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The 12 Reasons You’re Not Getting Enough Web Traffic (and Paid Customers)

By on July 4, 2014

You have a fantastic product or service. You even have a great-looking website. Yet you can’t seem to get enough web traffic and therefore, paid clients and customers from the Internet.

What’s the problem?

The problem is both mechanical — you’re not getting enough people coming to your website — and conceptual — you’re not saying the right things to attract the people most likely to buy from you.

Having a website traffic and conversion expert review and fix your website and your approach would certainly help. But the best web traffic specialists cost a small fortune. Also, many fakers are out there — people who lie about their skill and abilities — where even spending a small fortune could be like throwing your money down the endless rabbit-hole that you may already be quite familiar with.

Like most of us who struggled until we figured out THE answer to generating enough web traffic and converting them to buyers, reading articles like this one, from real experts, will help. Especially when you start learning the rules the experts themselves follow.

People usually want someone to, “Just tell me exactly how to generate tons of traffic to my website, and I’ll do it.” But the answer is less about technique and more about “concept,” and that word scares most people.

But generating truckloads of web traffic may be easier than you realize.

In this article I’m going to show you how to analyze your activities, emails and website so you begin to understand exactly how to start bringing in truckloads of paying customers and clients, by using the Internet.

Are you ready?

… Read More [ismember]

If you’re not getting enough web traffic and paid customers from the Internet, there are 12 reasons. Understand these “Web Traffic Killers” and suddenly, everything will change.

Web Traffic Killer 1:
Your Words Are Targeting the Wrong People 

Table of Contents

People who are ready to buy are different from everyone else. But do you truly understand who a REAL buyer is and how they are different?

In marketing we call these people “Commercially Responsive Buyers.” These are people who have identified a specific problem and are willing to pay the money you are asking, to solve it.

Most marketers have no idea who these people are, so they create a general pitch, explaining what they are offering in the hopes that the right person will buy. In these cases, if your pitch works at all, it will usually bring the wrong kind of web traffic, not REAL buyers.

But there’s a much simpler way. Let me explain through an example.

The RIGHT Customer Will Pay More If You Solve THEIR Problem

Let’s say you have a blistering throbbing migraine headache that hasn’t gone away for days. Would you be willing to try an all-natural $30 remedy that your best friend is raving about? Especially if it has a 100% money-back guarantee, and you could get it easily from a nearby store?

Probably yes.

Of course, if that remedy costs $500 and you had to travel further to get it, you’d probably be more resistant.

Fast forward two months. You still have that migraine, only it’s gotten worse. Nothing seems to help and doctors have no clue what to do.

It interferes with your job, your personal life, everything. Even having a peaceful night’s sleep is getting tougher and tougher.

Would you NOW be more willing to invest the $500 and travel further? Absolutely!

Can you see how the buyer for a low-cost migraine remedy is totally different from the buyer of the higher-priced remedy?

Here’s another example that may drive this point home for you.

People Will Spend More for the Solution to a Bigger Problem

A product and brand NAMING EXPERT was having trouble generating the right kind of web traffic.

She was trying to attract coaches and consultants who would be willing to pay her $2,000 coaching fee, and this was proving a real problem.

Although the right product name could catapult a coach to spectacular heights of success, most small business owners are unwilling to spend that kind of money, just for a name.

Even when she could get loads of people to visit her website, almost no one was buying.

As I listened to her client process, I learned that, first she helps the business owner match their product or service with a deep inner passion they have.

What she’s discovered over the years is, most coaches and consultants struggle trying to sell something they are not deeply passionate about, when a slight twist could instill a level of emotion that changes everything for them.

Once she marries what the person is selling to something they are deeply passionate about, and THEN develops a killer program or product name, the coach or consultant’s life usually goes through a dramatic positive transformation.

So, what would small business owners be more willing to spend $2,000 on?

1. A hot product name?

or…

2. A life-changing alteration of their product or service, that injects more passion into their offerings and their life, combined with a killer brand-name to go along with that dynamite offering?

Obviously, the second person will be more willing to pay her fee. But many marketers, maybe even you, have this same problem. They have an incredible product or service, but somehow, you are not describing it effectively and therefore, the right people are not buying.

Like many marketers who are trying to attract web traffic, her problem hasn’t been attracting enough web traffic, but attracting THE RIGHT KIND OF INTERNET TRAFFIC.

The point for you is this.

Do you truly understand who the ideal buyer is for your product or service — at the price you are asking?

