If you want more inquiries from your website, or better “conversion,” you must have a strategy and use Internet marketing BEST PRACTICES. To do it otherwise is just throwing mud on the wall and hoping something sticks – and some will, eventually.

Here are some Internet marketing BEST PRACTICES focused on CONVERSION.

Design for Conversion

Build your website with a focus on CONVERSION, turning those who visit into a desired form of action. This starts with an appropriately designed look and feel that your target new customer will say upon their initial view: “Wow, this is exactly what I’m looking for.” Not, “hmm, this is average…”

There are a million “interesting” looking website on the Internet. The “Oh Yes” moment is that first impression someone gets, those first 10 or 15 seconds on your website where they decide to stay and continue to read – or leave.

Design for Mobile Conversion

The majority of your website traffic today may be coming from a mobile / tablet device. If you use Google Analytics you can check this data for your website under AUDIENCE | MOBILE.

Does Your Website Create the “Oh Yes” Moment

Does your website create the “Oh Yes” moment or is it unimpressive, average looking, not very exciting and blah blah blah?

If you use Google Analytics you can check the Bounce Rate to determine if people are visiting and then leaving your website immediately, without clicking down into other pages.

A high Google Bounce rate (over 50%) is very likely an indication that something is not working properly at your website. Why? People are LEAVING.

Here is a perfect example of the “Oh Yes” moment. David Rothstein Music in Chicago, Illinois is a very popular high-end live band. If you are looking for great entertainment and live music for a special event you’ll immediately know you are in the right place when you visit his website.

Get Professional Help

Find a professional Internet marketing consultant with happy clients, and a track record of getting RESULTS, to help you with your website and Internet marketing.

Website designers are NOT typically Internet marketing experts. They might be great at graphic design or programming, but they often do not understand marketing, particularly Internet marketing (i.e. conversion, lead generation, search engine optimization). I’ve seen thousands of “pretty websites” that don’t get inquiries.

Discuss your goals and objectives with an Internet marketing consultant. Hiring an Internet marketing consultant is not an expense, it is an investment. Discuss your ideal new client. Look at your online competition. Ask them to show you what they’ve done at other websites they have worked on. And then LISTEN and implement their recommendations and suggestions.

Internet marketing in any competitive category is too challenging for most small businesses to do it alone. Mistakes with your Internet marketing result in lost sales to a competitor.

Key Components of Your Marketing Message

There are four main components to the core marketing message at your website. They are (1) Unique Value Proposition, (2) WIIFM Message (what’s in it for me), (3) Call-to-action, and (4) the use of social proof.

Optimize each message and the placement throughout your website. Be sure to use the same four messages across your social media channels. A poor marketing message is the #2 reason people leave a website, #1 is slow loading pages.

Follow-up Faster

If you can follow-up on inquiries FASTER you will turn more of those inquiries into sales. I’ve seen it over and over. Inquiries start to go stale in as little as 3 hours from when they were made. The company that follows up promptly always has a competitive advantage. Quick follow-ups start the sales process off in the right direction. Follow-up in less than 15-30 minutes if at all possible, especially during normal business hours.

Live Chat

Consider putting a Live Chat tool on your website. These can be very effective at starting a conversation with a website visitor who is interested in your products or services. There are dozens of chat tools. I use Live Chat and have been very happy with it for years. https://www.livechatinc.com/

Create a Post-Inquiry Landing Page

Instead of just flashing a “thank you” message after someone makes an inquiry at your website, redirect them to a post-inquiry landing page. This page should say thank you, tell them what to expect next, maybe include some testimonials or social proof, and link to one or more of your social channels. Make it as personal as you can. Maybe include a picture and the name of the person who will follow-up!

Invest in Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

When people who are looking for the products and services you offer find your website at Google, and click-through from a search engine results page (SERP), a high-quality visitor has just arrived at your doorstep. Think about it. They were looking for something at Google and they found your business top ranked for their search. They clicked through to your website.

Search engine traffic is very often high-quality traffic that is likely to convert – if your website is designed properly.

Don’t think of search engine optimization as a business cost, think of it as an investment that will drive more high-quality, high-converting traffic to your website.

Use Social Media Channels to Drive Traffic to Your Website

A lot of companies I see using social media are missing out on the opportunity to use it to drive traffic to their websites. 8 out of 10 social posts you publish should have a link back to your website.

Use More Social Proof

Not to be confused with social media, social proof is the use of reviews, testimonials, awards, and membership in professional associations in your Internet marketing. All of these things improve conversion at your website and lead to more inquiries and sales.

Social proof should be used liberally throughout your website as well as at your social media channels. Frankly, I believe it is the #1 reason people who visit your website ultimately decide to make an inquiry.