But did you know that you can optimize for your call to action too?

Your call to action is the action you urge your visitors to take on your site, whether it’s making a purchase, downloading a free report, or signing up for your opt-in list.

You always want to use a strong, compelling verb that captures people’s attention and compels them to act. Good examples of strong, compelling verbs are: “discover,” “claim,” “find,” “solve,” “read,” “download,” etc. The searcher should have a clear idea of the action they’re supposed to take, as well as the benefits that will result from that action.

The best place to put your call to action is in your meta description tag. The description you include in this meta tag is frequently used as the body copy in the search engine result for your site.

… That means if you include a call to action here, it will appear right in your search listing and will compel more visitors to click through to your site and take action!

Here’s what your meta description tag looks like in your web page’s source code:

<meta name="Description" content="ENTER YOUR KEYWORD-RICH
CALL TO ACTION HERE">

For example, here’s what our meta description tag for MarketingTips.com:

<meta name="Description" content="Discover the insider secrets to
make money online! FREE advice on how to earn money online from the
experts at MarketingTips.com">

And here’s what the search result looks like on Google:

Wouldn’t you say our call to action, “Discover the insider secrets to make money online!” is more compelling than what another company in the search results had as their description:

As you can see, their meta description reads: “Internet Marketing and Search Engine Marketing; Website promotion and internet advertising services, Internet marketing services International marketing web …“

It’s basically just a string of search words that aren’t even written in complete sentences. Plus, they’ve included more words than will actually fit in a Google listing, which makes their listing look a little sloppy, in our opinion. But we don’t mind… we think it makes our listing look better as a result!

So if you want to get the edge on your competitors, include a keyword-rich, compelling call to action in your meta description tag. It will help your listing stand out from your competitors in the search results and will drive more visitors to your site. AND, those visitors will be more likely to take action because you have already urged them to do so.

(And that means more sales for you!)

You’ve got your site up. NOW what?

"Derek, there’s so many things I need to do to my website… I don’t know where to start! What should I focus on?"

I agree — the list seems ENDLESS!

You need to drive traffic… grow your opt-in list… make sales… improve work on your SEO…

Okay, step back for a minute and realize it’s just NOT POSSIBLE to do everything at once!

So once you’ve built your website, here’s the FIRST THING you should do:

Make your sales process watertight!

There’s no point spending cash on pay-per-click ads to drive targeted traffic to your site if none of those visitors buy anything.

Here are the top 3 ways to make your site a sales machine — BEFORE you spend a bundle on attracting visitors.

1: Get your salescopy in top shape

You’ve got under five seconds to convince people to stay on your website… so your headline has to grab them by the eyeballs and compel them to read on!

The best headlines tell visitors they’ll find exactly what they’re searching for, and intrigue them enough to keep reading.

Don’t let your readers slip through your fingers once you’ve grabbed their attention with a hot headline.

Salescopy is the most important part of your website — because it turns visitors into customers!

So make sure it smoothly guides people through a streamlined process that:

• Identifies with their problem and builds your credibility
  
• Engages them — and explains why you can help
  
• Tells them how they’ll benefit from your product
  
• Overcomes any objections they may have
  
• Compels them to take action — and tells them what to do!

Give people a clear call to action that motivates them by re-stating the biggest benefit they’ll get from buying now.

Instead of saying, "Click here to buy now!" go for something like, "Click here for instant access and start changing your life for the better in the next 30 minutes!"

Funnel your readers through a tight sales process — and don’t give them a reason to click away. If you do, they probably won’t come back!

2: Collect testimonials

What’s more trustworthy than a personal recommendation?

A good testimonial can persuade even the most skeptical potential customer to buy from you.

Testimonials prove that your product really works — it DOES do exactly what you promise. And if you run a small business and haven’t built your reputation, testimonials are absolutely indispensable

You NEED testimonials when you’re getting started.

Here’s how to gather quality testimonials and benefit from them immediately:

• If you don’t have any customers yet, give your product away to a group of people in your target market, in exchange for their feedback.
• If you have some positive feedback from customers,
  ask permission to use their comments on your site.

• Don’t be afraid to ask for testimonials! Invite customers to give you their vote of confidence with an email link that says: "Click here to tell us what you think!"
• Email your buyers after they’ve purchased your product to ask them how they’re enjoying it.

Make sure each testimonial has a first name, last name, and location to prove they’re from real people.

Aim to get testimonials that are packed full of concrete benefits telling your customers exactly what they can expect to gain from buying your product.

Use them on your homepage, within your salescopy, and on a special testimonial page, and on relevant product pages.

3: Make it easy to buy!

I’m always amazed how many sites make it difficult for you to buy from them.

