How many websites do you visit for 30 seconds and then leave? You're not alone. So many companies are obsessed with getting more traffic to their site, only to have teaming hordes of new visitors bail out of their home page seconds after arriving.

Fewer websites would fail if their owners put at least as much effort into converting existing traffic as they do into getting inbound traffic in the first place.

You surf the Web using a browser and that's what you do most of the time -- browse. Yet you want everyone who visits your website to do a lot more than browse; you want them to take action.

Below are my top tips on how to get people to take action at your site:

1. Ask Why: Gauge the intentions of your site's visitors. Are they doing research or in "buy" mode? Do they even know what they want yet, or are they just doing what I call "wool-gathering" or trolling for information? If they're in wool-gathering mode, you're not likely to sell them something that day. Be sure to provide options for both types of visitors.

2. Start an Email Newsletter: "Duh," you say. Well, if your visitors are not ready to buy, at least get them to take some incremental action so you can stay in touch with them. That way, you'll be there when they are ready to pull the trigger, whenever that is.

3. Focus Focus Focus: This is hard for websites of large firms since there are many competing interests battling for screen real estate. But your site must be single-minded -- or it must at least guide those single-minded visitors who know exactly what they want. How many times have you visited a site and been unable to do what you came for? The same is probably happening on your site right now.

4. Practice Eye-Tracking: Create "visual corridors" that make it obvious where the visitors' eyes go next. At the end of that visual corridor, have some actionable payoff ready.

5. Get a Voice: The Web is a very suspicious place. Unless you are a trusted and well-known brand, your site will have to overcome that understandable suspicion. Having a consistent and believable "copy voice" will help you get past the suspicion hump.

6. Look for the Right Traffic: Not all traffic is created equal. You want only those visitors who will ultimately have some affinity with your offerings, whatever they may be. You may use keyword suggestion tools like DigitalPoint or maybe you'll optimize your keyword ROI with such respected tools as Atlas OnePoint. Either way, consciously select your audience.

7. Define Your Content Strategy: Look at my Search Engine For Marketers at: http://www.SearchEngineForMarketers.com for a good example of how to use existing content for SEO (search engine optimization) purposes, which in turn will bring you appropriate traffic delivered from your search engine listings. If you need help developing your content strategy, contact me and I can assist you on a consulting basis.

8. News Marketing: Create news that has buzz value. I don't mean you should bang out useless, self-serving press releases. Rather, create a content event so good that you yourself would stop what you're doing to witness it. Easier said than done. Here again, I can help you on a consulting basis.

9. Deliver Utility Marketing: Create and post useful tools that your audience will return to again and again during the course of their endeavours. For an example of one such tool that appeals to marketers, see my CPM calculators at: http://www.wdfm.com/advertising.html

10. Don't Be Shy: Too many websites just don't get to the point. Have you ever noticed that you get an approving response when you clearly state your intentions f2f (face-to-face)? The exact same thing is true of websites. People appreciate clarity of purpose and intention.

Bonus Tip:
11. Take Action Now: Don't just read this and go on to the next thing. Commit to improving your website response rates now. I offer a service only to my subscribers called "Website Wake-Up Call". I personally review your website by phone with you and give you a no-holds-barred evaluation. During this 1 hour phone call, I will give you at least 12 strategies and tactics on how you can:

• Get your website to make the phone ring
• Come up higher in search engine results
• Fine tune your copy for higher conversion rates
• Create content so good other sites will point to you
• Get visitors to your site to take action

Thereafter, you and I will schedule one more 30-minute session so you can ask me all those questions you thought of after our initial consultation. Normally I only consult with clients on a monthly retainer basis. But for subscribers to my Web Digest For Marketers email newsletter I make this service available for $1000. To schedule a "Website Wake-Up Call", contact me by filling out the form at: http://www.wdfm.com/contactlarry.php LC