Your website should be providing your business a return from the investment you have in it. You obtain a return from your website in various ways including:

• Direct on line sales
• Attracting customers and directing them to your business
• Cost savings due to automated support and information systems
• Email marketing to existing customers to encourage more business.
  
  

One of the most common comments we hear from new clients when we are discussing their needs is "our website doesn't seem to be producing the results we were expecting". Another thing we hear a lot is "we put in a shopping cart, but we don't get a lot of orders through it...". These types of issues are never a result of the website alone and are usually the result of simply putting up your website and expecting it to work for you.

Just creating a website doesn't drive the customers to your door. You need to market your website, make people aware of the benefits available to them when they visit.

Work through our 7 step Website Improvement Guide and it wont be long before you will see a flood of new customers coming to you through your website.

1. Forget about SEO and PPC - for now
2. Determine what value your website should provide to your customers
3. Change your website to ensure it's providing value to your customers
4. Now look at SEO, PPC, and other ways to market your website
5. Gather contact information from visitors to your website
6. Stay in touch with your customers and use your website as the focal point
7. Keep your website fresh and up to date.
   

Step 1 - Forget About SEO And PPC - FOR NOW

I hear you saying - What?! Everybody is telling me exactly the opposite.

SEO and PPC get people to your website. Although, if they don't find what they are looking for, they're gone for good.

It makes sense to start from the other end. Make sure that when people arrive at your website, however they get there, they find what they are looking for.

So we'll come back to SEO and PPC later on.

Step 2 - Determine What Value Your Website Should Provide To Your Customers

If your website doesn't provide value to your customers - it might as well not exist.

Determine who your typical customers are, and develop an understanding of what you need to do to attract their attention.

Provide a work flow for each of your typical customer types which ensures you maintain their interest and drive them to take the action you want them to.

Your website exists to drive customers to your business. Give the customers what they want and you will get what you want.

Learn how your website can provide value to your customers...

Step 3 - Change Your Website To Ensure It Is Providing Value To Your Customers

Now you know what your customers want from your website, its time to make sure they get it.

People scan the page when they visit a website, so don't try to fill your home page with too much information. Use your home page to direct your customers to content aimed at them.

The link to the content aimed at each of your typical customers needs to be prominent on your home page.

Start at the top left of your page and work your way right and down. Make sure that 95% of your customers can see a link to what they are looking for without having to scroll the page down.

Your customers are looking for useful information, not just a sales message. The better your information, the more likely you will be able to lead them to take the action you want them to.

Learn what you can do to change your website to provide value to your customers...

Step 4 - Now Look At SEO, PPC And Other Ways To Market Your Website

OK - Now that your website targets your customers - it's time to bring them in.

SEO or search engine optimisation is a term used for improving the rank of a website in search engine results when searches are performed using keywords or phrases relevant to that site.

A website which is relevant to your customers needs with lots of useful information is a really great start to optimising your website. Search engines can't see images or video. So you can put together the greatest looking site ever, and if your written content is poor, it is unlikely that your site will be ranked well by the search engines.

PPC or pay per click marketing is a system where search engines allow you to bid on keywords and phrases. Your advertisement is ranked in search results according to your bid and relevance or your landing page to the search. When a customer clicks on your advertisement, you are charged your bid amount by the search engine.

The combination of SEO and PPC is a good way to increase traffic on your site. You shouldn't rely on these alone.

Traditional marketing avenues are more likely to direct more people to your website than SEO and PPC. Direct marketing to you existing customers is a good start.

Everything you produce should include your web address.

Learn how to market your website...

Step 5 - Gather Contact Information From Visitors To Your Website

Very few first time visitors to your site will become customers. Statistics show that a very good website can convert around 5% of visitors into paying customers.

Very few first time visitors to your website will even find their way back there, sometimes even if they want to.

You have to follow up with the visitors to your website.

To follow up your website visitors, you have to collect their contact information.

Learn how to gather contact information from website visitors...

Step 6 - Stay In Touch With Your Customers And Use Your Website As The Focal Point

Use an auto responder to provide more information to first time visitors to your website and encourage them back.

This is the best way to turn a visitor to your website, who was interested enough to give you their contact information, into a customer of your business.

You might produce a monthly or quarterly Newsletter to keep people informed of happenings in your business and remind them that you still exist.

Learn how to stay in touch with your customers using your website...

Step 7 - Keep Your Website Fresh And Up To Date

A website which never changes isn't going to attract a lot of repeat visits.

Make people feel part of your company. When things happen in your business, put the details up on your website.

This is a great way to develop trust which in turn brings in more business.

Read about what you can do to keep your website up to date...