Increase The Conversion Rate of Your Website in 2013
Posted 10th January 2013 at 02:20 PM by katona44
Updated 10th January 2013 at 05:28 PM by Janet Sawyer (It was a blog post, not an article.)
Updated 10th January 2013 at 05:28 PM by Janet Sawyer (It was a blog post, not an article.)
Tags conversion rate
The New Year is full of opportunity for improvement, and to achieve that let’s look at what you’ve done wrong (until now) as well as what you’re doing right.
In this "blog post" your focus needs to shift away from “how do I get more traffic?” because it isn’t website visitors you want; it is closed sales and loyal customers.
You see, most website owners cast a shadow over conversion rate by focusing on bringing in more traffic, but all that effort goes to waste. Even your SEO efforts are wasted when visitors show up and are immediately disappointed.
In a nutshell, conversion rate is a measure of how many new visitors go on to buy or fulfill a call to action.
That is the number you want to raise this year! Here’s how you can do it:
Make it easy to complete the action.
This seems obvious enough, but it’s easier than you think to screw it up. Let’s start by focusing on browsers, because it’s important to have a responsive website. Sure, it’s easy to fill out your contact form on a computer… but what about a phone? Make sure your website displays properly on all browsers and any platform.
(This is one of many reasons why you should avoid using flash in your website, by the way.)
Beyond the flexibility of your website, it should still be easy (on all platforms) to find the next step. Could you be losing sales because it’s too darn hard to buy?
Better yet, make it quick and easy to complete the action.
Take a good look at your contact form. Do you really need all that information? When you ask for too much, you’re essentially wasting a potential customers’ time. More importantly, you may be asking for private information that people just aren’t comfortable giving out anymore.
For example, one of the biggest mistakes you can make is forcing new customers to create an account. What if they only wanted to buy one thing, one time? (They are more likely to come back if they had a pleasant experience.) Is it worth losing one sale because the process was too long and complicated?
Make it obvious what visitors need to do.
If you want customers to call, give them your number. Not just in the header and/or side bar but in a call to action. On-every-page.
Earn Trust.
You don’t establish trust by saying “hey, you can trust me.” One of the worst ways to build trust is by bashing competition. Instead, show (through quality content) that you know your industry, and why you are passionate about it. If you sell pet food, show off your own pets!
Give Peace of Mind
What kind of guarantee do you offer that potential customers will be 100% satisfied? Do you accept returns? Post this information visibly, near every call to action to eliminate fear and doubt.
Offer Different Payment Options
To close an online sale, you should be able to accept all major credit cards, Google Wallet payments, and Paypal. At least. Of course, nobody is going to give you their payment information if you haven’t established trust and credibility.
Most Importantly, Know What Makes You Different
You can call this your “unique selling point”. Heck, call it whatever you want as long as you use it!
Put it this way, you have 30 seconds to catch the readers’ attention before they bounce. If they stick around past that first test, but you’re still not closing enough sales… then you’re doing something wrong.
Source:
Increase The Conversion Rate of Your Website in 2013
In this "blog post" your focus needs to shift away from “how do I get more traffic?” because it isn’t website visitors you want; it is closed sales and loyal customers.
You see, most website owners cast a shadow over conversion rate by focusing on bringing in more traffic, but all that effort goes to waste. Even your SEO efforts are wasted when visitors show up and are immediately disappointed.
In a nutshell, conversion rate is a measure of how many new visitors go on to buy or fulfill a call to action.
That is the number you want to raise this year! Here’s how you can do it:
Make it easy to complete the action.
This seems obvious enough, but it’s easier than you think to screw it up. Let’s start by focusing on browsers, because it’s important to have a responsive website. Sure, it’s easy to fill out your contact form on a computer… but what about a phone? Make sure your website displays properly on all browsers and any platform.
(This is one of many reasons why you should avoid using flash in your website, by the way.)
Beyond the flexibility of your website, it should still be easy (on all platforms) to find the next step. Could you be losing sales because it’s too darn hard to buy?
Better yet, make it quick and easy to complete the action.
Take a good look at your contact form. Do you really need all that information? When you ask for too much, you’re essentially wasting a potential customers’ time. More importantly, you may be asking for private information that people just aren’t comfortable giving out anymore.
For example, one of the biggest mistakes you can make is forcing new customers to create an account. What if they only wanted to buy one thing, one time? (They are more likely to come back if they had a pleasant experience.) Is it worth losing one sale because the process was too long and complicated?
Make it obvious what visitors need to do.
If you want customers to call, give them your number. Not just in the header and/or side bar but in a call to action. On-every-page.
Earn Trust.
You don’t establish trust by saying “hey, you can trust me.” One of the worst ways to build trust is by bashing competition. Instead, show (through quality content) that you know your industry, and why you are passionate about it. If you sell pet food, show off your own pets!
Give Peace of Mind
What kind of guarantee do you offer that potential customers will be 100% satisfied? Do you accept returns? Post this information visibly, near every call to action to eliminate fear and doubt.
Offer Different Payment Options
To close an online sale, you should be able to accept all major credit cards, Google Wallet payments, and Paypal. At least. Of course, nobody is going to give you their payment information if you haven’t established trust and credibility.
Most Importantly, Know What Makes You Different
You can call this your “unique selling point”. Heck, call it whatever you want as long as you use it!
Put it this way, you have 30 seconds to catch the readers’ attention before they bounce. If they stick around past that first test, but you’re still not closing enough sales… then you’re doing something wrong.
Source:
Increase The Conversion Rate of Your Website in 2013
Total Comments 0
