When a visitor to your website shifts from reading content to another website activity, it is considered a conversion. There are many types of conversions, and each one factors into the success of your site. A merchandise retailer is looking for visitors that convert to paying customers, while a blog wants visitors to become registered members to help increase their advertising revenues. The following tips will assist you in designing a website conversion strategy for your website.

Set Specific Goals
Determine two or three specific conversion goals you want to accomplish with your website. The ultimate goal for every business is to increase revenues, but how do you get to that point? Do you want website visitors to sign up for your newsletter, request product information, become a member of your site, read your blog, or contact you? These are all conversion goals. Make a list of your top conversion goals.

Increase Conversion Goals
Once you have established the top two or three conversion goals for your website, determine at least two more. If you don’t have any free offers on your site, add one to create a new conversion goal. Make a list of the various reasons visitors come to your site and create a conversion goal for each one.

Conversion Offers
People like to get something in return for their efforts. Think about your product and service and determine what types of offers will appeal to your website audience. You might consider one or more of the following:

• Free white paper
  • Free e-book
  • Product or service discount

Be Visible
The visibility of your website is the single most important objective. There are many ways to make your site visible using online sources. It’s equally important to create visibility in your local service area. Include your web address in all your advertising, conduct a webinar (web-based seminar), speak for local organizations, and write articles and press releases for local newspapers. The creation of a logo contributes greatly to visibility. Keep the design simple, and people will remember it. Place the logo on your website and all printed materials.

Be Clear
Visitors to your web site want to know immediately what you have to offer. Your product or service must make an immediate impact, and must be prominent when visitors arrive. Be sure you have a concise and accurate description of you business and what you offer consumers. Include a clear photo of the product of service, followed by one or two brief quotes from satisfied customers.

Be User-Friendly
When visitors arrive at your website, can they find their way around easily? Your website navigation should provide links to every page that informs the visitor about your company, products, and pricing. The top half of your homepage is the part that fills the monitor screen without the viewer scrolling, and this section should contain your logo, company slogan if applicable, navigation menu, newsletter signup, and current business news. Be sure every part of your website is accessible from each page.

Remove Distractions
Visitors come to your site to learn about your product or service. Don’t bombard them with slide shows, flash displays, and other distractions. Too much “stuff” on your website distracts and annoys visitors. Resist placing lots of pictures on your front page. If you have a large number of pictures of your product, create a gallery for their viewing.

Onsite Search Engine
The onsite search engine affords an opportunity to keep the visitor on your website for a longer period of time, and is an important addition for every website. If visitors don’t find what they want quickly, they will be typing their inquiry into a search engine. If your site has its own search engine, the visitor will use it.

Following these eight tips will help you create more website conversions, and increase your revenue. Your website is your virtual storefront and people from all over the world are looking in the window. Be sure they see what you want them to know about your product. Provide incentives for them to become website conversions and watch your customer base grow.