There are few things more frustrating to a website owner than knowing that they have an excellent website design, but it does not convert as well as expected. Often the causes of poor conversion are not major nor require wholesale design changes (though it can happen) but rather that some elements of the web design are not being optimised as much they could be.
If you feel your website is not hitting the heights in terms of its conversion rate, here are some of the optimisations which should get it closer to those conversion targets. If you are unsure how to action any of them, speak to a professional web designer who will be happy to help implement the changes.
Optimised Content Design: Content only helps with conversion if it is formatted in a way so that it can be easily digested by the person viewing or reading it. Check all your existing content and ensure it is so by breaking down chunks of text, adding white space and optimising image quality, for example.
Effective Call To Action Copy: Conversion rates rely heavily on calls to action being clear and specific. The smallest hint of ambiguity means prospects will be confused and reticent to click anything that might take them forward in your sales funnel.
Reduce Number Of Call To Actions Per Page: As well as making your calls to action better, you also need to ensure that you do not have too many on each page as this simply dilutes the message and could even confuse those landing on those pages.
Keep Form Fields To Minimum: The more you ask of anyone the less likely they are to agree to your request. This is why having too many form fields can damage your conversions so keep them to a minimum. For example, just one form field asking for an email address is a valid option.
Use Auto-Fill In Forms: Sticking with forms, a great way to make the process even easier for visitors, and thus increase conversions, is to make the fields auto-fill. This means the person’s browser will automatically complete fields such as their name and email address, and all they have to do is click to submit.
Smarter Headlines: Do the headlines on your website pages grab your visitors’ attention? If not, your visitors are immediately underwhelmed and if that continues you have little hope of enthusing them enough to take any further action on your website which may constitute a conversion of any kind.
Increase Amount Of Video Content You Have: It is no fluke that YouTube is now the second most visited website on the internet after Google. This should tell you that internet users love to watch videos and should also be a catalyst for you to create some interesting and entertaining videos to publish on your website.
Have Positive Feedback Clearly In View: Social proof is an integral part of online conversion, so it is more than worth your while to include testimonials, reviews, and case studies on your website, especially on pages where you wish to convert. Even a single quote from a happy customer next to a form is effective.
Use Exit Popups: Giving visitors a final chance to take action before they leave can increase conversions and this is what an exit popup will do. Please note most people hate entry popups so do not have any appear the second they arrive as this could see them click away immediately.
Ensure Your Website Speed Is Optimal: If you implement all of the above, it will be of no effect if your website loads slowly as visitors will simply move on before any of your optimisations can be seen. Carry out a speed check of your website and optimise slow pages as needed.