6 Tips for Improving site conversion during recession

If you have a new site or blog, initially you ll find that you don’t get a lot of traffic or your traffic is like a roller coaster ride high on some days and low on other days. Don’t get intimidated by this trend even the best of bloggers go through such a traffic cycle.

More traffic does not always mean more sales, qualified traffic leads to better sales. You can convert low traffic by ensuring that your site is tuned for conversion.

1. Ensure you have a neat layout :
If you are a blog owner, ensure you have a neat blog theme depending on your niche I recommend you to use the Ultimate Blogging Theme if you have a blog about Internet Marketing, Blogging or Make Money Online. This is a tried and tested theme for successful conversions even if you are a new blogger or have less traffic.

2. Understand your Surfers :
What do people surf on your site, where do they come from , what are the keywords that drive people to your site from search engines, how can you leverage those keywords in your post to get better conversions and higher traffic for search engine, Improve banner placements and Call to action in your articles. You need to push the surfers to the right places which deliver the right traffic.
To drive conversions with low traffic you need to understand every move of your surfer on your blog or website.

3. Use Google Analytics
I use Google Analytics on my blogs, its the best free tool available online. Ensure you install and understand the analytics package, Google Analytics is free and a good place to start, understand which pages your visitors are entering on and make sure you funnel these visitors to your “sales page”.

If you have an article or sub-page which is attracting the visitors, ensure this page delivers the information they are looking for but also encourages them to visit other pages within your site.

4. Ensure you pre-sell well :
Getting the traffic to your page is the hard part, don’t let yourself down when they arrive, ensure you mirror the key selling points, benefits and features of the product you are recommending.

Ensure you have completely pre-sold the product before letting them leave your site, as an affiliate you have done your job, it is now down to the merchant to ensure they close the sale. Ensure you are promoting the products that convert the best, a poor converting merchant site can undo all your hard work. I recommend that you work only with well know affiliates like Market leverage, Niche More etc.

5. Split Test

Test everything possible on your site, the beauty about the internet is that you can test your copy and design. It takes just 5 minutes to install Google Optimizer, this allows you to send half (or less if you install more than 2 pages) of your traffic to one page and half to another.

You can try different header text, different call to actions or complete pages, why not create 3 more index pages which different approaches and see which ones convert best?

6. Use clear call to actions :
Your visitors are looking for guidance, ensure you clearly explain where they should go next. If they land on a product review, give them a number of different opportunities to visit the product’s landing page. If your surfers visit your index page, ensure you show them the path you wish them to take.

You don’t need deep pockets to succeed during a credit crunch simply innovation, determination and the right guidance.

