Posted in Internet Marketing Strategy	June 25, 2008

Convert more website visitors into buyers or subscribers from any page on your site by using these 6 methods

To move the conversion process along on organic landing pages (pages that convert based on search traffic), website designers insert conversion architecture page elements called OFIEs, OFINs, floater order forms, display ads, text ads, and simple text links.

Don’t worry about being the first person to raise your hand; here’s a breakdown of this conversion architecture and landing page lingo:

OFIE (Order form in editorial): An OFIE is an embedded subscription form that appears on web pages either to order a product or service, or more likely to sign up for an email newsletter. This order form appears within editorial content on a website, most often found on Article Landing Pages. This is because it’s easier for a publisher to get more subscribers or sales by placing OFIE’s on a page that is most indexed by a search engine.

OFIEs for products or services are often fairly large, coupon-style ads, usually placed in unused space at the bottom of web pages and simply require a user to supply his or her name and address and click "submit".

A good example of an OFIE is at the top and bottom of the CeramicArtsDaily.com homepage. They also feature the top OFIE on all of their articles. These OFIEs at the top of the page collect an email address while the more direct OFIEs at the bottom sell their magazine.

OFIN (Order form in navigation): These online order forms appear in the navigation panels of a website. The customer/end user fills them out to order a product or service or to sign up for an email newsletter. While they are usually smaller in size than OFIEs, an OFIN's strategic intent is the same: to quickly capture your visitor's name and email address in order to grant access to a free special report or a free copy of a magazine or newsletter.

A good example of an OFIN is in the right nav at InvestmentU.com. By entering your email address you are automatically added to their investment email newsletter. The thank-you page upsells to their investment membership website.

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FLOATERS: Named a floater because it appears to float onto a webpage. This was a method created in order to fight back against pop-up blockers. While it may look like a pop-up, a floater does not open in a separate window and therefore cannot be blocked or banned.

The floater order form is a tactic for increasing landing page conversion rates and may be used at nearly every entry point on a website, though it’s usually better to set a cookie to let the floater appear to the user only once upon entry to the site. Floaters on average have about an 8% conversion rate.

A good example of a Floater is on the homepage of FuelNet.com. This Floater only shows up upon first entry and offers a free marketing report in exchange for subscribing to their free email newsletter.

DISPLAY AD: An online advertisement that uses graphics. They are also called banners, skyscraper ads and rich media units. Publishers will sometimes use display ads to promote their free email newsletter.

A good example of a Display Ad that promotes a free email newsletter can be found in between articles on InvestmentU.com.

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TEXT AD: An online advertisement block that uses text links, or text-based hyperlinks, without graphics. These are found within editorial content to sell a product or to obtain an email address.

A good example of a Text Ad can be found embedded within article content at HRDailyAdvisor.BLR.com. For SEO purposes, we’d recommend that they link the product name instead of “click here” or “read more”.

TEXT LINKS: Hypertext links in editorial or navigation that lead to a Rapid Conversion Landing Page. These are the best form of persistent conversion architecture because they are subtle, yet very effective ways to drive traffic to a Rapid Conversion Landing Page with the ultimate goal of increasing email database circulation.

Text links can also be used to direct traffic to an advertiser's landing page. They can be used in a website's masthead area (near search bars or other advertising space), in a website's top navigation, or as part of the website's right or left panel navigation.

A good example of Text Links that lead to a Rapid Conversion Landing Page can be found at GolfVacationInsider.com, which lists links to 52 of their free golf vacation guides.

The ultimate goal for the website publisher is to quickly and easily add unknown site visitors to an email database. Using OFIEs, OFINs, floater order forms, display ads, text ads, and simple text links on a website are relatively simple ways to improve the conversion architecture across your website network.