There are over 9.1 million online retailers around the world, according to Tidio. With so many competitors vying for customers, here are some tips from online sales courses to boost your business in 2023.
Raise your SEO game
According to Search Engine Journal, the first organic search result on the first page of Google has a click-through rate of 28.5%, while the second is at 15.7%. Click-through rates then fall sharply, with the 10th website only getting 2.5% of clicks.
The goal of SEO is to be as close as you can be to the top of the search page otherwise customers won’t find you. So, work on boosting your search engine rankings to land more sales. Online search engines such as Google prioritize pages with consistent content that shows authority and trust.
One of the best ways to increase your rating is to create quality and useful content sprinkled with the keyword phrases your customers search for.
Consider taking courses to learn how to avoid salesy and self-promoting content. Rather, provide valuable information that resonates with customers. It’s also important to include straightforward calls to action in your content to better guide buyers to your site.
Improve customer experience
According to Zendesk, 8 out of 10 people said that customer service is one of their greatest concerns when looking to buy products or services.
So, consider making every effort to polish your customer service to give buyers a memorable experience. Provide multiple contact options including an online chat feature on your website, so customers can contact you.
Also, include a detailed FAQ page so buyers can find the answers they need with little hassle.
Sales courses also say it’s critical to optimize your website speed. Customers don’t linger for long on slow websites. In fact, 4 out of 10 customers won’t wait for more than 3 seconds. So, consider working with experts to step up your website speed.
In addition, ensure that your website navigation is a breeze. A cluttered and complex site is likely to drive buyers away. A study by Forrester found that 73% of customers leave poorly designed websites in favor of simpler ones.
Leverage your unique selling proposition (USP)
Take time to define what puts your business in a class of its own. What does your business offer that similar stores don’t? What’s your backstory?
Once you’ve nailed down your unique value points, make it a priority to shout it out from all your online channels.
Include your unique selling proposition in your tagline, on your home page, and on your social media profiles.
Focusing on your unique selling points helps to create a strong brand that customers and prospects will remember. The longer your brand stays at the back of a buyer’s mind, the higher the chances of a customer visiting your online store and making a purchase.
Use analytics tools
Sales courses teach leveraging analytics tools to help you slash costs and conserve resources. You can use tools such as Google Analytics to dig deeper into the behavior of your customer. Find out the channel where most of your customers come from. Also, evaluate which of your content customers engage most with.
Once you have a clear understanding of customer activity, you can focus your marketing and sales efforts on the channel with the highest return on investment.
For instance, if ads on Instagram are bringing in more sales, then investing more in advertising could yield more fruit.
Simplify the checkout process
According to Truelist, online shopping carts are abandoned at checkout at a rate of 75.6% globally. The checkout process can be a major sticking point that stands in the way of growing your business. So, make the checkout as fast and simple as possible.
Offer buyers a registration option where they only need to fill out details once to encourage repeat buys.
Sales courses also suggest including a guest checkout option for customers who don’t want to fill out any forms. It helps to keep your checkout text short and sweet to avoid overwhelming buyers.
Provide customers with multiple payment options as well. Integrating various payment methods brings convenience and accommodates a wider pool of buyers.
All in all, use these tips to take your online sales to greater heights in 2023.