Once you truly understand who the RIGHT buyer is and how they’re different from everyone else, it will become much easier to attract enough of the best web traffic… the kind that are more likely to become paying customers and clients.

Check out our article, Are You Going After the Wrong Market?

Also, check out our program 5-Minute Marketing on our sister site, containing some powerful strategies for targeting the best buyers.

Web Traffic Killer 2:
You’re Making It Hard for Buyers to Find You

Okay. So now you understand WHO you are targeting.

The next question is, where are these people hanging out?

Because a huge secret to generating loads of web traffic is,

“Going where they are, then bringing them back to where you are.”

Do you know which websites, magazines and social media these people are using? Do you know which devices they’re using?

How about… the times when they’re accessing these media and devices? Is it better to reach them during the day or at night? Are weekdays or weekends better?

If you want to generate plenty of customer traffic to your website, these are things you’ll want to know.

For example, when your customer is READY to buy, do they go to Google to try to find the right supplier?

If Yes, are YOU listed there, high enough on the page for them to see you? If you aren’t, you probably won’t get all the web traffic you want, it’s that simple.

But it doesn’t have to be just your website that brings web traffic from search engines like Google.

Getting Listed High in Directories and Search Engines

WEB DIRECTORIES…

In our extensive work helping PhD therapists improve their marketing, we’ve noticed that whenever someone searches for a therapist on Google, the magazine Psychology Today’s online “Directory of Therapists” usually comes up first.

Therefore, if a therapist wants to generate web traffic, being in THAT directory can be crucial. In fact, many therapists generate all their web traffic by buying listings in directories like that.

But there are other important ways to generate traffic to your website, that for some, can be even more important than being listed in web directories.

SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION… THE HOLY GRAIL FOR WEB TRAFFIC GENERATION

Also, therapists wanting to stay near the top of Google could hire someone to help get their website ranked high in Google and other search engines.

This process, called SEO or Search Engine Optimization, is not an exact science.

Since many other therapists also want to rank at the top of Google’s search page when the RIGHT person is searching, it can be difficult and expensive to get and keep your website listed high enough on the first page of search results, particularly for certain types of business.

Still, regardless of the cost, having your website rank high in Google can be an important source for generating web traffic and new business, if you can afford the expense (or effort).

Google Local Places – Get Listed Here for FREE

For therapists and other LOCAL businesses, you can also get yourself listed in “Google Places,” the free map listing that comes up for certain types of searches.

Even though it’s free, there may be so many competitors listed that it becomes difficult to get yours to the top.

The secret to getting a high ranking on Google’s directory listings is, to also be listed in other local directories, like CitySearch and Yelp, with the same name, address and phone number for your business.

Being listed in other local directories gets people who use those directories seeing you, boosts your rankings in Google Places and also pushes you higher in Google’s natural listings, and those of the other search engines.

For about $500-a-year, a service like Yext could get you listed in dozens of key directories, and with little hassle.

Of course, once you start generating the right traffic to your website, you’ll need to make sure your website itself converts these people, motivating them to contact you or buy.

Using Other Websites and Groups to Generate Web Traffic

Besides using the search engines, your ideal buyer will visit certain websites, social media sites and groups, such as LinkedIn Groups and forums — where they are asking questions or seeking solutions to their problems.

Once you understand where these people are, it will become easier to get yourself there — perhaps by writing an article for a website that attracts many of your clients and customers, or posting questions and answers on LinkedIn and Facebook Groups – veering that web traffic back to your own website.

You could also co-promote with someone who is selling to the same audience as you. Also called joint ventures (JV), these  are where you market someone to your audience while they market you to their audience. Variations on this include having you both bring your audiences to a joint-event, such as a telesummit, or free giveaway event, where multiple people bring their audiences to an online event, with multiple people offering something of value to everyone who visits. These JV arrangements can be effective ways to generate plenty of web traffic and significantly build your list in a short period of time.

See Affiliates, JV Partners, Telesummits and Alliances for more extensive details.

Once you understand WHERE your ideal buyer is hanging out, and make sure you are there, it should be much easier to generate the larger numbers of customers and income you desire.

Web Traffic Killer 3:
You’re Making It Hard for Buyers to Understand What You Offer

This is one of the most common problems in marketing.

And… you don’t have to be a small business to face this problem.

Have you ever seen a great commercial on TV, but for the life of you, can’t recall who the advertiser was?

This is a more common problem in advertising and marketing than most people realize.

How can you generate the web traffic and results you want if people who experience your ads, emails or other promotions cannot understand what you are offering?

