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I'm sure you've heard multiple gurus tell you there is only one right way to do business online. They're wrong. There isn't only one way. There are multiple ways to reach new prospects and convert prospects into sales.

There also isn't just one way to design your website. Let's eliminate some of the confusion and point out 3 of the ways you might design a site for maximum response. In many businesses, you might find the best response of all is to have 3 different websites that fit into each of these categories.

Website Method #1 - Lead Generation

A lead generation page is also sometimes called a "squeeze" page. You have one goal with this type of site...to get people to give you their contact information. You promise them some type of benefit in exchange for their name and email address (in some cases additional information as well).

You don't provide outside links on this page. You don't provide any free content (unless people sign-up). You give visitors one purpose...to sign-up for the list. This type of site will have the highest conversion of visitors to email sign-ups.

A lead generation page is my favorite method to use with paid advertising. If I'm paying for visitors, I want as many of them as possible to join my list. The money is in the list.

Website Method #2 - Sales Page

This is similar to the lead generation site, because you only have one primary purpose here as well. It's often called a mini-site because it usually consists of one primary page and an order link. It looks simply like a sales letter that you can scroll all the way down to read all of it.

Your highest conversion rates of visitors into buyers will usually come a page like this. Visitors either buy your product or they leave the site. There aren't any outside links to distract or confuse them. You're not offering multiple products. A confused mind does not buy.

It's simple. You have this solution to their problem. You will find this type of page converts extremely well for low cost items and for any price item when the visitors are coming because of an endorsement.

If you're selling a high ticket item without an endorsement from another site or newsletter, then I'd recommend using the lead generation page first. Get people on your list so you can follow-up on them. Then take them over the sales page for a good conversion rate.

Website Method #3 - Content Site

This type of site has been neglected by many people in online marketing circles. The lead generation page gets the highest conversion of visitors to subscribers, and the sales pages closes the most sales. Where does a content site fit in the picture?

The content site is going to be the one to generate the most free traffic. While you could use an affiliate program to generate free traffic to a lead generation or sales page, a content site can generate traffic from search engines, directories, incoming links, publicity, and more.

This site can become the free backbone that drives the traffic to your other pages. You produce content pages (or have them produced for you). You work on creating incoming links to your site. The site generates free traffic. That's the goal here.

You then turn the traffic into cash by sending those visitors to your lead generation or sales pages for better conversion rates. The content site takes quite a bit more work than the other types of sites, but it's the one generating all the free visitors.

Don't limit what type of content site you create. This could be free articles. It might be videos. It could be a discussion board or a blog. It could be something entertaining. Basically it's something of value that will cause other sites to link to you.

Build your lead generation site. Build your sales page. But don't forget the free traffic a content site can send you in the process.