The use of online marketing to drive sales has absolutely exploded in recent years for a very good reason: it’s an extremely cost effective way to do business. When it comes to closing a sale, SEO leads convert at an average rate of 14.6 percent as opposed to a 1.7 percent close rate with traditional outbound marketing channels, says the Search Engine Journal.

Boosting Online Sales: How to Attract More Customers and Increase Conversions

The good old days when you could throw just about any offer up on the Internet and generate fast sales are long gone. Consumers have become much more sophisticated and the competition is positively fierce. That doesn’t mean that online selling (ecommerce) doesn’t work anymore – it actually works very well for those online merchants that have optimized their business for maximum sales momentum. Here are some of the most highly effective strategies currently in use that will send sales on your ecommerce site crashing through the roof.

1. Make it easy for customers to click through to your checkout page. Streamline your site paths, and regularly check to make sure that all links are working.
2. Get personal. Adopt a customer-friendly tone in all of your content text. The more customers can identify with your company, the more they’re likely to relax – and buy.
3. Polish up your service offering. Explain all of your sales policies clearly and up front. Offer a 100 percent, no strings attached guarantee. Provide free samples wherever appropriate. Add a live-chat function so that customers can get their questions answered quickly. Give customers a reason to return to your site with a loyalty club program.
4. Find strategic marketing partners. If you operate a catering business, swap links with a florist and a wedding planner.
5. Reinvest a healthy portion of your profits in more marketing, product development, and a cash reserve fund. In the words of real estate investor and Internet entrepreneur Robert G. Allen, “How many millionaires do you know who became wealthy by investing in a savings account?”
6. Provide superior customer service. According to international business consultant and lecturer Allan Baylis, about 68 percent of customers who stop doing business with a company cite poor customer service or indifferent employee attitudes. Improve your customer service and you’ll improve your bottom line.
7. Cross-promote every chance you get. Make sure that your website URL appears on all of your marketing materials, shopping bags and shipping boxes, trade show booths, and delivery trucks. Never pass up an opportunity to promote your URL.
8. Tell a complete sales story. Give customers all the information they need in order to make a purchase decision. The more you tell, the more you sell.
9. Reassure nervous customers that their personal information will be protected, and never sold or shared with anyone.
10. Use orange buttons on your sales pages. In an article about online selling published on the CNN Money site, sales executive Dane Atkinson, Co-Founder of Squarespace,  revealed that orange “buy” buttons will increase sales.
11. Place images and videos on the left side of your sales page, text on the right. According to Atkinson, this simple change can increase conversions by 5 percent.
12. Keep any videos on your sales page short and to the point. After the 90 second mark, customers start to lose interest and wander off the page.
13. Constantly test everything – from your call-to-action to your product price points to the images of your products. When you discover something that works better, keep it.
14. Display consistency. Your ad design and sales copy needs to match the overall tone and “personality” of your website. Glaring inconsistencies are a turnoff for customers.
15. If you offer anything free of charge, highlight it. A “100 percent Free” tag can increase conversions by as much as 18 percent.
16. Using “my” instead of “your” in your offers will boost your click through rate.
17. Use action descriptions on your call-to-action buttons. Instead of labeling a button “Submit,” use the phrase “Get Instant Access.”
18. Personalize product recommendations. A simple “Just for You” badge on a product listing will help boost sales.
19. Always under promise and over deliver – it keeps customers happy and builds loyalty.
20. Keep your staff as happy and motivated as possible. The higher their morale, the more likely they are to share that positive attitude with your customers.
21. Before you commit to a new product line, test market it on your email subscribers. Try different calls-to-action and price points, and tweak your offering as needed.
22. Create a unique selling proposition (USP) for your business. This is a short and simple statement that sums up why someone should choose your company over one of your competitors.
23. Listen to the conversations about your brand on the various social media channels. Incorporate any useful insights into your website.
24. Offer complementary products alongside of your main product offerings. If someone buys a set of cookware from you, offer them a spice rack or gourmet cookbook.
25. Double-check your offers to make sure that you are providing good value for whatever price point you are seeking.