I see it at trade shows. A company with a booth, but no clear explanation of what they offer, who it’s for and how it’s different from everything else.

You’ll Generate More Web Traffic When People Understand What You Offer

So, whenever you are creating an ad, web page, email or other promotion to generate web traffic, answer these questions.

Is it obvious to a total stranger…

  • What you are offering?
  • Who your ideal customer or client is?
  • What makes your product or service different than everything else that’s out there?

If not, real buyers are probably bypassing you because they have no idea that you have something valuable to them.

If you want to assure you are generating the greatest amount of web traffic, start by making (1) what you offer and (2) how it’s different — more obvious.

Do this and you’ll start to experience greater web traffic and more people actually buying from you.

One of our sections on Email Marketing has extensive information on copywriting and text strategy that may be helpful.

Web Traffic Killer 4:
Your Message is Not Resonating With the Right Buyers

If you want to not-only generate web traffic, but make sure it’s the RIGHT kind of traffic, with people who will actually buy from you, consider this.

People are selfish. They care more about themselves and their problems, than they do about you.

Yet, most websites are loaded with details about what’s being offered, barely mentioning the kinds of problems the client or customer has.

Instead of starting with problems the customer has, they list all the products and services being offered.

Try Listing THEIR Problems BEFORE You Talk About Yourself

When we flip someone’s website, listing two or three specific problems FIRST, then listing the product or service below that, dramatic increases in the number of people who convert into buyers will often result.

For example…

Are you struggling, trying to get enough paying customers and clients through the Internet?

Have you tried other great-sounding programs, only to find yourself with less money but still having no customers?

Are you frustrated because no one seems to be able to tell you what you’re doing wrong?

Well, finally, there’s a simple solution that can help you, without draining your wallet…

See how powerful it is to BEGIN with the buyer’s problem?

Of course, if you’re serious about generating the best web traffic using targeted questions like these – this works best when you’re targeting a specific type of person, rather than trying to reach everyone with a single message.

So, start your website, emails and other marketing messages by listing a few of the problems your buyers have, and you’ll start to notice more of the kind of web traffic that is attracted by your message and responsive to whatever you are offering.

Our video on the problems the Got Milk Campaign has could help you better understand how to create a message that resonates with the right buyers.

Web Traffic Killer 5:
You’re Not Letting Buyers Get to Know You… Before You Ask Them to Buy

You generate web traffic, then you want these people to buy right then and there, right?

Most of us are impatient. We want to tell people what we offer, then have them buy.

Unfortunately, when it comes to selling most products and services on the Internet, it doesn’t work that way. People often need to get to know you first, before they consider giving you their money.

At one point I was selling an incredible pet supplement, and yes, people who were desperate to heal their dog would buy right away. These people had generally exhausted every other option, so they would buy right then and there.

But that’s the exception.

For most buyers, they want to get to know you… to date a few times before they commit to marriage.

And can you blame them?

The television commercial with the deep-voiced Ukrainian man with a heavy accent answering the phone at a call center, saying, “Hello. This is Peggy,” highlights the fears people have that the Internet is loaded with crooks, frauds, and people who are not what they claim to be.

That’s why, no matter how much traffic you bring to your website, a large portion of those people will be cautious before they buy, no matter how badly they need what you are offering.

For example, if you’re an expert offering a product or service that may be perceived as expensive ($50 to $5,000), you may need a few encounters with the person before they are comfortable enough to buy from you.

In web marketing, that’s why we use an “Opt-In” — an email capture box on our web page.

So for all the web traffic you bring, offer them something free in exchange for their email address.

Once you capture their email address, you can have multiple interactions with them. Over the course of time, what started as web traffic coming to your website, soon becomes a trusted friend, who is more comfortable giving you their credit card info.

Build a Relationship With Your Buyer Using an Email Autoresponder Series

Once you start generating web traffic and many of these people have given you their email address, you’re set to build your relationship with them.

To do this, many marketers will set up an autoresponder series – which is a set of emails that get automatically sent out over a period of time, once the person gives you their email address.

It could be six or ten emails, promoted as a six or ten-part mini-training program.

With each email, the person gets text and possibly videos, covering a different aspect of the training, and relevant to the paid product or service you are ultimately trying to get them to buy.

Then at the bottom of each email, and at the end of the series, they will get a full-blown ad for your product or service, or a link to some offer.

Even when someone is interested, most people are procrastinators. Without a repeated reminder email, they will probably lose your email or forget how to access your product or business… and you both lose.

