In today’s online marketing world, it isn’t enough just to get people to your website in order to make a sale. As competition online has increased significantly, it is important that you harness every visitor that you have.
This can be achieved with Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO). CRO allows you to set up multiple variations of design layouts, sales copy, images and website functionality to see which converts better.
The important thing to know is there is no magic formula for CRO. Having a blue button won’t get 17% more conversions than a red button on all sites. All you can do is employ best practices and see how your users interact. Sometimes the results are counterintuitive, but then again so is human nature.
Here are some tips on what you should try to optimize on your site today.
Inline Validation
Don’t you hate it when you spend 5 minutes filling out a form only to get that error message saying “you completed xyz incorrectly”. Inline validation removes that frustration by showing users what they haven’t completed correctly or what needs to be completed.
Creative Copy In The Call To Action
Creating unique Call To Action (CTA) copy will mean that users actually read your copy. Everyone subconsciously doesn’t read buttons that say “Join Now” or “Sign Up” but if your button says “Free Kittens” people will read it.
Delete Coupon Code Fields
Sorry, but a percentage of your users are clicking off your site to try to save a few dollars by finding a coupon voucher, only to never return. Either remove the coupon field completely or hide it.
Add Benefits Around CTA’s
Adding product benefits around your CTA’s will lower the buyer’s resistance. We all love a “money-back guarantee” “free shipping” or “breakfast included” so make sure your visitors know this at the point of sale.
Large Purchases Need More Information
The reason your website exists is to sell your products or services 24/7, so make sure that you are using this to your advantage. Some products have a large sale price or a complex sales process which can only be made easier with more information. People need lots of validation to purchase a high-ticket item, so make sure you show all the benefits and remove any objections that might arise.
Highlight Your Top Sellers
We all love social proof, so make sure that you showcase your top-selling products. Also, don’t forget that your top-selling products are normally your highest converting, so it should be an easier sale.
Keep High ROI Products Above The Fold
This follows on from showcasing your top sellers. Remember that above the fold is your highest-valued real estate, and you need to maximize revenue from this area.
Experiment with First and Second Person CTA’s
Some sites tend to work better with first-person CTA’s like “Yes, I want to join” or “I’m in”. However, there are also sites that perform better with second-person CTA’s like “Get your eBook now” or “Great, you’re ready to start”. Test it out and see what the results say.
Add Urgency
These days the results are showing that adding urgency is performing better, and it is reflected on many of the larger e-commerce sites such as Booking.com. Add specific terms like “only 3 left” “Order now to receive your products tomorrow” or” “Order now and receive an extended one-year warranty” will definitely create urgency and increase conversions.
Give Visitors What They Have Asked For
The title tag and the description tag of each website page should reflect exactly what is on the page. The title and the major tagline on your web page should contain the main selling proposition of your website and one or two good keywords. If you do not deliver what was promised on the search engine display, your visitors will either bounce off the page or have to search frantically through other pages on your website to find what they are looking for. Do not over-promise and under-deliver.
Provide a Solution
Visitors come to your website because they have a problem that they are looking to solve. Your website needs to clearly tell your website visitors which problem your product or service solves and why your solution is better than your competitor’s offerings. You have only a few seconds to keep a visitor on your page. If the visitor is not convinced within seconds that your website is worth browsing, they will bounce off the site to a competitor’s website.