According to market research from the Gartner Group, more than 50% of web sales are LOST because visitors can’t find what they’re looking for!

Don’t make that mistake.

• Name your navigation buttons clearly so it’s obvious what people will find when they click on them.
• Keep your site’s navigation simple and consistent throughout your site, so people don’t have to click any more than necessary. Ideally, it someone should be able to buy from you in two clicks at most.
• Use "Buy Now" buttons that link to your shopping cart or order page every time a product is shown– especially if you have a catalog site.

And when people click to your sales page, make things easy for them!

• Provide a range of payment options — PayPal is a great place to start because it gives you an easy way to accept credit cards — an absolute MUST.
• On your order form, ask ONLY for the information you need. For example, if you sell an eBook, it’s unlikely you’ll need a home address.
• And here’s an extra tip… don’t underestimate the power of including a phone number people can call if they have any questions.

As you work on your sales process, feel free to use our monitoring and testing tips to see which changes are most effective, so every element you add is an improvement.

If you DON’T test your site, you can be sure your visitors will be testing it anyway! So make sure there aren’t any leaks in your sales process for them to find.

Build a solid sales process first, and then prioritize more advanced business-building strategies.

Once you’ve got these three crucial parts of your sales process shipshape, you can drive targeted traffic to your site — and ramp up your sales even more.

When someone buys your product, what do you send them? (Other than your product or newsletter, of course…

Do you send them a simple transactional email that’s basically just a receipt acknowledging their purchase?

… Or do you send them an email full of useful information about the product they’ve just bought — along with an invitation to buy even MORE stuff from you?

Purchase confirmation emails are a GREAT marketing opportunity. Not only do they boost the credibility of your company — they’re also the PERFECT chance to introduce people to other products or services you offer.

After all, these emails are going to people who have JUST overcome the "buying hurdle." They’ve made the decision to place faith in your company and your product — and will therefore be extremely responsive to any other offers you make to any other offers you make.

… ESPECIALLY if you include a sweet discount on a product that complements the one they’ve just bought!

 For example, consider the difference between these two purchase confirmation emails:

Email #1

Dear Susan,

Thank you for buying your new "Sky Rider NiteVision" bike lights from SuperCycles.com. Your purchase confirmation number is: 9294620.

Your package will be shipped within 1-2 days and should arrive within 2 weeks. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us.

Sincerely,

Jim Cassina

SuperCycles.com

Email #2

Dear Susan,

Thank you for buying your new "Sky Ride NiteVision" bike lights from SuperCycles.com. Your purchase confirmation number is: 9294620.

Your package will be shipped within 1-2 days and should arrive within 2 weeks.

We are sure you’re going to love your new bike lights! As you may know, "Urban Rider Magazine" just rated "Sky Ride NiteVision" the best bike light system of 2008. They’re really easy to mount on your bike AND helmet and also work well as stand-alone flashlights.

(Plus, they’re fully waterproof up to 100 feet!)

Your bike light system includes 3 AAA batteries for immediate use. However, we find that most of our customers prefer to use rechargeable batteries, in order to save money and reduce their garbage output.

… That’s why we’d like to offer you a Panasonic Rechargeable Battery Kit — complete with charger and 6 AAA batteries — for only $24.95!

That’s a 50% discount!

If you order your Rechargeable Battery Kit today, it will be shipped along with your bike light system. (So you’ll get free shipping as well as your 50% discount.)

To receive your rechargeable battery kit and claim your 50% discount — PLUS free shipping — click here now.

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us. We look forward to doing more business with you in the future!

Sincerely,

Jim Cassina
SuperCycles.com

Due to limited supplies, you must claim your "half-price" Panasonic Rechargeable Battery Kit in the next 24 hours. So if you want to save $100s in batteries over the next few years, click here to claim your 50% discount.

Can you see how the second email encourages new customers to add one more item to their purchase? By offering a great deal on a second complementary item, you can dramatically increase your profits on every sale!

(In fact, we’ve used this same strategy ourselves to increase our profits on one promotion by over 23%!)

This strategy isn’t just for new customers, either… If you offer a free newsletter on your site, you can also offer a special discount to all your new subscribers. For example, you can offer them 20% off of any product they buy within the next 7 days.

It’s a great way to encourage them to check out your products and become more familiar with your company!

… So that’s how a "simple thank you" can mean money in the bank.

If you’re not already taking advantage of this easy strategy, take a good luck at the transactional emails you’re currently sending out to your customers — and look for ways to offer even MORE great purchase opportunities to them!

Do you have any strategies you use to increase sales you’d like to share?

It’s one of the quickest ways I know for starting a profitable website — or adding new sources of revenue to an existing Internet business.

All you have to do is find successful entrepreneurs who are already getting wealthy online, and discover how they’re doing it…

… And then apply their strategies to your own business!