That’s why generating web traffic is just a piece of the puzzle.

The Goal Is to Get Buyers… Not Just Visitors

After all, your ultimate goal isn’t just to get truckloads of people coming to your website. It’s about getting a large number of those web visitors to call or buy from you. Without that, everything is basically a waste of time, isn’t it?

That’s why maintaining an ongoing interaction with your potential customers and clients can be such an essential part of your marketing program.

After all, for many of your best customers, you cannot rush human nature.

Perhaps two-thirds of your best Internet buyers will likely come only after a repeated interaction with you.

So, is yours the kind of product or service that may require people to get to know you before they spend any money?

If yes, consider setting up an autoresponder or other system to capture their emails, and then for you to interact with them over time.

Do this right and all that web traffic you are trying to attract will suddenly become big-money in the bank for you.

Web Traffic Killer 6:
You’re Not on the Right Devices for Your Buyers

Okay. So you want to attract as much web traffic as possible, right?

What device is your customer or client using?

  • My 84-year-old mom loves her iPhone. It lets her text messages to all the grandkids, and be included in the loop, whenever they text or send photos to each other.
  • My 66-year-old neighbor was introduced to Facebook last year by her sons, and now she’s on it two or three times a day, sometimes for hours at a time.
  • A cooking show on TV invites viewers to go to their website, Facebook and Pinterest pages to get details on today’s recipes.
  • Mom-preneurs and young parents depend on the Internet and their mobile devices (like iPads and tablets) for important help and advice.
  • Comedian Ellen DeGeneres created a selfie (a photo of herself with a group of movie stars) that she posted to the Internet and went viral, during the Academy Awards.
  • More and more shoppers are using their SmartPhones to compare prices and to use digital coupons, while shopping.
  • People wearing Google Glass –  glasses you wear, that are equipped with access to the Internet – can be on the Internet while walking, or wherever they may be.

Welcome to the multi-platform world, where your customers and clients are using multiple devices during the day, sometimes at the same time.

Yet few Online marketers who are trying to generate the most web traffic, have optimized their websites and messages for mobile devices.

That’s a shame.

Recent studies have indicated that, for certain categories, more than 20% of online sales are generated from SmartPhones and mobile devices. And that doesn’t count all the other web traffic that’s using the Internet to help with research and buying decisions.

Yet, with all this migration to mobile devices, few marketers have adapted their websites and marketing. Perhaps you don’t believe your customers are going mobile. Or perhaps you think it doesn’t matter, but it does.

People Of All Ages Are Using Mobile Devices Today

One of the nation’s most successful therapists recently conducted an experiment.

He posted a message prominently on his website that said,

“If you have any questions, TEXT your question to [his phone number].”

The result?

Not only did a surprisingly high number of people start texting messages to his office, sales increased by a considerable amount as a result (the most common question was about price).

Most significantly, we all thought it would be younger people who used the texted feature, but we were wrong. People of all ages and walks of life were using his newly added texting service.

An easy way to test if your website is mobile-friendly is to dial up your website on your SmartPhone or iPad, and see how it looks.

That’s a simple first step.

If you want to optimize your website and marketing to be more web-friendly, so you can interact more effectively with more of this mobile web traffic, many low-cost web designers, programmers and app developers are available, through sites like eLance and oDesk, for example.

Telling your story across multiple screens is quickly becoming an essential part of your marketing. If you are serious about generating and converting the most web traffic for your business, you must ensure your messages are displaying properly regardless of which device your buyer is using.

Do this and you will have a greater likelihood of getting a larger number of people to buy from you.

Web Traffic Killer 7:
You’re Not Aware of Which Websites Your Buyers Like

If you want to generate a large amount of web traffic to your website, here’s a secret:

“Go to where they are, then bring them to where you are.”

Meaning, find out which ONLINE sites — websites, blogs, social media groups — and which OFFLINE media, stores, trade shows, etc. — your customers visit and use.

Why is this important?

First, understanding and visiting the same sites as your buyers will help you better understand which issues are most important to them. The more you understand about your customers, the easier it will be to generate the type of web traffic you desire.

Next, by understanding which sites and groups your customers are visiting, you’ll know where to advertise and promote, in order to reach these buyers.

Getting Posted On High-Traffic Websites Is Easier Than Most People Realize

Besides paid advertising, wouldn’t it be great if you could get one of your articles posted on a high-traffic website that has tons of your customers? Especially if they include details about you and your site, and a link back to your website?

Well guess what? It’s easier than most people realize.

