Discover how can you turn your website into a highly successful online business. There are millions of sites all trying to sell you something but statistics suggest that only 1% of websites are profitable. We have been looking at exactly what it is that makes a site successful - so that you can make sure you are one of the top percent making huge profits.

Choosing what to sell…
First you need to decide on a niche market. Research all your potential competition. Forget trying to compete with the likes of Amazon and CD sites. Try focusing on a niche market that you are familiar with.

Next you need to ensure that the market exists for your chosen product. There are research tools that you can use to find this out. Have a look at http://www.wordtracker.com/ and make use of the overture search suggestion tool - http://inventory.overture.com/d/searchinventory/suggestion/

Building your site…
Once you have built your site there are some important factors that you need to consider.

When a visitor finds your site, your page must load quickly - in less than 10 seconds. Cut down on flashy graphics to speed up your load time and make sure that all graphics are optimized.

As soon as your page has loaded you have about 6 seconds to convince your visitor to stay and look around.

Think about removing your logo. If you really want to use your logo, shrink it and put it to one side. More important than your logo is an opportunity to promote your site - highlight the benefits of your site, convince your visitor that it is worth their time to stay on your site and have a look around.

For example if you're selling magic tricks or party products, remove your logo and replace with powerful headlines, "Become the Life and Soul of any party.."

That way your visitor knows exactly what you have to offer and you have given them a reason to stay on your site and motivated them to explore - already you are half way to a sale!

Using email addresses…
As well as gaining sales, you also want to collect email addresses from your visitors. Encourage your visitors to sign up to a newsletter by offering them something in return - the chance to win a gift voucher, discounts on future orders with you - use competitions, pop ups - anything you can.. Once you have an email address you can keep in touch with your visitor; use it as a promotional tool to advertise special offers and new products.

Be adventurous…
Test and try absolutely everything. Be adventurous and try out new marketing strategies, look at your shipping costs, change the layout of your site…

Example - I recently changed the shipping costs on my site - to my surprise this led to an increase in sales. Postage was originally $2 for orders under $20, $3.50 for orders between $20 and $25 and free over that price. I noticed that I had few orders in the $20 - $25 price range. I decided to lower shipping costs to $2 for all orders under $25 and free for over that price. Orders especially increased in the $20 - $25 price range.

I know for a fact that very few website owners will do any testing or make any changes. Make sure you do - the only way to increase your profits is to try out new ideas.

Content for your site…
When writing the text for your pages, make sure it is personal. Remember that it is just you and your visitor. Be honest, build up trust so that you gain repeat customers.

Your text needs to be simple and easy to read. Use short sentences and paragraphs.

Emphasize and point out all your benefits throughout your text.

Example - imagine that you are selling a car that does 0-60mph in 5.2secs. Don't just state the facts, point out the all the benefits - be the first off at the lights, impress your friends, plus increase your safety - accelerating quickly may get you out of trouble!

Securing the sale…
It must be easy for your visitor to order. Limit options and choices to make the ordering process as simple and fast as possible. Use simple buttons like 'Order Now'. Think about the details you need when someone orders - don't include irrelevant questions as this will put your visitor off. Do you really need date of birth, occupation, etc..

The power of your guarantee…
Use guarantees so that your visitor feels secure and confident in ordering with you. The more security you can give, the safer your visitor will feel. This way they are more likely to order.

Use the best guarantee you can - the longer the better no matter whether you are selling an information product or a tangible product. Research shows that you'll get less returns and it will help convince people to order. As always test your guarantee and try using different guarantees.

http://www.Secrets-of-the-MOST-Successful-Sites.com Download your FREE ebook now.Discover profit generating ideas used by the people with SIX Figure Incomes - Use these techniques to turn your website into a highly profitable business now.

About the Author:
Alan Goodwin
We interviewed a number of highly successful website owners and discovered how they achieved their success.

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