Please leave your feedback, comments and questions about ‘Small Business Clicks’ (The Book) here, and I will get back to you!

The pages that I listed in my last post are all quite standard for a business website. If you would like to include some additional enhancements, why not try some of the following?

Forum

Hosting a forum on your website and building your own community around your brand can be a very good idea for several reasons.
•You can get to know your customers much better
•You will have many people returning to your website to answer questions and to read posts
•You can collect valuable feedback with surveys and voting polls about site enhancements and service quality
•You can collect email addresses of users during the forum sign up process, and ask members if they would like to subscribe to your ongoing newsletter
•Your website will receive greater visibility in the search engines, as more pages with relevant content will mean more chances of your site being listed in Google results, etc.
•Your site will be seen as a great resource and a place where you customers can hang out

Blog

Another great idea is to include a blog on your website. This can be used to build up a readership by writing regular entries about your niche, your daily business growth or your industry in general. This is a good opportunity to present yourself as an authority within your market, or even just to connect with your customers and reveal some of the personality behind your business. It’s also another great way to get good search engine rankings.

Articles

Displaying articles on your website serves two purposes. Firstly, it provides a useful resource for your customers, and also helps with your search engine rankings - as relevant articles will be filled with keywords that are related to your type of business. The articles can either be your own, or sourced from free services such as <ezinearticles.com>.

Gallery

A great way to showcase your product or service designs is to have a picture gallery on your website. The pictures could be photos that have been sent in by customers using your products. Suitable businesses might like to run some kind of competition as an incentive for people to send their photos in via email. This is a great way to display a sense of community and ‘social proof’ which will increase your sales as potential customers are more likely to make a purchase from you after seeing that a whole bunch of people already have.

Press

If you’re business has been the subject of any recent media attention, it’s a good idea to display this on a Press page. You can include scanned images of any newspaper or magazine clippings, audio files of radio interviews or links to reviews, etc on other websites. This will also add to the ‘social proof’ of your website and can make all the difference to sales.

News

Many customers like to keep informed, so a News page can work really well. Use it to let people know what is going on in your business. You might also have news on your particular niche or your industry as a whole.

Order Status

When buying something online, the wait for your product to turn up on your doorstep can be painful. For this reason, it’s worth implementing a facility for your customers to track their order status. This can be managed by your e-commerce software and should integrate with your freight company, so tracking numbers can be entered in to locate dispatched packages.

Competitions

Good competitions can really get your customer community involved. If your prizes are good, they will keep customers coming back again and again. The prizes (usually your products or services) can help to get you brand name out there in the public, as the winner will become excited and spread the news of their win far and wide. With a dedicated competitions page, you can also run comps that involve customers submitting feedback about your business.

Street Team

An increasingly common offline marketing tool for many businesses is a Street Team. This is a group of incentivized ‘die hard fans’ whose role is to promote your brand in any way possible within their own sphere of influence. A dedicated Street Team page could have a forum for its members. It could display prizes for the best promoters, have a sign-up form and show pictures or videos of your team out in the public handing out flyers, etc. A Street Team can be a great method of guerrilla marketing for appropriate businesses, and can create a strong sense of belonging within your customers.

Newsletter

Newsletters have become a key marketing component for any online business. It is a direct line to your customers and periodical mail-outs can be used to keep your brand fresh in their minds. You have the ability to invite customers back to your site at any time for various offers and promotions, generating more sales. A good newsletter is an extremely valuable tool, so be sure to include an opt-in form on your home page and other relevant pages so that customers have the ability to sign up.

MySpace/Facebook

Setting up a MySpace or a Facebook page, is a very good way to present your business to a much wider audience. For some businesses, being present on one of these social networks is a great way to find new customers within your niche. It also allows your existing customers to communicate with you in a comfortable, informal way while giving you the added opportunity to build your brand awareness.

Note some of these components will suit your business type and others will not, it will all depend on your industry. Well, I hope that gives you a good start when it comes to thinking about optional inclusions on your business website! By adding one (or all) of these components, you will be able to increase customer- confidence, interactivity, awareness, desire and ultimately achieve more sales!

Home Page

A good home page is an obvious part of all web site marketing strategies, but what’s not obvious are the things that should be included on this most-visited page, which is often a customers first impression of your business.