People with top-ranking websites didn’t get there by accident. They need to be continually posting articles with great content, to keep their audience engaged. If you can provide an article that’s useful to their audience, many top-ranked sites are more than happy to post your content, especially if it’s original and unique for them. Since they aren’t paying for this great content, instead, they will grant you a brief bio and backlink to your website, in the ABOUT THE AUTHOR section at the bottom of the article, and perhaps even at the top, where the author’s name gets listed.

Getting your article posted on these high-traffic websites will help you in two ways.

First, people visiting the big-traffic website will be directed back to your site when they read the article. Second, getting a backlink from a popular website alerts Google and the other search engines that your site may be important. Backlinks from popular sites that Google ranks as “authority” websites, will greatly boost your rankings, often moving you at or near the top of the results when your customers are searching for suppliers.

Many top-ranking websites and blogs (with massive amounts of web traffic) accept articles they feel are relevant to their audience. As long as you are not a direct competitor, they will generally give you a byline (about the author), which includes a brief promotion and a link to your website.

Of course, your article must be legitimately valuable to their audience to get accepted, and not an ad in disguise.

Besides bringing traffic back to you and boosting your search engine rankings, getting your article posted on a major site could help boost your credibility with potential buyers, making it easier to get them to ultimately buy from you.

Whether you get your articles posted or not, reviewing the sites your buyers are regularly visiting can help you understand the types of articles and issues they are most interested in, making your job of getting them to buy much easier indeed.

Web Traffic Killer 8:
You’re Not Giving Buyers a Clear Enough Reason to Buy From YOU

Okay. You know there’s plenty of web traffic out there, and you feel you’re doing the right things. Yet, no matter what you do, that traffic just isn’t coming to you. What could be wrong?

Maybe plenty of people are seeing your ads and emails, but they just aren’t responding because you’re not giving them a strong enough reason.

Before someone pays for your product or service, there are three decisions they need to make.

  • 1. Do I want IT?
  • 2. Am I comfortable buying it FROM YOU? and
  • 3. Am I ready to buy it NOW?

These three decisions can happen simultaneously. But regardless of the amount of web traffic you generate, every web visitors will need to have a positive answer to all three of these questions before they will go forward and pay you.

Let’s briefly examine each of these…

First… Has the Buyer Recognized Your Product or Service is Something They Want?

The big questions here are, with all the web-traffic that’s exposed to your email or promotional message, do they truly understand what is being offered, how it will benefit them, and how it’s different and better than the alternatives?

Painting a vivid emotional picture of how their life will be different once they buy and fully benefit from your product or service, can be a crucial element of your presentation.

For example, online marketer Milana Leshinsky had a great title to an email that said,

“How a 10-Dollar Membership Program Can Pay Your Mortgage.”

This title tells you what’s being offered (a 10-dollar membership program) and how your life will be different once you go ahead (You will be able to pay off your mortgage).

So, how will your buyer’s life be different once they go ahead and buy your product or service?

Have you explained that in a way that they can clearly understand?

Also, consider a tie breaker analysis, where your buyer considers your product or service compared to alternatives.

If everything is equal between yours and another, what’s that one tie-breaker, that one thing that will make them choose one over the other?

Can you add that tie-breaker, so more people will choose yours?

Second… Is the Buyer Comfortable Buying FROM YOU?

IBM salespeople were trained to tell buyers for corporate computer-systems, “No one ever got fired for buying IBM,” reinforcing the magnitude of their decision to buy a computer system for their company, and how IBM is considered the safest bet by most buyers.

Putting the question back to you, with all the web traffic that’s coming back to your site, and all the people seeing your message, why should someone be comfortable buying from you rather than the alternatives?

If you can’t answer this question effectively, how will your buyers?

Third… Is the Buyer Ready to Go Ahead Right NOW?

To buy your product or service, must the buyer go through several steps – perhaps an analysis, maybe get someone else’s opinion or okay, or try it before they buy it… or can it be an impulse purchase?

Depending on the type of product or service you offer, there may be several steps and intense evaluation required in advance.

In any case, with all the web traffic you are able to generate, only a small percentage will be ready to buy right now.

However, if you offer some incentive, which will expire shortly, you could convert someone interested into someone who’s ready to buy right now.

After all, NOTHING HAPPENS WITHOUT A DEADLINE. It’s basic human nature.

Even giant companies like Boeing will offer a deal, if you buy their jets before the end of the year. Maybe they’ll offer a year of extra servicing included for the same price; maybe it’s a discount if you act now; maybe it’s one jet free when you buy ten; maybe the price will go up after the end of the year.

