It's true, we're discussing tips for increasing conversion rates today. So, when your website has an awesome design and great traffic, what are you missing? Your conversion rate is something you should focus on if you haven't yet.
1. Audit Your CRO First!
You're not your target customer. You won't find their wants or needs inside your head. They'll have to give it to you. And what's the best way to do this? A conversion rate optimization audit can help. (If you're interested in CRO Audits, check out 7 Gold Lessons About Conversion Audit You Need To Learn To Succeed!)
Optimizing pages is all about improving the experience of your customers. Only by analyzing their current behavior can you optimize that experience. Therefore, you avoid making assumptions and relying on gut feelings when making decisions.
Do not misunderstand that. Your relationship with the customer is important. To have a successful relationship, don't assume you know what they want. It's up to them to speak through their behaviors.
CRO audits provide insight into their behavior.
I suggest two things you should do:
- Install a heatmap first.
You can use heatmaps to answer questions like:
- How do visitors interact with the page? When visitors leave, do they scroll through the content or jump to another page?
- What parts of the page do they spend the most time reading?
- Are they clicking words that do not correspond to links?
- Taking a look at your Google analytics is another thing to do.
Again, a great deal of information about your visitors can be found on your site. For instance, you can check the conversion rates between desktop and mobile on a page. If, for example, mobile is lower, then you know that's an opportunity for conversions.
This will help you build a solid foundation for every CRO campaign. During this process, you will optimize pages based on the requirements of your customers.
2. Identify the Stage of the Buyer’s Journey a Visitor Is In!
It's all about timing!
A couple of key factors can determine a big yes or a flat no. Developing high-converting web pages is non-negotiable.
Each of your website visitors is at a different stage of the buyer's journey.
Some of them may be avid fans eager to take advantage of any offer you make. Others may have recently discovered you through a Google search. Therefore, you need to approach them differently.
What does this mean? You will use different words when explaining Quantum Physics to a 10-year-old than to a physicist. With landing pages, the same holds. Your site's pages should be customized and tailored to your visitors' awareness levels.
So, to create high-converting CRO campaigns, you must understand the type of person who will land on that page first. Then, based on where the buyer is in the buyer's journey, build the page accordingly. It shows you understand what they are looking for. When visitors trust you, they are more likely to buy.
The question is, how are you able to determine the level of awareness of your visitors?
Have a look at this!
Check out your analytics!
Get to know the keywords people use to find the page you're optimizing! Therefore, someone with a higher level of awareness would use words like:
- Buy
- Compare
- Brand A vs. Brand B
If the person is still in research mode, he will use words like
- Why do I have… (symptom)
- How can I get rid of…
- What can I use for…
Based on this data, you can then build a more tailored page for that specific audience. You will tailor your language, the value proposition, the conversion path to maximize their conversion rates.
3. Provide Only One Option
High conversion rates depend on another factor.
Establish an intent-driven path for your visitors.
Everyone is busy. When they visit your site, they need a complete guide.
Here's the secret: Let them focus on only one thing at a time. Be proactive in steering them in that direction, taking away any distractions.
Here are a few things you can do to keep visitors engaged.
To begin with, use visual cues. You can do this by using arrows pointing to the action you want your visitors to perform. CTA buttons that stand out with bright colors are also recommended. And don't forget to use white space.
Secondly, avoid offering too many options. Get rid of the navigation menus. Keep your CTA simple.
This allows web visitors to quickly identify what they will be able to do on the page. If they do (and if it's in line with their awareness level), they will be more likely to engage with you as well.
4. Call to Action: Make It Clear & Compelling
Just like headlines, calls to action also require science.
Marketing 101 says you should only pay attention to one call to action at a time.
If you ask your readers to take more than one action, they are likely to take none at all.
Psychology of CTAs shows these prompts to be effective:
- Offer an incentive to sign up for our newsletter (i.e., "For exclusive offers, sign up now").
- Put your audience's benefit as the focus for taking action.
- Keep fonts and colors simple without being distracting.
The next step is to decide where your call-to-action should be placed.
Welcome Mats are an excellent way to greet new website visitors. However, that shouldn't be the only time or way you ask them to act.
Throughout your blog posts, add inline text or images that reiterate your call-to-action.
