So why do people decide to stop shopping in one store and head off to the next internet store?

Recently Econsultancy surveyed 2000 UK consumers to assess why consumers make the [...]]]> Its a common problem for most online shops – they attract lots of visitors but few of them make it as far as exiting through the check-out.

So why do people decide to stop shopping in one store and head off to the next internet store?

Recently Econsultancy surveyed 2000 UK consumers to assess why consumers make the decision to abandon their shopping cart. The full survey results can be reviewed at TolunaQuick.com.

There were some interesting highlights:

1. Trust – visitors look for signs of trustworthiness. Easy for major brands, but for smaller niche sites then 48% look for trustmarks e.g. Verisign, McAfee, 46% look for clear address and contact details, and 41% trust sites recommended by family and friends.

2. Product Information – visitors want easy access to all the information they need to make a decision. Not just product information, but delivery timescales and charges, and returns policies. If it is hard to find, then people will abandon. High delivery charges are the most common reason (74%) why a shopping basket is discarded.

3. Payment processing – visitors are at the checkout with their card and still they abandon, why? Hidden charges e.g. 70% would abandon due to card supplements account and 58%  from security concerns. Interestingly, the enhanced security of ‘Verified by Visa’ and ‘Mastercard Secure’ also causes others to abanadon due to the challenges of remembering passwords.

Careful e-commerce site design can help to minimise the number of baskets left abandoned in an online shop and maximise sales.

For help and advice on improving e-commerce conversion rates, contact WSI Chester on 01928 787026.

So its important that this page really earns its keep. Seth Godin recently wrote a very good blog post on this subject.

He highlighted five guidelines [...]]]> When people visit your website for the first time, they want to form a picture of your business. So they’ll often head straight to the ‘About Us’ or the equivalent page straight away.

So its important that this page really earns its keep. Seth Godin recently wrote a very good blog post on this subject.

He highlighted five guidelines for a successful ‘About Us’ page:

1. Avoid meaningless jargon and ‘marketing speak’.

2. Avoid the use of stock photos of ‘workers’, its far better to use images of you and your team.

3. Make it easy for visitors to contact you.

4. Write in an accessible way, write like you talk. If possible, illustrate with stories.

5. Use evidence to build credibility, interesting third party comments and testimonials  can carry a lot of weight.

Don’t forget every page on your site needs to earn its living, so make sure the content is relevant to your visitors.

For help in creating persuasive web sites and contents that can deliver real results, call WSI Chester on 01928 787026 for a ‘no obligation’ discussion.

Your website therefore needs to engage with them, and be focused upon their needs. And the words you use on your website will make all the difference.

Are [...]]]> While you are proud of your company and think its products and services are great, most customers only care about how well you can help them with their wants and needs.

Your website therefore needs to engage with them, and be focused upon their needs. And the words you use on your website will make all the difference.

Are you talking mostly about them and their needs or are you talking mostly about yourself?

I came across a great free tool which analyses the words on a web page and determines whether they are focused on the customer…….or you!

Give it a try at http://www.futurenowinc.com/wewe.htm . You may be surprised by the results.

For help and advice on refocusing the content and structure of your website to improve the results you receive, call (01928 787026) or contact WSI today.

Google recently posted a great case study about the charity Marie Curie who increased their online donation rate by 14%.

They [...]]]> Every company would like to improve the performance of their website in converting visitor interest into real actions. For many companies, this is often the bottleneck limiting the return on investment from their overall internet marketing strategies.

Google recently posted a great case study about the charity Marie Curie who increased their online donation rate by 14%.

They tested alternative versions of their Home page using the Google Website Optimiser and measured the results. Within a few weeks, performance had improved by 14%.

The Google Website Optimiser toolkit enables you to test multiple variations of a page in parallel and monitor the results. As it gathers results, it will provide statistical feedback on the relative performance of the variations so that the most effective page can be implemented.

If you would like to improve the conversion rate of your website, call Andy on 01928 787026 or contact us through this site.

As a worldwide organisation active in 80+ countries, WSI has experience of almost every type of website and from probably most industry sectors.

We have therefore created on online reference source for interested parties called the WSI Wisdom Book - it is an e-book with case studies [...]]]> We are often asked for website examples and client case studies.

As a worldwide organisation active in 80+ countries, WSI has experience of almost every type of website and from probably most industry sectors.

We have therefore created on online reference source for interested parties called the WSI Wisdom Book - it is an e-book with case studies from a broad range of clients, industries and countries.

In addition, we have included a selection of WSI White Papers on internet marketing topics which have featured in WSI public webinars during this year.

The Wisdom Book of WSI Excellence can be viewed here where it can also be downloaded as a PDF.

To learn more about how WSI can help your business to get a better return on its investment, call us on 01928 787026.