3 Common Mistakes That Could Cost Your Website Sales

guest post by Emily Murray

Of course we all know that the first goal you have as an Internet marketer is to drive potential customers to a website, but traffic can only get you so far. How can you ensure that the traffic you are getting is relevant to the product or service you are selling?

Most businesses will eventually hit a plateau of daily visitors, at which point it becomes prohibitively expensive to gain more. The only way to increase profits after this is to optimize sale conversion rates. Learning how to keep visitors through the completion of a purchase can seem daunting, but often it is not so much about holding their attention, as avoiding driving them away. 

1. Too Much Text

The first major mistake many marketers make is to clutter their webpages with blocks of text. Visitors may be put off if they need to hunt for a product, or read through every technical detail on the first page.

Your landing page should be tightly tuned, with graphics and the best sales pitch you've got. Keep it simple, and make them want more.

Once a visitor commits to reading further, your odds of making a sale go up exponentially.

2. Checkout is too Difficult

Once a customer has decided on a product, a buggy or overly demanding checkout process can cause him or her to abandon the sale entirely.

This second major mistake can manifest in many ways. If a sale doesn't seem secure, or requires a cumbersome registration, many will be deterred and look elsewhere.

Make buying your product as simple and quick as possible; the more time they have to think, the more time they have to reconsider! Allow guest checkouts, and make sure the sales process is error-free in every major browser.

3. Being Complacent as a Marketer

The third and most egregious mistake a marketer can make is to simply give up if sales remain poor, or to rest on his or her laurels once they go up. Testing through analytic sites and software, along with prudent experimentation, should be a constant part of any successful business owner's strategy.

Always remember that complacency is the greatest enemy of any online entrepreneur. You can find both free and paid services that will pinpoint your website's problem areas, as well as offer tips on how to improve them.

By avoiding these mistakes and focusing on conversion optimization, businesses can fully utilize their incoming traffic and experience sales like never before. Don't let a few amateur blunders cost you easy money!

The next time you view your website, look at it from the viewpoint of a new visitor, and make every change you need to make that sale.

Of course by improving your conversion optimization efforts, you will not only see the visitors coming to you site but actually completing their orders!

About the author

Emily Murray is a contributing writer for Invesp, a site that helps clients convert potential customers into loyal patrons by improving landing page optimization and conversion optimization by identifying stumbling blocks in the sales funnel.