Logo

Your header (the top of the page) should include a bold business logo that allows your customers to clearly and instantly identify your business. Your logo, and the rest of your web site, should look professional - or your customers might assume that your products or services are also inferior. Try to make your logo easy to remember, and if possible, incorporate your URL. This will make it easy for customers to remember your web address for next time.

Tag line

This is an important part of a home page that is so often overlooked. A good tag line should encapsulate your brand into one sentence. It should say very clearly what your business is about. This is so that your visitors will get an instant idea of what your site can offer them.

Take a look at some of your favorite business web sites. Are you able to get an idea of what the brand is about just by looking over the contents on the home page?

Navigation Bar

As a web standard, your navigation bar - which is the links to all the main pages in your web site - should be in a horizontal line just under your logo at the top of the page. This is to make navigating your site as clear and as easy as possible.

Search Bar

It’s convenient for your visitors, if you include a search bar somewhere on your home page. This will make finding particular products or services quick and easy. The data that people type into your search bar is also invaluable information, revealing the types of things that your customers are looking for. If you notice certain searches being made regularly, this is a very good indication that something could sell really well, if you don’t already have it available for purchase on your site.

Contact Info

Your phone number, email and even a call back request button should be prominent somewhere on your home page. You want to make it as easy as possible for people to get in contact with you.

Popular Products or Services

Another vital ingredient of an effective home page is photographs showing your most popular products or services. These should link directly to their specific pages, containing further information and the option to purchase them. Displaying these on the home page gives your customers an instant example of the types of things that your business offers.

Current Promotions

One extremely effective way to increase sales and to get attention is to have a big promotion displayed on your home page. This might be a seasonal promotion such as, 10% Off For Father’s Day or an all-year-round promotion like, Buy 3 - Get Free Shipping, or perhaps Free Trial for New Clients.

Effective Copy (text)

It goes without saying that your web site should have effective copy throughout its pages. The style of writing should be clear, laid out in brief chunks and be well-aligned with your brand or ’style’. It’s a common sales technique to major on the benefits of your products or services, clearly stating what’s in it for the customer. Your web site text should also be ‘keyword rich’ for Search Engine Optimization purposes. This means including the exact words and phrases that people might type into Google when searching for your particular products or services.

Footer

The footer, which is the last section at the bottom of your page should include a smaller navigation bar with links to such things as Terms, Privacy Policy, Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ), Contact Us, etc. Your business name along with a Copyright symbol should also be present, as well as any industry association logos, supported charities and security icons, etc. These types of things help to put the customer at ease by making your business appear legitimate and trustworthy.

About Us

This page is your opportunity to introduce yourself not only as a business, but as a person running a business. Your ‘About Us’ page should be personal, have an outline of your story, and clearly present your brand through such things as Values and Mission Statements. Don’t assume that your visitors will automatically know what you are about, this page is a perfect opportunity for you to explain the brand and to let people know what it is that makes you different. Although it may feel vain, it is extremely effective to include a photo of yourself on this page as well. Online users like to see the face behind the web site, and by adding photos of you and your staff, you will begin to connect on a personal level which will help you with gaining customer trust.

Pricing

Pricing is often the most important thing that a customer wants to see before making the purchase decision, so it’s important to have this information clear and easily accessible. When listing prices, make sure that you are clear and transparent, listing all charges including any extra costs like shipping or set up fees. Customers can be easily deterred at the quoting phase if you appear to have hidden charges, by not stating all of the costs up front. Be sure to make things as honest and as simple as possible.

Product Or Service Pages

Your web site should have a separate page for each different product or service that you offer. This will prove useful when it comes to advertising, as you will be able to send potential customers directly to specific products or services of interest. The page should include clear photographs, as it’s difficult for a customer to imagine your products before making a purchase, unless you send them a sample. Use pointed sales copy and be as specific as you possibly can with your descriptions and specifications. Try to present your products or services as clearly as possible, perhaps even using informative video or flash presentations. Your product/service pages should also include a ‘buy now’ or ‘add to cart’ button.

FAQ

When Frequently Asked Questions are listed on your site, you can save a lot of time by not having to answer common queries via email or phone. For this reason, it’s worth putting in some initial effort to get this right. Make a list of all the questions that your business receives on a regular basis, and take a look at competitors FAQ pages for any questions that you may have left out. When providing your answers, do so in a friendly manner, remaining positive, and making sure that you don’t sound abrupt. The last thing that you want to do is make a potential customer feel stupid, or have a giant list of things that you cannot and will not do!

