This is a guest post written by Andy Drinkwater at iNet SEO. I’m just about to start working through his “to do” list myself!
Everyone is very quick to hop on the SEO bandwagon, and in many cases, it is absolutely the right thing to do. But what happens if your search positions are acceptable? Do you just turn away and leave nature (Google) to take its course? Or do you turn towards the traffic on your site and start making sure that when someone visits your site, that they complete a desired action?
For many recruitment agencies, getting clients and candidates to their website is not always the primary concern – it is getting a new appointment or CV that is going to make the difference. If a new visitor arrives at your website, you have to inspire confidence in as any ways as possible otherwise they will simply leave again and knock on the door of your competition.
Contact Us
Look at your contact page, and be very brutal with yourself (sometimes easier said than done). If you were a new visitor, would you be inclined to fill in your details and hit the send button? Does the page feel inviting? Does it inspire trust? Does it say “We understand you are looking for a partner – we are that partner!”
If you are unable to take a step back and view this yourself, do ask friends, family and colleagues for their feelings. It might leave you feeling a little raw, but isn’t that preferable than finding there is more that can be done and you don’t need to be hemorrhaging potential new business?
Privacy Policy
Often overlooked, you will be surprised by the number of candidates and clients who like to read a privacy policy that gives assurances that you wont just send a CV out without consulting them first, or that a new job role will be kept strictly confidential because it could be sensitive?
Make mention of key points as soon as they arrive on the Privacy Policy page so they don’t have to go rooting for it and at the end of the page, place a link straight through to your contact page – give them a call to action.
Words Mean Everything
We all want to be able to write content that covers all bases, but the simple fact is, that not everyone can. Being a successful recruitment consultant has absolutely nothing to do with being a copywriter. So don’t be afraid to outsource your sales pages to professionals who can help create that warmth and comfort that will help create a feeling of trust. It wont cost the earth and you will be glad you did!
Colour For Action
Getting someone to contact you isn’t just down to good content – there are also subliminal messages at work as well. Studies have shown that if you have a Red contact button, you are less likely to get someone to click on it than if you had an Orange one. And why Orange? First of all you must understand that Red, albeit an aggressive colour and you want to be seen as someone who takes no prisoners, has been shown to be associated with negative aspects such as caution, danger and debt. Yellow is the first colour the mind sees, so combining this with Red, gives you the perfect call to action button. You only have to look at the likes of Amazon to see this in use. The likes of Blue has been shown to make visitors reconsider what they are about to do, so this is well avoided. Getting a little scientific with what might appear to be a throw-away thought can actually help you increase your conversion rates.
There are many other aspects you can look at such as themes, layouts and graphics, that you should never be short on ideas on how to increase visitor contact.
