If you're running an online store, you understand the value of maintaining a long-term relationship with your customers. However, if you're handling your own SEO, you've likely been grasping at straws trying to achieve that. You might have made some solid customer relationships through social media by now; and by answering your business' phone, your stellar customer service might stand out to a few clients. However, you're not bringing nearly enough attention to your brand with your SEO or social media efforts.

The reason this is occurring is that there are key strategies that most marketers are using to turn web
visitors -- that are essentially strangers -- into leads and then into long-term customers. Many retailers make the mistake of thinking it's only about content. However, though it's definitely about good content, it's also about good follow-up. Once a reader has read a great article about how powerful, yet environmentally friendly your cleaning products are, they click through to...your website homepage?

• Is it easy for your readers to understand exactly what you want them to do once they land on your website homepage?
• Can they easily understand it within 8 seconds?
• Is your home page compelling enough to make a potential customer buy your product or give you their real email address to learn more about your brand?
• Have you offered your visitors something for free that would make anyone even slightly interested in your product line say, "Cool!"

If you answered, "No," to any of these questions, your landing page design is likely costing you both lead and customer conversions.

Landing pages are key when you want to convert visitors into leads or shoppers. As you read through this list of key landing page components you might start to realize why many landing pages you've seen never converted you, or why sending visitors to your homepage often does nothing but boost your visitor count:

Key Landing Pages Components

• Don't target everyone - Only target one demographic with each landing page.
• Offer only one freebie - Each landing page must offer one perk, freebie or goodie. Anything else is confusing.
• Don't offer the same thing your competition is - If every dry cleaner in your area is offering a free suit cleaning, offer a free suit cleaning and complimentary tickets to the local playhouse. Unique offers that show obvious value typically convert the best.
• Please don't ignore the reader - Though this should seem obvious, it's not. Your landing page should provide readers with the exact information they need, at the right time. This will cause them to love the marketing experience you're providing them with. All too often, DIY marketers consider their own desires over their target markets, and offer things that are only of value to themselves or someone they would know.

Contact Red Shark Digital when you need SEO for your ecommerce shop. Designing good landing pages is part of what we do best, so you don't have to worry about it!