Everyone with a website loves traffic, and although attracting an
audience is a big goal, it isn’t the main goal. Website traffic in and
of itself does not keep you in business—it’s those who follow through
with your call to action.
If you focus solely on increasing your number of visitors, you’re
missing an opportunity. Improving your site can increase the percentage
of visitors that make a purchase. Optimizing conversion is more than
selecting the right color for a button or deciding on the best placement
for a contact form. Conversion rate optimization
is evolving. The new definition of conversion optimization encompasses
emphasizing engagement, relationships, value, and your processes.
Here are three overarching principles that will help you with your conversions:
• The user’s experience matters most.
Problems with conversion can range from usability issues to delayed load
times. In an era of convenience, the online tolerance of the average
person is low. Streamline your site to make it as easy as possible for
your visitors to access the information you are providing. The more
information you request the greater the risk that they will exit your
site. Only ask visitors for what you really need, and make your content
clear and concise to help visitors navigate efficiently.
A little known way to cater to the customer is to let go of using a
CAPTCHA. It’s nice to protect yourself from spam, but the three extra
seconds it requires of your user could be a deal breaker. An interesting
study
showed that with a CAPTCHA turned off, only a few automated submissions
were received, but no conversions were lost. Shockingly, using the
CAPTCHA resulted in 160 failed conversions. Consider if it is really
worth it.
• Provide adequate information.
Improving the user’s experience also relies on providing important
information to simplify their product research process. One way top
converting ecommerce sites do this is by inviting customers to leave
feedback.
Unbiased reviews left by customers offers proof that your product or
service is worth it. Allowing potential customers to see candid reviews
increases the chance of conversion. Because users love to research
online, providing reviews or testimonials on your site makes this stage
of the process easier and gives them a favorable impression.
• Ongoing effort is essential.
Many businesses make one of two mistakes when it comes to online
marketing data: they only track small pieces of information or they
track everything but only utilize a small portion of the information. If
you want to be certain your changes are working, look at more than the
volume of sales. Be sure to identify how your visitors are engaging with
your site, checkout abandonment and delve deeper into your purchasing
process to gauge if things are underperforming.
If you do ongoing research into the barriers of conversion, you can address the root of the problem and find a solution.
Overall, conversion rates are personal. Don’t make the mistake of
assuming that what worked for your competition will also work for you.
Be sure to continually test your conversion tactics and their
effectiveness in order to find best revenue-generating version of your
website.
