Here are the ten most probable reasons why prospective customers do not purchase products or subscribe to your web site.

1. Potential customers can’t find you
If customers can’t easily find your site using common search phrases entered on google, there is little chance they will order from you.
To resolve this problem, optimize your web pages for high search engine visibility, and purchase google adwords for words that potential customers are likely to search for.

2. Potential customers don’t believe you
If customers do find your web page, but are immediately turned off by a design or sales approach that lacks credibility, they won’t buy from you.
To build credibility have a well designed web page, have no misspelled words, no unbelievable claims, and include elements that increase believability.

3. Potential customers don’t understand what you are offering
If you confuse potential customers, you lose potential customers.
Craft your web message so customers clearly understand what you are offering – and don’t require them to follow a maze or read 3,000 words to discover what your product really is.

4. Potential customers see no compelling reason to buy
Is there a compelling reason customers should purchase from your site?
Without a compelling reason, the customer is likely to postpone the decision until they find a compelling reason elsewhere.
Offer one or more bonuses, or free overnight shipping, or anything that gives the customer an immediate reason to purchase now?

5. You are targeting the wrong customer
Does your target customer have the ability to buy? Do they use the internet? Do they look on the internet for the product you offer?
If the answer is ‘no’ to any of these questions, you are targeting the wrong customer.

6. You offer a suspiciously low price
If your price is so low as to be unbelievable, it will make customers wary of buying from you.
Customers understand that quality often costs more – They beleive that prices that seem ‘too good to be true’ are often just that.
Avoid setting prices too low for your products.

7.You make it too difficult to order
The more steps you put between the customer and the completed order, the less likely the customer will actually complete the order.
If the order form goes beyond three ‘clicks’, many customers will bail out and not bother ordering.
If you require the customer to print out an order form, write a cheque, and mail it to you, you won’t see many orders. (I’ve found sites that do require orders to be submitted this way).
Make the order process easy. Or be prepared to lose customers. (Note, I’m not saying “don’t” offer orders by mail… it’s a great back-up system if all else fails.)

8.  You make the customers wait too long
When a customer makes the decision to buy, they want the product as quickly as possible.
They do not want to have to wait days or weeks to receive the product, and they will be discouraged from ordering if they are not assured of fast delivery.
You can increase orders by including the phrases ‘immediate’ or ‘overnight’ delivery.

9. You have a technical breakdown on your site
Does your order processing system (shopping cart) work properly?
(Have you actually tried placing an order to see what happens?)
Does your ‘contact us’ system work? (Have you tried it?)
Does your email list (Tip of the Week, etc) work? Have you tried it?
Failures in any of your web site’s techncal systems can be costing you orders.
Be sure to test these systems yourself so you can see what your customers experience.
When did you last test all these?

10.  Customers aren’t looking for your product
Hard as it may be to believe, there is always a chance that customers simply aren’t interested in the product you are offering.
Products do go out of style (and out of demand). If you are trying to sell something that no one wants to buy, you may not find many customers.