If you’re looking to increase the business you get from your website, it might seem like a good idea to simply get more people to the site at first. However, there’s something very often overlooked; the website’s conversion rate. This is the ability of a site to convert views into actual sales. You can have 1,000 people visiting your site every week, but if only a few of them are actually doing business with you, the conversion rate isn’t as high as it could be.
Using these 7 methods, your website’s conversion rate can be drastically improved, turning viewers into paying customers!
1. Know Your Target Market / Audience
Knowing who your website is aimed at will prove to be a very, very important factor when looking at improving the site’s conversion rate. This is arguably the most important step to take (though it’s not the only one) to increase the business generated by your website, because knowing your target market is crucial to tailoring their browsing experience.
By catering to a particular group’s interests and tastes, a site can keep its viewers interested for longer and get them “hooked” – once engaged with your site’s content, a person is much more likely to continue all the way to purchasing a product or service from you, rather than simply glancing at the home page before deciding they’ve had enough.
2. Ensure Your Website is Accessible and Easy to Use
Nothing can frustrate online shoppers more than websites which are hard to navigate, or which simply don’t work! If you’re running an online store, the shopping cart system and product catalogue should be fully functional and straightforward to keep customers from cancelling their order all-together. Pages and content should be organised in a logical manner, and key functions (such as an Add to Cart or Check Out button) should be made obvious to viewers – if you can’t find a button or don’t know what it does, there’s a very slim chance of actually going through with a purchase because the site is not accessible.
It’s also important to consider multiple web browsers, ensuring that your site is consistent and functional across Internet Explorer, Chrome, Firefox etc – this’ll increase your customer base since people use a variety of different browsing software, unlike 10 years ago when everybody was using Explorer!
3. Keep it “Short and Sweet”
When writing descriptions and other such content for your site, be clear and concise. Large chunks of text can be intimidating and discourage viewers; a good tip is to break up paragraphs into bullet-pointed lists, and titles which are much easier on the eyes and can be much more effective at communicating your intended message.
Remember that viewers will not spend very long looking at a single page/area of content unless it’s interesting, so in a sense you’re working against the clock to convince them that your product or service is worth buying.
4. Use Images and Media Wisely
A picture can speak a thousand words. Clever placement of images and video content can make an enormous difference to your website’s conversion rate; when you visit your home page, what draws your attention first? You can use an image to create a lasting first impression which will ultimately lead to more sales.
Just be careful not to go overboard with imagery, since cluttering a page with media content can result in a negative perception of the website, make the website slow to load and send people elsewhere.
5. Keep Your Customers in the Loop
When buying products from your website, a customer would much rather be well informed about their purchase; giving information such as estimated delivery times is one good way to go about this, but more importantly you should be following up their purchase with confirmation emails and updates on when their product will arrive.
Website visitors should be kept “in the loop” every step of the way (from when they first view the site to after they’ve purchased goods or services), as this gives a lasting impression that your business cares about the customer more than just their money. As such, your website’s conversion rate will improve because not only are people more likely to buy from you, they’re actually more likely to repeatedly do business with you.
6. Be Honest and Trustworthy
Creating a basis of trust for your website’s visitors is key to converting their views into sales. Many online shoppers are still very reluctant to give their bank details to a form on their computer screen, because in many cases it’s hard to tell whether or not an online business can be trusted. By securing your payment process with SSL encryption (and displaying a valid certificate on your site), you give customers reassurance that their information is safe.
Another effective method for appearing more trustworthy is to give your business a face – using an image of your business’ CEO, for example, makes the business transaction more “personal” by adding a human element to the website.
Most importantly though, just be honest with your website’s visitors and avoid misleading them in any way – a little honesty goes a long way in converting these people’s views into business and sales.
7. Give a Lasting Impression
Or in other words, be memorable. This isn’t just about having a catchy tagline or unique logo design though; the overall quality of your website, a wealth of valuable content (such as product reviews, articles and image galleries) and a unique selling point for your business are also crucial for getting your website to stick in someone’s mind.
The unique selling point is especially important – by making your business stand out from others, website visitors are less likely to shop elsewhere because they’ve been given a reason to buy goods/services from you. This can be something as simple as offering free delivery on all products, or having excellent customer service – by advertising these points appropriately on your site, you’ll create a much more memorable experience for website visitors who will then be more inclined to do business with you.
For more information on improving your websites conversion rate email us via our contact page or leave a message on 0800 NUMBER.
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