5 Peaks to Make Your Online Presence Effective

The reason for your virtual presence on the web is the same as your presence in the real market, you want to sell more and take a bigger share of the market.

And as in the real world, you need to forge a strong online existence in order to ensure constant sales.

Let me share with you five simple tips you can do today to make your web more effective.

1) Obtain contact information.

In real life it takes multiple contacts to entice someone to give me some of their hard earned money. But how can you contact them if you don't know who they are?

Use the top part of your web site people see before they even scroll down to convince your visitors to willingly give you their name and email address. Call your web person right now and tell them to place a "sign-up" form of some sort on your home page.

2) Make your website load faster.

Do you have a lot of flashing buttons, rotating graphics? Most people will only wait a few seconds for your web site to display on their screen. If it doesn't - they will move on and never come back.

Unless the graphics communicate an important point about your product or service - get rid of them.

3) Use effective titles.

Here are a couple of examples. Would you rather read "about our marketing services" or how "an ex-employee turned millionaire reveals his marketing weapeons"? How about this - which headline would pick your interest more - "collateral design" or "does your marketing material communicate your message"?

Don't make people guess what they are about to read - believe me, they won't take the time. Say it in simple language. Take a look at your web site - does each page have an effective headline? If not - fix it.

4) Show the goodies.

Your web visitors want to know how they can solve their problems and if you can help them do it. Don't hide this stuff where no one can find it. Highlight the benefits your product or service offers. 

Make it easy to find your informative articles. Present case studies. Allow them to download simple guides, forms or assessments. 

Provide links to more resources. Make yourself useful and they will reward you with their business.

5) Build credibility.

We all like to do business with people we know, like and trust. So how do you do make people feel like they know you and can trust you just by visiting your web site? Here are a few things that will give your credibility a boost:

- Use testimonials. When you tout your own horn people question your information. But a positive comment from a past client can instantly build your credibility.

- Display your contact information on every page. Don't hide behind an email address. Tell people where and how to find you. List your address and phone number. People are more likely to do business with you if they know how to find you if something go wrong.

- Display case studies and articles. They provide useful information and build you up as an authority on the subject.

- Post pictures of you and your key team members. You can post your bio but looking at your picture makes people feel like they actually know you. I can't tell you how many times I run into people whom I've never met before and they feel like they've known me for years - because they've seen me on my web site.