Getting lots of traffic but not lots of customers? You’re web site could be driving away potential business.

The topic of conversions hasn’t been this hot since the Spanish Inquisition. Conversions as in “converting” visitors to your site into “customers” who actually want to buy something or at least contact you about doing business.

We all know the importance of rankings and traffic. But if you’re getting great rankings and lots of traffic, and not seeing a significant increase in sales, (aka conversions), conventional wisdom would say that the answer is spending more to get even better rankings and increased traffic.

On the other hand, maybe the trouble is elsewhere. What do visitors find when they go to your site? Are you doing something that turns off potential customers?

We’ve identified five “Conversion Killers”, five mistakes that are guaranteed to send visitors reaching for the mouse and taking themselves to some other site faster than you can say “click-thru”.
Imagine you’ve accepted an invitation to an elegant dinner party but when you get there you discover:

The address is completely wrong and you don’t know where you are.

The address is incomplete and you have to hunt around to find the party.

You find yourself in the middle of a frat party.

They don’t speak your language

There’s a $25 cover charge and a two hour wait to get in

What would you do the next time you get an invitation from the same people?

That’s what I thought.

With that in mind, here are five mistakes you need to avoid:

• The link in the search results is wrong — If the link goes to the wrong page, or worst yet, to nowhere,  you’ve lost any chance of making a sale, and probably some credibility. Always triple check your own links.
• The link only goes to the site’s homepage—If the desired information is buried inside the site, visitors may not take the time to go looking for it. Always link to the page that is most relevant to the search term. Consider creating a dedicated landing page.
• Your site is not meeting expectations — Make sure your description in  the search results is accurate and appropriate. If visitors do not find what they expect they won’t be visiting for long.
• The site’s content is inappropriate, confusing or just wrong — Every market segment has its own language. Show your visitors that you are one of them by using their jargon and appropriate imagery.
• The sales process is cumbersome — Nothing is more frustrating than a website that makes you jump through hoops when you’re trying to give them money. Make the checkout process as easy as possible.

It’s important to look at the process from the user’s point of view. It’s too easy for confused, frustrated or even angry potential customers to go elsewhere.

Never forget, you are always a click away from oblivion.