When it comes to online profits, every eCommerce website owner knows that the key to successful marketing is a successful website sales funnel. You probably understand the importance of SEO. After all, if no one can find your website, how will you generate sales? But simply leading people to your website isn’t enough. Once a consumer finds their way to your website, it should be formatted in such a way that it naturally helps lead a consumer to take action. Here’s what you need to know about the importance of a website sales funnel.
What Is A Website Sales Funnel?
If you don’t fully understand what a web sales funnel is, you’re not alone. Many entrepreneurs and eCommerce businesses don’t take full advantage of this tool, and that’s one of the factors that separates the successful business from the failed startups. In order to make the most of your website, you need to understand what a sales funnel is and how to utilize it.
A web sales funnel is similar to an eCommerce sales funnel, except it focuses more on the layout of your website. It is essentially a visual representation of the customer journey. Specifically:
- Awareness
- Interest
- Intent
- Evaluation
- Purchase
- Retention
A successful website funnel helps to naturally guide a consumer through this journey, leading to your end goal (sales). To achieve this, your sales funnel cannot be an afterthought but must be given due attention and thought. Once that’s been done, a sales funnel can benefit you in many ways.
How Does A Website Sales Funnel Help You?
A successful web sales funnel helps you in multiple ways. First of all, it gives you clear direction when designing your website and focusing on SEO factors. A strong sales funnel will help you trim away unnecessary aspects of your website that may simply distract from your purpose. When you design your website with a sales funnel in mind, you’ll consider factors such as where to place the “buy now” button, when to upsell, where to portray related products and services, etc. All for the end goal of leading a consumer to take action.
Second, a strong sales funnel will guide a consumer through your website through ease of navigation. Think of your sales funnel as a virtual store layout. Walking into a mall, you should have clearly marked sections depending on what your customers need, right? A simple layout that a customer can easily navigate will help them smoothly move from one part of the funnel to the next.
Tips For Creating An Effective Website Sales Funnel
Sales funnels are simple to understand but can be difficult to effectively implement. Overcomplicating your sales funnel will have the same impact as not having one at all. Too much information can be just as confusing as too little information. Thankfully, it’s possible to hit that sweet spot and start converting more leads.
When designing the layout of your website, focus on the sales funnel. It can be as specific as you like, but include at least these four areas:
- Awareness
- Interest
- Desire
- Action
These base elements are included in every sales funnel and should also be included in your website. For example, consider the following journey.
Say your website sells natural health and beauty products. A customer is reading one of your blogs that contains a section about toothpaste made from purely natural ingredients. This section is raising awareness about one of your products. Including a link to the product page for the toothpaste allows a consumer to click and enter the interesting part of the funnel.
Here, the consumer can read the product description and identify the unique benefits of natural toothpaste vs some of the other brands available. This information leads them to the desire stage as they now feel that this product will benefit them. Including a “buy now” button on the product will help them easily enter the action portion of the funnel.
This is a simple example of a web sales funnel and you can tailor it to whatever your end goal is. Whether it’s increasing sales, generating leads, or getting people to sign up for an email campaign, you can modify your sales funnel accordingly.
If your need help creating and optimizing your sales funnel, consider reaching out to a digital marketing expert today. These experts can offer guidance on how you can use your website to reach the most clients while also leading them to take action.
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