Do you have an incentive to get your web visitors to buy now, or to call now?

Rather than offering some bribe for fast action, you could explain what they will lose or give up if they don’t act now.

Whatever you use, people must somehow be motivated to ACT NOW. If they have no sense of urgency, they will generally not buy from you… and you both lose!

So, make sure you are giving your prospective clients and customers clear and tangible reasons to buy IT, from YOU and NOW, and you can start enjoying a greater income from an ever-larger number of qualified buyers.

Web Traffic Killer 9:
You’re Not Overcoming Their Resistance

Would you believe this?

You’re trying to attract “qualified” web traffic and then you discover this.

There are people out there who could really benefit from your product or service, but they will NEVER buy from you.

Do you believe it?

Yes, it’s absolutely true. Here’s why…

  • Some people are unwilling to admit they need anything.
  • Others are trapped by their ego, where they will never accept products or help because it would be an admission of weakness.

These are definitely people you want to avoid, because they’ll suck all the energy out of you, leaving you with nothing left for the people who could legitimately become your customers and clients.

For most of the other people in the web traffic you’re trying to attract, a simple strategy can be developed that penetrates through their resistance and causes an avalanche of positive results.

Understanding the TWO Main Objections Most People Have

When we had a large consulting business, we tried to get bankers, bookkeepers and accountants to refer us to their clients.

But these people resisted, because of:

  • the EFFORT involved — it seemed like a lot of work to have to contact their clients and tell them about us, and
  • the RISK involved — “what if my client doesn’t like you, they will get mad at me.”

These are legitimate reasons to resist, and if you cannot overcome them, you will not get the clients and referrals you want.

To solve this, we created a video training series, which they could send to their clients. It covered topics we knew would be considered valuable to their clients.

Then we sent them an email which they could easily forward to their clients. The email was brief, explaining that the person sending the email felt this information might be valuable to their client.

The email sent their client to an opt-in page, where we asked for their email address in exchange for access to the valuable videos.

Follow Up Can Make a Huge Difference

Once someone gave their email address, we would follow up, by saying the banker, bookkeeper or accountant felt the videos could be valuable, and we’d ask a few questions which for some, would lead into our winning a client.

Regardless of the result, we would always give the banker, bookkeeper or accountant who forwarded the email to their client, detailed feedback about our interaction with their client.

By providing feedback to these referrers, they would feel more comfortable sending our email invitation to more of their clients.

So, we overcame their EFFORT problem by giving bankers, bookkeepers and accountants a simple email they could forward, and their RISK problem (a) by having them recommend a video rather than making it a recommendation to us, and then, (b) by providing them feedback about their clients experience.

Remember, legitimate buyers will still resist buying, especially if they feel there would be too much effort or risk involved.

Therefore, if you want more clients and customers to buy from you, overcoming these natural resistances may be all that’s needed to open the floodgates to greater converting web traffic and more incredible clients.

Web Traffic Killer 10:
You’re Training People NOT to Pay You

As online marketers, we have a problem.

We give away free stuff to attract web traffic, and then expect people to pay us.

So, are we spending too much time and effort training our customers to NEVER pay us?

Maybe…

Of course, giving away samples of your product or service can be a crucial part of your marketing process, and extends beyond just attracting web traffic.

For example, Gillette’s sales exploded when they sent millions of free Trac-II razors for men to try. Speakers and coaches offer free seminars and introductory meetings that are crucial parts of their sales “funnel” (the entire process from introducing your service to customers through to their ultimate purchase).

And we can’t forget all the online free-miums available from so many mega-marketers, where they offer the basic product or service for free, and charge a nominal amount for a more advanced version.

How Much Needs to Be Given Away Before You Start Making Money… That Could Be a Problem

Although it might sound attractive to many, the math is tough with this free-mium model. The online service DropBox is a perfect example.

A few years ago they had 50 million people who signed up for their free service. A mere 3% of those people agreed to pay the $100+ fee for advanced services.

The good news for them was, 3% translated into $150 million a year of revenues. But most of us don’t have the luxury of waiting to attract 50 million people before we start generating income from all that web traffic.

Through all of this comes a troubling question…

If we are offering free stuff for web traffic to be attracted to us, is that training them to NOT pay?

Or more importantly, how do we offer a sample and still get people to eventually buy from us?

A Simple Strategy That Trains People to Buy From You

Online marketers Ryan Deiss and Perry Belcher have come up with a concept they call the “tripwire,” that addresses this very issue.

