Let’s say you’re writing web site copy. You’ve got the home page completed, but you’ve forgotten the call to action! How will the reader know what to do when they reach the end of the page? That may sound silly, but the truth is that web visitors want to be told what to do next. They want you to make it easy for them to take the next logical step, without dream time or having to think about it too deeply. So then, it’s your job as the writer to create a compelling reason for the visitor to move deeper into the website, to sign up for the newsletter, to register for a free gift…and that’s where the call to action is invaluable.

If you’re creating your own website, the call to action is important. If you’re writing website copy for a client, however, it’s crucial. This single, simple sentence can help your client sell more products and services. When you understand the call to action and how to use it, you can achieve the ultimate copywriting goal: Helping your clients make more money. In other words, when the client’s phone stops ringing, you’re out of work. When it rings off the hook, everyone is happy. So it pays to master this technique.

The most effective call to action compels the reader to stop everything he or she is doing to take action or buy something from your client right now.

There are various strategies for accomplishing this:

Place a deadline on ordering: “Order by the 22nd and receive…”

Warn of an increase in cost: No one wants to be left behind. Let your readers know your price will soon increase, and this will stimulate people to buy now.

Offer a trial period: when people sign up for a trial, they feel like they’re getting something for nothing. Help customers feel good about their decision to try your client’s product or service by adding additional bonus materials that can be theirs to keep, simply for “trying” the product or service for a limited time.

Add incentives: Everyone loves a free gift. Say something like, “The first 100 people who respond to this order will receive a valuable free gift…”

Remove the risk: Tell people they can cancel before the trial period expires if they aren’t satisfied.

Offer a long term guarantee: As much as a year to look over the product or try the service. Sounds risky for the client, but it’s really not at all. (We’ll discuss this in another post.)

Regardless of the call to action you choose, don’t forget to use appropriate action phrases, such as “Call now!”, “Mail this card today for faster response”, “Follow this link to receive your private bonus,” and so forth.

These phrases tell the reader what to do next, so they can effortlessly do it.

Whatever you do, don’t say, “You can reach us at your convenience at 555-1212.”

Can you see the difference? If so, then get started right now on improving the value of your copy writing with high-impact call to action phrases.

The holidays are approaching quickly and it’s definitely time to act – or it will be too late soon.

In preparation for the holidays, there are 3 things you should consider conserning SEO and your South Florida shopping website:

1. Are you listed in the engines so you can tap into the holiday shoppers?

If you aren’t on the top of the engines, you are losing traffic to your competitors and won’t make the most out of the holiday traffic. I often hear people ask “how quickly can you get my site on top of the engines” and the truth is, the time it takes varies based on the history of your site, the level of competition, what’s going on with the engines and how aggressive you are. It doesn’t happen overnight. But there is still time to build some momentum before the holidays.

2. Are you building a social media presence?

People are going to be looking for gift ideas and social media is a great way to share holiday ideas and tips with people and also show them what you have to offer. The truth is the best time to start getting involved or ramping up your social media is always NOW. Even if it’s later than would be ideal, it’s better late than never.

3. Is your site designed to convert?

If you are working on ramping up traffic, you want to make sure your site is ready to convert that traffic into sales. It may be a good time to do a marketing review of your site and identify the weaknesses that you could improve.

I know times are tough and budgets are tight but I’ll share a quote I shared on Twitter in the past:

“The man who stops advertising to save money, is like the man who stops the clock to save time.” – Thomas Jefferson

Don’t be that man or woman. Take action and do what it takes to get your Florida shopping site ready for the holidays and beyond.

Contact the internet marketing specialists at Key West SEO to get your website all ready for the holidays

One of the ways that Twitter marketers get followers is finding users who fit into their target market and following them. One of the best tricks is to make sure you mention Florida or the Keys if your business is located there. Users receive notification every time someone new follows them, and they often check out the follower’s tweets and follow them back if they like what they see. So if you’re providing something of value to your target market, this method works well.

But how do you find people to follow? One of the easiest ways to do so is to use one of the many Twitter directories. There are directories that sort users by occupation, interest, geographical area and more. You can simply search for keywords that your desired followers would use and be presented with a list of those who fit your criteria.

Twitter is great for finding new customers, but it also provides an innovative way to keep current customers coming back for more. You can get them to follow you by including a link to your Florida Keys business profile on your website or in your emails. Reward them with exclusive promotions and other incentives. Not only will they remain loyal, they’ll also spread the word to other potential customers.

Happy Tweeting!

We are looking forward to meeting real people and helping them make their websites a profitable venture instead of an expensive online billboard that nobody sees unless they type in your url or internet address from your business card or other traditional marketing sources.

The power of keyword research to show what people are looking for along with careful editing of your websites content including meta tags and gaining backlinks from other relevant directories and websites can mean all the difference in being on page one of Google or page ten.

Pardon our dust while we fill our own pages with relavent content and make our site one of the top rated internet marketing resources for businesses in South Florida.

You are always welcome to contact us and find out more about how search engine marketing can bring an added boost in your website traffic and in turn your pocketbook.