An important question to answer when creating or reviewing a website is “What are the needs of my visitors?” The answer will drive your site design and marketing decisions.
Customer decision-making process
One way to understand the needs of your visitors is to think in terms of the customer’s decision-making process. Visitors’ needs vary according to their stage in the decision-making process.
Karon Thackston, Staff Writer and Owner of Marketing Words (http://www.MarketingWords.com) explains dividing the customer’s decision-making process (i.e. the buying process) into at least four stages: Need / Want Acknowledgment , information search, evaluation and purchase.
If a visitor has already made the decision to buy a product or service, for example, they need simple ordering options. However, if the customer is early in the decision-making process, they need more general information.
Sales-oriented information or content?
Dee Kreidel, owner of Dax Development Corporation, recommends identifying a site as an information site (for the early decision stages) or a sales site (for the later decision stages), but not both:
“Our experience with our customers shows that most people will not buy from a site if they see it as an informational site because their mental state / focus is different when they are there; they are not necessarily looking to buy, they want information.”
Attract the right visitors
By understanding the decision-making process of your site visitors and providing them with the right information, you can convert more visitors into purchases. Attract more of the right Visitors can also improve conversions.
Manage a sales site
If you own a sales site, those early in the decision process are unlikely to buy from you. Logically, attracting visitors late in the decision-making process will increase conversion rates.
One way to do this is to have a presence on information sites that attract visitors from your target customer groups. At information sites, visitors collect information and evaluate options. In other words, they are preparing to make a purchase.
Michelle Horstman, owner of Choice Promotional Products ( [http://www.choicepromotionalproducts.com]) says: “I get visits from advertising on” informational “sites, such as [http://www.barmitzvahfindit.com], where they have a supplier area “.
For those on a budget, Michelle suggests buying advertising on sites that participate in pay-per-click programs like Overture or Google AdWords.
“When you are listed on Google and others on your own, you may have to pay more than your ROI would justify.” She explains. “However, when you advertise with an informational site, that site may pay more for clicks as they are supported by multiple vendors / advertisers. Ask the site if they will offer a trial period so you can see how much traffic it is producing “.
Managing an information site
If you have an information site, most of your visitors will be too early in the buying decision process. So how can both attract visitors in the early decision stages? Y earn income?
You can attract information seekers by structuring each page on your site to provide information on a specific topic. This broadens the list of keywords through which search engines can find your site.
Other ways to earn income from an information site:
– Participate in some select affiliate programs, which you can promote on specific topic pages on your website.
– Join a targeted advertising network, like Google AdSense.
– Sell your own advertising space.
In either case, coordinating your website marketing and site content to match the visitors’ stage in the decision-making process creates a win-win situation. Your visitors find the information they need, and you benefit, through sales, advertising, or affiliate income, by meeting those needs.