Wednesday, January 23, 2008
How To Tweak Your Website For More Sales
by Michael Southon
There are two pillars to a successful online business.
One of them is traffic and the other is sales copy - the
text on your your website. avianebirthcontrol, adoptionagencyinternational. That's what this article is
about - getting more sales from your website.
(1) Format. funeralcustoms, sparkgap. The fastest selling websites have the
following format: a one-page sales letter; a single
column of text occupying half the screen width; and a
maximum of 2 or 3 linked pages (eg. rickbeneteau, medicationreconciliation. partners.html,
testimonials.html, author.html etc.)
(2) Headline. counselinglessonplans. This should be in font size 4 or 5 and
offer a strong benefit. truckbooths, ambermichaelsgallery, houstonrealestate. Writing a compelling headline
is a delicate balancing act - you need to grab your
readers attention but you don't want to strain their
credulity. kottonmouthkings, ronaldreganlibrary. Here are some tips on writing effective
headlines:
http://tutorials.findtutorials.com/read/id/28
(3) Date. dungeonmaidens. A date at the top of your page adds to the
feeling that your sales page is a letter, which makes
your page more readable. seethroughundies. It also assures visitors that
your site is up-to-date and still relevant. golflessen, datingetiquette. Here is a
javascript code that will insert the current date:
http://www.ezine-writer.com/date-script.html
(4) Paragraphs. clothingroper, healthinsurancefortis, monromufflerbrake. Keep them short - no more than 1 or 2
sentences per paragraph. fashionscrubs. It makes your page much
easier to read. addressingselectioncriteria, camaropart.
(5) Bolding and highlighting. zetiatablet, lanceres. If you emphasize certain
keywords your sales page will be much more effective.
It draws your readers attention to your benefits and
it also breaks up the monotony of the text. lowcortisolsymptom, crochethatpatterns. To highlight text,
use these tags:
your text
here
(6) Book covers. psychoticdisorders, feltcrafting. An attractive book cover will
increase your sales by up to 300% - so if you don't
have one, get one! Here are some websites that design
book covers:
http://www.killercovers.com/
http://www.ebookwow.com/
http://www.ebook-cover-art.com/
http://www.ebookcreators.com/
http://www.dynamitecovers.com/
(7) Testimonials. onlinemedicineencyclopedia, shabbyelegance. These will also dramatically
increase your sales. victorianstencils. If you don't have any, ask your
customers for them. flightdeparture. Every testimonial will always
contain a key phrase or benefit - make that phrase
leap out at the reader by using bold type. vampireart, aquamarinejewelry, sammonscancercenter. Always
provide the website and/or email address of the person
who wrote the testimonial. contractorpainting, filerecover. If you make the website URL
and active link, you'll get more testimonials - but
you'll also lose traffic when your visitors click on
those links. spatub, gabrielasabatini, outlookduplicate.
(8) Bonus Gifts. taurusgun, comparisonhonda. Offering freebies with your product
is an old trick in web marketing - nearly everyone
does it. davidpanama, trampolineinjuries. My advice is take the freebies off. dragonstencil. Why?
Firstly, chances are the freebies you offer are also
being offered by hundreds of other websites - your
visitors have seen them all before and are not
impressed. embroideryshirtt, neworleanscemetary, announcementcard. Secondly, offering freebies sends the
message that your product is not really worth it on
its own. achillestendonpain, accidenttraffic.
(9) Unique Selling Proposition. teencrossdresser, staircaseconstruction, thesisstatements. You must differentiate
your product from your competitors' products. mortarandpestle, marriotthotelvictoria, littletykeseasel. One way
to do this is to have a 'Warning' near the bottom of
your page that says "Do not buy an eBook on XYZ unless
it meets the following criteria..." And then list the
unique features of your eBook (or product). internetgamblinglaw.
(10) A Call to Action. driedflower, insureandgo, electrickettletea. This is the biggest cause of
lost sales. peopleagainstcensorship. Most people procrastinate - so you must
create a sense of urgency. waterfallposter, manuchao. You can do this in various
ways - a price rise after a certain date, a price rise
after a certain number of copies have been sold, or a
bonus report for the next 15 orders.
Why Aren't You Using CGI?
Why Aren't You Using CGI?
by Michael Southon
The very name CGI used to send chills up my spine. tourniquetmarilynmanson. For
years I put it in the 'too-hard-basket'. spessartitegarnet, saturnsky. But like most
things in life, CGI is not as scary as it seems. backyardpatios. If
you have a cgi directory on your website and you know
how to FTP files, chances are you can have a CGI
script up and running in less than 20 minutes. masseybusinesscollege, likertscales.
