Propel Marketing, LLC

Not all websites are created equal, but there are ways that all websites can increase clicks and traffic using On-Page Optimization (OPO).

The real challenge in understanding how to improve your website comes in installing and interpreting analytical software.  Now, I won’t drone on about all of the benefits to installing Google Analytics.  Just get it done and start to look at your traffic.

Monitoring what people are doing when they get to your site (”bouncing” vs. clicking) and where they are going can help you determine what features your site might be lacking.

What I see most often is that visitors love to click on pictures.  Pictures are incredibly important – they convey your website’s style and priorities all at once.  If your homepage images do not lead to something valuable on your website, begin there and watch the flow of the traffic.  A picture is worth a thousand clicks – a new (and bad) cliche.

OPO is about user experience.  It can be difficult to look at your own website through fresh eyes.  Try to lead users to your product as quickly as possible, while still providing the most essential information to help them stay oriented on your site.  NOTE: Users tend to read left to right, top to bottom, in English-speaking nations.  The top of your homepage needs to grab and entice immediately (without providing so many options that users bounce feeling overwhelmed).

Websites are maps to important information or a goal of some sort.  The more roadblocks there are between the user and the goal, the harder the conversion.  Make it easy to win, hard to lose, and fun to succeed.  Use attractive images, high-value space above the fold, and your own goals to pave an easy path for your users with OPO.