Initially you may attract web traffic by offering something free. From there, you’ll try to get them to buy your big-ticket product or service, and some probably will.

For everyone who does NOT buy, try offering an interim product… something valuable but at an ultra-low-price, such as $1, $7, $17 or $27 (7’s seem to work best). You’ll do this to train the people on your list that spending money with you is safe and okay.

This is an amazing strategy that opens the financial floodgates, once your non-buyer finally spend some money on a lower-priced product or service.

In all the web traffic you generate, this tactic also separates real buyers from people expecting everything free, who will never buy anything from you.

After all, people who spend money with you are a thousand times more valuable than people who only use your free content, aren’t they?

So, even if you initially offer something free to capture an email address of a prospective client or customer, consider quickly offering something valuable that they have to pay for, and your revenues could skyrocket far beyond the results you are currently experiencing.

Web Traffic Killer 11:
You’re Not Making It Feel “Safe” to Buy From You

We sometimes focus so much on generating massive amounts of web traffic without realizing the overt and subtle fears that prevent many who finally arrive from actually picking up the phone and calling, or giving us their credit card information.

I was floored by this one.

Although it’s extreme, it may open your eyes to what’s going on at the other end, where a visitor has finally arrived at your web site.

A crying woman was telling me how she paid thousands of dollars to a supposedly reputable online coach, who did nothing to help her. When she complained, he threatened her life and that of her son, explaining that he knows where she lives.

My pleas for her to contact the FBI fell on deaf ears as she explained how someone apparently told her that her life could be in even greater danger if she went to the authorities.

This is outrageous to me, that she would not go to the authorities.

But the sad truth is, there are crooks and creeps out there, many of them preying on women, the elderly, and the infirm.

At Online Success Help Desk we try to counter all this type of abuse by offering great and valuable training and content on generating web traffic and using the Internet to attract paid customers, that is highly affordable and reputable.

But the creeps and crooks are out there and will continue. The most we can do is try to help people, and report this type of abuse when we learn about it.

For you, it’s important to realize that generating web traffic is not enough. If you want people to buy from you, you’ll need to make your web visitors feel safe — especially from viruses, hackers, identity thieves, and products that are ineffective or useless.

So, what can you do to make the web traffic you are attracting feel safe enough to buy from you?

Simple Ways to Make a Buyer Feel Safe Buying From You

For starters, the ABOUT section of your website is a great place to begin.

When people buy from someone online, they want to know who they are buying from. The more you can tell about yourself, including showing photos, affiliations and anything else that would help them understand who you are, the more people will feel safe and comfortable hiring or buying from you.

Also, letting people know what you believe will help them better understand your character, and that can go a long way to building confidence and comfort, to buy from you.

Testimonials can help, particularly when real names are listed, with photos and even videos when possible. A testimonial from someone famous or known by the buyer can really seal the deal for many potential buyers.

Guarantees and an easy return policy can be especially important, but only if your website or web page also has easy-to-find contact information.

In most cases, if you are asking them to provide their credit card information online, making sure your shopping cart is an “https” website rather than just an “http” (the “s” signifies it is secure with encryption) can be a deal maker for many buyers. Also, prominently displaying the logos of the companies that provide secure payment processing can also add confidence to online buyers.

The more ways you can make a person feel safe, the greater a likelihood more people will buy from you.

Web Traffic Killer 12:
You’re Not Giving Customers the Right Buying Options

Have you ever noticed… below Google’s search box, they have 2 buttons?

“Google Search” and “I’m Feeling Lucky.”

To many people, this feels like a joke. But there’s a profound reason why they’ve had those two buttons from the start. It makes all that web traffic that comes to their site feel like they have a choice.

With all the web traffic you’re trying to attract to your site, whenever you ask someone to contact you or buy from you, you’re giving them a choice of “Yes” or “No.”

But what happens if you give them a choice of “Yes” or “Yes?” Could a simple change in what you say cause a dramatic increase in your sales?

The answer is a resounding Yes… and Yes!

Boosting Sales By Changing The Choices Your Buyers Have

Here, let me show you some examples.

In the 1930’s, famed persuasion expert Elmer Wheeler coined the phrase, “Don’t ask if… ask which.”

In an example of the power of this concept, he got Abraham and Strauss, the largest chain of soda fountains in America, to dramatically increase their sales of eggs. Whenever a customer would order a milkshake, the typical counter clerk would ask, would you like an egg in that, and some people would say, Yes, but the majority would say, No.

