If you want your website to generate more leads and more income, you should aim to improve your website conversions. A conversion is the term we use to describe the process of a visitor becoming a paying customer. So, if you improve your website conversions, the result is more paying customers. Below are 5 easy ways to improve your website conversions that should help you do just that.
It’s easy to get caught up in the aesthetics of a pretty web design. Looks do matter, but they’re not everything. It’s more important to consider what it is that you want your website to actually do for your business. Perhaps your website is little more than a point of contact, or a brochure of services. Or perhaps it displays products to generate leads. Maybe you make online sales.
Whatever the case, the Web is a numbers game. If you can improve your website conversions, you will do more business. The more visitors you turn into customers, the more money you’ll make. Every opportunity counts and competition is fierce. Every visitor who becomes a customer (every conversion) counts. So to get more customers, you need to maximise your conversion rate.
Here are 5 easy ways to improve your website conversions:
1. Keep your website design simple
Not too long ago the Web was ablaze with visual flash. New graphic design techniques became available for websites, and designs became complex. Navigation elements resembled brushed steel. Buttons looked like 3D lumps of glowing jelly. Information became submerged in navigational guessing games, and websites became “experiences”, which took forever to load.
And then we all got real, and realised how annoying this was for our customers. Nowadays, web design aesthetics have matured and become focused on the needs of the user. What really matters is quality of content, and ease of use. Keep layouts clean and simple, so users can find the information they’re looking for quickly. This is an easy way to improve your website conversions.
2. Use a responsive web design
A responsive design is one which adapts itself automatically to different devices. Website visitors with desktops, ipads, tablets, iphones and smart phones should all be able to use your website perfectly. Page speed is important, so your mobile website should be as lightweight as possible. Design for the mobile first, then add in more features if necessary for users with larger devices.
Related: Webpixel Media responsive web design
Some of the websites I manage attract high numbers of mobile users. In some cases over 80% of visitors are using mobiles or tablets. This number will only increase. If your website doesn’t provide a dedicated experience for mobile users, you are shooting yourself in the foot. You’re also leaving the door wide open for your competitors. Nothing online stands still for long…
3. Keep your website navigation simple
A new user on your website needs to know where they’re going within a couple of seconds. If they have to look longer than that, they’re gone. You’ve lost them, and they probably won’t come back. Hidden menus, confusing options and a lack of clear focus will drive them away. As a website owner, it’s your job to find out what your customers really want, and to give it to them.
So keep your website navigation simple. Users don’t want to “explore” your site – they simply want to get in and out as quickly as possible. Keep pathways clear, and remember what it is you’re trying to achieve. Do you want your visitors to end up on a particular page, or fill in a form? Then make it as easy as you can for them to get there, and you’ll improve your website conversions too.
4. Don’t use tired, phoney stock images
We’ve all seen them – nasty, cheap stock photos. Nine times out of ten we’ve seen them all before too, on a hundred different websites. There’s “headset girl“. She’s there to convince us that this company has a customer service department who are just dying to solve our problems. And of course, there’s “handshake man“. He’s there to tell us that he really does mean business.
And of course… the plasticine army! Faceless, nameless and ambiguous. We don’t know what they’re doing, but they sure look busy! So what do these images tell us about the business? That their website belies an organisation of professional excellence? That they’re market leaders in their field? That they’re a company of real human beings who really care, and are waiting to take our call?
What do you think? To improve your website conversions, take care over the imagery you use. Stock photos don’t earn half the trust of a genuine photo of a real person. And if you do need to use stock photography, find something original if you can. If a visitor recognises a photo you’re using from another website, they’re bound to lose a little faith in your credibility.
5. Make it as easy as you can for customers to contact you
Visitors and leads come in all shapes and sizes. Some would prefer to contact a business through its website. Some would rather pick up the phone. Some want to hear your sales pitch, and others just want the information. The decision to buy can often be a fickle process. The best strategy is to give your potential customers the option to contact you in the way that’s easiest for them.
This means covering all bases. On this website, there are 4 main ways to get in touch. First, there’s a form to request a web design quote that has 19 fields. It’s for users who know what they’re looking for. Then there’s a contact form with 5 fields for general enquiries. There’s also an email link, and a phone number at the top and bottom of every page. It’s not rocket science!
To improve your website conversions, think like a customer
If you want to improve your website conversions, you need to start thinking like a customer. Be proud of your website, but be objective and critical of it. Above all, remember what it’s there for. Find out what your customers want, and make it as easy as you can to give it to them. It’s simple maths. The more you can improve your website conversions, the more successful you can be.
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