For some reason bloggers are obsessed with traffic. If you head over to internet marketing forums or blogs, almost every other post is some variation of:

• How can I get more traffic from Google?
• How can I make my YouTube.com viewers come to my site?
• Which guest blogs have the most visitors?
• And so on.

While there’s no denying the importance of traffic on your blog’s health, it doesn’t mean much unless your visitors share your content, sign up for your free report or buy what you’re selling. Here are 5 simple ways to get more conversions starting today:

Use Social Proof

When people are unsure of something they tend to look to see how others act in order to make a decision, as reported in Robert B. Cialdini’s fantastic book, “Influence”. Whenever possible, include the number of customers you have, Facebook likes or anything else that will indicate to people that you’re a popular site! Testimonials, when use realistically and in moderation, is a tried and true tactic that still works in the online world.

Use Hard Numbers

People are naturally drawn to lists, numbers and rankings.

One trick I’ve used on the surveys for money site that I run is to add a ranking list that displays my favorite sites in order. Here is an example of this at a recent post at SurveySpencer.com:

As you can see in the sidebar, I list my favorite survey panels in order, which has increased my conversions by by 55% compared to when a had an unordered list.

Give Them More Than One Chance

There’s no reason that you can’t put your opt-in form two, three or even four times on the page. The more chances you give the user to convert (within reason), the more likely they are to do it. Consider adding conversion opportunities in real estate that’s often wasted by webmasters, such as your blog’s sidebar, at the end of the content or in the comments section. This is one of the simplest ways to get more conversions without having to do any split testing.

The team at Social Triggers does this nicely on their homepage:

Ask Them!

Placing your buttons in obvious places isn’t enough. You really need to have what copywriters call a “call to action”. This is simply text (or video) that gently but firmly tells your visitor to do something. A call to action is especially important with online conversions as it grabs the user’s attention and gives them clear instructions on what they need to do –giving them a rare moment of focus between Facebook and emails.

For example, if you simple have a Twitter Follow button on your site, consider adding the text: “Follow Me On Twitter for Awesome Updates” above the button. Or if you want people to sign up to your newsletter, tell them in plain English: “Enter your email address and sign up for my newsletter today!”.

Test, Test and Test Again!

These are all important, but if you’re serious about conversion optimization, you really need to split test your most important landing pages. Many things that you “think” won’t make a difference actually will (and vice versa). It takes effort but it’s one of the fastest ways to make more money from your site.

Spencer is an avid SEO-pro and internet marketer that enjoys seeing which tweaks can boost his conversions. When he’s not split testing he’s usually scuba diving or rock climbing.