How To Turn Your Website Into a Conversion Machine
Do you feel like your website isn’t converting as many leads as it should be?
Conversion rate optimization is a true balance of art and science. There’s a wealth of data out there that tells us a lot about what works and what doesn’t but the creative element is all in the execution.
When it comes down to it, conversion rate optimization on your website depends on two areas: design and credibility. We’re going to reveal the most important aspects of each area and what you can adjust to maximize your overall conversions in no time.
Conversion Rate Optimization
4 Ways To Measure Conversion Rates
The biggest struggle companies have with social media and online marketing isn’t getting an ROI, it’s tracking it. Optimizing conversion rates first requires you to properly track conversions. Here’s a few ways how to do it:
- Inquiry Forms. A “Destination URL” can be setup in Google Analytics to record a conversion each time a user lands on the page. For example, if you have a free eBook download when signing up to your email list, the “Thank you for signing up” page that is revealed after registering would be a possible destination URL worth tracking.
- Telephone Calls. Yes, there is a way to track UNIQUE telephone calls that come from your website. Sorcery, you say? There are many telephone tracking companies that can record a goal in Google Analytics every time your phone rings. Each visitor sees a unique phone number that triggers a connection to that particular session in Google Analytics.
- Live Chats. Those little live chat popups you see on many websites are events that can be tracked in Google Analytics.
- E-Commerce Transactions. E-commerce tracking in Google Analytics can record each sale as well as the monetary value of the sale.
Contact Forms Vs. Displaying Email Information
Providing your email address in the “Contact Us” section of your website might make sense at first but that doesn’t allow you to track those conversions effectively. Your data becomes distorted and your conversion rate data will show much lower numbers than is true in reality. Replace all email addresses with inquiry forms, which can be tracked in Google Analytics.
Need more help with your email signup form? Read about the 4 Things That Lead to Huge Success of Total Failure when it comes to email signup forms from Andy Crestodina at Orbit Media.
4 Things Your Website Needs To Convert Higher
- Great Design. A study from Northumbria University revealed that people judge a website’s quality and trustworthiness mostly on design, not content. Investing in great design pays off.
- Clearly Convey Offering & USP. Ensure visitors to your website understand clearly what your offering is and what is your unique selling proposition (USP).
- Build Credibility. In order to be believed, you must build credibility in the eyes of users who have never heard of your company before. The best tool available to do that is high value content that positions you as the expert.
- Have a Clear & Compelling Call-to-Action [CTA]. Once the above three points have been carefully addressed, leave the user no doubt on what their next step is. Do not have more than two CTAs on a page as they will dilute each other and confuse the user.
Essential Design Tips For Optimizing Conversions On Your Website
1. Use Video & Bullet Points
People hate having to fish the valuable content out of big, fat paragraphs of text. Make use of video and bullet points to quickly convey the most important points of the page.
2. Landing Pages
Make sure to have highly targeted pages for each product or service so users looking for those things are not distracted by other offerings.
3. Learn From The Best
Analyze websites from the most successful companies and model what works and ignore what doesn’t.
4. Use Neuromarketing Web Design
Neuromarketing is described as the science of using cognitive biases to influence the decision making process of consumers in marketing. Still confused? Learn 15 ways Neuromarketing web design can help you connect with visitors’ brains over at Orbit Media or watch the video below of Andy Crestodina giving the run down.
5. Great Imagery/360 Degree Product Rotations
Users need to be able to almost “touch” your products. Multiple high quality images, 360 degree rotation / zoom and, where possible, video of the product will dramatically increase conversion rates.
6. Use Models
When selling clothes, present them on real models, not hangers or mannequins. Look at Asos for a great example of a company that uses real models to sell their clothes.
7. Cross Browser Testing & Mobile Compatibility
We took on a new client recently and noticed that they had amazing stats for desktop users and horrendous declines for mobile users. A quick look at their mobile site revealed that their homepage slider didn’t work (a major part of their design), content from the blog looked very poor and the average load time on Android devices was over 30 seconds. YIKES! We installed a mobile version of their site and their stats shot up over 1000% across the board within days.
Upon further investigation, we learned it was all because mobile users were no longer dropping off immediately upon arriving. They were now reading multiple pages and spending an average time of several minutes. A night and day difference with dramatic results instantly after a relatively simple change.
8. Promote Your Competitive Advantages
Do you offer free shipping or next day delivery? Do you have the lowest price, guaranteed? Make sure these advantages are displayed clearly and prominently. Part of Amazon’s success was being an early pioneer of free shipping.
7 Credibility Boosters To Showcase on Your Website
1. Testimonials & Case Studies
If at all possible, showcase video testimonials of happy clients speaking positively about your company. This can be the difference of a few percentage points in increased conversion rates.
2. Keep Your Blog Up To Date
It never looks good when your last blog post was from 6 months ago on a topic that’s no longer relevant today. It makes it look like you’ve gone out of business! A post within the last week or less has the opposite effect.
3. Cause Marketing – Promote Your CSR Initiatives
If your company gives back to the community with a corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiative, make sure you promote this on your website as it creates goodwill with new and existing visitors.
4. Leverage The Credibility of Your Suppliers and/or Customers
Do you have well known clients or partners? Promote their logos on your website in a “Our Clients” section. This could even be showcased right on the homepage.
5. Trade Associations/Third Party Verifications
Promote your membership of trade associations, awards and award nominations to build further credibility.
6. Resources
If you have free resources like white papers, ebooks and webinars, use them! Give some content away for free and then gate the rest behind a sign up form on your website.
7. Promote Your Social Media Presence
Use social plugins that show your follower data and recent posts on Twitter, Facebook or other networks. I especially like the Facebook plugin for its built-in social proof by showing which of visitors’ friends already like your page.
The Art of The Call To Action
- Keep It Simple. Don’t have too many calls to action. One clear and compelling CTA beats having multiple because it gives the reader once obvious next step to take.
- Don’t Ask For The Sale Right Away. You need to clearly articulate what you’re offering, your unique selling proposition before going for your CTA.
- Exit Popups. Many websites shy away from those popups that appear automatically when a new visitor comes to your site to push an incentive for joining the mailing list. Yes, there are many examples of this done wrong but they are proven to significantly increase conversion rates. Plus, there are excellent plugins that have features that are far less likely to annoy your visitors. I would recommend checking out HybridConnect if you use WordPress.
- Don’t Ask For Unnecessary Info. Keep your inquiry forms short and ask only for the most essential information. All you need is a name, email and possibly phone number. Everything else can be obtained via email or telephone communication.
- Use Live Chat. Many “on the fence” visitors can be converted with a live chat widget. Whether you sell products or a service, this could be a valuable tool for increasing conversions.
Conversion Rate Optimization: Where Does It End?
As you can see, conversion rate optimization is a very calculated approach to marketing that never loses sight of the bottom line.
Where are you struggling or excelling with conversion rate optimization on your own website? Let us know in the comments below!
