Increasing website conversions is something often overlooked by small businesses and start-ups and as a result, companies like yours are losing out on sales and enquiries.
The thing about your website is that you really do have to be careful when you are putting it together. In fact, web design has a much bigger impact on your conversion rates then you may realise, and seeing as the human attention span is only around the 8-second mark, you don’t have much time to make that impact.
So, how can you do it? How can you increase your website conversion rate by thinking carefully about your web design?
Not got time to read it all? Here is a handy quick list you can print out or bookmark for when you need it:
- Always, always have a responsive website
- Have images with faces
- Share some happy customers experiences
- Make your call to action buttons enticing
- Use contact forms with a minimal number of fields as possible
- Include contact info as much as possible
- Keep options limited
- Include a photo of yourself!
- Test using a single column layout
- Use high-quality images
- Have a clear value proposition
- Tell your customers exactly what they will get
- Don’t exaggerate
- Recommend related products or services
- Strategically place call to actions (CTAs) throughout your content
- Make sure your call to actions (CTAs) are above the fold
- Optimise your headings/headline
- Use action verbs
- Create dedicated landing pages for your Pay-per-click campaigns
- Include and promote your social media
1. Always, always have a responsive website
Back in the day, the only way you would visit a website is to log into your PC or laptop. However, as time has gone on and technology has developed, this has changed. Now, mobile traffic dominates the global web traffic that we see, with over 52.64% of visitors being on their hand-held device.
Of course, smartphones have developed into incredible little gadgets, capable of a variety of things. However, they still have their limitations, which means that your website needs to be able to be properly presented on a smaller screen, all without lagging screens, having to zoom in to read the text and the horror of awkward buttons.
What is responsive web design I hear you ask?
2. Have images with faces
We, as people love nothing more than being able to see a human face. Faces convey emotion and help us to feel some kind of connection to what the website is offering. The thing to remember with faces is that you try to stay away from using stock photos if you can, as you may find that they pop up somewhere else.
Not only this, but you should make sure that any images that you use represent your brand and don’t distract from what you want to say.
3. Share some happy customers experiences
No-one wants to buy something from a company if they don’t know whether or not they can trust them. So, if you want to boost the viability of your business, then show people just how good your product or service is. Reviews and testimonials are the easiest way to do this.
They offer up proof of what you can do and allow your customers to see the experiences that other people have had before them.
In conclusion, all of which can help them to feel even more inclined to click on buy, or perhaps get in touch to find out more information about you.
4. Make your call to action buttons enticing
A call to action is the instruction that you give your potential customers on what to do next. When it comes to your website, you need to make sure that any call to action buttons that you have added to the pages are as inviting and tempting to press as possible.
Colour and position are key here, they need to be in just the right place and in a colour or pattern that is going to attract attention, and hopefully some clicks too. After all, this is the primary objective for a lead generating website.
As you can see, there are a variety of things that you can do to try and make sure that the conversion rates from your website are the best that they can be. In doing so, you can also make sure that you get ever closer to the success that you hope for, for your business.
5. Contact forms with a minimal number of fields as possible
Help visitors to your site fill out that all important contact form by making it easier and quicker for them. To put it simply, you can easily increase website conversions by reducing the number of fields used in your contact form. Here is an example of how adding just one more field decreased website conversions by 11 per cent!
6. Include contact info
Displaying contact information throughout your website not only makes your contact details more accessible, but it also offers the sense of trust and locality. If your contact details are not easily found, the simple fact is that people won’t go out of there way to find it.
For instance, I once needed to quickly find the telephone number of a local butcher to reserve a very important ingredient for a special holiday feast, however, I could not find it quickly or easily (even on their contact page) so guess what? I went somewhere else!
Below is an example of a well-placed telephone number on a website we designed and developed for one of our brilliant clients:
Make it as easy as possible for visitors to find your details in multiple places in your customer’s journey.
7. Keep your options limited
People are actually put off by too many choices and can even stop them from making contact or interacting with the rest of your website.
Make it easier for people by showing who the product/service is for and which is the most popular. This particular point is fascinating when used in other parts of our lives… Read more
8. A photo of yourself!
Don’t be shy! Including a photo of yourself and/or your team in your ‘about’ section or alongside your contact details/form shows that there are real people behind your brand & business.
This increases trust and can ultimately increase website conversions.
See below for a few examples:
9. Single column layout
This experiment shows us how changing from a double column layout to a single one increased conversions by 681 per cent.
10. High-quality images
Using low quality or tacky stock images with the credit still attached can very quickly turn your visitor away. Therefore, you should invest in professional brand photography to enhance your brand reputation and website conversions.
11. Clear value proposition
You may have heard of ‘Clear Value Proposition’ many times in marketing guides and tutorials. This should be a staple of your web design content and is one of the first things to look at when looking to increase website conversions.
In conclusion, you should tell your customers why your product/service is special and better than others on the market.
Here is a great article on examples and how to create yours.
12. Tell your customers exactly what they will get
Don’t assume your customers know a lot about you or your product/service. Tell them everything about your product/service and what to expect. Features, benefits, what it looks like, who it’s for, how it can be used etc.
In addition, tell them what happens after the interaction. This can be done once a product is bought or after an enquiry has been submitted.
13. Don’t exaggerate
Visitors are smart. They can see through your over-exaggerated copywriting and headlines in your website content. Above all, it is beneficial to always be honest, personable and clear when writing your compelling website copy.
Similarly, you should come across as if you were talking solely to that one person. Make your target audience feel special!
14. Recommend related products or services
Keeping your visitors engaged on your website is important to any business. Include links to other products or services that are genuinely helpful.
This will offer more value to your customers and make their experience with your business and website a better one, and as a result, increase website conversions.
15. Strategically placed call to actions (CTAs) throughout your content
Users may bounce around your site and miss vital opportunities to make contact or move them along further towards converting landing pages or contact pages.
Make sure you place CTAs in your important content so users know what to do next and start increasing your website conversions.
16. Above the fold elements
Keep important call to actions (CTAs) such as buttons, links and opt-in forms above the fold to avoid missing the converting opportunities when users don’t scroll down before leaving the page.
In other words, place your buttons and forms at the top of the page where it is seen first.
17. Optimise your headings/headline
When a visitor lands on one of your web pages, your headline is the most important content as this is the message they are likely to read first and can set the tone for the rest of their experience.
Here are some best practices we use here at Whimsie Creative.
18. Use action verbs to increase website conversions
This seems really obvious, right? You want to grab the attention with messages and language that provokes positive actions. Well, you will be surprised at how many small business owners overlook this.
It is easy to forget about using tangible verbs in your call to actions (CTAs). Here are a few examples of action verb: “start your project”, “claim your reward”. These subtle hints are another factor needed to increase website conversions.
19. Dedicated landing pages for Pay-per-click campaigns
Be sure to create individual targetted landing pages if you are using Google Ads or another method of PPC ads. The content on this landing page should be consistent with the objective of the ad campaign and ease the visitor into making contact via a contact form or contact details.
In addition, it is also important to take away distracting elements that may drive the visitor to another page. Below is a great example of a company increased website conversions:
Nauto uses a relevant image and also tactfully uses green as the button colour. Green portrays ‘go’, ‘start’ – A trustworthy colour. They also prompt the user multiple times throughout the page to remind them what is waiting for them. They also removed their other menu items that you see in their usual website in order to reduce choice.
20. Include and promote your social media
Similar to testimonials and customer reviews, social media links and follower/like counts reduce risk, increases trust and helps increase website conversions.
Looking for someone to take complete care of your new website? Get in touch today!
Let’s arrange a quick 10 min call to discuss your project.
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