When I worked in retail, we always looked at the traffic in the store as the first sign of what kind of day lay ahead.   Lots of people, usually meant someone would be buying something!

As I work with clients, many who are not in retail businesses, I can use the measures from their  internet marketing to get a feel for the “traffic” to their business.

I  review with them raw traffic, page views and time on site. I can point to the number of people who viewed a particular page or blog post, track where they came from and identify the most effective ads.

The numbers are fascinating, but with all this tracking and viewing it is easy to lose track of the real object … CUSTOMERS!

Back in my retail life, there were days the store was filled with browsers who didn’t buy; sometimes the same thing happens on a website.  The trick is to convert window shoppers to buyers.

Now, not every business can ” sell ” products on-line.  However, every business can use their website to create leads and move prospects along the sales process.

One strategy is to offer free reports, white papers or other resources.  Instead of a simple download, require visitors to provide at least an email address to receive the information.   Sometimes, people will give you a bogus email address, but most people who are interested in the content provide real contact information.  Now you have permission to reconnect and send follow up information to move the prospect closer to a purchase.

We have always had a sign up form for our newsletter on our website but these free offers, like the one below have been much more effective in generating interest.

If you have any additional questions, please don’t hesitate to contact Roundpeg, an Indianapolis web design firm.

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