To test which CTA resonates most with your target audience, try experimenting with different locations and CTAs. Remember to end your posts with your CTA.
In many cases, it's the last CTA that attracts the most engaged readers and helps you grow your email list.
Getting the most out of your CTA post-click experience
When your reader clicks on a CTA, what happens?
What do they see, and where do they go?
Your readers will be more likely to click and convert if you optimize their experience and reward them for taking action.
You can skip the generic pop-up thank you message that leaves your readers wondering what to do next.
Put more information on a thank you page instead.
For example, you might include instructions on how to access your next webinar or how to download a free resource.
By providing more information, you'll keep their forward momentum going and prevent them from losing interest.
5. Write a Strong Headline (And Don’t Stop Until You Do)
Click-worthy headlines take more practice than most people realize.
A good headline, however, is paramount to converting more visitors.
When readers are not compelled to click on the headline of your article (or another piece of content), you will not even stand a chance of converting them.
Then what does it take to write an engaging headline?
Writing headlines is a science.
When creating your headlines, these proven formulas consider certain adjectives, keywords, and trigger words.
The best approach is to generate a few options and then run them through the CoSchedule Headline Analyzer.
Your headlines will be ranked according to these criteria using the algorithms.
Ensure your headline:
- Has a lot to do with what you're writing about.
- Your target keyword appears at the top of the article - possibly even front-loaded.
- You should include keywords modifiers in your title to generate enough interest that people will take action.
Successful headlines usually contain phrases like "This is what happens when..." or "X Reasons That Explain...".
Include numbers (such as lists) in your headline, pose a question, and address your readers directly in your headlines to make them more unique.
It may take you a few tries to come up with a click-worthy headline, and that's okay.
Since this topic is an entire article in itself, check out this guide on headline writing tips (insert another blog post link) when you're done here.
6. Tech Is Critical, Too!
Take a look at your Google Analytics. How many visitors use mobile devices? If your site is anything like the ones we work on, you'll see that mobile is quickly becoming the device of choice for most people who go online.
Here's the deal. Mobile users have a different psychology than desktop users. Usually, they have limited time, are on the move, or are multitasking. As a result, they view your site from a different perspective.
Build pages that consider their situation if you want to increase conversions. Your existing customers will be delighted, and you will become a standout among your competitors.
Mobile gives you so many opportunities to increase conversions. In terms of conversion rates, mobile is 1.82%, and desktop is 3.90% globally. Are you familiar with what this means? It's time to take advantage of mobile optimization. Conversions on mobile can easily be boosted to compete with desktop conversions.
Think about how mobile users will interact with your site. What are your options?
Create a mobile-friendly site first. Make sure that your mobile design does not simply copy all of the information from your desktop site.
Also, don't forget about the site's speed. We've been warned about this for many years now. Unfortunately, however, it is still common to see many sites that fall short of speed.
A fast site is crucial for conversion rate optimization. According to a recent Google study, 53% of mobile users wait only 3 seconds for a website to load. They leave if it doesn't load. They don't get a chance to see your page once they go. Oh, and guess what? Selling to a person who is not present is impossible.
7. Use a Story or Case Study as an Introduction
You can introduce the topic and lend credibility to your article by beginning with a story or case study.
It works well for two reasons:
- A true story or case study is much more engaging than a theory. As a result, readers are enticed into continuing reading.
- You can use this type of social proof to demonstrate your expertise by showing you've solved similar problems before.
Your readers will view you as an expert, or at least someone with enough experience to help them.
In turn, this encourages readers to stay around long enough to finish your article and take the next step (i.e., converting).
Think of a previous example you can use to strengthen your argument when you outline each article. Establish the tone of your introduction with this.
8. Make Your Copy Readable (Really, It’s That Simple)
Your copy may seem readable because you understand it.
That's not what I'm talking about here.
Reading level is measured by a readability score, which measures how easy it is to understand the concepts presented in an article.
A tool like the Flesch-Kincaid scale measures how well you use complex words and long sentences (among other factors). It then calculates your content's reading level.
The easiest way to improve your readability is to break your content up into smaller chunks.
Your reader may feel overwhelmed if you use only paragraphs to separate your information.
You can avoid this by writing short paragraphs.
Whenever possible, use subheadings (such as H2s and H3) to break up your article.
You can also use bullet points to help your reader navigate complicated ideas or concepts.