If you think that sounds lazy, or too easy to be effective, think again. "Success modeling" allows you to profit from other people’s successes — and failures! — so you can skip the steep learning curve associated with growing your own business and make smart, income-generating decisions right away.

By discovering how other people have achieved success, you’ll know which strategies actually work — and which aren’t worth the effort.

You’ll learn about all the best free and cheap tools you should be using, and you’ll find out about the best "shortcuts" you can use to reach your income goals in record time.

Plus, it’s incredibly MOTIVATING to follow the stories of people who have achieved financial freedom online. Especially when they’re regular people just like you!

Imagine what you could learn if you were looking over the shoulder of Internet successes like these…

Success Story #1 — Penny Halgren ($100,000 in her first year!)

 

Penny got her start online selling a variety of items on eBay. She was making some money selling collectible matchbooks, but couldn’t find a reliable product source.

That’s when she decided to explore other ways to make money online. With the help of a mentor, she decided to build an Internet business based on her love of quilting.

Now her site, How-to-Quilt.com, sells instructional quilting eBooks — and she’s started up other sites selling eBooks on similar topics. And together her sites are pulling in more than $100,000 a year!

Penny credits the success of her business to her strong opt-in offer, compelling salescopy, and powerful upselling techniques. Plus, she’s also has an affiliate program — so other people who target her market can promote her products as well.

Success Story #2: Benjamin Wong ($400,000 this year!)

 

Ben Wong was a certified accountant with an MBA. But even though he had a high-paying job, Ben still wasn’t satisfied. He wanted to be his OWN boss.

So when he heard from a coworker that dried poppies for crafting purposes were almost impossible to find, a lightbulb went on in his head. He recognized a possible niche market, and jumped on it!

Turns out, that was a GREAT move. Ben launched his "side business," www.PoppyStore.com, in 2003,and just two years later, he was able to cultivate an incredible $268,000 in annual sales.

Now he earns more than $400,000 a year — even though he never touches a single poppy he sells! Why? Because he uses a drop-shipping service that warehouses his product and delivers it to his customers FOR him. All Ben has to do is sit back and watch his bank account numbers climb higher.

Any guess what? He only works three hours a week!

Case Study #3: Pete Bennett ($1.5 MILLION this year!)

 

Pete Bennet is a "serial entrepreneur" who has started profitable online businesses selling everything from tattoos — to hot tubs. And his formula for success is so finely tuned that he can now start up a new business over a weekend!

(So when you hear claims about being able to create a profitable business in 48 hours? Guess what — they’re not all hype!)

Take his successful online translation business, london-translations.co.uk. This service-oriented site targets global businesses that need translation services.

Pete uses organic and paid search engine marketing techniques to drive potential buyers to his site — then uses basic email marketing strategies to stay in touch with his market and convince them to buy. He uses a blog to showcase the talents of his translators — and he’s automated as much of his business as possible so he can offer a speedier turnaround time than his competitors.

And all his efforts have paid off — that one site makes $1.5 million a year!

Imagine how much faster you could succeed online if you could get your hands on the strategies that Penny, Ben, and Peter spent months — sometimes YEARS — figuring out on their own?

In other words, I want you to learn what they’re doing to make their money online, and then apply those winning strategies to your business.

So to give you a head start identifying TRUE success stories, I’ve like to offer you a trial subscription to my monthly online newsletter, "Secrets To Their Success!"

Every issue of "Secrets To Their Success" contains not one, but two extensive case studies of real people like YOU who have created online businesses that make a *minimum* of $100,000 a year (and usually much, MUCH more)…

…. AND reveals the exact step-by-step strategies they’re using to get wealthy online!

You’ll get every every tip… every strategy… every tool they used to start, build, and grow their businesses to their current success. You’ll ALSO hear about the mistakes they made — and they’ll suggest how you can avoid making them too!

To start your trial subscription to "Secrets To Their Success" right away, just go to: www.marketingtips.com/secretstotheirsuccess

And, as always, if you need anything, be sure to call us at 1-800-595-9855 or email solutions@marketingtips.com

I hope you enjoy these success stories!

Derek Gehl, CEO
The Internet Marketing Center

P.S. I should also mention that when you become a regular "Secrets To Their Success" subscriber, you’re eligible to enter a special draw for a site review done by me and my team (valued at over $5,000).

We’ll dissect your site and give you in-depth advice on how to accelerate your growth and sales. You’ll even get a brand-new homepage custom designed for you!

PLUS! Even if your site isn’t chosen, you get the benefit of seeing all of the profitable suggestions that we make — many of which will likely apply to your site, too.

Activate your trial at www.marketingtips.com/secretstotheirsuccess