Better Web Site ROI: Efficient Online Business with SEO, PPC, Split Testing, and Forums

If you're looking for better web site ROI, chances are, the web is only one part of your business, you have a specific budget for your web site, and you want the site to not only carry its own weight, but why can't it make you some extra dough, too?

The corporate situation: budgets need to be closely watched, and tech people can't get carried away with unnecessary frills.

My own experience making money online and becoming and SEO expert was more guerilla than corporate. In 1999, I knew enough web design to get by, and I learned about getting good search rankings and free traffic while flying by the seat of my pants. By early 2005, I'd learned how to get tens of thousands of visitors per month, and had made more than $20,000 two months in a row.

As it turns out, web design itself doesn't bring in or increase profits... at least not the graphic kind most people think of. Ironically, the flashy flash web sites everyone raves about often prevent you from getting free traffic. Search engines index sites based on text- they can't see flash. If your text is in graphics without alt tags or in flash movies only, you'll never get free traffic.

There are loads of web designers out there who want to get paid to make you a beautiful web site, but don't know the first thing about helping you make more money. In fact, though independent web designers have to know enough business to survive, corporate designers may never have had to learn anything about running a business or getting good ROI via their web sites.

To get better web site ROI, naturally you have to lower your investment and/or increase your profits.

Where do the profits that lead to better web site ROI come from?

  • Traffic (free or paid)
  • Converting Prospects
  • Selling new products to previous customers

Here are some review questions for your business:

  • Are you getting free traffic from good search engine rankings? If not, why not? Maybe your website isn't search engine optimized. Maybe you aren't adding to and updating your content. Maybe your internal linking and/or navigational structure is suboptimal.
  • Are you running multiple pay per click campaigns and meeting your break even figures for most of them? Are you dumping the ones that don't work?
  • Are you tweaking your web sales copy and running split tests to see what increases your conversion rates?
  • Are you staying in touch with previous customers, offering them helpful tips and resources, and finding out their other needs?
  • Are you designing new products and improving services based on that feedback?

Those are just a few questions to help you see which way lies the real road to better web site ROI.

Now here are a few suggestions:

1. Get more free traffic

All traffic can be converted to sales profits. Free traffic means better web site ROI. So search engine optimize your web site. Ever had a keyphrase review for your business sector done? If not, get one. This is one of the three major factors in writing your web site sales copy.

2. Only do profitable pay-per-click advertising

Make sure you have a clear plan in place for every phrase on which you bid. Know what conversion rate you need for each. Send each phrase to specific and different web pages, and monitor your success rate. If you can't tweak conversion rates high enough to profit on a pay per click phrase, ditch it! What cuts into your web site ROI more than pay per click advertising at a loss? And don't fool yourself into thinking it's branding. There are much better ways to do branding, and lots of them are free.

3. Convert more prospects

Hopefully you already have a most wanted response (MWR). Perhaps you've developed customer profiles and/or modeled customer acquisition and retention phrases. However you group your prospects, make sure you split test your web copy to develop the most powerful sales pages possible. Your traffic cost for each phrase shouldn't change much from month to month, so improving your conversion rates will lead to better web site ROI.

4. Encourage Community and Get Feedback

Don't be afraid to let your customers talk to each other. Use forums to help them and find out what they need. The best way to stay in business, sell more, and increase ROI is to know what they need and give it to them. Remember, it's easier to keep a customer than to get a new one. Use polls, articles in your e-zine (e newsletter), and free offers to motivate them to answer your specific questions.

Conclusion

That's obviously not every detail or tactic you could use to work toward better web site ROI, but it's plenty for most people to start with. If you need help or have any specific questions for me, contact me either via my pulsemed.org website, or through my SEO blog at http://top-ten-search-engine-ranking.blogspot.com/.

Since 1999, Brian Carter, MS, has reached more than a million visitors with his websites. His http://top-ten-search-engine-ranking.blogspot.com/ ranks in the top 1% of all major websites. He maintains a blog about web marketing at http://top-ten-search-engine-ranking.blogspot.com/. His second book, The Web Site Marketing Success Manual: How One of My Web Sites Made $21,638.49 in a Month, will be available in July, 2005.

house refresh service Lincolnshire ..
In The News:

Apple releases emergency patches for two zero-day vulnerabilities actively exploited in attacks. iPhone and iPad users urged to update immediately.
DoorDash launches Zesty, an AI-powered social app that recommends restaurants through conversational search, now testing in San Francisco and New York.
Cybersecurity firm Infoblox reveals that over 90 percent of parked domains now redirect visitors to scams and malware, making simple typos extremely dangerous.
The Fox News AI Newsletter covers the latest artificial intelligence technology advancements, including the challenges and opportunities AI presents now and for the future.
GPT-5.2 is now live for all ChatGPT users with improved coding, writing and image interpretation, with Kurt Knutsson offering his review.
New iPhone replacement scam uses pressure tactics and fake carrier calls to steal devices from buyers. Criminals claim shipping errors and demand urgent returns.
Amazon Ring's new facial recognition feature sparks privacy controversy as Electronic Frontier Foundation critics argue the AI upgrade expands surveillance risks.
New Android banking trojan Sturnus steals credentials, reads encrypted messages and controls devices.
Denmark's 3D-printed student village proves automation builds 36 apartments faster than traditional methods. Skovsporet project shows housing future.
Discover Android's new Sound Notifications feature that alerts you to smoke alarms, doorbells, and baby cries even when wearing headphones.
New SantaStealer malware reportedly threatens holiday shoppers with password theft. This Christmas-themed info-stealer targets browsers and crypto wallets.
The Christmas season brings a surge in Netflix phishing scams targeting shoppers with fake emails. Stacey P received convincing scam but verified account first.
San Francisco Giants invite Jamie Grohsong to throw ceremonial first pitch at Oracle Park after he learned to play baseball with a bionic hand following an injury.
FBI warns cybercriminals are stealing family photos from social media to create fake proof of life images in virtual kidnapping scams targeting victims.
Instagram's new 'Your Algorithm' tool lets you control your Reels feed in real time. The app now gives you power to customize what videos you see.
Major Marquis fintech breach exposes 400,000-plus Americans' data through unpatched SonicWall vulnerability, with Texas hardest hit at 354,000 affected.
Free up iPhone storage fast by clearing large photos and videos from Messages app. Simple steps for iOS users to delete attachments without losing chats.
Scammers are flooding inboxes with fake tracking alerts that mimic real carriers, exploiting the holiday rush to steal logins and personal data.
The Fox News AI Newsletter brings you the latest news on AI technology advancements and the challenges and opportunities AI presents now and for the future.
Texas family reunites with missing 11-year-old cat Grayson after 103 days using Petco Love Lost's AI photo matching technology and community help.
Tired of AI customer service loops? These insider tricks help you escape "frustration AI" and get real human help when you need it most for urgent issues.
Unlock richer audio from your streaming apps with simple tweaks to volume normalization, equalizer settings, and quality preferences for cleaner sound.
Scammers are sending fake Facebook settlement payout emails that mimic legitimate notices from the privacy settlement administrator to deceive users.
Holiday shopping scams surge as fake refund emails target distracted consumers during Black Friday and holiday seasons, costing Americans billions annually.
The AI-powered IRMO M1 exoskeleton features four modes, including turbo, eco, training and rest for hiking, running, cycling and sports with eight-hour battery life.

Website Content & Usability

Writing for the web is totally different to writing for... Read More

7 Killer Ways To Increase Your Online Sales

Every online entrepreneur I talk to is asking the same... Read More

Ten Major Tips to Develop a Multilingual Web Site to Work

If you are living in a country that its native... Read More

Website Development: Become Your Own Expert

Starting and maintaining a business is challenging enough without the... Read More

The Two Most Common Mistakes That Scare Away Web Visitors

Can you imagine the hypocrisy of spending thousands of dollars,... Read More

What is Blogger.com?

In the late 1990's three San Francisco based web developers... Read More

What YOU Should Know Before Getting A Web Site!

Everyday thousands of new businesses make the leap and take... Read More

Website For The Company Store

If your company own one or more stores, you might... Read More

1 Simple Solution to All Internet Marketers about Their Website Design Needs

It is an undeniable fact that not everybody is keen... Read More

Newsletter Management Using PHP w/o mySQL for Beginners

Let's begin by setting some limits. If you're like me,... Read More

Trinkets, Lockets And Empty Pockets

It never ceases to amaze me how many people set-up... Read More

10 Tips For Running A Profitable Web Site

1. Address your targeted audience on your business site. Example:... Read More

Linking Out is Good

Many websites I come across don't have a single link... Read More

Track Your Visitors, Using PHP

There are many different traffic analysis tools, ranging from simple... Read More

Earning From Your Website

Before you start building your site, ask yourself "WHY?". Why... Read More

7 Tips to Make Your Order Page Work Harder

So your prospect, Mary, is sitting at the computer reading... Read More

From Search to Sale

The Internet car buyer is an elusive animal. Trying to... Read More

The Evolution Of Search

There have been many significant changes to the face of... Read More

Setting Up A CGI Script On Your Web Site

Before you set up any scripts you will need some... Read More

How to Promote Your Law Firm Website On the Internet for Maximum Profit

Making maximum profit from your law firm website is important,... Read More

Content Management ? The New Standard in Web Design

The evolution of web development parallels the model of technology... Read More

How To Get Profits From Your 404 Page Not Found File

"'Page Not Found' on this Server. Check the URL and... Read More

Effective Webdesign

D.zigns dzignerwebs The Basics Before starting on... Read More

Eight Deadly Web Site Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

Creating and maintaining an effective presence on the Web has... Read More

2 Key Ways to Make Your Site a Success

If one more business owner tells me their website sucks... Read More

licensed cleaning services Lake Forest ..