Elmer Wheeler changed all that, and turned the sale of eggs in milkshakes into a standard purchase, with the alteration of their procedure.

Whenever someone would order a milkshake, he’d have the fountain clerk hold an egg in each hand. Then, rather than asking if the customer wanted an egg in their milkshake, he instructed them to say, “One egg or two?” The result was seven out of every ten customers would pay for the addition of an egg in their milkshake, where a tiny fraction would before the injection of the phrase.

For you, in trying to attract and convert as much web traffic as possible, this tactic can be just as important.

By offering customers a choice between Yes and Yes, you could significantly increase your web traffic and the percent of those people who actually buy from you.

For example, in your ads and talks, you could say:

  • Call or send us a text message.
  • Pay it all now, or in 4 easy installments.
  • Visit us online or in one of our locations.

Of course you’d better have a product or service people want.

It’s when the buyer is on the finish line, deciding if they want to visit you or buy from you, that this tactic can make all the difference.

Offering customers a choice between Yes and Yes empowers them to feel more actively engaged in the buying process, and that seems to attract more web traffic and trigger greater sales in many situations.

For example, a famous retailer, trying to sell a new type of high-priced coffee maker, had no buyers when he put the item in a store display. Then, he got the bright idea to add a second, even more expensive coffee maker in the display alongside the original product, and suddenly people started buying the machine. Somehow, the choice between Yes and Yes made the machine more appealing, with the higher-priced unit making the original item seem more attractive.

This concept applies to so many elements of how we market, from generating web traffic to getting people to give us their email addresses to having them try our products to having them ultimately buy.

A Simple Way to Veer Your Buyers to Spending More

In another, perhaps more profound example, behavioral economist Dan Arielly explained how a promotional oversight by The Economist magazine, demonstrated how powerful this tactic can be. By mistake the magazine ran the following promotion for subscriptions:

  • Economist Online Version – $59
  • Economist Print Version – $125
  • Print and Online Version – $125

With the second and third options at the same price, the majority of people would buy the third option, spending $125 to get both the online and print versions.

Then he alerted them that the second and third options were the same price, and in an act of extreme ignorance, they removed the third option, leaving these two:

  • Economist Online Version – $59
  • Economist Print Version – $125

Guess which one suddenly became the top seller?

With just these two choices, suddenly the majority of buyers purchased the $59 option. So, by removing the second $125 option, they reduced the bulk of their purchases by $66.

So, what does this tell us?

If you want to generate more web traffic, consider offering the choice between Yes and Yes.

If you want more people to buy, consider offering your buyers the option between Yes and Yes.

Also, if you want to veer more buyers to a higher-priced option, consider letting them choose between Yes, and two higher-priced Yeses with the same price.

There is a caveat to using this technique.

Insurance companies have discovered that offering a few choices can significantly increase sales, but offering too many choices will reduce sales, because it tends to confuse buyers.

So make sure you only offer two or three options, to avoid confusion and maximize sales.

The rule from all this is simple.

  • If you want to increase the number of people who visit your website — give them a choice somehow, and more people will visit.
  • If you want to increase the number of people who buy from you — give them a choice of buying options, by offering two or three product or payment options, and more people will buy.

Doing this could significantly increase your income and help you generate the kind of success and lifestyle you really truly want.

 

To Recap the 12 Reasons You’re Not Getting Enough Web Traffic:

  • Web Traffic Killer 1: Your Words Are Targeting the Wrong People.
  • Web Traffic Killer 2: You’re Making It Hard for Buyers to Find You.
  • Web Traffic Killer 3: You’re Making It Hard for Buyers to Understand What You Offer.
  • Web Traffic Killer 4: Your Message is Not Resonating With the Right Buyers.
  • Web Traffic Killer 5: You’re Not Letting Buyers Get to Know You Before You Ask Them to Buy.
  • Web Traffic Killer 6: You’re Not on the Right Devices for Your Buyers.
  • Web Traffic Killer 7: You’re Not Aware of Which Websites Your Buyers Like.
  • Web Traffic Killer 8: You’re Not Giving Buyers a Clear Enough Reason to Buy From YOU.
  • Web Traffic Killer 9: You’re Not Overcoming Their Resistance.
  • Web Traffic Killer 10: You’re Training People NOT to Pay You.
  • Web Traffic Killer 11: You’re Not Making It Feel “Safe” to Buy From You.
  • Web Traffic Killer 12: You’re Not Giving Customers the Right Buying Options.

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