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Over 80 Percent of Business Websites 'Throwing Away Sales', Survey Reveals
LANCASTER, England, October 8 /PRNewswire/ -- A new survey has found that 83 percent of businesses believe their websites are failing to convert enough visitor traffic into actual sales or enquiries, report online consultancy Backbone IT Group. In a poll of one hundred UK companies, only 15 percent expressed a high level of satisfaction with the amount of business being generated by their websites. Companies also feared that less than half of potential online sales were currently being achieved. The survey, carried out by Backbone IT Group with assistance from Lancaster University, also highlights a lack of awareness in the wider business community of some of the more recent online marketing practices. Although the majority of respondents were familiar with Search Engine Optimisation (improving the quantity and quality of visitor traffic from search engines), only 42 percent had heard of Conversion Rate Optimisation - which improves website performance so that more visitors are converted into customers. "Most businesses clearly need to improve the number of online sales and enquiries they are generating, but few are aware of the specific services now available to help them do it," comments Richard Unwin, director of Backbone IT Group, which provides Conversion Rate Optimisation as a central part of its service portfolio. Just 11 percent of sampled businesses were using some form of Conversion Rate Optimisation, compared to 75 percent employing Search Engine Optimisation - figures that Backbone believe must change in the face of the global credit crunch. "Difficult economic conditions will mean businesses with wasteful websites are likely to lose out to competitors operating fully optimised sites that convert far more visitor traffic into sales," says Unwin. "Websites increasing visitor conversion rates by just a few percent often double or even triple the number of sales or enquiries generated. The impact of Conversion Rate Optimisation on bottom-line profitability can be remarkable," he explains. The full results of the survey are now available online at http://www.backboneitgroup.com/survey2008, together with additional information and tips and advice on improving website conversion rates. Notes For Editor Backbone IT Group was founded in 1999 and provides search engine optimization, Internet marketing and software development services to clients worldwide. Contact Backbone IT Group Richard Unwin sales@backboneitgroup.com Telephone: +44-(0)1524-65533
