would you contact a company with bad reviews?
Update your content
The next step is to look through all of your website’s pages and update any information that is out-of-date. It takes less than an hour and costs you nothing. Based on my observations, a significant amount of companies don’t make it a habit to update information on their websites. Their sites contain old addresses, phone numbers, incorrect operating hours, descriptions of old services, and so on. When a user stumbles onto your site, they may become disappointed if the content is inaccurate. This results in the loss of a potential customer.
Order a professional photoshoot
These take 2-3 hours and cost about $500 for a professional photographer. Websites that don’t have a variety of photos barely convert traffic to customers. For some industries, it is crucial to have quality photos on the website. If you can’t afford a professional photographer, use your smartphone; this will improve your website conversion rate.
Users are more likely to visit new places when they have seen pictures of them.
Create a YouTube vlog
On average, this takes about one hour a week and is free. You may get confused in front of the camera or your videos might look amateurish, but they will be honest and convey necessary information. Commit to making one video weekly to upload on YouTube. Also, make sure to select topics that appeal to your buyers. If you do this, I’m certain you’ll be surprised by the results.
Create articles for a Q&A page
Here’s another step that takes about one hour a week and is free. It’s not enough to just describe what you do, you must also dive into some specifics. For example, if you have a carpet cleaning company, try writing about the various types of carpets, why it is necessary to clean them, and the difference between a professional cleaning versus a DIY job. You want to educate your potential customers a little by showing that you possess the knowledge and skills to successfully get the job done. You can create a blog to write these short pieces, then link it to a Q&A page on your site. Each article may bring one or two visitors to your website a week, so you want to increase the number of articles to get more traffic.
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Check the mobile user interface
It takes developers about one hour to fix common issues with mobile user interface. Is your website mobile user friendly? To check, simply go to your site on a cell phone to assess the user experience. It would be even better if you ask a friend or family member to do this, so you can watch. This method always works! You will learn something new about your website’s usability. Keep in mind that 60%, in some industries 80%, of traffic comes from mobile devices. If your website isn’t mobile-friendly, you can lose 60% of prospective clients right away.
If you don’t have a mobile device, go to the Apple Store near you and test your site on all of their devices.
Publish your price list
It appears that many businesses fail to do this, which results in a loss of customers. It takes 1-2 hours and is free if there is CMS on your website. Savvy customers want to know the cost of products and services when they’re on your site. Nothing can convert visitors to buyers better than prices clearly listed. Include the costs, with any associated fees, and do not embellish your offer; otherwise, you will get negative results.
Most companies don’t show prices on their websites. You must provide your buyers with a price or price range.
Outdo your competitors’ websites
This step can take some time and maybe ongoing. Most people shop around to compare products and services before making a final purchase. They will browse your website, as well as your competitors’. Browse your competitors’ sites as if you were a potential customer. Make note of subtle and significant differences you see because your site must be better and more attractive. If your competitor has a 10-photo gallery, you must have a 20-photo gallery. If they have a 20-photo gallery, you must have a 20-photo gallery plus a video.
Also Read: 5 Effective Sales Development Skills That Every Sales Rep Must Know
Check your website’s speed
On average, 30% of companies lose visitors due to slow website speeds. Use a simple test from Google to see if you are losing visitors because of a slow website. If your site is slow, simply pick up the phone to call a web development company to fix this problem. In today’s fast-paced world, users don’t want to wait more than 4-5 seconds for a website to load. If your website takes longer than this to load, call developers right away.
The numbers speak for themselves.
Rewrite titles and descriptions
It takes 3-4 hours and is free. Titles and descriptions are what users first see on search engine results pages (SERP); they determine whether users will click on your website. The most important thing is that your site’s titles and descriptions, on all pages, stand out in SERP. Think about what sort of words or phrases would make you, as a consumer, visit your website, then start writing. If you’re not a writer, you can search for relevant companies in different regions and use their tags as inspiration. Do not copy their tags verbatim.
Install Google Analytics
The analytics service takes 3-4 hours and costs $100. If your developers ask for more, fire them. To get ahead, you must study and understand your visitors: where they come from, what pages are viewed longer, how often they visit your site. With the help of data analysis, you can understand what you need to focus on to capture more customers.
Backlinks
This takes minimal time and is free. Make it a rule to place a link to your website whenever possible. If you follow this rule, within a year, you will easily get dozens of backlinks to your site. In turn, this will increase your domain authority with Google, which is one of the most important factors that influences your SERP ranking. As your domain authority rises, your position in SERP will increase.
Update your Facebook page at least twice a month
It takes 2-3 hours a day and is free. Post photos, discuss what’s new in the industry, offer discounts and promotions, and list any relevant information that might appeal to customers. Your page must be active. If users don’t see posts for several months, they may think that your company is no longer in business.
The most recent post from this company was over a year ago. Do they still exist?
Engage your entire team
Surely, there are people in your company who can easily find 30-60 minutes every week to work on your website. Some may write good articles, while others may take good photos. Initially, ask for feedback about your company on three of the most popular platforms that I mentioned above. Then, have each employee answer one professional question within your niche on Quora weekly with backlinks to your website. Finally, comment on blog articles and other related posts online providing backlinks to your site.
The Internet is here to stay
The simple truth is that, if you don’t focus on your website now, your business may only last a few years. Everything you do to promote your website requires time. You will begin seeing results in 30 days. However, if you continue promoting your business following these steps for at least a year, you will be blown away by your company’s growth. If you have questions, you always can read more articles on my blog on the Direct Line Development website. Leave your comments about this article, and I will answer them all.