Terms

Your Terms page is basically a few paragraphs of text outlining the legal terms and conditions of using your website. It really just a legal precaution, but can also help towards creating a sense of security within your customers.

Privacy

Your Privacy Policy page will outline your intended use of the contact and personal information that you collect about your users. This page can also help to put your customers at ease, by letting them know that their information is only collected if they give you their expressed permission.

Contact Us

A good Contact page should include your physical address, postal address, phone and fax. numbers, sales email address, support email address, a call back request button and an inquiry form. By including all of these things, you make it possible for customers to communicate with you in any way that is convenient for them. It’s also useful to include maps and a photo of your physical shop front, if you have one.

Site Map

A Site Map is a page which displays a directory tree of all the pages within your website. It will not only make it easy for users to find what they are looking for, but can also help with your search engine rankings.

Unlike computer viruses, internet viral marketing requires the message to be appealing in some way, in order for people to consciously, and willingly pass it on. A carefully designed viral marketing strategy will rapidly gain momentum, as more and more people pass it on, quite quickly multiplying to thousands or even millions. Think of it like the snow ball effect.

Some viral marketing strategies will work much better than others, but many will not work at all. A lot of planning should go into setting up a viral marketing campaign. There are 6 basic components that can be included in your viral message, in order to maximize it’s effectiveness.

1. Give away something for free (video, game, cartoon, poem, joke, photograph, audio, email, etc.)

2. Can be effortlessly sent to others (via email, social network messages, instant message applications, forums, etc.)

3. Taps into common motivations and behaviors (humor, shock, inspiration, intrigue, urgency, compassion, etc.)

4. Utilizes existing communication networks (YouTube, MySpace, Facebook, Flickr, etc.)

5. Takes advantage of other’s resources (eg. a video hosted on YouTube will not cost you any money in server bandwidth when more and more people access it)

6. Includes your URL or brand name within the message (to promote your business)

If you are interested in implementing an internet viral marketing campaign, then you will need to create what is called a ‘viral agent’. This is the item or experience that you will use to initiate a dual positive reaction. The first reaction involves the recipient of your marketing message enjoying it so much that they forward the item or experience on to an associate. The second reaction you are going for, is the recipient responding to the message within the item or experience (this can involve anything from exposing them to your brand name or attracting them to your website).

The quality of your viral agent, whether it be a video, game, cartoon, poem, joke, photograph, audio or email will largely effect the possibility of people passing it on. It’s also important that the message can be passed on easily. This might mean including a ’send to a friend’ button, or at the very least making sure that it can be easily passed on by email. It is particularly effective to have the viral agent hosted at one particular destination, as people will be able to send their friends a simple link to it. This will also benefit the viral agent’s exposure in the search engines, allowing even more people to see your message.

Business branding is not just about portraying an image through clever marketing . If you try to portray an image that isn’t true, then your customers will see through that. You really need to find out what you, as a business, are all about. Then consistently and clearly portray that brand, making sure that your staff, website and product or service do the same.

Strong business branding is extremely important, because it helps customers to clearly identify what you are about. It will differentiate you from your competitors and, by practicing what you preach, will create a desire within your customers to be associated with your business. They’ll want to ‘belong’ to your brand.

What is your ‘brand’? What are your values? And what does your business stand for?

Your customer service people, apart from your existing customers, are the most critical ambassadors of your brand. Therefore it is vital that they are extremely clear about what you represent as a business. For this reason, if you haven’t already, you will need to develop a Business Philosophy. These are thoughtfully planned Values and Vision statements that clearly enforce what you stand for, and why you exist as a business. Although the obvious answer would be ‘to make money’, some deeper reasons, depending on your business, could be; to make people feel great, to promote an adventurous life, to make life easier, to provide quality entertainment, to provide real business solutions, etc.

Maintaining Brand Consistency

Once you have defined your brand, you must establish consistency of your key brand message throughout your website, in all customer interactions (phone and email) and within your product or service itself. Simply setting standards is not enough, you need to constantly evaluate the image that your business is portraying to the public, and ensure that it is in line with your business brand values.

Allow staff to give you feedback about any inconstancies within your business and be sure to take their advice. If your brand stands for one thing and a customer sees another, you will be in danger of damaging your reputation. The best way to lead is by example. If your brand projects a friendly image that claims to care about people, but you treat your staff poorly, then your reputation (and sales) will suffer. Stay true to your brand.

