Utilizing SEO and SEM is a great way to target specific searchers and attract them to your website. But when it comes to running a successful business you need to do more then just attract people to your businesses door step.

Getting these visitors to convert is the hard part. Whether your conversion is signing up for a newsletter or the user making a purchase from your e-commerce store, directing site visitors though your conversion path is essential to running a successful web based business. Here at Front Street Consulting, we not only work with customers on driving traffic, but converting that traffic as well.

Without giving away all of our secrets, here is a quick way you can review your current conversion path to make sure customers are not leaving your site during the conversion path.

1. Have A Clear Call To Action (CTA)

When a visitor reaches your website your call to action should be immediately visible. If you are attempting to sign up visitors for your bi-weekly newsletter there should be a strategically placed button that shouts SIGN UP NOW! If a user visits your site and your call to action is not noticeable, your chance of converting them is very slim. If you are a e-commerce website, the same rules apply. Your CTA needs to be visible and shout ADD TO CART or PURCHASE NOW!

2. Make Your Landing Pages Specific

If you were looking for a brand new sweatshirt of your favorite NFL team would you want to land on pages that are advertising sneakers? I didn’t think so. Creating landing pages to specific products and categories can help shorten the conversion path for your customers. When creating landing pages make sure to break down by product or service. This is especially essential if you are creating a SEM campaign. You will want to send paid traffic to the most relevant landing page possible, not only to increase quality score but to lead to conversions as well.

3. Don’t Sell Features, Sell Solutions To Problems.

In order to sell your product or get sign ups for your newsletter you must present your value proposition. Will your product or service solve a problem for the customer? Will they see value in it? Your landing page and product pages should present your value proposition clearly.

4. Place Conversion Button Above The Fold

One of the most common mistakes that is easily correctable is the placement of the conversion button. Not everyone works on two 24 inch monitors. In fact, most people still use monitor they purchased years ago. Making sure your conversion button is above the fold is key. If a user has to scroll down to find your Buy Now button, you are losing out on potential sales.

5. Reduce Distractions

Having to many links on your page can lead to the visitor being distracted and not focusing on your conversion path. If your blog roll has 20 links to your friends blogs and your footer links out to your entire site, take some time to clean up the links on your landing pages. Review your internal linking structure can also help with your SEO rankings. If there are other bright shiny buttons and distractions on your webpage, think about replacing them with less distracting variations.