Are You Using Widgets to Improve Your Internet Marketing Website?

Q4 may be one of the best times to review the code, the colors, and the graphics on every one of your sites, and plan a “makeover” for any site that needs its look refreshed. Here’s are five ways to approach your site revamp efforts:

#1 – Check for obvious SEO-busters. Spiders like HTML best, so look for opportunities to keyword your navigation and add search engine friendly text links. Converting to tableless layouts with CSS can also improve your rankings. It’s a big job to redesign with CSS, especially if you’re used to old-fashioned HTML coding, so we suggest that you…

#2 – Update site design. Boxy layouts have given way to a more open, fluid Web 2.0 style with liberal use of white space. But creating a Web 2.0 look isn’t easy, and requires a strong working knowledge of CSS plus some skill with graphics. And not every web designer has mastered this look. So try a site like 99Designs to find a designer who can create an updated look that will appeal to your audience.

#3 – Add a logo. If you don’t want to do a complete design overhaul, try adding a logo or updating the current logo. Outsourcing logo design is very easy.

#4 – Add “credibility graphics.” Guarantee seals, branded company logos, security certificate logos, credit card logos, and other graphics that link the products you are promoting with trusted brands. Examples include “As Seen on CNN” graphics ad trusted security certificates. Be sure to check your affiliate agreement/terms and conditions to be sure you are allowed to use the company logo on your website.

#5 – Update “hero shots” or refresh product graphics. Visitors’ eyes tend to gravitate to photos of people, so if you use these “hero shots” on your site, try changing them to see if it increases your conversions. It’s also important to check for updated product graphics from your merchant.

Next… clean up your mailing lists!

Other posts in this series:

Q4 Affiliate Marketing Checklist

6 Ways to Put Dormant Domains to Use

Which Offers to Keep, Which to Dump?

ROI Tips for Affiliates

5 Ways to Update Aging Sites

Test New Niches

If you’ve ever visited a website and muttered to yourself “what’s the point,” remember that your visitors will ask YOU the same question when they visit your landing pages.

A website can exceed all Quality Score guidelines, employ stunning design, and be oozing with quality content… but if it doesn’t convert, what’s the point?

If your conversions aren’t what you hoped for, these tips will help you revamp your landing pages:

TIP #1 – Think like a visitor, not like YOU. Your likes, dislikes, tastes, and hot buttons don’t matter – only your visitors’. If you’re not sure what will grab their immediate attention, research the top sites for your keywords in both natural search and first-page PPC placements. Study those landing pages carefully and take notes.

TIP #2 – Remove obstacles. Getting out of your visitor’s way is one of the easiest ways to improve a landing page. Try this exercise: load a copy of the page into your favorite html editor, then start cutting. Ruthlessly slash away anything that distracts from the main purpose. You must keep everything that contributes to a quality user experience, such as links to relevant content pages. But it’s worth seeing just how much stuff you can cut — and it often results in a much more “to the point” landing page.

TIP #3 – Put the Most Desired Action (MDA) front and center. Every landing page should have ONE goal in mind – and that’s the most desired action you want the visitor to take. Whether it’s joining your opt-in list, clicking the “Learn More” or “Buy Now” buttons, or making good on the promise of your PPC ad, that’s what should hit your visitor right between the eyes.

Finally, confused about your MDA? If you’re not sure what your Most Desired Action really should be, ask yourself these questions:

• What’s the “in your face” message of this landing page? Is it the answer to the visitor’s problem, question, or need? Is it the best price on the product they’ve searched for? Is it a coupon or free shipping deal? Is it five key comparisons between product X and product Y? Whatever it is, it needs to be the most prominent thing on the landing page.
• What do you want EVERY visitor to do? In a perfect world, what would do you want from every single visitor to your page? Of course they ALL won’t do it, but thinking about the ideal result often helps you eliminate static and clutter. It also helps you get clear on the next point…
• What’s the ONE RESULT you desire the most? Give your visitors too many options, and you’re asking them to make decisions. And if they can’t decide immediately, they’re likely to bail out — which will kill conversions. The key here is choosing ONE goal for the page and making that the most obvious choice for your visitor. Don’t make them think — make them ACT.
• What are your competitors doing, and doing well? Don’t reinvent the mousetrap, just build a better one. Scope out your competitors’ pages and ask yourself, what’s their strongest message? What’s the one in-your-face item that hits you immediately? Is there one obvious action, or are you being asked to bounce around and make decisions? And most importantly: If you were in the market for this product, would YOU do what this page asks you to do?