Understanding Cultural Differences

As more and more business move on to the Internet, we are fast becoming a global economy. Your customers could come from any walk of life and it’s important when building a brand that you think about cultural differences. Words and phrases that mean one thing in your country might not translate to the same meaning somewhere else. The things that you value and consider good, might be the complete opposite in another country. Your brand should be extremely clear, but broad enough for you to grow globally.

Over a billion customers, spending trillions of dollars, pounds, euros and yen on just about any type of product or service imaginable. The Internet is no longer ‘one platform for marketing’, for millions of businesses around the globe, the World Wide Web has become their market. Because of this, competition is fierce, and these days, if you are serious about making it on the Internet, then you need to make sure that you know exactly how to communicate in this young, online world. What you need is a business that understands, listens to, and acts upon the demands of your most valuable asset - your customer.

There are several reasons why businesses are choosing to migrate to, or even launch on the Internet. Some of the main benefits are as follows;

TO MAKE MORE MONEY

You can grow your sales through a much wider (global) distribution which has global promotional opportunities in a variety of niches. Even small subcultures are easy to find online, as people tend to form into groups of interest.

TO MAKE CUSTOMERS HAPPY

You are able to add value to your existing customers by providing extra benefits online, not to mention giving them the convenience of ordering over the Internet.

TO KEEP CUSTOMERS HAPPY

You can form better relationships, and a fuller understanding of your customers by tracking their activity, asking them questions and creating an ongoing dialogue where you can be sensitive to their needs.

TO SAVE MONEY

There are extremely low overheads associated with an online business. Apart from the cost of web hosting, your Internet connection and your telephone line - there are very little ongoing expenses when compared to a traditional brick and mortar business.

TO GET NOTICED

You have the opportunity to extend your brand awareness to millions of potential customers from around the world. To many thousands of users, if your business does not show up in the search engines - then you don’t exist. On the Internet, a small business has the ability to compete right alongside the big corporations and can sometimes even be more effective, as they have the flexibility to adapt to changes much faster than established companies.

As you can see, you’ve made a very wise decision by choosing to take your business online. The Internet is absolutely thriving with opportunity and the only thing stopping you from ‘world domination’ is yourself! Stay true to your dream, keep focused and work as hard as you possibly can. It won’t be an easy road, and you’re bound to make a few mistakes along the way - but learn from them as I did. Remember that I could give you the most valuable information in the world, but unless you put it into practice, then these words aren’t worth the digital paper they’re written on!

In response to Jason’s comment on my last post, I have decided take you behind the scenes of one of my websites for a moment and give you an example of a Customer Relationship Management system in action.

With one of my online businesses, I receive orders daily which are dynamically displayed on a central web page as they come in. This web page is separate to our business website but is connected to it, in order receive the data that is being entered in by our customers. For example, we have a Call-back Request
button which is a simple icon on our home page that customers can click if they wish to speak with a ‘real person’. When a customer does click, a popup window asks them to enter their name, phone number and a convenient time to be called. Upon submission of that information, our website sends the data back to the other web page, where our staff who are logged in, are notified of the call-back request, as well as any
other issues, quote requests and emails - as they occur in real time.

The whole ‘sales and support’ side of the business is virtually run from this single website, which is running an Open Source (free) version of SugarCRM. All the data is stored online, which means that it can be accessed from anywhere in the world. I am able to travel anywhere and access all my business info with an Internet connection, at any time. We have common responses to emails set up as templates, to automate many of the replies to questions and ‘order progress notification’ emails. SugarCRM also gives us the ability to view a customer file to see their contact information and all the previous email correspondence they have had with our business over the years. This enables us to instantly recall who they are and what they have bought from us in the past.

We have many happy customers who order through this system, most of which we have never had contact with over the phone. Our customers generally order online through our website and correspond with us via email. The system works really well, and is by no means impersonal because we are able to insert first names and personalized comments into our emails. Of course, there are some customers who prefer to have phone contact, and we certainly accommodate for these types of people as well.

Integrated systems like the one I have described, can be extremely beneficial to your business. A lot of time and money can be saved, simply by taking the time to find and implement suitable technologies, which can make things a whole lot easier.

