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12.19.07
50 Ways To Optimize For Christmas
 By Manoj Jasra
Jessica Hupp and her team at VirtualHosting.com have come up with over 50 ways that you can optimize your website for Christmas. Read the entire post here. Here's a quick summary of their tips:
-Usability
1. Make it easy for buyers to find what they want
2. Be sure everything works
3. Be clear with errors
4. Use descriptive headings
5. Follow conventions
6. Clearly identify the next step
7. Use readable text
-Landing Page
8. Answer your customer's question
9. Create different landing pages
-Checkout
10. Make checkout easy for new customers
11. Second Bite
12. Make sure cart editing is easy
13. Offer a progress indicator
14. Keep payment options simple
15. Offer total costs early
-Copy
16. Avoid excessive adjectives
17. Use trigger words
18. Use question-based headlines
19. Make your copy "scannable"
-Design
20. Provide lots of photos
21. Use text more than images
22. Differentiate between significant and insignificant attributes
23. Avoid "click here"
24. Place important items in the upper left corner of your pages
25. Don't overload browsers
26. Avoid banners
27. Check for dead links
28. Highlight just one thing
29. Embrace white space
30. Differentiate your site from others
-Cross-selling
31. Recommend products other customers like
32. Don't end the cross sell at the transaction
33. Offer best-sellers
-Trust
34. Make your return policy easily available
35. Offer assurance
36. Prove there are real people behind your site
37. Join trust groups and display their logos
38. Use testimonials
39. Back up statements with evidence
40. Make yourself available
41. Send out automated emails when contacted
42. Offer alternate ordering methods
43. Make it look like you have customers
-Closing the Deal
44. Create a sense of urgency
45. Offer customer reviews
46. Give an incentive
-Tracking Tools
47. Google Analytics
48. StatCounter
49. pMetrics
50. Crazy Egg
51. Site Meter
52. Mint
53. AWStats
54. Opentracker
Comments
About the Author:
Manoj has been working in the search engine marketing industry since 2002. He started out as a software developer but now provides in-depth web site analysis using web analytics.
http://www.enquiro.com
Manoj is also the author of Web Analytics World. Web Analytics is an essential component in developing a successful online campaign. Help convert visitors into customers by understanding them.
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