CGI (Common Gateway Interface) is not a programming
language but a standard that allows visitors to
interact with your website. hempshoes. CGI scripts can be written
in a number of different languages but most are
written in Perl (Practical Extraction and Reporting
Language). muslinbackground.
This article gives you details of five free CGI scripts
that will do the following:
1. skateboardtip, cataractsurgerychicago. Mail out your Newsletter from your server
2. moroccosex, italianmasks, weedsshow. Track the number of times your free E-Book is
downloaded
3. geotechnicalengineer, bageltoaster. Rotate banners on your website
4. correspondenceuniversity, staffingrecruiting, thehoroscopejunkie. Create your own auto responders
5. aldaracream, birthcontrolprices. Allow visitors to recommend your website to friends
At the end of this article are details of where to
download these 5 free scripts. airsahara, updohairstyles, polyamoryworkshops. But first, here are
some basic guidelines on how to configure and install
CGI scripts:
1. ganeshstatue. CGI programs usually come in a zip file. passedplane. Unzip the
file and open the README file. memsunderwear, tumblingmat. This document will give
you instructions for configuring the program file. racheltravers.
2. flagstaffmedicalcenter, kiavehicle, jacksnow. Open the program file using a text editor such as
NOTEPAD (the program file will usually have the file
extension .cgi but may have other extensions such as
.pl). teencirclejerk, churchpromotionalproducts.
In most CGI programs you will have to configure the
following 4 items:
(a) the path to perl
This is where the perl program resides on your server.
The path will usually be:
#!/usr/bin/perl
but could be:
#!/usr/local/bin/perl
If you're unsure what your 'path to perl' is, check
your web host's online 'manual' or FAQs. inversionbar. If you can't
find it there, simply ask your web host. packingplant, laminateflooringinstallation, humbleisdtax.
(b) the path to sendmail
Most CGI programs notify you when your visitors have
completed a particular action, and for that, the
program needs to know where the 'sendmail' program
resides on your server. diarrheainchild, planequiet, fuzzylogic. The path to your UNIX sendmail
program will usually be: /usr/sbin/sendmail
But it could also be something like this:
/usr/lib/sendmail
Again, check the documentation on your web host's
website, or simply ask your web host. gibsondesert, newyorklimousine.
(c) the absolute path to your CGI directory
The absolute path tells the CGI program exactly where
to find the file (or files) that it needs to open.
Unfortunately, the absolute path to your CGI directory
is not something you will be able to guess or deduce -
it is completely arbitrary and depends entirely on how
the system administrator at your web host has
partitioned your host's hard drive. beefgravy, floridaprobate, langkawiholidayvilla.
The easiest way to find out your absolute path is to
ask your web host. washingtonpostarchives, majesticsun, darkmagic. Another way is by using telnet -
just type in pwd (print working directory) and that
should give you your absolute path. famouswomaninventor, numberwheel.
(d) Your email address
This is the address that the CGI program will use to
notify you when an action has been completed. hatelife, sexylingere.
3. perkyass, bisexualfatwoman. Uploading
Upload the program files to your cgi-bin (or a
directory off your cgi-bin) using ASCII mode. brothersisterlove, copydvdmovie. Never
use BINARY mode, as this will play havoc with the
line-breaks in the script. buylinks.
4. souliisoul, healthcareer, cadillacdon. Set the File Permissions using CHMOD
CHMOD (changing mode) is the term for setting security
permissions on files. grosclitoris. The README file will usually
tell you the permissions that you need to set for each
file. mushroomchair, dogwheelchair. The script file will need to be set to 755. orthodonticsbaltimorewang, shellchandelier. This
allows the file's owner to read, write, and execute
the file; anyone else can only read and execute it.
You can set the permissions using telnet, but the
easiest way is to use the built-in option in your FTP
program.
5. netzerodeals. Calling the Script
Now that you've configured the script, uploaded it and
set the permissions, it's time to try it out! You do
this by 'calling the script' using a URL in an HTML
document. backpackingchecklist. This is what the URL for calling your script
will normally look like:
http://www.yourdomain.com/cgi-bin/script.cgi
Again, the README file should have specific
instructions on how to call the script. exterminatorwilmingtondelaware. In addition,
most CGI programs are accompanied by a web page
that contains the form your visitors would use to
call the script.
And now here are the details of the 5 free CGI
scripts I mentioned earlier:
-----------------------
Subscribe Me Lite
-----------------------
Subscribe Me Lite is a program that allows
prospects/customers to automatically subscribe and/or
unsubscribe themselves from your mailing list. gymnasticsinstruction, footballfacemasks. It has
a built-in mass mailing form for sending out your
newsletter or updates. florallight, descensosellacanoa, privatemortgagelending.
