Proudly serving the industry for which it was named for more than 50 years, Outdoor Power Equipment provides dealers who sell and service outdoor power equipment with valuable information to succeed in a competitive market.
Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/47285
• Highlight promotions to encourage visitors to take action. They should be featured on a "Specials" page, on a banner ad space above the fold on your homepage, and with each item on promotion. • Position your site as the local authority to encourage visitors to return. • Promote events — yours and others in your area — to become the go-to site for enthusiasts. • Feature testimonials to build credibility with prospects and loy- alty with customers. Concise information Let's start with some revealing numbers: • You have an average of 3.5 seconds to catch your visitors' attention. • Visitors spend an average of 30 to 90 seconds on most websites. • Visitors are unlikely to scroll "below the fold" on a Web page: 80 to 90 percent only read content or click links located above the fold. • Visitors scan content in an F-shaped pattern, searching for visual cues or links to navigate to their area of interest, all in 3.5 seconds. Last but not least, pay attention to your search engine optimiza- tion (SEO). Higher rankings drive more traffic to your website. Search engine "spiders" crawl through your website and scan the content, then match the results with search terms to determine your site's ranking. Your keywords should be relevant to your business and geographical location (e.g. "lawn mowers for sale in Indianapolis, IN"). The more a keyword is repeated within the text on your web- site, the greater the likelihood of a higher ranking in search results. So, embed target phrases throughout your website, including the headline, near the top, and at the bottom of each page. Copywriting for search engines is an art: the perfect balance between keeping your Web copy readable for visitors and keyword-rich for search engines. Clear navigation Lead your prospects. You have to anticipate their needs and quickly drive them to the relevant portions of your site. Clear navi- gation means that every page should be obvious and self- explanatory, featuring a clear structure, moderate visual cues and easily recognizable links. There should be a singular focus on each page of your site. You need to adjust your writing style to users' preferences and browsing habits. Self-serving, promotional writing will not be read. Long text blocks will be ignored if they don't include images or key- words in bold or italics. Exaggerated statements will be ignored. It's about them, not about you. The "What's in it for me?" factor plays a pivotal role in convincing visitors to take action, whether to request more information, or, better yet, buy products and services online. It's business. You should get to the point as quickly as possible with short and concise sentences. Your copy should be informative and easy to understand, leaving no questions in the minds of visi- tors, other than how to contact you for further information on a product or service of interest. Considering visitors' short attention spans, you have to deliver relevant content laid out so it can be quickly scanned. Categorize the information, using multiple heading levels, visual elements and bulleted lists to break the flow of uniform text blocks and focus their attention on key points. Finding product information, contacting your dealership, and making a purchase should be quick and easy. If not, your site will fail to convert browsers into buyers. The less work for prospects, the faster they'll find what they want and take action. Contact strategy All Web leads are not created equal. Online browsers range from hot leads to long-term buyers just starting their research — and everything in-between. Your website should have something for everyone. Every page should include a relevant call to action that encourages prospects to raise their hands and find out more. Offer opportunities for further information via online forms, such as "Contact Us," "Get More Info," "Request a Quote," or "Request Service/Parts." In addition, optimize your Web forms for leads and sales — Keep them simple and short. "Requiring" contact information is quite different than "requesting" it. Requiring answers to too many quali- fying questions could annoy and scare off prospects. For example, Continued on page 34 OUTDOOR POWER EQUIPMENT NOVEMBER 2011 21