A recent web site we did was a simple redesign and then we started on the content.
Main heading: Stated The Offer
Sub Heading 1: Promise Of Free Stuff If The Visitor Buys
Sub Heading 2: Testimonial
The site had been going a year and had never made a sale.
Results – From 0 Sales In A Year:
17 July: 9 sales
16 July: 12 sales
15 July: 10 sales
14 July: 3 sales
13 July: 7 sales
12 July: 7 sales
11 July: 7 sales
10 July: 15 sales
- We have not marketed the site since the redesign – the site gets the same number of visitors from the same sources it always has.
- I had a meeting on Friday with the client – she doesn’t want to market the site as she can’t handle any more sales.
The Design Is Important
Whilst the design of a web site is important – in as much as it needs to get the visitor to the information they want as quickly as possible – it’s always about the content.
Provide a site with great content and your site will be successful. The design is less important than what you put on the site.
Remember that. It’s important. ;o)
Cheers
I’d be curious to know what industry the client is in if she’s flat out with 15 sales a day? Anyway this is a good post about the effects numerous good, but maybe not drastic, changes can make. Thanks Tailored.
David.
Howdy David
The client manages a 30 apartment resort. Those 70 sales in 1 week = 490 bed nights.
Which is equal to filling the entire resort up for well over 2 weeks.
It’s filled all the gaps up until the end of next month. And she doesn’t need to market the site because she would generate enquiries for product (booked rooms) she can’t sell.
She knows that the web site will now provide a terrific amount of business and will wait for natural/free visitors to book via the web rather than take something like AdWords.
Which is fair enough – if the sales don’t continue she can always then decide to take some Pay Per Click advertising.
Cheers
Brendon
Brendon,
Did you change the checkout procedure as well? I remember that you talk about have the easiest checkout procedure as possible.
Thanks
Those numbers are great. How scary is that for “old school” travel agents? I’d hate to be a franchisee of a Flight Centre store seeing the immediate effect a quality web site and a direct booking system offers resorts.
Also what about having a refferal system built into your order process so that if someone must need a room between July 22-24 and ‘Resort A’ can’t fulfill it then they send that customer to ‘Resort B’ and get a commision for doing so.
Thanks guys
Yes, we did change the checkout procedure a bit. Took away about 10 fields that were down as “Required” – including Male/Female!
Less fields to fill in = more people fill the form in.
Howdy Anthony – yep, offline travel agents really have to look at their business model.
I saw a report on UK travel sometime last year which showed 51%+ of people booking airfares and accommodation were doing it online.
I like that referral idea!
Cheers
Brendon