How many of the visitors to your web site take the action you want them to take? Whether you want them to buy something from you, sign up for your newsletter, enter your sweepstakes, or give you contact information to follow up on, you want them to do something. The percentage of visitors who actually do that something is called your "conversion rate."

Many web site owners are great marketers. They know how to drive a ton of traffic to their site. When the results are less than what they had hoped for, they think the answer is to spend more time and money generating even greater traffic.

What they really need to be doing is improving their conversion rate.

Picture this: If you currently get one sale (or subscription, etc) for every 100 visitors to your site, you have a conversion rate of 1%. But what if I told you that by making a few changes to your site you could increase that to two sales per 100, and double your income without increasing your traffic?

The best part is that most often simple changes are all that are needed. Once you make those changes, you can forever "convert" a greater number of visitors without doing anything else different. So, without further ado, here are three changes you can make that will have the greatest likely impact on your conversion rate:

1.Make it easy on your visitor. She is there for information, and if you make it hard for her to get to it, she will leave. Don't make her sit through a flash movie. Don't make her click to another page. Don't make your page so busy she can't find what she's looking for. Instead, treat her to a clean, fast loading page that guides her straight to the action you want her to take and lets her take it.

2.Make your copy persuasive. The words on your page are the most important, and most often overlooked, element in the conversion process. It is what you say to your visitor that will convince her to become your customer. Make those words as powerfully persuasive, benefit laden, and emotionally charged as you possibly can. Sell her on the action you want her to take.

3.Reverse the risk. People are nervous about buying online, or giving out their personal information. State your privacy policy right beside your subscription form. Spell out your money-back guarantee in your product description. Take all the risk away from what you want your visitor to do and she will be more likely to do it.

Making these simple changes can do wonders for your conversion rate. Once you have them in place, you can start enjoying your raise!