Just a quick post to talk about how truly AMAZED I am at how many site owners just don’t get it when it comes to converting visitors, yet they really seem to get SEO.
They understand that it takes great content to get noticed. They understand that they must get the word out about their great content in order to get other quality, relevant sites to link to theirs. They understand on-page optimization and site architecture/internal link structure. They even know about varying inbound link anchor text and formulating deep linking strategies for best results. And, eventually, the savvy site owners achieve the top organic spots in the engines.
But it takes conversions to make it all worthwhile. Why go through all of the time and effort of getting your site ranked at the top if you’re directing the searcher to a page full of informative content, but completely lacking a call-to-action or other point of conversion?
I won’t link to specific examples because I don’t want to call anyone out in public (I only call out email spammers here from time to time). But to make it a little clearer, here’s an example of the type of page I’m specifically referring to for illustrative purposes:
Content that shows visitors that you really know your niche and are a trusted expert in your industry. You’re able to talk about your products and/or services in a conversational manner without selling anything (IMPORTANT) that you offer.
Content that shows visitors that you really know your niche and are a trusted expert in your industry. You’re able to talk about your products and/or services in a conversational manner without selling anything (IMPORTANT) that you offer.
Content that shows visitors that you really know your niche and are a trusted expert in your industry. You’re able to talk about your products and/or services in a conversational manner without selling anything (IMPORTANT) that you offer.
Link to homepage, or no link at all
OK, so now what? I read all of the information you provided me, I’m convinced that you’re an expert on the subject, and I’m ready to buy. Am I now supposed to scroll up and figure out where to go next?
Here’s how that same page should look, with points of conversion naturally occurring throughout the body content and a definitive call-to-action at the end of the content:
Content that shows visitors that you really know your niche and are a trusted expert in your industry. You’re able to talk about your products and/or services in a conversational manner without selling anything (IMPORTANT) that you offer.
Content that shows visitors that you really know your niche and are a trusted expert in your industry. You’re able to talk about your products and/or services in a conversational manner without selling anything (IMPORTANT) that you offer.
Content that shows visitors that you really know your niche and are a trusted expert in your industry. You’re able to talk about your products and/or services in a conversational manner without selling anything (IMPORTANT) that you offer.
Direct link to point of conversion
Tip: When I run across sites like this I will sometimes make a note to contact the site owners to notify them of the money they’re currently leaving on the table. I have gained a handful of clients this way, specifically when I looked at purchasing commercial real estate a few months back. Once I informed the companies that I was working with that I had some immediate site improvements, they wanted more.
The same principle applies to what I like to call OFA (Optimized For Advertising) sites as well (because MFA or “Made for AdSense” is not only an ugly term with negative connotations attached, it also doesn’t accurately describe sites that run more than just Google ads). 🙂
Having contextual or other ads in the navigation and footer might get you some clicks, but ads strategically placed in the main body content will obviously convert much better since that’s where the visitor’s focus is. The AdSense optimization heatmap shows a perfect example of this, and check out Graywolf’s post about Google AdSense tips and tricks (also shows heatmap) for even more information.
Want to maximize conversions on your site? Make it as easy as possible for the customer to be converted. Make sure that no page is a dead end, ensure content pages don’t lead to non-converting pages (such as your homepage), and perform lots of testing. It’s an ongoing process, but small changes can really do wonders.
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