This is a question I have been hearing a lot lately. How can I get more people to respond to my website? This is a good question and one I’m sure I’ll keep hearing until the internet goes away or I croak.

Much of it depends on the website. Take this site for instance. It’s like pulling teeth to get any of you readers to do anything. Why am I saying that? I’ll tell you.

About three or four posts ago I had a challenge (which is still open here) where I was giving away $30 dollar prizes for anyone who simply replied to a post with three ideas on bringing in new business and one $100 prize for the winner. Do you think anyone replied? Nope, not one. I could have increased response with something like the Wordpress plugin “Comment Love,” but I haven’t had much time.

So, why didn’t anyone comment. I know the answers to the question and I’ll tell you here. They’re part of the solution to getting more response from your website.

In this case it boils down to two things:

1. Traffic (this site really doesn’t get a huge amount of visitors…yet. But then I don’t market it like I should.)
2. Social proof - this is the biggie. I’ll be honest. If I would have shilled the comments I would have increased response to the challenge. Why? Because most people are followers. They need social proof. They need someone to take the path/action/comment before them. That’s just how we’re wired.

Social proof is a universal tool for increasing response. It doesn’t matter what type of site you have or product you sell, the more social proof the better.

That said there are other fairly universal components that will increase response on a website regardless of its orientation. By that I mean it doesn’t matter if it’s a sales site, or an artist/architect/scultptor portfolio site, or a site offering free exams etc…whatever.

These conditions for response are not just my opinions. I have witness confirmation of these during tests when I was creative director of a multi-million dollar direct response company. They’ve also been proven time and time again by studies like those conducted by Marketing Sherpa for their various special reports.

Okay…let’s get on with it already. Here are 10 ways to get more response from your website.

1. Traffic - you know the saying, “there’s something for everyone.” That’s true, if in the unlikely event you get a high enough volume of traffic, even with a crappy site your response will likely increase.
2. Guarantees are always good. My experience with companies has been that most of the time guarantees are rarely called in. If they are, the value they produce usually exceeds any costs associated with them.
3. Credibility - in a sea of competitors people are looking for credibility. In absence of direct referrals the one of the ways to do this is with social proof. Here’s a damn good example from… of all companies… an IT Security outfit called Redspin. Read through the Redspin page. It is loaded with so many social proof elements you can’t help walking away thinking there might be something to them. Bottom line, more social proof, higher response. Think Oprah, EF Hutton, blah, blah.
4. Put your phone number large at the top right of every page. One of the things we found sometimes helps is to put a face next to the number. The face draws the eye toward the number and gives the site a human touch. Avoid over commercial looking faces. Go with something average and honest looking.
5. Contact form on every page. The whole goal of the site is to have people contact you.
6. Ethical bribes, such as special reports or something along those lines you can exchange for contact information and then follow up later. Another option is to incentivize your contact form. Such as “fill out the form now and get 20% off your first order,” or something along those lines.
7. Analytics - Wow…seriously…if you have any kind of commercial website and you aren’t using analytics you’re just foolish. Google Analytics are free and can tell you so much about what your visitors want. Here’s an example.I was discussing this with a photographer who was having a hard time finding the value in analytics. I told her simply. You can see which of your portfolio pages are getting the most views. You can see which pages are keeping people’s attentions the longest. Then…you can go out and take more photos like those. Why? Because people are telling you with their actions what they want.
8. Testing - Here’s another no-brainer. Especially if your doing media buys or any kind of paid advertising. Even if it costs you a little extra cash to make another version of your page/site think about it. If you are spending tens of thousands or more on media buys a difference of 1% conversion/response can mean a huge difference in return on investment (ROI). What are you testing? Headlines, subheads, copy, graphics etc…
9. Copywriting - You’ve got to sell the sizzle. I’ll go back to the IT security example. I was working on a project the other day and looked at about a dozen IT security sites. Most of them were generic. To me it looked like they all offered about the same thing. They lacked concept and good copy.Wow…let me just say the copy was dry, dry, dry…instead of picking up the phone I wanted to pickup my pillow and head off for a nap. But then I came across that Redspin Site, which really stood out from the pack.  Compared with the others they knew how to sell the sizzle. I began thinking and…tadah! I found my concept.IT Rockstars - The target market was IT directors. Come on, these guys are the unsung heroes of companies many times. Casting them in the same light as rockstars should get there attention better than something like…”At XYZ corp we are committed to helping you blah..blah…blah.”

   Anyhow, like I said above copy can boost response and should be tested.

10. The bottom line in boosting response is this, present your product, service, etc…in the best light possible and appropriate for your audience. Don’t give them anything less than they expect from your site. If you want people to respond make it as easy as possible for them and give them incentives to do so.

Well, there you have it. Ten ways to bump response on your website. I know you guys need social proof and I’m not about to shill these comments. But, I’m going to put it out there anyway. What is the single most effective tactic you’ve found in boosting response on your site?

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