Conversion Rate Web Marketing Blog 

We all know that a picture can be worth a thousand words, but it’s not always the case. Words are the most fundamental blocks of our communication. To prove this Jeff Sexton at Future Now asked, “What happens when you take the words away?”

Jeff used the website www.netdisaster.com to suck out all of the text from amazon.com. Well we did a little experimenting of our own, and you can see the results here.

Take the simple high conversion online shopping and lead generation website apcups.com.au. Here’s a screenshot of it without the words:

It’s not very useful. If you look at the site with the words, you get the picture (pun intended).

It’s strange that words are so often overlooked in a website project. We often see that copywriting is kept in house or left out of a website project altogether. Others tell us that people don’t read websites, but a demonstration like this reveals that people depend on what’s written!

When we are selling a new website in a competitive situation, we usually find that our competitors are only offering a web design and a content management system. Most don’t take any interest in actually creating the content and the copy for the website. Strange really, because it’s the words that actually make the website work.

From the author: As a web programmer I have been involved in developing several content management systems. I was hands on in developing our own content management suite called eComMetrix®.

What I know from working on hundreds of lead generation and eCommerce websites over 11 years is that there is something far more important in creating a website than the system that you use. It’s your conversion rates and it’s a measure of how effectively the content of your website engages with your website visitors.

We know that to achieve high conversion rates and sales from your website you need a team that includes seasoned marketers, web designers, web programmers, copywriters, editors, bloggers and search engine gurus. That’s why we created Bitemark™.

And yes, we can get your website to number one in Google too ;-)!

Contact us on 1300 248 362to find out how you could boost the conversion rates of your website.

You’re working on a new web design and you’re fussing over the home page. You’ve got very limited space.  Just 1024 x 768 pixels to play (minus toolbars and scroll-bars). Every pixel matters. Doesn’t it?

In our experience, the majority of time in web design projects is spent sweating over every pixel of the home page. Often it’s based on the belief that the home page will make or break the deal. If you consider the time it takes for visitors to leave your website, it could be true.

Because of the scarce space, many home pages end up looking like they have ADHD. They’re blinking, flashing, distracting and competing for your attention.

So here are some guidelines for designing a great home page for your website:

1. Prioritise the elements that are most important to your business
2. Don’t let your home page compete against itself for attention
3. Make sure that everything is clear and readable at all costs
4. Don’t expect your home page to deliver every single important message that you have
5. Use your home page as a signpost to your website content (useful information).

The reality is, every pixel is important. One of the best ways to make every pixel count in your web design is to use the battleship grid described by Robert Gorell at Future Now: Revenge of the Pixels: The Battle for Screen Real Estate

From the author: If you regularly advertise for leads in the Yellow Pages®, in the newspaper or on the radio, then there’s a good chance that your website could be generating more leads for you than it is. The key is in your website’s conversion rates.

We know that to achieve high conversion rates and sales from your web marketing you need a team that includes seasoned marketers, web designers, web programmers, copywriters, editors, bloggers and search engine gurus. That’s why we created Bitemark.

And yes, we can get your website to number one in Google too ;-)!

Contact us on 1300 248 362 for a free conversion rate review of your website.

Yellow Pages®is an Australian registered trade mark of Telstra Corporation Ltd. This company has requested and has been granted permission from Telstra Corporation Ltd to use the Yellow Pages® trade mark. This company is not otherwise associated with Telstra Corporation or any of it’s subsidiaries.

The pinnacle of web design is where form and function work together. A good web design is a platform for performance. On the other hand, a bad web design is a serious liability.

Note that it’s actually not a battle of form vs function. It’s the two working together.

In order to reach the pinnacle with a web design, you must base your designs on:

1. Knowing the purpose of the website and what it needs to accomplish (e.g. generate leads, make sales, educate, entertain)
2. Thorough understanding of the intended audience, which includes things like their:
   • Needs, wants, desires (as they relate to the web design) 
   • Intentions
   • Age, sex, occupation, personality type, demographics
   • Experience with websites
   • Likely viewing environment (Is it at home? At work?)
3. The intention to deliver what the audience needs and wants 
4. Deep study of user interface principles for web design
5. Experience, knowledge and flair for web design (or design in general).

Now to achieve all of these points, you’re going to need more than just a web designer.

Firstly, you need to bring to the table what you know about your customers and what they want from your website.

Secondly, you need to engage someone who can plan your web design around the needs of your customers. This person has expertise in typical user behavior on the web. This is often not a web designer.

Lastly, you need a web designer.

From the author: If you regularly advertise for leads in the Yellow Pages®, in the newspaper or on the radio, then there’s a good chance that your website could be generating more leads for you than it is. The key is in your website’s conversion rates.

We know that to achieve high conversion rates and sales from your web marketing you need a team that includes seasoned marketers, web designers, web programmers, copywriters, editors, bloggers and search engine gurus. That’s why we created Bitemark.

And yes, we can get your website to number one in Google too ;-)!

Contact us on 1300 248 362 for a free conversion rate review of your website.

Yellow Pages®is an Australian registered trade mark of Telstra Corporation Ltd. This company has requested and has been granted permission from Telstra Corporation Ltd to use the Yellow Pages® trade mark. This company is not otherwise associated with Telstra Corporation or any of it’s subsidiaries.

Ever wondered what it takes to get the most out of your eCommerce website conversion rates? Well, let’s start with the basics.

You must give your website visitors all of the information that they require to make a purchase.

Seem simple? A good eCommerce system and good information are the first steps to maximising your eCommerce website conversion rates.

Here’s some of the information that is typically required on your product pages for a user to feel comfortable making a purchase.

