Your comments are appreciated...

[TarheelHosting]

Folks,

OK I have a site up and running - http://www.wedding-budget-planner.com/ - I've got targetted traffic coming in (google etc) but conversions are very low (read non-existent after 200 visitors)

So, what am I doing wrong? I just added the mail list feature (like 10 mins ago) so hopefully at the very least I should get some list building going...

What sort of conversion ratio should I aim for? I was kind of hoping for something better than 1 in 100 targetted visitiors would buy but hey maybe I am way off base...What are the thoughts of folks here????

Any help is very much appreciated...

Simon

[Lynn Terry]

Hi Simon,

First, I would remove or change the big box that appears in front of the copy when you first arrive at the site. It might actually work best if you put the offer just below your headline. You can redirect them back to the sales copy (just below this offer) once they get the download.

On that offer, too, there are several words that are run together (need spaces).

I think the font in the upper half of the page should be larger (easier to read) and that all of the font in the copy should be more uniform - lower down on the page it is larger, bolder and red. That red makes the Order button blend in to the copy, instead of stand out.

Just a few thoughts - Hope that helps!

[TarheelHosting]

Lynn,

Many thanks for your comments - I'm actively 'tweaking' as we speak!!!

Hopefully, with some more tweaking/testing cycles I should get to a better place!!

Simon

[Lynn Terry]

[TarheelHosting]

[Lynn Terry]

[TarheelHosting]

Lynn,

Thanks - have the autoresponder fired up and am adding content as we speak.

BTW - the list is virtually all women who are getting married (typically wiithin the next 18 months) - if anybody has a product that they would like to market to them then please let me know. I am looking for GOOD affilaite opportunities here

Thanks,
Simon

[Lynn Terry]

[TarheelHosting]

Lynn,

Thanks for the ideas on the search - I'll give it a shot....

Simon

[Ravedesigns]

Hi Simon,

Lynn's already offered some great suggestions and I'm glad your newsletter signups have improved for you.

I'm not an expert copywriter by any means, but after taking a look at your site I do have a few suggestions for you.

1) I think your headline "Plan Your Dream Wedding - Without Breaking The Bank!" is okay, but I think you should test some other options and see how they work too. Maybe using some actual dollar figures would help, something like "Planning your own wedding? Save up to $4500 with my tips and advice!"

2) Now that you've got a list going, take some of the ideas from your book and share them piece by piece with your newsletter readers.

3) The biggest problem I see with your website though is one of credibility, as your site doesn't really say much about who you are and why I should believe you and give my money to you.

As a visitor to your site, questions pop into my mind like...

"What makes you qualified to write a book like this?"
"What kind of experience do you have in the wedding planning industry?"
"Have you written other books or articles that I can see to judge the quality of your information?"
"How have you helped other people save money planning their wedding?"

Put yourself in your visitors shoes and try to think up as many possible questions that people visiting your site might have that would keep them from purchasing your products. The more questions you can answer in your sales copy the better.

(Side note: Check out the sales letter for www.themarketingbible.com - I don't know how well it converts but it's one of the best I've seen and there's alot to be learned from it.)

Also, posting some testimonials can really help your credibility and help convince people to buy from you. Dan Kennedy says it best in his book "The Ultimate Marketing Plan" when he says "What others say about you, your company, your products, and your services is infinitely more credible thatn anything you can say on your own behalf. When you make a statement, it's a claim. When your satisfied customer makes the same statement about you, that's a FACT!"

And last but not least Simon, a nicely designed book cover couldn't hurt you. It's at least worth a try to see what it does for your conversion rate.

Hope this helps some and doesn't come across as too critical - you've got the start of a good website there and I'm sure you can increase your sales with some minor tweaks here and there.

Cheers,

Steve

[TarheelHosting]

[Dale King]

Simon:

Looking at your website, I can see why you're not converting traffic into sales. Credibility. Why should people trust you? Why should they believe you? True, you're only asking for twenty bucks but you have zero testimonials to back up your claims and your contact information is nowhere to be found. You don't even have a picture of yourself. Not even your name.

A wedding is an extremely personal and emotional event. You have to make people feel like they know you. Posting your name and picture on your website will help your conversion ratio tremendously.

Now as far as publishing your contact info, I don't either for reasons of privacy. But then again, I'm not selling anything. I'm not asking people for money. Otherwise, I'd have my address and phone number on my website for all the world to see. But people can see my name and picture, on my "About" page.

Regarding testimonials, before you even went live with your site, you should have given away free samples of your product in return for a few testimonials. You would have easily made up for the few samples you had to give away with with an improved conversion ratio. That huge rectangular box is the perfect place for testimonials.

Also. lose the header on your salesletter. You simply don't need it. It dilutes your headline which isn't all that great to begin with. Lose the header and work on a better headline. Take a look at the top salesletters on the Internet. Almost none of them use a header. They all hit you right between the eyes with a powerful headline first!

What conversion ratio should you be shooting for? One that makes you money. If after all is said and done you make even a tiny profit, simply reinvest that money into more advertising.

Anyway, that's my two pennies!