Choices good or bad for conversion?

[vabtz]

I am popular for a search term related to a certain store. The store has no affiliate program so I offer three other stores for the visitor to choose from.

Click throughs are at 10% - 15% but conversions after click through is %2

Any one have suggestions?

[rfung]

im guessing people will click on all three (or is it four) stores to check prices and/or more information, so your conversion might seem lower.

[vabtz]

thanks for the reply :-)

even if that were true my overall coversion from start to finish would be below 1%

I am doing someting wrong... these people are shopping.

[Rachel]

I don't have any advice for you, but do you think that main store might start an affiliate program if you asked? I know I've read on here about some "super affiliates" doing just that.

[edited by: Rachel at 3:19 am (utc) on Feb. 26, 2005]

[vabtz]

I don't know but I have been thinking of contacting them for that reason. I was suprised they didn't have one already.

[GuitarZan]

Hey,

I always hate going to a big online store related to something I am wanting to do, and finding nothing for affiliates. I go in there all happy, thinking that the site is going to be great. I quickly go to the bottom to look for Affiliate info, and find nothing.

Makes me wonder sometimes.

C.K.

[howiejs]

So many merchants just don't understand aff marketing.

And some are so scared about their brand and / or spam they won't play

[Michael Anthony]

You gotta approach the store direct - the worst that can happen is that they say no.

I would also suggest trying to rank for terms related to stores from which you CAN make money.

Did this ranking come about by accident? I don't understand why you would build a page to rank for a store without an aff program to start with?

[vabtz]

yeah complete accident I wasa writnig about clothing related to a certain genre and it happened to be a store motto and name.

took me awhile to figure out

maybe the people are looking for store directions instead?

[Michael Anthony]

I've just thought some more about this. I'm searching for "XYZ Store" and I find your site at the top of the SERPS. Great, just what I wanted, I click the link.

Oh no, it's not what I wanted, in fact it's some of their competition. I click away.

I'm pretty certain that your conversions are way below average because you're offering your visitors something other than what they were looking for. Try ranking for the same thing that you're offering and I'm sure that the conversions will normalise.

[GuitarZan]

Hey,

I agree with Michael. But I may have a solution or at the very least you can test it to see.

At the top of the entry, where you are offering competitor offers having something bolded to the effect of why you are offering them something different.

Find something that is better about your merchants, something people will actually care about, and let them know about it and why you are offering them the difference.

They may even thank you.

Thoughts?

C.K.

[vabtz]

Yeah I agree with Micheal too. The fact they are not finding what they want is absolutely the reason they are not buying. So I need a way to get them to stay and buy.

As far as the suggestion to focus on something else. Yes of course I always am writing something new :-) Isn't that part of the WW mantra... "content content content rah rah rah sis boom bah"? I am just perplexed at this one page I think I can do better with it.

GuitarZan thats a good suggestion. I thought something along those lines too today. I was thinking about putting a 4 line paragraph at the top saying "You might be looking for this at the bottom is the link to where you need to go, please check out our stuff too lots of love mysitename"

ok with out the lots of love part but you get the idea...

thoughts?