One of the most important metrics to any online business or marketing campaign is your website’s conversion rate. It doesn’t matter if you drive millions of people to your website if none of them convert. What constitutes a conversion will depend, of course, on what your goal is. It could be content downloads, purchases, sign-ups to your email lists and more. However, in all cases, these conversions will either create immediate revenue or will push prospects to another phase in your funnel so that they convert into revenue later on down the line.
So, conversion rates will translate into revenues eventually. And that means ensuring you generate the best possible conversion rate, which shouldn’t be too difficult, right? Well, not really. Things are never that simple because there are so many factors to take into account that will affect whether or not a prospect converts. Here are 5 tips to help you improve your conversion rate.
Increase Your CTAs
An action is made up of four elements, namely opportunity, ability, willpower and incentive. In other words, you have to present users with the opportunity to convert, give them the means by which to do so, provide them with an enticement and then ensure that they carry through.
The first step is to provide them with the opportunity to convert, and that means having multiple calls-to-action on your website. Though quality is usually more important than quantity, in this case, both are equally as important. Providing plenty of opportunities is one of the simplest things you can change but it’s also the most overlooked.
So, make sure you post plenty of CTAs, providing visitors with the opportunity to sign up, purchase or download. Put them in the sidebar, in your posts, as popup offers and more. Don’t go crazy, though. You don’t want to alienate your prospects. Finding the sweet spot might be difficult but it’s nothing a little split testing won’t help you with.
Position Your CTA At the End of Compelling Content
One study discovered that conversion rates increased by 304% when the call-to-action was placed after a piece of compelling content. So, make sure your sales copy is stellar and then place the CTA at the end as your visitors will be more motivated to follow through once you’ve convinced them with your copy.
Make Conversions Easy
Some people just seem intent on sabotaging themselves. They force their users to fill out lengthy forms or their site is full of bugs, making it impossible for someone to convert. And most people will give up within a few seconds because our attention spans have shrunk to ridiculously low levels. So, to avoid your visitors jumping ship, make sure that your site is easy to navigate, functional and that all forms are easy and quick to fill out. It takes the tiniest obstacle for visitors to give up, losing you another conversion, so don’t give them the opportunity to bail.
Offer a Distraction-Free Environment
We’re already surrounded by myriad distractions, so the last thing you should be doing is providing your visitors with even more distractions when you want them to convert. Instead of placing your calls-to-action among a ton of other content that engages your visitors, try to keep the surrounding area as clutter-free as possible. Don’t stick it next to links for related content or next to a banner ad because your visitors’ attention will be divided and you could come out on the losing end. Remember, keep it as distraction-free as possible if you want to see your conversion rates increase.
Don’t Give Them Too Many Options
While options are usually a good thing, offering your prospects too many options can backfire. The more options someone has, the more likely they are to freeze and get stuck in analysis-paralysis mode. Generally, stick to two or three options at most, because it will be easier for your prospects to make a decision. Also, make sure the middle offer is the one you really want to sell because people generally tend to choose the middle one, a fact that has been proven by retailers and marketers repeatedly.
There are many other strategies and tactics to help you increase your website’s conversion rates, but these are certainly a good starting point. Beyond these, remember that the key is to actually work at it and once you’ve done your testing and established the best methodology, you can move on to other tactics to drive those conversions even higher.
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