SEO is all well and good, but all that does is get someone to your site that first time.
When a visitor comes to your website for the first time, they need to find something that’s sufficiently engaging for them to bother to read what’s there. However, what’s just as important (and maybe even more important) is giving your visitors a reason to come back. There’s plenty of research out there saying customers need to revisit your site on more than one occasion before they’re reassured enough to buy from you.
This is where many businesses get it wrong. They’re asking for the sale too early. You’re asking for their email address, phone number, or credit card when they’re still working out whether they trust you. It’s a bit like proposing marriage on a first date. We’re not there yet.
If customers land on your site, and within 5 seconds get hit by a pop-window asking them to sign-up for a newsletter, you’ve probably blown it. You’ve put them in a bad mood by being pushy. You’re asking too much, too early. They’re probably going to leave, and it’s doubtful they’ll return. What a shame.
So if first-time visitors to your website don’t come back again, then you need to have some sort of plan where you achieve a constant flow of first-time visitors.
First-Time Site Visitors Rarely Buy
The problem with people who visit your website for the first time is that, depending on your business, it’s unlikely that you’ll get much from them.
First-timers rarely sign-up for your newsletter, or contact you for more information. Why? Because they don’t know you well enough. You haven’t had the chance thus far to win over their confidence, trust or respect. Customers won’t buy from you until they trust you.
Generally-speaking, customers become customers because they have been back to your site many times before they ever decided to buy anything from you.
They know your site, the layout, where the interesting (and not-so-interesting) content is. They have spent time digesting the content, and grew to trust your business value communication. Probably unbeknown to you, your site has been quietly working on building credibility. Now you’ve checked all their trust boxes, they’re happy to give you their contact details or credit-card number.
Build Trust Before Asking For The Sale
Unless you’re in a commoditized industry, you need to get your visitors to keep coming back. And while I’ll be the first to admit that there are many exceptions to this rule, I’m betting that your business – and your industry – isn’t one of them.
What are you doing to keep them coming back for more?