By implementing good processes and systems, your business is able to compete much more effectively. You will be working smarter, faster and with much less strain on your resources (money, staff and time). The ideal online business is a well-oiled machine, working hard to keep your customers happy.

Yesterday we looked at what statistics have shown customers want from your website. We discovered why it’s so important to get these on-page factors right, in order to keep your users happy and returning often. But as much you should make sure that your website looks and works the best it can - it’s really what happens in the background that can make or break your business.

Today we will be taking a look at ‘the other side’. Behind all good business websites are strong, integrated back-end systems working hard to ensure things run smoothly. These are used to manage many of the regular tasks such as payments, inventory, order tracking, customer data, customer interactions, automatic emails, and finances just to name a few.

If you’re yet to implement a back-end for your website, I suggest you look into the two following systems that can be used to make your online marketing easier and much more effective.

E-Commerce Software

E-Commerce software can be installed on your web server to provide the ‘nuts and bolts’ required to handle many of your customers’ ordering and payment activities. The main features to look for when
choosing e-commerce software for your business website are;

•The ability for customers to order multiple types of products or services
•Member discounting to encourage repeat sales
•A management interface and editor for you to add and change your products or services
•Flexibility to add various delivery and payment options
•An in-site search engine

All good e-commerce software will allow your customers to set up their own accounts, allowing them to log in to the site at any time. The customer’s contact and delivery details are saved in a data base so that they don’t have to enter their information in each time they visit. The data base should also store purchase information, so that you can analyze which customers buy certain product or
services giving you the ability to tailor make specific email messages to different groups.

Recommended E-Commerce Software

• Cube Cart <www.cubecart.com>
• Oscommerce <www.oscommerce.com>
• Zen Cart <www.zen-cart.com>

Customer Relationship Management (CRM) Software

Implementing a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system can involve a lot of time and expense. Therefore, I usually only recommended it to well developed businesses who are looking to take things to the next level by forming stronger relationships with their customers. Whether or not you are ready at this stage, it’s still good to know for the future that CRM systems have many benefits;

•Better timing and relevance in your email messages to customers due to your ability to anticipate their needs based on historic data
•You are able to identify and meet customer needs more effectively by understanding specific customer requirements and segregating customers into various groups which allows for better targeted marketing messages
•Helps to manage cross-selling and up-selling
•Allows a more personal approach to customers which helps to encourage repeat business
•Higher customer satisfaction and retention, means that your good reputation continues to grow
•You can reduce costs associated with customer service and support, increasing your overall efficiency

With a CRM system you can begin to look after your existing customers quite easily, which allows you to focus on finding new customers. On top of that, the more you know your customers, the easier it is to identify potential new ones. By having your database easily accessible, you can locate where most of your existing customers were found, and concentrate your efforts into getting customers from the same source. You will also know exactly what is needed in order to convert potential customers into sales which will help you to increase your customer base greatly. A good web-based CRM system also allows multiple users to log on at any given time, so anyone within your business (customer service people, etc.) can be given access to the customer information.

I’ve been using Customer Relationship Management system called SugarCRM in one of my businesses for quite a while now. The fact that it is web-based allows me to log in from anywhere in the world and check how things are going with the orders, customer inquiries, quote requests, etc. - all in real time. I can even take a glance at sales figures and assign staff new tasks on the fly. Our system is quite integrated and even connects directly with our supplier. A CRM system like this can be customised to manage every facet of your business - front and back office so it’s well worth looking in to!

Recommended CRM Systems

• SugarCRM <www.sugarcrm.com>
• Net Suite <www.netsuite.com>
• Sales Force <www.salesforce.com>

Well that just about wraps up this series on Build Websites That Sell. I hope that I have been able to shed some light into a few areas where you can look at improving on your customer acquisition, retention and extension, by creating a website that makes and keeps your customers happy!

To end, check out the video below for a more detailed explanation of Customer Relationship Management. Trust me, it’s worth your time. Enjoy!

Although there are many different types of websites online, ranging from big flash animations right down to text-only pages - how can you be sure what kind of website your customers will prefer? I think to answer this question, we need to take a look at the main things that users want in a website.

A survey of 8600 U.S. consumers conducted by Forrester <www.forrester.com> revealed the 4 main factors that made users return to a website. They were;

1. High quality content

This means relevant information that is easily accessible at the time your customer needs it. Depending on your industry, the type of content that you display on your website can vary greatly. But there is one thing that your content should always be: high quality. There is already enough trashy information littered through the Internet, so make sure that your site provides something unique, fresh and accurate. You will be well rewarded for this by seeing your visitors staying on your site longer, and returning often.

