12 May 2010
Dale's top tips: The golden rules of selling through your website...

1. First and foremost, ascertain what you are trying to do. Do you want to inform? Sell? Build rapport? Increase brand loyalty?

2. Explain what you do simply and succinctly. If you feel the need to go into more detail, use hyperlinks that people can use to find out more if they want to.

3. Enrich your site with “have dones”, such as case studies and testimonials.

4. Ensure your website displays properly across different media platforms. It may look great on a laptop, but does it look right on an iPhone? Similarly, check how it displays in different browsers.

5. Give people as many contact options as possible, and make them easy to find on your website. Those which try to tuck their phone numbers away immediately raise suspicion. And why not even look into including a live chat facility for those who don’t want to phone or email?

6. It goes without saying that your website should look polished and professional. After all, it’s your shop front to the world.

7. Use copy to build trust and credibility, especially if customers are going to be expected to enter credit card details and trust that a product will be arriving through the post.

8. Pitch your message right. Don’t make false promises or punch above your weight.

9. Include a clear, simple call to action on every page, e.g. Call today for some straight-talking advice on 01530 265 636.

10. Make sure you use technology appropriately for your needs. Does your site really need to be full of Flash animation?