Recap of Part 2:

STEP THREE – Evaluate the first impression

STEP FOUR – Determine the emotional resonance

STEP FIVE – Craft a compelling value proposition

STEP SIX – Reinforce the message through images

STEP SEVEN – Integrate social proofs and testimonials

By now, you must already have social profiles. Now, what you can do is to track brand mentions on the social web so you’d know what your target market is talking about and why they talk about your brand. Afterwards, use tools to discover which high authority websites are linking back to your landing page.

Reach out to your target market armed with the stats especially those sites that your target market deemed high authority sites. We call this implicit egoism where we naturally gravitate towards people, objects or places that provide favorable self-association.

Send emails to your users if they can give a short testimony about the brand and publish it on the landing page. This is brand advocacy that, according to study, increases awareness by 12%. Did you know 63% of the online users are more likely to purchase from a site with reviews and ratings?

STEP EIGHT – Communicate a clear call to action

A call to action (CTA) must clearly say what it actually does aside from triggering a response. The design of the CTA should contrast with the rest of the site, but still within the same aesthetic frame as the website and other marketing collateral (same color, same wording, etc.).

Treat your CTAs as the gateway to conversion. It is the culmination of all the steps discussed above. Whatever pain point they experience before coming to your landing page must be solved immediately or later, depending on the kind of solution.

STEP NINE – Check the copywriting

Read and re-read the content of the landing page. There is no such thing as ‘over-edit.’ After proofreading, read it again then ask yourself: is the content compelling enough to draw visitors to read more? Can you honestly say that it is compelling enough? Self-score the page. If it below five, you might as well consider suggestions.

Ask your friends and colleagues to conduct a simple peer review of the page. Solicit feedbacks. Remember that your visitor only has a second to decide if the site (and thus your brand) is trustworthy or not. If they decide you are, then they will naturally consume the contents of your page. If you want visitors sinking their teeth in, don’t forget the tone and mood you have already established with the headlines and images. Resonate with the visitors in the way they can relate.

STEP TEN – Start an A/B test

Create alternative landing pages and form hypotheses whether these will work too on the web or not or if they will perform better with your current landing page or the landing page that you have just created.

Documentation is a critical part of the process. Through this, you can have a record of which works and which not. Some of the ideas will end up wrong and thrown out, but at least you have a document which you can refer to from time to time.

Make the most of your time by winning customers in less than a second. Treat your landing page as a venue where you can present and pitch ideas on how can you make your customers lives better with your product and services. Create a ‘hook’ that makes your prospects get to want more. For us, optimizing landing pages is one of the few ways to tell stories that feel better every time they are told. Stronger ROI awaits those firms which can choose the best SEO provider for them.

Source: Search Engine Journal | MOZ | ConversionXL

The post Steps in Optimizing a Landing Page (Part 3) appeared first on Internet Marketing Reach.

1) 25 eCommerce SEO Tips by Palmer Web Marketing

Offers useful tips on how you can beat the SEO challenges for e-commerce sites. The article also offers recommendations in making your online store more search engine-friendly.

2) Shopping Carts Gallery: Examples and Good Practices by Smashing Magazine

Shows examples of attractive and creatively designed shopping carts. It also discusses good practices when in the process of designing shopping carts to improve usability and support content.

3) E-commerce Call to Action: Design Tips by E-consultancy

Provides practical tips to improve conversion rates through attractively designed call to action buttons. It also provides good examples of calls to action.

4) Tips on How to Design to Attract More Customers by About.com

Offers tips in creating the perfect coupon including the texts and designs. The article also highlights the importance of studying your competitors’ coupons.

5) eCommerce Platform Solutions: Which Online Product Catalog is Best? by eCommerce Insiders

Discusses the e-commerce platforms and their usage statistics. It also talks about the pros and cons of each platform.

6) 30 Beautiful and Creative Ecommerce Website Designs by Shopify

Showcases the most attractive web designs. The article also accentuates the current trend which is the use of high-quality images.

7) The Mega Guide to Maximizing eCommerce Sales, Revenues and Performance on All Fronts by KISSmetrics

Outlines eight of the most important e-commerce practices that can drive revenue up. The article includes mobile responsiveness and SEO at the top of the list.

8) 22 Free Google Products for Small Business Owners by Practical Ecommerce

Provides a rundown of Google tools to make online business more productive. It segregates tools based on its use such as social, media, site and search management and general office.

9) 11 Alternative Payment Options by Practical Ecommerce

Provides information on alternative payments. It highlights the importance of giving customers more payment choices and thereby streamlining the checkout process especially for mobile consumers and tackles how the merchants can save money by introducing these alternative options.

10) 4 Principles of Social Proof Every Ecommerce Store Owner Needs to Know by Ecommerce University

Emphasizes social proof as a pillar of influence. The article discusses how important are social signals to stir reactions from the audience.

11) More Than Half of Retailers Investing in Responsive Design: E-tailing Group by Mobile Commerce Daily

Talks about the urgency of making e-commerce sites responsive. It provides stats based on an e-tailing survey regarding the status of mobile commerce.

12) Comparing the Most Popular Payment Gateways for Ecommerce linking to Exchange Payment Gateway Comparison Chart by iThemes

Provides basic information on merchant accounts and payment gateways. The link features a comparison chart of the most utilized online payment gateways.

13) Boost Your Small Business  With These 12 Free Ecommerce Tools by Mashable

Provides a list of the right tools to make your website looking professional. The tools listed are easy to set up and maintain.

14) 22 Free Google Products for Small Business Owners by Practical Ecommerce

Lists Google tools and applications that can enhance almost all aspects of online productivity. The article categorizes the products based on general office, site and search management, media and social.

15) 20 Best E-commerce WordPress Plugins of 2014 by WP Explorer

Provides plugins and applications that can turn a WordPress site into a full-pledged online store. The article maintains that these plugins are enough to run a successful digital shop.

16) Google & Universal Analytics E-commerce Tracking – Complete Guide by Optimize Smart

Provides a complete overview of e-commerce including commerce platforms and their roles in e-commerce tracking. It also discusses e-commerce tracking using Google Analytics and Universal Analytics.

It is best to take a plunge into the e-commerce world armed with the right knowledge and resources. Hope you learn a thing or two from these articles.

The post 16 Must-Read Articles for Online Storefront Owners appeared first on Internet Marketing Reach.