Using Suggestion in Web Development, Content Creation & SEO

Suggestion and Web Design go hand in hand

Suggestion is the psychological process by which one person guides the thoughts, feelings, or behavior of another person. –Wikipedia

As the author, Siri Hustvedt stated in her quote, “None of us is immune to suggestion…” She’s right. We are constantly being influenced in some way, shape or form. When we are watching TV, we are being guided by characters and how they portray us in society. When we look at an advertisement, we are being influenced by the culture of the company, the lure of the benefits if we use the products, or how they will make us feel. When we go on our favorite social networks, we are constantly bombarded by what people love and recommend. Suggestion really is a cornerstone in society and there is no escaping it!

Using Suggestion When Developing Our Websites

Knowing we cannot escape suggestion is not a negative. In fact, we should use the power of suggestion to our fullest when we develop and market our websites.

One of the first things I do as a web designer and developer is to sit down with my clients and have a very thorough discussion about their business and industry. After all, I am not an expert at their business… they are. So what I normally do is find out everything I can about their business, what they sell, who their customers are, etc… Once I get that information, I then work with my clients on creating a website that will ‘suggest’ them as the best in their field.

Suggestion is about anticipating how the website visitor will find you, then using this knowledge to develop your website with functional promotions and marketing campaigns that will guide the visitor into clicking for more information or to buy your products and services. Suggestion starts before development and goes all the way through to customer acquisition.

Suggestion and SEO – How These Two Techniques Work ‘Hand in Hand”

Search Engine Optimization is a strategy that requires a marketer to think about how a website visitor will find you. Whether through a search engine like Google or Bing, a video platform like YouTube, a social network like Facebook, or through an article network. SEO is an important part of marketing your website so you can increase your visibility among these channels.

When I develop a website, I research the best phrases and words to use for your industry. I then use these words and phrases to create content that will jump out to your website visitors who are actively seeking a business or product, to ‘suggest’ to them that your company is a good match they should feel comfortable interacting with.

Suggestion and SEO go hand in hand. They are so closely associated, that I would not do my job properly as a marketer, if I did not know how to suggest your products or services to your customers.

Creating Content on your Website to Suggest to Your Customers They Should “Act Now”.

Your website should always contain a CTA or Call to Action. A CTA can be something as simple as filling out a contact form, prompting a telephone call, sending you an email or using a promotional code to purchase a product. Your website should always have at least one, if not many CTA’s throughout your site’s pages and content.

A CTA is a suggestion to a website visitor that if they do ‘x’, they’ll get ‘y’. Basically, if they do something, they’ll get something.

CTA (Call to Action) Examples:

  • Fill out a contact form to receive a free download or pdf catalog
  • Call a phone number to request free information or a consultation
  • Sign up for an email newsletter to receive a discount on a product or service.
  • Buy Now button on your shopping cart to incite a product purchase

The objective of a CTA is to guide your visitor to complete an action. Once they do, they become a ‘lead’. A lead is a potential customer who may purchase your products or services in the future, which ‘leads’ to a sale. (See the play on words there? Clever, right?) The point is, isn’t that what every business wants? More sales?

Suggestion Plays a Vital Role in Making Your Marketing Campaigns a Success.

As stated by Siri Hustvedt’s quote, “no one is immune to suggestion…”, she is absolutely true. But that does not mean that we should not use the power of suggestion to our fullest. After all, it’s not manipulation if you direct a potential buyer to a product or service they are actively seeking out. You are just making it easier for the customer to find you, and to reap the rewards your company has to offer.

I Work With My Customers to Make ‘Suggestions’ through Web Design, Internet Marketing and More…

If you need an internet marketing expert who understands the process of gaining a lead or guiding a visitor to purchase your products or services, contact me for a free consultation. I welcome the call or email.

Contact Lisa Caterbone, Digital Marketer in Las Vegas