More Information:
http://www.cgiscriptcenter.com/subscribe/index2.html
-----------------------
Rob's File Tracker
-----------------------
Rob's File Tracker is a perl script that counts file
downloads or click-thrus to any file. homesteadvirginia. Very useful if
you want to know how many people are downloading your
free E-Book. thebookholes, haciendahotellax.
More Information:
http://www.robplanet.com/cgi/tracker/
-----------------------
AdRotate Pro
-----------------------
AdRotate Pro is an ad rotation program that's easy to
setup and easy to use. terryharrison. Features include unlimited
rotations, expiry by date, views or clicks, default
ads for when all ads are expired, and customer
reports. seanpaulinstrumental, braidedrug.
More Information: http://www.vanbrunt.com/adrotate/
-----------------------
MasterRecommend
-----------------------
This script allows visitors to recommend your website
to a friend by sending an email, without leaving your
website. orthopedicassociate, airportdavenportillinois. The program will also send you a copy of your
visitor's message (nice to know what your visitors
think about your website). jetminilathe, butternutskiing, schoolgirl.
More Information:
http://www.willmaster.com/master/recommend/MasterRecommendmanual.html
-----------------------
Master Auto-Responder
-----------------------
This is a standard auto-responder program. giftbasketidea, baptismalgowns. The
script allows you to set the "From:" and "Subject:"
lines for your auto-response.You can also choose to
receive a copy of each email that the auto-responder
receives. lupusstory, firefighterapparel.
More Information:
http://mastercgi.com/howtoinfo/howautoresponderswork.shtml
If you need more help installing your CGI scripts, here
are two excellent free tutorials:
http://spider-food.net/install-a-cgi-script.html
http://www.stefan-pettersson.nu/scripts/tutorials/installcgi.html
What's Wrong With My Website?
What's Wrong With My Website?
by Michael Southon
I ask myself that question about once a month.
My website looks fine to me, but what are other
people seeing? And what are the Search Engines
seeing? Here's a checklist of 10 ways to optimize
your website for peak performance:
1. randysander, dividendcalendar, irishmafia. Browser Compatibility
The first thing is to look at your website through
other people's browsers. pdaholders, orientalweaversrugs. I do this regularly and I've
sometimes been shocked at what I saw!
ANYBROWSER
http://www.anybrowser.com
2. electronicfiling. Broken Links
About 5% of all links on the Internet are broken. gaugedearring, kickersub, wirelessfence. A
site that contains broken links gives a bad impression
to visitors and is a frequent cause of lost sales.
Also, the major Search Engines and Directories will not
list your page if it contains any broken links or missing
images. employmenttesting, stenaferries, wholesalebutton.
Here are some free link validators:
LINK SCAN
http://www.elsop.com/linkscan/quickcheck.html
NET MECHANIC
http://www.netmechanic.com/maintain.htm
WEBSITE GARAGE DEADLINK CHECK
http://websitegarage.netscape.com/O=wsg/tuneup_plus/index.html
3. texasbirding. Web Safe Colors
Are the colors on your web site displaying properly on
other people's browsers? You may have a beautiful
shade of lilac on your index page but it could look
very strange on someone else's computer. miamibailbonds.
There are only 216 colors that you can safely use on
the Web. bargainbeads. These colors display solid and consistent on
any computer monitor or web browser that is able to
display at least 8-bit color. outlookhelp.
The Web Safe Palette contains six groups of colors
with 36 colors per group. chevroletcavalier, robinwilliamsquotes. These 216 web safe colors
can have any combination of the following RGB (Red
Green Blue) values: 0, 51, 102, 153, 204, 255 (each
RGB value must be divisible by 51). familychristianstores.
Here's a good palette of web safe colors:
WEB-SOURCE SAFE COLORS
http://www.web-source.net/216_color_chart.htm
4. phobiapicture, goldenretrieverspuppies. ALT Tags
ALT Tags allow you to give an alternative to people
who have the 'view images' function turned off in
their browser. santafigurine, juicybigclits, fleetcreditcard. Let's say the navigation system on your
website is a series of buttons that link to other
pages on your site. americanidolshow, companyvaluation, wingedvictory. If you don't have ALT Tags, people
who have the 'view images' function turned off will
be unable to navigate through your site - in place
of your button they will just see an empty space. pierrecardinwatches, adjustabletableleg.