2. Ease of use

This means such things as clear and easy site navigation, easy-to-find pricing and order pages and clear instructional information. Efficiency, simplicity and ease-of-use are all important factors when it comes to usability. So as not to deter any potential customers, it is important to make sure that your site is working as well as possible.

One way to test usability is to have a group of people who have never used your site before to go through and attempt to perform actions like finding a particular products or service, placing an order, or contacting customer service. If there are any issues, then these will need to be ironed out as soon as possible.

Another important factor of web design is accessibility. As there are thousands of users around the world with different computers, operating systems, browsers, screen resolutions and internet connections - it’s important to make sure that your website appears and functions in the best possible way, across multiple platforms. Use <Browsershots.org> to see what your website looks like across many different web browsers.

A key components of site design adopted by many successful companies including Apple and Google, is simplicity. Make sure that you provide the simplest and clearest website that you possibly can - one that is extremely intuitive and easy to use.

3. Quick to download

The Internet has bred an impatient consumer who is very likely to leave if your website takes too long to load. A slow loading website can have a dramatic effect on your success. Statistics show that around one-third of your visitors will leave if your website has not fully loaded in 8 seconds.

If you use video, make sure that it doesn’t start playing until the user clicks ‘play’. This way, your page will load much faster, because it wont be downloading the video until your user wants to watch it. Always be willing to sacrifice flashy presentations and rich media for a site that clearly states your proposition with text, and a page that loads as fast as possible.

4. Updated frequently

Fresh content. New information which is useful, relevant and timely for the audience. One great way to produce good content that is updated frequently, is to start a forum or a blog. Users love new content, and will check back often if there is something new to read, watch or listen to. The added benefit of a forum is that your users can be emailed as soon as there are any replies to their threads or posts, with a link that brings them straight back to your site. With a regular supply of good content, you’ll also benefit from increased visibility in the search engines.

So there we have it - the main things that customers want from a website. If your business incorporates the above 4 components into your website, you’ll have a very good advantage over your competitors, and will be well on your way to keeping your clientele both happy and responsive.

Many small businesses get confused about the types of things that should be included on their website in order to maximize sales, so I’ve decided to write about Building Websites That Sell. This is the first post in a series of three that I will be writing on this topic.

A good product or service website should never just be an online catalog of your offerings. To maximize your sales, you need to make sure that you are using your website to it’s fullest potential. To begin, let’s take a look at the three main purposes that your site should fulfill;

1. Customer Acquisition (Winning new customers.)

This involves the whole process of converting your site visitors into customers. Your website, and especially your copy (text), should clearly communicate what you are offering. You should outline the benefits of your products or services, and provide clear and relevant information on the right pages. Your entire website should be geared at helping people to buy the products or services that they have come looking for. Your website is also a brand building tool, so remember to clearly portray your brand image and what you stand for throughout the pages.

2. Customer Retention (Keeping customers)

You can increase the chances of a customer buying from you repeatedly by using timely reminder emails, promotional offers and incentives for them to keep coming back to your site. A weekly newsletter gives you the ability to deliver relevant and useful information containing good reasons for your subscribers to come back. Why not add a form into your site that allows your visitors to sign up for a weekly newsletter? Use your site as a communication tool, to get closer to your customers. Through it you can learn more about them, customize content for them, and keep the conversation flowing. It’s your job to make it as easy as possible for customers to communicate with you through your website - so consider using such tools as a contact form, call back request forms, live chat, a forum and a facility for customers to check their order status easily.

3. Customer Extension (Selling extra things to your customers!)

An extremely effective way to really boost your sales is to sell additional relevant products or services to the same customer. By using your existing information about the types of things that were previously purchased, you can get a good idea of other products or services (or upgrades) that your customers might be interested in, and present these things during the sale, or in a follow up email.

By ensuring that your website effectively fulfills the above three purposes, you can get a great start towards maximizing sales through your website. Why not take a look at your website right now and see if you can make any changes to enhance customer acquisition, retention and extension?

Keep an eye out for my next post where we’ll look at all the elements that should be included throughout your site pages, in order to guide your visitors confidently through to make a purchase!