Help Your Website Sell More: 11 Overlooked Page Elements That Drive Online Sales

[JBloggs]

Sometimes we can throw the baby out with the bathwater when we think that advice online doesn't apply to B&B websites, but if you look at it AS applying to your website you might glean some useful tips. After all, we are SELLING ROOMS, we are SELLING AN EXPERIENCE as well.
This is worth a read. Some noteworthy excerpts :
[h2]Element #2 – Customer Confidence[/h2]
Despite the fact that so many transactions are carried out online, the lack of personal interaction in this medium means that even the smallest thing that’s out of place on your ecommerce pages can rapidly erode customers’ trust in your product and business.
Element #4 – Tell Me And Show Me
Too many product pages provide too little insight into what the customer is actually buying. (!!! GET THOSE PHOTOS ON YOUR SITE, LARGE AND IN CHARGE INNKEEPERS! DON'T KEEP THE ROOMS A SECRET!)
[h1]Help Your Website Sell More: 11 Overlooked Page Elements That Drive Online Sales[/h1]
Read entire article here http://blog.kissmetrics.com/help-your-website-sell/

 

[JBloggs]

[COLOR= rgb(72, 72, 72)]"Take the road less-travelled with your social proof: use real people in your testimonials and images, skip the logo pond and share one key case study or client anecdote."[/COLOR]
AMEN!

 

[Weaver]

Excellant information, we are in fact "selling" our rooms on an e-commerce site.
The delivery of the product takes place when the guest arrives.
The pre-visit interaction a guest has on a web site can set the tone for the entire visit.

 

[Arks]

Regarding customer confidence, would it help to put one of those padlock images on our "Reserve Now" button to let them know it's a secure place to use their credit card?

 

[Joey Camb]

As well my point being I may balk at the commission for laterooms and booking.com but their web sites are very well designed -
1- put in the postcode of where you want to go and it will sort the nearest places to it by distance
2- can sort by price, review, star rating etc
3- dead easy to book with!
This is what the customer wants people! don't make them fight you to make a booking!

 

[Highlands John]

As well my point being I may balk at the commission for laterooms and booking.com but their web sites are very well designed -
1- put in the postcode of where you want to go and it will sort the nearest places to it by distance
2- can sort by price, review, star rating etc
3- dead easy to book with!
This is what the customer wants people! don't make them fight you to make a booking!.

Yep, totally agree. Even on some professional websites it's so hard to actually spend your money with them.
And when I'm spending online I'm very suspicious of websites with errors, lots of spelling errors, missing images, anything like that, especially if the site expects me to put in my card details which is not through a recognised third party processor.
There's a B&B near here that have had pages with "under construction" on their website for over a year. I would take one look at that and then go somewhere else.

 

[Kay Nein]

Regarding customer confidence, would it help to put one of those padlock images on our "Reserve Now" button to let them know it's a secure place to use their credit card?

.

Putting a picture of a padlock next to your button does not mean it's secure. Savy online consumers know how to tell if a website is secure or not. Some browser plug-ins will actually tell you when your on a secure site and "https://" at the beginning of the web address means it's on a secure server.
If you request sensitive information from your customers, you can purchase a security certificate from your domain registrar. They confirm that your site is secure and you pay a fee to have their certificate/seal put on your site. It's peace of mind for the buyer.
Ours looks like this:

 

[Arks]

Regarding customer confidence, would it help to put one of those padlock images on our "Reserve Now" button to let them know it's a secure place to use their credit card?

.

Putting a picture of a padlock next to your button does not mean it's secure. Savy online consumers know how to tell if a website is secure or not. Some browser plug-ins will actually tell you when your on a secure site and "https://" at the beginning of the web address means it's on a secure server.
If you request sensitive information from your customers, you can purchase a security certificate from your domain registrar. They confirm that your site is secure and you pay a fee to have their certificate/seal put on your site. It's peace of mind for the buyer.
Ours looks like this:

.

Putting a picture of a padlock next to your button does not mean it's secure. Savy online consumers know how to tell if a website is secure or not. Some browser plug-ins will actually tell you when your on a secure site and "https://" at the beginning of the web address means it's on a secure server.
If you request sensitive information from your customers, you can purchase a security certificate from your domain registrar. They confirm that your site is secure and you pay a fee to have their certificate/seal put on your site. It's peace of mind for the buyer.
Ours looks like this:

Well of course to all the above. Your checkout must actually BE secure if you say it is. My point is that adding a few reminders that it IS secure may help with easing customers' minds.

 

[Kay Nein]

Regarding customer confidence, would it help to put one of those padlock images on our "Reserve Now" button to let them know it's a secure place to use their credit card?

.

Putting a picture of a padlock next to your button does not mean it's secure. Savy online consumers know how to tell if a website is secure or not. Some browser plug-ins will actually tell you when your on a secure site and "https://" at the beginning of the web address means it's on a secure server.
If you request sensitive information from your customers, you can purchase a security certificate from your domain registrar. They confirm that your site is secure and you pay a fee to have their certificate/seal put on your site. It's peace of mind for the buyer.
Ours looks like this:

.

Putting a picture of a padlock next to your button does not mean it's secure. Savy online consumers know how to tell if a website is secure or not. Some browser plug-ins will actually tell you when your on a secure site and "https://" at the beginning of the web address means it's on a secure server.
If you request sensitive information from your customers, you can purchase a security certificate from your domain registrar. They confirm that your site is secure and you pay a fee to have their certificate/seal put on your site. It's peace of mind for the buyer.
Ours looks like this:

Well of course to all the above. Your checkout must actually BE secure if you say it is. My point is that adding a few reminders that it IS secure may help with easing customers' minds.
.

I dunno what you dunno... just tryin' to

 

[Madeleine]

Regarding customer confidence, would it help to put one of those padlock images on our "Reserve Now" button to let them know it's a secure place to use their credit card?

.

Putting a picture of a padlock next to your button does not mean it's secure. Savy online consumers know how to tell if a website is secure or not. Some browser plug-ins will actually tell you when your on a secure site and "https://" at the beginning of the web address means it's on a secure server.
If you request sensitive information from your customers, you can purchase a security certificate from your domain registrar. They confirm that your site is secure and you pay a fee to have their certificate/seal put on your site. It's peace of mind for the buyer.
Ours looks like this:

.

Savy online consumers know how to tell if a website is secure or not.

The operative word is 'savvy'. MANY guests are not in the least little bit internet savvy. I probably still get at least one rez/week from a guest who doesn't want to put their cc info 'on the internet'. I don't explain that I am doing exactly that when I take their rez.