How To Make Your Angus Based Web Site Convert Better -
Blog Post Title: How To Make Your Angus Based Web Site Convert Better -
The Seven
Rules…
One of the biggest mistakes businesses in Angus make when they
get their web site online is that they think that having a web site
is all they need to grow their business using the internet. I’m
afraid it is a little more difficult than that.
You see it’s no good having hundreds of visitors every single month
to your site if none of them turn into customers. Below are seven
‘conversion’ rules you can check out and see if your site adheres
Are there graphics that represent what the company does? For
example a leaking tap for a plumber, scissors for a
hairdresser etc. Graphics like these help conversion. Be careful on
the images though. You only need one or two. Too
many can make the site load slowly.
Conversion Rule Two – Headline
Conversion Rule One – Layout
Is your web site easy to read and follow? Or when someone lands on
it do they have to click around a few times before they find your
price list or opening times? You want to make your site as easy to
navigate as
possible.
Do they have clear ways to be contacted above the fold. ‘Above the
fold’ means when someone lands on your web site do they have to
scroll down to find your contact information, prices or contact
details. If they do have to scroll down you might want to put the
important information like
prices etc above the fold (ie towards the top of the web site)
Is the content mashed into one big chunk or broken up well into
short paragraphs and therefore easy to read? If people land on a
web site and it is blocked together in large chunks of text they
are more likely to leave the web site as it looks like more ‘work’ to
read through it than if it
was short paragraphs.
Are there graphics that represent what the company does? For
example a leaking tap for a plumber, scissors for a
hairdresser etc. Graphics like these help conversion. Be careful on
the images though. You only need one or two. Too
many can make the site load slowly.
Conversion Rule Two – Headline
Do you have a powerful headline that speaks directly to what the
customers problem is and how they can solve it?
The headline needs to capture the visitors attention. You will do
that by speaking to the visitors problem directly.
You need to get inside the head of someone using the internet to
find your service. What would they want to see
for them to decide your business is the one they should deal with?
Bad headline: Plumbers Based In (area). Established 1998.
Good headline: 24 Hour Plumber Based In (area). No Fix No Fee.
Guaranteed To Arrive Within The Hour.
The second headline is great because it outlines the benefits for
the customer who picks your service. ‘No fix no fee’
for example is a great benefit for someone who is looking for a
trustworthy plumber.
Conversion Rule Three – Credibility
Do you establish credibility and show you are a real business? How
long have you been in business in Angus for? Are there
any pictures of your premises? Videos of staff or services? For
example a hairdresser in (area) could add a picture of the front
of their hairdressers as well as some pictures of the members of
staff.
Conversion Rule Four – Bullet Points
People will land on your web site, read the headline and then scan
through bullet points before reading the rest of the site.
So are there benefit laden bullet points on your web site? A bullet
point is a one or two sentence line of text on your web site
that really stands out.
Bullet points should be a benefit not a feature.
A seat belt is a feature of a car
A seat belt has the benefit of stopping serious injuries in car
accidents
Chiropractor feature: Set in a nice building
Chiropractor benefit: Free from back pain
If you sell a service or products ask yourself what benefits will
someone get from using them and you over your competition?
Conversion Rule Five – Special Offers?
What makes you the best option over your competition? Is it price?
Is it special offers?
24 hour call out
50% off first haircut
First lesson – Pay Nothing
Half an hour without paying on your first massage
Whatever it is you need to say it. Special offers are the best way
to get a customer to come
and try the service. So offer some kind of deal for the first time
they use your business.
Conversion Rule Six – Testimonials
Are there testimonials from previous customers? Testimonials are
comments from previous customers. They provide social proof to
people searching for a local business by showing them that previous
customers are happy with their experience of doing business with
you. Video testimonials are the best. Then audio. Then written. If
you haven’t been doing so you should ask your customer what
comments they have about your business that you can add to your web
site.
Ideally testimonials will be about specific results. For example
take a look at hypothetical testimonials for an imaginary
chiropractors in Angus:
Good: ‘I visited Gary’s Chiropractor surgery and within 3 sessions
my back pain was cured. It’s been bugging for me ten years
and Gary had me ‘fixed’ in 3 weeks!’
Ok: ‘I thoroughly recommend Gary’s Chiropractors!’
Below average (but better than nothing): ‘Lovely surgery’
Conversion Rule Seven – General Rule
Does your web site capture the attention of the visitor,let them
know you understand their problem and have the solution,offer them
proof you can help and explain why you are a unique service? If not
you need to make sure it does. You need to provide costs, opening
times and why you are the best choice over your competition in the
(area) area.
I hope this article will help businesses in Angus become more
profitable!
Good luck
Sherrie Hodges
Cottons Corner, Arbroath, Angus
Find out more click :http://www.1shoppingcart.com/app/?af=1370850
How To Optimize A Google Places Local Business Listing
Google Places, formerly Google Local, is easily the most powerful free marketing tool available to local businesses. Introduced in March 2004, Google Local displays local business information at the top of many of Google’s organic search results accompanied by a map. As of June 2010, Google Places Listings consist of 1.3 or 7 businesses for most searches. Considering that most localized searches provide millions of organic search results, showing in the top 7 of Google Places can be invaluable to a business.