Increase Your Website Credibility
Customers must feel comfortable with your website to be nudged on the path towards conversion. The overall design of your website is very important, but your website must also look credible, trustworthy, and authoritative to be able to increase your conversion rate. Ways to build trust is to include some or all of the following on your website:
- testimonials and case studies
- awards your company has won
- associations and industry organizations your company belongs to
- photos of your staff or team members
- clear and large images of your products and services
- physical address and a contact phone number
- privacy policy, terms of use, and disclaimer on your website
Make it a Risk-Free Experience
Conversion rates are maximized when you minimize the risk for customers. Emphasize respect for privacy, avoid asking for unnecessary or superfluous information when customers fill out forms, and make them easy to populate with auto tab fields. Another way to minimize the conversion risk through your website is to include some or all of the following:
- highlight secure sites for e-commerce sites
- offer money back or service guarantees
- outline clear terms and conditions
- offer VIP memberships and special deals and offers
- provide a telephone number and email address for customer inquiries
Simplify the Steps to Conversion
Ideally, there should only be three steps or fewer to conversion whether the conversion goal is to download a brochure, subscribe to an email newsletter or book a hotel room. With Google Analytics, you also set up Goals and Funnels to monitor your landing pages and find out where the stumbling blocks to conversion are. Tell your visitors exactly what you want them to do and decrease the steps to conversion. The more steps you have to convert, the more time the customer has to reevaluate their purchase.
Price Anchoring
Pricing anchoring is an effective sales tool that allows you to increase the perceived value of your products whilst maintaining your current prices. The best way to do this is to display the recommended retail price and then highlight your current prices.
Technically-unfriendly website
As well as hard-to-find call-to-action buttons, the technical structure of your website may present issues, and it is recommended that you hire an SEO expert to look at your SEO design if your conversion rate is of concern. In a worst-case scenario, it may even mean a redesign of your website. The technical issues affecting your traffic conversion leading to high abandonment rates may include:
- slow loading times
- a poor navigation structure and low usability
- an annoying Web design such as Flash splash pages, background music or advertisement-heavy content
- an unsecured site or a website design that does not convey high trust, authority, or credibility.
These technical obstacles in your website design need to be addressed in order to convert traffic driven to your website by your SEO activities and ensure your online business remains profitable. If your bounce rate is high, i.e. visitors are exiting within 10 seconds of landing on your website, this may signify that there is a problem with your website design.
The product is not compelling
You may be doing all the right things to reach SEO nirvana and this may be a little ‘ouch’ but the products or services you are offering simply may not be at the right price point, the quality may be lacking or your customer service may not be at a premium. Promotion is only one of the five ‘P’s of the marketing mix that your online team needs to focus on:
- Product – products and services offered and how they differentiate from your competitors (unique selling point).
- Price – setting a fair price for your products and services so you remain competitive but still profitable.
- Place – also known as distribution or the sales channel. This is where your products and services are sold.
- Promotion – the methods used to communicate the benefits and advantages of your products and services to your target market.
- People – the level of customer service you provide to your customer.
If your traffic is high and visitors are able to navigate to your Web pages without any difficulty but traffic conversion is low, then you may want to assess the types of products you are offering customers, whether your products and services are competitively priced and whether you are targeting the right audience with your keyword selection.
As time (and traffic) is needed to test multiple variations, best to harness this now and the results will speak for themselves in a few months. Once you start down this path you will never stop as there are so many things to test, be prepared for some changes in your website and some surprises you wouldn’t have expected.
Also, make sure that you don’t just rely on CRO software for continual improvements. Hardcode the optimal layout/design/copy into the front end of your site as CRO software is quite slow and will affect page download speeds which ironically decreases conversions.
To discover more about how The SEO Works can help you grow targeted website visitors that convert, contact us today, you will be pleasantly surprised at the results we have achieved for clients around the world.
FAQs
What is traffic conversion?
Firstly, let’s explain exactly what traffic conversion is. Most people who do not work in online marketing may assume that it is a direct sale. However, a conversion rate can apply to a few key metrics, and this will vary depending on your business model. An information site may have goals that relate to distributing information, while an e-commerce site may focus on goals that relate to sales. Examples of online KPIs you may set for your site include:
- downloading an information brochure
- subscribing to a newsletter
- filling in an online inquiry form
- subscribing to an RSS feed
- downloading a free trial
- filling out a survey
- booking a hotel room
- making a payment
Your website should be a sales funnel designed to filter visitors towards conversion, and analysis tools such as Google Analytics should be set up so that you can see where visitors are exiting your site or if there are possible stumbling blocks to conversion. Now you are clearer on what qualifies as a conversion goal, let’s have a closer look at the possible reasons why traffic conversion may be a problem.