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24 comments

kouji@thanksgiving haiku poems November 13, 2008 - 12:08 am
i'm a big fan of google analytics. :) a lot of information made available, in a free package. i feel though that i have yet to really understand some of its more complicated features and reports. i'm not familiar though with google optimizer. will have to look that up. koujis last blog post..thanksgiving haiku poem
Study Babes November 13, 2008 - 12:25 am
Thanks for recommending Google Optimizer, I've been wanting something like that and didn't know where to look. Definitely agree with #6 too, so many times you hit a landing page and don't know where to go next. Study Babess last blog post..Random Hot Babes
ZK@Internet Marketing Blog November 13, 2008 - 10:05 am
Hi Kouji : Thanks fo commenting , you have a brillient site and I ve got addicted to haiku poems :) I ve been using Google analytics and its the best you can get for free. Thanks fo visiting and hope to see you here often. Hi Study Babes : Welcome back :) , I ve recently started to use Google Optimizer to test my landing pages and I ve been happy with the results. I recommend you test your landing pages for better ROI. ZKs last blog post..Blogging Secrets from John Chow
Ganesh November 13, 2008 - 10:54 am
Good tips there. You've made a nice change in the design colour too. Its a lot cooler now. :) Ganeshs last blog post..The Ultimate Blogging Theme - Is this the one?
free tricks and free utility November 13, 2008 - 1:15 pm
I like the last point namely "Use clear call to actions". i can apply this point to my blog even though it doesnt sell any product. Well, i offer articles which still are products in some ways. i try to apply this point by adding at the end of an articles a related articles and latest articles and it seems to work. guiding your readers is very important because the more time they spend on your blog the better and it also helps them understand how deep and full of articles your blog is. never heard of google optimizer...gonna have a look. thanks free tricks and free utilitys last blog post..How to built-in your G-mail account in every application on your computer
Web talk@free tricks and free utility November 13, 2008 - 1:15 pm
I like the last point namely "Use clear call to actions". i can apply this point to my blog even though it doesnt sell any product. Well, i offer articles which still are products in some ways. i try to apply this point by adding at the end of an articles a related articles and latest articles and it seems to work. guiding your readers is very important because the more time they spend on your blog the better and it also helps them understand how deep and full of articles your blog is. never heard of google optimizer...gonna have a look. thanks Web talks last blog post..How to built-in your G-mail account in every application on your computer
web talk November 13, 2008 - 1:16 pm
sorry for the double posts!!! web talks last blog post..Google Flu Trends
ZK@Internet Marketing Blog November 13, 2008 - 7:52 pm
Hi Ganesh : Good to see you here after a while, thanks for commenting on the design :) Hi Web Talk : You ve made a good point here, even if the site does not sell any ecommerce based products it becomes imperative to guide your readers based on your content and ensure that the readers stay on your blog for a long time. ZKs last blog post..6 Tips for Improving site conversion during recession
Tara @ Affiliate Marketing Prodigy November 13, 2008 - 11:06 pm
Great tips. Your right, if your site is converting, you can have a low amount of traffic and still benefit. I have found split testing to help me a great deal in my marketing efforts. Taras last blog post..Micro Niche Finder vs WordTracker
Site Flipping Simon November 14, 2008 - 4:56 am
7. Blog about anything related to having a better time financially in the struggling economy - many people need all the tips they can get Site Flipping Simons last blog post..The Website Flipping Dilemma
Dennis Edell November 14, 2008 - 8:16 am
ZK my man, excellent post. I may just save it. ;) I've been using Statcounter since day one on all blogs and LOVE it. Honestly, no one has given me features that Google has over it, and I really can't see anything missing... Thoughts? Dennis Edells last blog post..10 Effective Joint Venture Ideas To Get You Started
ZK@Internet Marketing Blog November 14, 2008 - 2:50 pm
Hi Tara : Thanks for your input, split testing is time consuming but it pays in the long run. Hi Simon : You have a point here, all of us what to learn how to survive and make our business grow in the struggling economy. Hi Dennis : Good to have you back :) I ve never used Statscounter, I would not be able to comment on this, but after reading your comments I should have a look at it. I wonder if any readers here are using Statscounter and can answer your question. ZKs last blog post..6 Tips for Improving site conversion during recession
Dennis Edell November 14, 2008 - 4:56 pm
Where did I go? LOL The only real "problem" I see people having is the fact that the free version only logs 500 visitors at a time. Dennis Edells last blog post..We Will Stay Do-Follow, But…
Michael Henry November 14, 2008 - 7:18 pm
I've heard about "split testing" before and wasn't sure where to begin. Thanks for the lead. Michael Henrys last blog post..Launching a blog, Planning Stage
tri fold brochure November 15, 2008 - 1:06 am
I am sure that Google analytics is the best way to do watch our site. I too use only google analytics, free but worth a lot. Thanks for your valuable tips.
David Jason Parrish November 15, 2008 - 1:59 am
I found you from a comment on shoemoney. This is a great post, very valuable, and I think that posts like these are going to blow your readership up. Keep up the good work :) David Jason Parrishs last blog post..John Chow is a new Mac fanboy?
ZK@Internet Marketing Blog November 15, 2008 - 9:25 am
Hi Dennis : I have nt yet reached that kind of traffic :), I can use it for sometime till I hit this number. Hi Michael : Feel free to share your "Split Testing" learnings here. I am glad you found the post useful. Hi Tri Fold Brochure: Thanks for commenting and sharing your views on Google Analytics here :) Hi David : Welcome to the community and thank you for commenting here, I am glad you liked the post :) ZKs last blog post..6 Tips for Improving site conversion during recession
Dennis Edell November 15, 2008 - 5:48 pm
LOL yep, that's why I put "problem" in quotes. For those under 500 it shouldn't be an issue....for those over 500, they are probably stat checking at LEAST once per day if not every hour on the hour lol, so it still shouldn't be much of an issue. ;) Dennis Edells last blog post..We Will Stay Do-Follow, But…
David Jason Parrish November 15, 2008 - 9:36 pm
thanks for the comment over at my blog ZK, glad you enjoyeed my post! I will surely subscribe to your feed my friend. Good luck!
Marco@Hitmeister News November 18, 2008 - 6:02 am
I think as you said in the beginning, sometimes traffic just goes up and down and the only thing you need to do is have patience. Something that can also be done, is if you have an email list, you can email your clients about new products and services. Wait to launch new parts of the site when you are expecting lower traffic so you can drive it with a great (non-obtrusive) newsletter. Great tips here! Marcos last blog post..Shrek 3 - Der Dritte jetzt endlich auch auf Blu-ray Disc
ZK@Internet Marketing Blog November 18, 2008 - 6:38 pm
Hi Marco : You ve made a great point here. Email list is an internet marketers most important weapon, I recommend you to build one and use it to leverage your blogs / online products. If you want to make money online, you need to work on build a quality list. ZKs last blog post..Awesome Thanksgiving Contest Results - Did you Win ?
SEO Tips Blog November 21, 2008 - 2:31 pm
Some very good tips here. Using Google analytics is a must for any internet marketer. #6 a clear call to action can not be overstated. your website visitors aren't going to know what action to take unless you tell them. #5 is just genious. Different landing pages with different offers will convert differently so it's important to test these different offers and landing pages against one another. Kudos for the great post! ;-) SEO Tips Blogs last blog post..5 Free SEO Tools You’re Probably Not Using Yet
ZK@Internet Marketing Blog November 21, 2008 - 2:50 pm
Hi SEO Tips Blog : Thanks for visiting and commenting , I am glad you liked the post. ZKs last blog post..Tips to make a Blog Contest successful
Brian@Best Blu Ray Player May 8, 2009 - 12:08 pm
Thanks for the tips...this recession really has affected almost all the industry including internet market. No matter what we do the traffic seems to be lowering day by day. I hope some of us can use your tips and get better.

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