Breaking into the top 7 takes knowledge and time and staying there takes effort. It all starts with claiming and optimizing your Google Places local business listing.
Visit Google and search for Google Places. Register for an account. Follow the bouncing ball until you can click on the button that says “Add a Business”.
As a quick aside, it is assumed that anyone who would read this knows that Google Places only allows one listing per phone number. While you can in fact create multiple listings with the same number and reap the benefit for a short time, eventually you’ll find that all of your listings have disappeared into the void. Don’t play games with Google Places. It isn’t worth the time and effort it takes to undo the damage should you cross the dozens of arbitrary, invisible boundaries that Google has in place to try to make the entire process “fair” for every business.
The first page of the submission form is mostly fill in the blank, but there are 3 important opportunities to optimize the listing
Company/Organization: Choose your business name wisely. No one audits the listings to verify that the company name matches your incorporation documents, but be careful. If you company’s legal name is “Paul’s Professional Services, Inc.”, you need to carefully tweak it for the purposes of Google Places optimization. Two common methods are to add a keyword descriptor or your primary city. For example: “Paul’s Professional Painting Services” or “Paul’s Painting Services of Dallas”. Monkey with your company name too much using obviously manipulative methods for cramming keywords into the field and you’ll eventually find that your Google Places listing has been relegated to a black hole by Google. Typically, this is the direct result of your competition reporting your listing to Google. Simply conduct a Google search for “locksmith Google spammers” and you’ll find some insight on why you do not want to get on the bad side of Google Places
Description: Carefully craft a 200 character description of your business focusing almost exclusively on your key products and services. Do not waste space here for marketing speak such as “Proudly serving the DFW area since 1974″. Do not waste space here by including geographic references. The geography is almost entirely controlled by the city you list for your address. Inclusion of additional cities does virtually nothing when it comes to optimizing your Google Places listing
For our hypothetical painting company, Paul’s Professional Services, an optimized description would go something like:
Residential and commercial painter specializing in interior and exterior painting. Services include wall painting, ceiling painting, textures, faux finishes and color matching. Free estimates.
Note that the example include not only the company’s top services, but also includes multiple uses of the primary keyword in various forms – “painting” and “painter” are the top two keywords in searches according to Google’s Keyword Tool. In addition, “free” is a top search word for virtually any search phrase.
It is important to remember that the description is designed to reach a broader search audience – not win awards on Madison Avenue. Keep it simple and include your top keywords. 200 characters is not a lot of room, so make sure not to waste space
Category: Google Places requires the use of at least one standard category. Begin by typing your top keywords and choose the most relevant category. Google Places provides the ability to include 5 categories. Use them. If your top keywords are not standard categories, then use one or two closely related standard categories and use the remaining three slots for specific keywords.
For our hypothetical company, the categories might look something like:
Painter (Standard)
Painting Contractor (Top keyword search / Custom Category)
House Painter (Top keyword search / Custom Category)
Commercial Painter (Top keyword search / Custom Category)
Handyman (Standard, but an extremely popular related search term)
NEXT. Page Two of submission form.
The Service Areas and Location Settings options are relatively new and are designed to allow a business to establish a service area if the company does not have a storefront of some sort. Initially, choosing a service area (“Yes, this business serves customers at their locations”) appeared to hinder the optimization process. While the jury is still out, Google continues to tweak this feature. If in doubt, complete the option accurately for your business.
Business hours and payment options are purely optional and serve little if any value to the optimization process. Potential customers certainly will find the information useful.
Google Places provides the ability to add up to 10 photos and 5 videos (from YouTube.com). Make sure you always use keywords to name your photos and take advantage of the “tag” functions provided by YouTube.com. The impact on Google Places traffic is limited, but any impact is good
Additional details: Google’s examples are virtually useless and very misleading. To optimize your listing, create a table of your key products and services using as many keywords as possible. Each detail consists of two fields with a maximum space of 200 characters each. An example of an effective use of these fields for our hypothetical company would be:
Interior & Exterior Painting Contractor specializing in: Wall painting, Ceiling painting, Floor staining, Epoxy Floor coatings, Texture paint finishes, faux finishes, color matching, proper surface preparation
The colon is the separator between the two fields. Include as many additional details about your company, your products and your services as possible
Feel free to include service areas as one of the Additional Details for informational purposes, but do not expect it to cause your Google Places listing to show in those cities.
SUBMIT.
The new Google Places local business listing will not be active until verified. Usually, verification can be completed by triggering a phone call from Google’s computers to the phone number of record for the listing. In some instances, Google requires verification via a postcard mailed to the address of record for the listing. Postcards can take up to 5 weeks to arrive. Once verified, the real work begins.
Paul Dumas has provided Internet marketing, website design and SEO services to local businesses for over 13 years. He is founder and owner of Optimized Local Search Services. Additional articles related to local SEO and Internet trends for local business are available on the website:
Paul is an expert from the States, this works well for you in any part of the world.
Click here to learn more:
http://optimizedlocalsearch.com.http://www.1shoppingcart.com/app/?af=1370850
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Paul_J_Dumas
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Welcome to Absolute Angus Marketing Tips this 100% free blog has been created to teach local businesses in Angus how to get their local business on line and grow their profits using the internet.