Why do most people struggle with developing and#147;Out of the Box Thinkingand#148; before they take care of and#147;In the Box Thinkingand#148; issues first? There is a misconception that and#147;In the Box Thinkersand#148;: 1) accept the status quo, 2) are idea killers, 3) accept mediocre solutions, and 4) are indifferent to innovation. We can imagine there are some people in the business world that think in this manner; however, it is our experience that many Internet marketing people think just the opposite.

This article is focused on bringing to the readerand#146;s attention the and#147;normaland#148; things a marketing person should think about and do in order to improve their Internet marketing programs. More specifically, doing the marketing research thoroughly prior to embarking upon any phase of the project.

We know that visitors to a website are seeking a good experience; therefore, it is our job to make sure they have the best one possible. To accomplish this, we need to understand why visitors either return to a website time and again or feel comfortable enough to take a step to contact the website owner or purchase a product or service for the first time. That is a and#147;mouthfuland#148;; however, it is the primary challenge all Internet marketing personnel face on a daily basis.

Since most of us are interested in what it takes to motivate a website visitor to buy from us or at least contact usand#133; it is worth taking a close look at some results described in a recent report regarding the factors that make website visitors to buy:

High-quality content: 75%
Ease of use: 66%
Quick to download: 58%
Updated frequently: 54%
Pricing value: 41%
Coupons and incentives: 14%
Favorite brands: 13%
Cutting-edge technology: 12%
Purchasing capabilities: 11%
Customizable content: 10%
Chat and blogging: 10%
Other: 6%

Letand#146;s look at some non-technical and technical issues that have an effect on visitors. These are considered and#147;In the Box Issuesand#148;and#133;

Properly Addressing the People and Technical Issues

Creating a superior website that performs well requires the organization take many people and technical issues under consideration. Many of the action areas discussed below do not require a technical person; however, they are implemented via technical means. We recommend that our clients look into the issues the following issues that have an immediate effect on a visitor to their website in order to make sure they have a positive experience:

1. First the website needs to have a good navigation schema. Offering the logical method is key getting visitors to go further into the website.

2. Next is selecting the colors that deliver the desired emotional and psychological impact. Select a color combination that reflects the best characteristics of your business.

3. Images are similar to color when it comes to their impact on the visitor. Making the visitor feel comfortable enough to stay and look further into the website.

4. Making sure the visitor does not have to work hard to locate what they are seeking. Create website pages containing data, images and offers that are simple, straightforward and easy to use.

5. Content is directly related to ease of use issues. Give the visitors what they are looking for so they will either purchase a product or service or take a next step toward contacting the owner of the website.

6. Price is more often thought of as value to the buyer when making an Internet purchase. Even though price is often one part of any buying decision, it is often NOT the most important one.

7. Call-to-Action is extremely important. We must give buyers multiple reasons to buy and then tell them to do itand#133;

8. Providing a visitor with the feeling that the website owner is a trustworthy organization is a very important conversion factor. Implementing security services helps put the put the potential buyer at ease.

9. Most website visitors like to browse short testimonial statements made by previous customers. Making them short and to the pointand#133; they are important.

10. Be sure to address and#147;What Makes Us Differentand#148;? Answering this question is often a very key ingredient in making the website productive.

11. A significant amount of time MUST be invested in keyword research in order to select the ones that are most likely to drive the highly relevant traffic to the website.

12. Keyword density is simply the number of times the keyword phrase is found on and behind the websiteand#146;s page. Selecting the correct quantity is a combination of marketing and science inputs.

13. Geo-Targeting is often a key factor in businesses that are most likely to sell their products and services within an area local to their office or physical stores.

14. There are specific techniques used by copywriters and page content designers that improve the web pageand#146;s ability to create interest of the visitors as well as appeal to the search engine spiders.

15. Linking pages within the website via Bread Crumb Links is important. Creating links from sources outside of the website attributes heavily to the ranking and potential traffic.

16. The Site Map is one of the most sought after pages by the search engine spiders. Landing on this page allows the search engine spider to navigate and index most important pages within the website.

17. Placing an analytics program on the entire website is critical to the overall success of the Internet Marketing program.

Final Comments

In the Box Thinking works since it is focused on properly handling the most obvious and basic components effecting website performance. Thinking like a potential first-time visitor to your website before building it will start you on the track to producing superior results. Delivering basic marketing components within a website will deliver good results. Once the above issues are addressed and implemented, the Internet Marketing Team can then begin Thinking Out of the Box!

Finally, be sure to hire Internet marketing professionals to do the job if you donand#146;t have the capabilities in-house. Too much is at stake to leave this part of your business to chance! We are pleased to provide you the insightful comments contained herein. Please contact us at www.InternetConsultingAndCoaching.com or call us at 631-423-0815 for further discussion on how we might be able to assist you and your team. Add a Comment Back to All Articles