Mastering your website conversion can be a challenge, even for the experienced website developer. Websites have many moving parts, and it’s not easy picking out which features are helping your conversion versus which are hindering it. If your visitor has too many choices when they reach your site, they won’t convert from visitors into customers. Likewise, if the choices you do provide are complicated and confusing, visitors won’t be willing to spend the time engaging with your content. There will always be adjustments you can make to your site to better understand your customers and their user experience, and these tweaks will help you work toward turning more visitors into clients and customers. Here are some of the most effective ways your website can increase its conversion rate.
What is website conversion?
Website conversion is broadly defined as the rate at which a user completes a desired action on your website. All business and commerce websites are designed to generate conversions, and there are two main types:
Micro-conversions: when a step toward your end goal is achieved, such as subscribing to email marketing, downloading a file, or watching a product video.
Macro-conversions: when your end goal is achieved, such as making a sale, acquiring a new paid subscriber, or receiving a completed contact form.
“Good conversion rates” vary by industry, target audiences, and the goals you set for your company. For example, the conversion rate of an information technology company will differ slightly from finance, and it will further differ depending on the company’s goals for conversion, such as more marketing subscriptions, sales completions, or ad clicks. The ballpark figure for good conversion tends to be between 2% and 5%, but your business should research industry averages, review your existing conversion, and understand your user experience before establishing goals for the future. (Image courtesy of VWO.com)
1. Add a pop-up
Pop-ups are often regarded as an annoying element of a website, especially when they block you from even getting to the content on the site. However, pop-ups can be an effective tool for increasing conversion rates when done properly and in a manner that doesn’t overwhelm your visitors. According to a 2019 study by Sumo, the average conversion rate for all pop-ups is just over 3%. But if you find a method that really gets your site visitors to take action through a pop-up, your conversion rate has the potential to reach over 9%, which is within the top 10% of pop-ups.
Reaching a higher conversion rate through pop-ups usually involves a bit of trial and error. Your business should try out a variety of offers and actions through pop-ups, such as different products, discounts, or premium content (pictured right; courtesy of GravityForms.com). Once you find something that works, you can make further tweaks to gradually increase your conversion rate. A 30-second delay timer on a pop-up can reduce the annoyance for visitors, as in, your pop-up appears 30 seconds after your site has been opened instead of right away. Your pop-up should also be easy to close with a visible button, and you might consider setting it up your pop-up so it only appears once per user.
2. Remove unnecessary fields in forms
Online forms are an important way of gathering customer and client information, but if they have too many fields to fill in or ask for an uncomfortable amount of detail, your conversion rate will suffer. If your site visitors are hesitant to fill in forms, you need to address this friction and think about how you can better meet their needs.
Unlike the trial-and-error process of pop-ups, it is much simpler to go through the forms on your website and reflect on what information you no longer need to collect from your visitors. Your priorities should be to eliminate reluctance and instead create more trust among your audiences. The notion of “keeping it simple” certainly applies in this sense, and you will see this reflected in your conversion. At the same time, don’t oversimplify your forms either; make sure all the fields have a purpose and that you are still gathering all the information you need for leads, quotes, and other interactions. (Image courtesy of FormJelly.com)
3. Feature client testimonials and reviews
Studies have shown that social proof via testimonials and reviews is one of the top purchasing influences for consumers. As many as 89% of consumers check online reviews before making a purchase, which in itself confirms how important reputation and online presence are for your business’ conversion rate. Social proof puts your future consumers at ease when they visit your site, so it is worth spending some time adding in testimonials and reviews from past successes.
You can positively impact your conversion with links to external review sites like Yelp.com, but you should continue to uphold accessibility as well. If you have the resources and time to do it, consider adding testimonials and reviews right onto your site so visitors see them right away. Homepages can also benefit from a graphic of the logos of your partners or notable companies which have used your products and/or services. Look for creative ways to signal your expertise to your visitors, and you will see the increase in trust through your conversion rate.
4. Add a live chat
More and more websites are implementing live chat capabilities to increase their conversion rate, primarily as a way of answering the questions of any consumers who may be in the final stage of deciding whether they want to buy your product or use your service. Live chats cater to the consumers with some doubt or a question that is keeping them from converting from visitor to buyer. Without a live chat, your site risks losing these indecisive visitors since their questions and concerns can’t be addressed in a timely manner. But when these visitors have the chance to enter their question into a chat and speak with a sales associate or browse a list of answers to common questions, your business takes meaningful steps towards better customer service and a higher conversion rate.
Time to Work on Your Conversion!
Pop-ups, form edits, testimonials, and live chats are only four of the many ways your business can actively work on increasing conversion rates and streamlining the user experience across your website. Other methods for boosting your conversion can include revising your call-to-action copy, improving page speed, mobile optimization, and localizing your content, all of which Hubspot.com covers in their in-depth guide. As always, if your business is hoping to continue the conversation after reading one of our blog entries, feel free to reach out of a member of the CodeMasters Inc. team or contact us for a consultation. We are always ready to help.