Product details

At a minimum, your product copywriting should detail the benefits of the product and the problems that it solves. Information that’s required includes things like:

• Features
  • Size, colour, height, width, depth, weight etc
  • Options, add ons, upgrades, requirements
• Benefits 
• Stock levels.

Think of the things that your customers always ask about your product and make sure they are addressed in some way.

Product pictures 

For a physical product, you should have:

• A hero shot - showing the product doing it’s job (like making someone look good)
• High resolution closeups - Consider using a flash zoom in utility
• Showing details of Front, Back, Sides, etc

Interestingly a good flash close up zoom utility gives the user an experience similar to that of touching and feeling the product. It’s a great conversion tool for eCommerce items like shoes and clothing.

Even a virtual product like an eBook should have a product shot. 

Trust elements

In order to have any chance of making an eCommerce sale. you need to satisfy the question of trust. You can go a long way to doing that by keeping important details up to date on your website. Details such as:

• Your physical address, phone number and email addresses
• Pictures of your physical location, staff, factory or warehouse 
• Information on how to get help
• Product Warranty, Guarantees 
• Shipping Policy
• Payment options
• Returns Policy
• Privacy Policy

Once you cover the basics and start to get more advanced, you can add things like product reviews, recommendations, comments and live help to your eCommerce website.

The trick to making it all work is making sure that your web design uses space effectively in order to present information in a logical way so that a website visitor can process it.

From the author: If you run an eCommerce website then you might wonder, “How do I know if I’m getting as many orders as I could be through my website?” The answer to that question is in your website’s conversion rates.

We know that to achieve high conversion rates and sales from your eCommerce website you need a team that includes seasoned marketers, web designers, web programmers, copywriters, editors, bloggers and search engine gurus. That’s why we created Bitemark.

And yes, we can get your website to number one in Google too ;-)!

Contact us on 1300 248 362to find out how you could boost the conversion rates of your eCommerce website.

Since I wrote about email marketing and the Outlook preview pane two weeks ago, I’ve been on the lookout for good examples of email marketing.

It turns out that Missy Higgins has an email marketing savvy record label. Take a look at the example to the left of the Missy Higgins concert tour email that went out on the 22nd of November.

Missy’s record label Eleven appear to have held back from the urge to make their email an art piece, and have delivered an instantly digestible message that works. As you can see,

1. You don’t have to download pictures to get the message
2. The headline is clear and readable
3. The text is scannable
4. It’s instantly apparent what the email is about.

Good job Eleven (Like the amplifiers in Spinal Tap, they really do go past ten!). It’s good that a company that’s smart with email marketing like this is involved with so many awesome new Australian artists.

Here’s an example of an email that we produced seen in the preview pane.

With this email, a form was used and pre-populated with information from the database. The key here is to make it so easy for readers to respond to the offer that the response rates will go up.

Our tips to create an effective email marketing campaign in this age of blocked images and the preview pane are:

1. Use a strong text headline in the email as well as a strong subject line
2. Keep any header design elements like banners to a minimum
3. Make sure the body text is scanable by using short sentences, bold and bullet points
4. Make sure that the email can be read without downloading images (i.e. check that it’s not all skew without the images).

From the author: How effective is your email marketing? The answer lies in your conversion rates.

We know that to achieve high conversion rates and sales from your email marketing you need a combination of the best email marketing tools and a team that includes experienced web marketers, email designers, web programmers, copywriters and editors. That’s why we created Bitemark.

Contact us on 03 9012 6600 for a free conversion rate review of your email marketing.

So what does it take to create an effective web marketing website? Our experience shows that it takes a range of expertise from fields such as:

• Branding
• Web Design
• Web Development
• Web Copywriting
• Sales Strategy
• Search Engine Optimisation
• Lead Generation

I always wonder why “web designer” became the term that many people associate with creating a website. To create an effective web marketing campaign takes so much more than a web designer.

Perhaps the reason that “web designer” became pervasive is that most business owners are unsure how to measure the outcomes of a web marketing project. Designers and Marketing Agencies have sold them on the idea that marketing outcomes are intangible things like image and brand recognition. For most small to medium businesses in Australia, that is simply not good enough.

Promoting your business by web marketing is a tangible, measurable process. It can be measured by:

• Visits
• Leads
• Sales

If a web designer can’t instantly show you examples of how they deliver on these KPI’s, then it’s time to look for a web marketing company. A web marketing company can help you to:

1. Generate leads for your business
2. Support you to make sales

If you are not generating leads or making sales through your website, then it’s time to act. 

About the author: As the owner of a web marketing business, I’ve spent the last 7 years studying ways to boost the conversion rates of my clients’ websites. Today, our best websites convert up to 20% of visits into leads and 50% of leads to sales. The target for our clients is a minimum 5% conversion rate on visits to leads which is staggeringly more than the typical website at 0.1%.

Bitemark specialises in designing, building, writing, managing and marketing websites with high conversion rates.

Often the first place that SME businesses go to for a website is a web designer. The question to ask is whether it’s more important that your website is designed:

• For visual impact, or
• To demonstrate how you can solve your customers problems?

The answer you choose for that question could have a significant impact on your bottom line…

About the author: As the owner of a web marketing business, I’ve spent the last 7 years studying ways to boost the conversion rates of my clients’ websites. Today, our best websites convert up to 20% of visits into leads and 50% of leads to sales. The target for our clients is a minimum 5% conversion rate on visits to leads which is staggeringly more than the typical website at 0.1%.

Bitemark specialises in designing, building, writing, managing and marketing websites with high conversion rates.