Visitor Experience Optimization. Are You Doing It?

We all know that building links and getting ranked will get you more traffic and potentially more conversions. We also know that in order to get into the position we want, we have to be consistent in what we do.

But what happens when you’re finally getting the traffic you have been looking for? Is your site ready? Are your call to actions clear enough? Do you have all the elements that will give your visitor an experience they won’t forget?

One aspect of Internet marketing that a lot of small and even large businesses fail at is creating a site that is appealing, useable and interactive yet functional. With the short attention span that Internet users have these days you need to be ready because you never know when the traffic is going to start flooding in.

Here are some VEO or Visitor Experience Optimization tips that will help take your site to the next level:

• Make your website interactive. Whether it is as simple as creating a survey to get feedback, add a blog or forum to the site that is just for them to connect with other users. Let them know you value their comments or opinions, let them know you care!
• Create an opt-in list. Make sure you fulfill on what they signed up for. If you said you offer a monthly newsletter, make sure you send it. It is hard to believe but there are a lot of people that watch for that email and if they don’t get it, they will contact you.
• Keep your website up to date with fresh content, new sales or promotions. Not only will the search engines love your fresh content but so will your viewers/customers. It will give them something to look forward to when it is time to visit your site again.
• Add video to your site. Video doesn’t have to be a huge project, something simple will work. Take a few of your products, make a video out of them, add some promotional information to it and there you go. A majority of online shoppers find it very useful to see the product they are about to buy in action. This will add value to your site and products.
• Get social. A great way to connect with your visitors or customers is to advertise that you are on Twitter, Facebook or other social networks. Chances are, they are to so its a great way to take advantage of that and interact with them off the site.
• Product reviews. Give your customer the opportunity to review a product. This is not only helpful for visitors that may be looking to buy, but the feedback will help you improve certain products or aspects of your site.
• Have a contest. People love to enter drawings or contests to win free stuff. Make a big deal. Advertise it in your newsletters, classifieds, or right on your homepage. Make it fun but giving away a product then featuring the winner and the product in a picture on your homepage to see. This will get other visitors excited for future events.
• Create an easy navigation. Have you ever heard of the 3 click rule? You never want your visitors to have to click more than 3 times to find what they are looking for. If they do, there is a chance they will just back out of your site. Create an easy to navigate site, make it fool proof because sometimes less clicking means more buying.

By implementing some of those strategies you will be able to interact and appeal to more of your visitors and hopefully turn them into a buyer.

There are plenty of other techniques to improve your own VEO. What are some of the strategies you have tried and have seen success from?

Jeremy Martin is an Internet Marketing Consultant based out of Utah. He currently runs a blog at SimpleFuzz.com where he talks about his two passions: SEO and Social Media.