When you create your outline, I find it easier to include your headers and subheaders.
Your copy must also be proofread and error-free. The presence of these weakens the credibility and readability of the text.
Use a tool like Grammarly to catch simple errors such as "their", "there", or "they're.".
They aren't 100% perfect, so just be aware of that.
I also use these grammar shortcuts:
- "In order to", "own"," in fact", "a number of" – You can mix these.
- Spell out numbers until 10.
- The period and the comma always go within the quotation marks.
9. Charts and Graphs Should Be Original
Graphs and charts rank high in engagement, just like stories and case studies.
The majority of people reading your article are likely to be visual learners.
Charts and graphs make your presentation more understandable and impactful.
In addition, images are much more easily shared on social media.
If someone tweets about your article, you will spread the word about your content and have a greater chance of driving visitors to your site.
You increase your chances of capturing more conversions just by doing this.
Spend time creating sharable charts and graphs, and your content's performance will improve rapidly.
10. Be Scientific and Data-Driven
You might say, "I can't do that. It's too complicated. I'm not good with numbers." And this is where I say, "This isn't school, man! You don't have to do it by hand."
While in school, I was also not interested in numbers. But you know what? Technology is on our side. CRO tools help us implement our strategies and calculate data with the click of a button.
In a nutshell, this is what these tools are all about. We can learn from them quickly and improve our tests day in and day out.
Here's what I mean.
One time, I tested a new layout on one of the test pages of a website. I loved how well it worked. This led me to take it further. I did the same thing on ten other pages. How did it go? Six of those ten pages increased conversions, while four drastically decreased. But, despite my intuition, it didn't work on the other pages. I had to use math and data to determine what effect the changes would have on the different product pages.
So yeah. Inevitably, it will happen. CRO strategies should be based on science and supported by data. It is a quick way to find out who your visitors are. It is the fastest way to iterate winning tests. Using this method, you increase your chances of passing every single test.
11. Don’t Use Ambiguous Words!
In a world where everyone is A/B testing their wording, you think the word "free" is gold. Consider it again. If misused, it does not define your message well.
A hosting company found out about this. Two versions were tried:
- Free Web Hosting
- See Plans and Pricing
These links were in the menu. Clicks on "See plans and pricing" increased by 52%. The use of just the words "Free Web Hosting" put them at risk. Having a clear message is the key here.
Also, listen to your audience to see what they want! This is so important. You may as well speak a different language otherwise.
What is the best way to do this? Ask your audience straight up. If you must, take a poll or a survey. You should tailor your message to their interests once you have identified them.
I'll give you an example. A company discovered that prospective customers wanted pricing right away. On their website, there was a link that said, "Send a quote request." Changing it to "Request Pricing" increased conversions by over 161%!
12. Colors Can Have an Impact
You shouldn't think of it first. Therefore, I placed it last. It shouldn't be the middle thing you think about. However, you should still consider it.
Colors influence buying decisions. An effective color can trigger the unconscious.
How can a color be effective? Consider what I call "complementary contrast" as the first step.
Color that sticks out without clashing is a complementary contrast. It seems contradictory. That is why I enjoy finding the perfect complementing contrast between colors. To do so effectively can be an art.
I'll guide you through the steps involved in finding it.
The first step is to determine the dominant color. This isn't about race. I am referring to the colors used in the header and footer or splattered throughout the page.
Then go to Adobe's Kuler tool and enter that hex value. On the left menu, click "complementary." Paste your hex value into the box. You will find complimentary but different colors. For more options, click the Triad link on the left.
Then, look at your colors from a psychological perspective. Find a guide that explains what colors mean, and see if you already have a match on Kuler.
You can then alternate between this design and Kuler. You'll find the color that works for you and your conversions. As a rule of thumb, make your CTA command the page's presence. The color should help with that.
Conclusion
When you are starting from scratch, conversion rate optimization is hard work. It's hard work, but it's worth it. When you put in the effort, your business will benefit from it.
Get to know your audience with a site audit. Create every page for your website according to the expectations and awareness of the visitor. Make sure they can buy from you easily. Follow a data-based and scientific strategy to optimize for mobile devices.
Soon, the conversion rate of your website will increase. However, the most important benefit is that you will gain insight into your potential customers.