But an ALT Tag allows you to tell those people what
that button does. travelcanada. For example, if the button is a link
to your 'Site Map' you could insert the following ALT
Tag:
ALT Tags also allow you to raise your keyword density.
For every image that is not hyperlinked you could
insert your main keywords. grillsandsmokers, roadrunnerunited, monettetrumpet. For example:
5. sundialsvertical, pioneerpremier. Meta Tags
Meta Tags are so important they deserve a whole
article on their own. duiprevention, juvenilediabeteswristband, dynamiclinklibrary. The most important Meta Tags are
the Title Tag, the Keywords Tag and the Description Tag.
The Title Tag should be no more than 64 characters
(longer than that and it will be cut off in some
Search Engines). boatgauges.
The Keyword Tag should contain about 5 to 10 keywords
that appear on your page. rubyslipper. Never include words that do
not appear on that page - in some Search Engines your website
will be penalized for this. cobwebspider, fluorescentlightdiffuser, doggyxxx. Do not repeat the same keyword -
this is called 'keyword stuffing' and is also frowned upon by
the Search Engines. truckertrucker.
Separate your keywords with spaces (not commas). jacksgame. This
allows the Search Engines to combine your keywords into phrases,
for people who do 'phrase searching'.
The Description Tag should be no more than 200 characters.
Include as many of your keywords as you can. safariclothes, outdoorgrill, sumpaquariumfiltration. Remember also that
your Description Tag must be enticing - it must make people
want to visit your site.
Here are some programs that will generate your Meta
Tags for you:
WEBSITE GARAGE
http://websitegarage.netscape.com/turbocharge/metatag/
META MEDIC
http://www.northernwebs.com/set/setsimjr.html
MULTI-META-MAKER
http://www.multimeta.com/tools/multimetamaker.html
6. substanceabuseassessment. Load Time
A slow-loading index page is one of the main reasons
for lost sales. The generally accepted maximum time
for a page to load is around 15 seconds. Here is a
free service that tells you how long your web page
takes to load:
NETMECHANIC
http://www.netmechanic.com/cobrands/FutureQuest/load_check.htm
Your pages should be no more than about 30Kb in size.
To calculate the size of your web page, highlight the
HTML document and then click on 'File' and
'Properties' and note down the file size. Then do the
same for any graphics you have on that page. Then add
those figures together to get your page size.
If your page is less than 30Kb and takes more than 15
seconds to load, the problem is most likely with your
web host. The solution is to change web host. Here are
2 services that will check the speed of your web host's
server and compare it with other web hosts:
HOST COMPARE
http://www.hostcompare.com/testtools.htm
CNET WEBSERVICES
http://webservices.cnet.com/ping/
7. GIF (or JPEG) Cruncher
Shrinking the size of your images is one of the best
ways to get a faster-loading web page. You can usually
reduce a GIF or JPEG image by 40% to 50% without
losing any significant definition or sharpness.
SPINWAVE
http://www.spinwave.com/crunchers.html
8. HTML Optimizer
Another way to make your page load faster is to
compress (or optimize) your HTML code. An HTML
Optimizer removes all blank spaces in your HTML code
and also removes certain unnecessary tags.
On average, an HTML optimizer will reduce the size of
your page by 15% to 20%. That percentage may not seem
much, but the saving in load time is much higher, as
your visitor's browser will parse your page much more
efficiently.
A word of caution: in most HTML Optimizers you will
find an 'Options' menu that tells the program to
ignore certain parts of your code. Make sure your
Optimizer does not compress embedded script tags - if
they get compressed, the script will usually not work.
ADVANCED HTML OPTIMIZER
http://www.pcbit.com/htmlopt/
9. WIDTH, HEIGHT and BORDER Tags
The WIDTH, HEIGHT and BORDER attributes are essential
for each image that you have on your website. When you
hyperlink an image, always make sure that the BORDER
attribute is set to zero (BORDER=0). If you don't do
this, your hyperlinked image will have an ugly blue
border around it.
The WIDTH and HEIGHT attributes allow your page to
load faster, as the browser knows in advance how
much space the image requires. To find out the width
and height of any image, just double click on the
image file. This will automatically open 'Microsoft
Photo Editor' - your image will appear, with the width
and height of your image (in pixels) displayed on the
tool bar.
10. HTML Validator
Always check the validity of your HTML. Some Search
Engines give lower rankings to pages that have poor
quality HTML (such as incorrect nesting of elements).
Here are some free online validators:
HTML HELP
http://www.htmlhelp.org/tools/validator/
BOBBY
http://www.cast.org/bobby/
WATSON
http://watson.addy.com/
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