Building eCommerce

By Paul Smithson

It may be surprising to know that something as simple as the sales button you use on your order page can be responsible for massive changes in your conversions, but it’s true. Just by changing the color of your order button, or changing the text on the button, can have a major impact on your sales.

The only way to really make sure you’ve chosen the right button is to split test, but there are a few things you can do to make sure that right from the start you are using a sales button that is most likely to have a higher than average conversion rate.

In general, the color red can really attract the eye to the order button. A recent analysis of over one hundred of the top e-commerce websites showed that 15% of them use the color red for their sales buttons, so make sure that red is one of the options you test.

Other colors that often work well are blue, orange, and green so do run tests to see if any of these can help lift your response.

It’s also worth testing rollovers for your buttons.

A rollover is when an image changes when a user hovers their mouse over it. Some studies have shown that changing a button’s color from red to green upon rollover can increase conversions. Again, this isn’t a hard and fast rule so there are no guarantees, but it’s well worth testing to see if this holds true for your site.

The text on the button is also crucial. You can often see a major change in conversions by simply changing a single word on your button. For example, changing the text on the button from ‘Buy it now!’ to ‘Get it now!’ could make a big difference. Other wording you could try include ‘Order Here’, ‘Click Here to Order’, or just the single words ‘Buy’ or ‘Order’.

A word of caution though. Some marketers believe that a percentage of people have an aversion to the word ‘buy.’ Remember, testing is crucial, but you might want to avoid words that are often associated with spending money. Again, the golden rule is to keep testing.

Something else worth bearing in mind is the profile of your customers, or potential customers. For some people, particularly those who are not particularly online savvy, conversions can be increased by giving them clearer instructions. Instead of having a button that just says ‘Order’ you might want to tell people that they have to click the button to purchase the product. It may seem obvious to you and me, but to someone with little experience buying things online, it may not be so obvious. Putting the words ‘click here’ somewhere on your button has been known to increase conversions for some sites.

Other things to test include the addition of credit card icons to the button, animation to draw attention to your button, adding images around the button, and adding design elements such as arrows to draw the eyes toward the button.

Remember, although your order button might be the last thing people see before placing their order, it is only a small part of the overall purchasing process. In addition to running tests to see which order button works best don’t forget to also test your headline, your call-to-action, your price points, your body copy, and pretty much everything else that makes up your web page or is part of the order process.

About The Author

Paul Smithson is the driving force behind the bestselling XSitePro website design software and XHeader, the free web site header design tool. His areas of expertise include business strategy, e-commerce, on-line and off-line marketing, software development, and maximizing the potential of on-line businesses.

Distributed by ContentCrooner.com

By Jimmy Cox

There is so much to gain from persuasive copywriting. To be exact, this is what online business owners need to secure consistent income flows. You are at a good position to start earning a lot if you know exactly what kind of writing can draw interest to your product or service.

Writing to Sell

It’s easier to understand sales writing when you look at what it is supposed to do. A piece that is intended to help sell an idea or item should first of all succeed at catching reader attention. Some internet marketers do this by highlighting emotion laden words in red or neon colors. You don’t have to do this if you have excellent writing skills. The way you put your very first line together should already be sufficient to hook a reader. Genuine persuasive copywriting however goes beyond grabbing attention. It is also meant to keep readers glued from start to finish.

You will find it easier to grab and maintain reader attention if you have page content that offers a solution to an issue or the opportunity of gaining an advantage. In other words, the sign of a good copy is that it provides valuable help or insights. An even better piece convinces the reader that the answer is and can be found in the product being offered.

One other role that marketing pages play is as impression creator. It should be obvious to you that the product of sales copywriting is the equivalent of a store front. An excellent piece of text can help either create a good or a bad impression. If you are able to put on a good representation of yourself and your product through your writing, you will gain the opportunity to start building a solid reputation.

In the end, you will know if your piece is effective. Readers who go through your page until the very last paragraph may be more than willing to dig even deeper and find out more about you and your product. The most effective kind of writing however, is that which eventually convinces readers to become customers.

How to Learn

You can learn persuasive copywriting on your own. The easiest way to do so is to read through other copies that you come across. You can also browse over available templates. Once you finish several pieces you will notice similarities in them that you can pick up and use so you can try your hand at writing. To make sure you are basing your text on reliable and effective copies, research on popular internet marketers and read only their materials.

A better way to learn is to enroll in a short course or workshop. Nothing beats learning from a genuine master. If you take the time to learn the right skills from the right person, you will never have to second guess the source of sales copywriting advice.

Get right on the track of making your profits soar by learning how to craft efficient and convincing letters. It may take some time and a lot of effort to become as good as the masters but you will find that the investment is well worth it.

About The Author

Gain the writing edge that you need with Yanik Silver copywriting. Visit http://www.yaniksilver.org/.

Distributed by ContentCrooner.com