Tag: Web Design

10-Point Checklist For a Better Website

I recently came across a great article by Kissmetrics offering some guidelines for website design. Since the layout of your website is as important as any aspect of your business, I thought we should pass along this info. Here are 10 items to explore when evaluating your website. For the sake of a quick (yet valuable) read, I will just to provide the 10 point checklist. For a more in-depth illustration of these concepts, see 10 Ways to Increase Conversions by Reducing Friction by Kissmetrics.

  1. Only include sentences that will move your prospect forward;
  2. Make sure you’re talking about your prospect, not about you;
  3. Check your font size—less than 16px is too small;
  4. Don’t use reversed text: dark and light is much more readable (keep background light and text dark);
  5. Get rid of elements that distract from the natural F-shaped eyepath—especially images;
  6. Don’t let any element physically interrupt the left margin;
  7. Use regular subheads that summarize the value proposition of their sections (Use sub-headings and/or bold text on lead-in words to increase readability);
  8. Itemize major value points using bullets;
  9. Create visual interest with alternating paragraph lengths;
  10. Use captioned images to convey value clearly.
No Comments by Seth on February 2, 2012
filed in Business, Website Design
tagged , ,

Landing Pages: How Effective Are They?

In short… they appear to be very effective for most businesses. As we’ll highlight below, a recent post from the Hubspot Blog illustrates the effectiveness of dedicated landing pages. This data is based on a research study performed by Marketing Sherpa.

Wait, What Is a Landing Page?

Here’s a basic definition:

Landing page – a specific page within a website, other than the homepage, that is usually configured to match its content or product offering with a user’s specific search. Landing pages are typically associated with paid ads. They are the pages a user ‘lands on’ after clicking a particular ad (or search result).

For example:

If you search in Google for hiking shoes and you click on the ad for REI.com, you will be taken to a landing page dedicated specifically to hiking shoes… As illustrated below…

 

Notice this page is specific to hiking shoes. As we’ll see below, this is much more effective than simply directing users to the REI homepage and forcing them to navigate on their own.

* side note: Depending on the type of business, marketers/business owners might want to incorporate a ‘lead form’ on their dedicated landing pages. This is a good way to capture visitor information.  Obviously, this is usually not necessary for ecommerce sites.

 

Back to the Study: The Results

In it’s 2011 Landing Page Optimization Benchmark Report, Marketing Sherpa reveals how important it is to have dedicated landing pages.

 

This pie chart is based on data from 2,673 marketers. According to the study, it’s clear as to why websites must incorporate dedicated landing pages in their online marketing efforts.

 

Furthermore, the graph below indicates the effectives of landing pages that are specifically driven by paid search or context ads.

 

As you can see 96% of the study participants claim the dedicated landing pages to by either very effective or somewhat effective. Not too shabby.

 

Landing Page Optimization

Of course, having landing pages is only half the battle. As with just about anything else involving online marketing, there are best practices to optimize your landing pages for maximum conversions.

 

For help with this, feel free to contact Clear Peach Marketing!

 

No Comments by Seth on June 3, 2011
filed in Adwords, Business, Marketing, Pay Per Click, Website Design
tagged , , , , ,

The Impact of Color on Marketing

Considering a website redesign, a new logo, or some new image ads?  The colors that you use could have a significant impact on how your audience behaves, so choose wisely.

If you’re goal is to convey trust and loyalty, then go with a nice set of blues.  Trying to create a sense of urgency and raise awareness?  Reds and yellows are the best bet.

YELLOW - Optimistic and youthful.  Used to grab attention of window shoppers.

RED – Associated with energy.  Increases heart rate and sense of urgency.  Used in clearance sales.

BLUE – Conveys trust and security.  Often used by banks and businesses.

GREEN – Associated with wealth, and is also the easiest color for the human teye to process.

ORANGE – Creates a call to action, e.g. form fill, subscribe, or purchase.

PINK – Used to market feminine products. Romantic and femininie.

PURPLE – Soothes and calms.  Seen in many beauty products.  Can also evoke royalty.

BLACK – Great for luxury products.  Sleek and powerful.

Once you choose your color utilize the Color Scheme Designer to produce stunning marketing!

No Comments by Brad on September 4, 2010
filed in Business, Marketing, Website Design
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Tips to Boost E-Commerce Checkout Rates

Increasing your website’s shopping cart conversion rate can have a big impact for your bottom line. For many e-retailers a few simple tweaks to the checkout process can dramatically reduce shopping cart abandonment. It’s challenging enough to get a qualified shopper to your website; the last thing you want to do is lose the customer at checkout because your process is either too long, distracting, inquisitive, or all of the above.

Items to consider when optimizing your checkout conversion rate:

No Passwords – Don’t force your customer to create a username and password. Wait to market to them after they are an actual customer. There’s nothing more annoying as shopper than having to create login credentials you won’t need again.

Provide Guidance – Let the visitor know how many more steps there are specifically what they need to do next to complete the transaction. Bread crumb navigation can help, but showing “step 1 of 3″ is most helpful.

ecommerce checkout steps

Coupon Codes – The field to input the code should be easy to find. The discount to be displayed should be shown before any credit card information is required. Knowing 100% that your coupon is being applied to your purchase gives confidence.

promo code input

Credibility & Security – A good checkout process identifies itself as safe and secure. Display credibility icons like the BBB and McAfee Secure Website so people trust that you are not a scam and their credit card or identity won’t get stolen.

security badges - credibility icons

Shipping Options – Make it easy to configure shipping costs. Include functionality to dynamically calculate weight and pricing for the customer’s destination. Free Shipping is a great incentive offer which will undoubtedly lift conversion. If you’ve determined your business can afford to offer it after a thorough analysis then do so.

No Comments by Brad on December 17, 2009
filed in Business, Search Engine Marketing, Website Design
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