Congratulations. Your SEO strategy has worked and you find yourself #1 on Google – time to sit back and let the £s roll in. However for most businesses the truth is somewhat less rosy.

All the SEO strategy is wasted if customers cannot find what they were searching for or worse – they find just the product but don’t know how to buy it. Here are some easy to implement steps, hints and tips for converting your SEO strategy and number 1 position into sales:

1 – Web Design

Perhaps the most important part of any SEO strategy – and the easiest to overlook – is the actual web design of the site itself. It doesn’t have to win any design awards but buyers – B2B or B2C – want to enjoy a good experience whilst on the site. How easy is it to navigate the site and find the products and services you offer? Does it look like you have taken care with the website? If not, why should buyers believe you will take care with them?

2 – Maximise the Home Page

Maximise the effectiveness of your home page. Research shows you have 1/20^th of a second to form the right opinion! All you web SEO strategy is wasted if you have an ineffective home page. Don’t try to make it do too much. If 20% of your products/services deliver 80% of your sales, then give them 80% of your home page.

3 – Content

Is the content clear, relevant, up-to-date and interesting? And don’t be over reliant on words – web users like good photographs, audio and especially online video to sell the benefits of your products/services. Developing good content should always be part of your overall SEO strategy.

4 – How to Buy

How easy is it to buy? If you have an e-commerce site, make sure the process is easy to begin and follow without complicated stages or barriers to purchase. If there is no e-commerce system, make sure there is the necessary information how to buy clearly and regularly – whether that is a phone number, email address or physical address. You should have clearly seen contact details on every page.

5 – Reassurance

Buyers, especially first time buyers, will want reassurance that you are trustworthy. Your SEO strategy may include some social media marketing and that will allow you to collect valuable feedback and testimonials – ideal for providing new customers with the reassurance they seek.

6 – Returns

What if something goes wrong? Again make sure your returns policy is easy to find and clear – more reassurance for your potential buyer.

7 – Sign-ups

Building a marketing database maximises your SEO strategy. Make sure visitors can sign up easily – and incentivise the sign-up with the promise of exclusives and offers. An excellent way to make sure you turn visitors into customers is to ask people unrelated to the business to look at the site as if they were potential customers.  Listen and action their feedback. Keep your eye on your rivals too: your SEO strategy may have got you to #1 but you can still learn from the competition.

Image credit – Paloma Gómez