Revealed: The Secret About Most Business Websites

The honest truth is that most websites don’t make money. A large amount of business owners spend thousands and thousands on their website only to have it do nothing. No one emails, no one calls… and most importantly no one gives you any money.

So how do we fix that? Here I talk about two huge errors I see with most websites.

Missing A Conversion Process

Most website owners are so concerned with website traffic they forget what to do with it when it arrives. Your website is desperately in need of a process that converts all those hungry visitors into buyers. Most website owners give no thought to this process at all.

Believe it or not the secret to making money online hardly ever involves people showing up and throwing money at you. In almost all cases you’re going to have to sell the visitor on your products and services. Can’t stand selling? Get over it.

What’s so great about web (and one of its huge limitations) is you don’t sell face-to-face. This allows us to put our fears of rejection behind us, bite the bullet and sell stuff. If it doesn’t work at least your feelings won’t be hurt.

You must have a clear plan for converting visitors to buyers if you want to improve your web conversion rate.

Missing A Web Marketing Strategy

This brings us to a bigger problem with most websites… lack of clear strategy. Website conversion is one part of the strategy that’s lacking and the second is generating traffic. Even if your website conversion is incredible it doesn’t help you if you don’t have any visitors.

You obviously need strategies to attract visitors to your website. These might be things like search engine marketing, social media, video marketing, article marketing and pay-per-click (PPC) advertising. But the point is you need to have a strategy.

Another mistake (that I’ve made too) is not choosing one clear strategy and trying to do everything at once. This means no single strategy gets any traction and you end up with dismal results. The secret is to select just a few web site marketing strategies that you can apply over the next few months and simply do them consistently.

When the first strategies start to get result then you can go and add more. But don’t discard what got you to that point. You’ll go far if you just learn to keep doing the basics a little bit better.

Make Sure Your Website Does These 2 Things

The honest truth is that most websites don’t make money. After business owners invest thousands and thousands of dollars on a fancy website it ends up doing nothing. No one visits, no one calls… and most importantly no one buys.

So how do we fix that? We read about the two big mistakes that most websites make of course.

An Ineffective Website Conversion Process

Most website owners focus on getting website traffic but then don’t know what to do with it. Your website needs to have a clearly defined website conversion process to convert visitors into buyers. Most website owners fail to spend any time designing this process.

You’re in for a shock if your plan is to have people just show up and throw money at you. In most cases you’re going to have to sell your products and services to the visitor. Despise selling? Get over it.

What most people love about the web (and don’t realise is a huge limitation) is that there is no face-to-face selling. This allows us to put our fears of rejection behind us, bite the bullet and sell stuff. If it doesn’t work at least your feelings won’t be hurt.

You must have a clear plan for converting visitors to buyers if you want to improve your website conversion rate.

No Web Marketing Strategy

This brings us to a bigger problem with most websites… lack of strategy. Converting visitors into buyers is the first missing strategy and the second is getting website traffic. Even if your website conversion is incredible it doesn’t help you if you don’t have any visitors.

So you need to put in place some website traffic generation strategies. These could include search engine optimization (SEO), article marketing, pay-per-click (PPC) advertising, video marketing and social media. But the important thing is you have a strategy.

Another error (and one I’m guilty of) is trying too many strategies and running from one to the other constantly. This means no single strategy gets any traction and you end up with dismal results. The best way is to choose a few powerful web marketing strategies and apply them consistently for the next few months.

When the first strategies start to get result then you can go and add more. But don’t throw away what got you that far. Keep doing the basics well and you’ll go far.

More website sales… without more traffic?

It’s common to think that website marketing is all about increasing your website traffic or higher rankings in the search engines. My feeling is that you should increase your website’s conversion before focusing on traffic. That way the results will be a lot better when the traffic does get added.

Unfortunately most business owners think that traffic is king when it comes to the internet. But it’s not their fault… the world is full of experts guaranteeing riches from huge amounts of website traffic. Most don’t bother to mention that if your website can’t sell then all the traffic in the world is useless.

Your website’s number one job

My philosophy of website marketing is building a relationship with visitors when they arrive at your website. Part of this is the way you present your content and your business. But a big part is collecting email addresses so you can start to build on that initial relationship.

It’s generally accepted only 1-2% of people will buy when they visit your website. But by taking the time to create a relationship with them that figure will be a lot better. It’s just like the one-hit wonder band competing with another band who creates great albums year after year.

Escaping the social media madness

There are enough social media buzzwords being used but it’s critical to remember the goal. There are now many tools for communicating with potential prospects… and some useless ones as well. But in the end it’s all about building a relationship.

It doesn’t matter how the relationship is built, whether it’s email, Twitter, Facebook or YouTube… or even through newspapers, physical mail, fax or phone. It’s still about the relationship and how you provide value through that relationship. I believe you’re better to use a wide range of media to connect with your market.

Keep focused on your goal

There is no absolute answer… there is no almighty social media property that you should base your business around. That would be like having a store but deciding a phone was too much inconvenience. Intelligent business owners realize a phone is a useful tool for their business and that’s the same with social media.

The point is to build a relationship with website visitors no matter what the media. By building a valuable relationship with your prospects (and clients) your sales will naturally increase. Because people buy from those they know and trust.

Your action plan

Examine your website and discover whether you’re simply stating what you do or actually building a relationship. Are you providing valuable information? Do you have their contact details to send more information?

Building a relationship isn’t really difficult… just imagine what you’d do if the person was right in front of you and go from your gut. And get ready for some amazing results.

Because if you form enough relationships it can easily lead to millions of dollars a year.