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If you’re a business here in Melbourne and you’re building your digital presence with a shiny new website, this one is for you!
Driving traffic to your online store might be exciting but what defines a successful online business is its conversion rate!
For absolute newbies, a conversion is a goal that you want to achieve on your website, like signing up or buying something.
If your website is generating traffic but no one is purchasing, signing up, or downloading, there may be a problem.
But don’t fret! This is absolutely normal for anyone starting and there are effective solutions.
And we’re here to dish out ways you can improve your conversions, whether you’re just kick-starting your business or you’re looking to boost your current conversion rate.
Now let’s talk about how you can optimise your conversion rate to reach and even surpass your business goal!
What powers your Conversion Rate?
A good conversion rate ranges from 2% to 5% according to an analysis by WordStream. But this all depends on which industry your business belongs to. For example, a conversion rate for an online clothing retailer will range from around 20-30%, while that of an email marketing company may range from only 0.05%.
The power behind the Conversion Rate is your product or service, website content and how you present it to readers. This includes everything about your site – design, usability, load time speed etc.
But let’s dive a little deeper on what are the other influences on your Conversion Rate:
RELEVANCY – Are your products or services relevant to your visitors?
RELATIONSHIP – Are people already acquainted with your brand?
BUSINESS VERTICAL – Will people need to purchase from you again? And how often?
PRODUCT COST – Lower cost products have higher conversion rates whereas higher-cost products have lower conversion rates.
COST-TO-VALUE RATIO – How does the perceived value of your offering compare to its cost?
COPYWRITING – Is your content written clearly and eloquently in a way that encourages conversion?
USER EXPERIENCE – Is your website experience smooth and intuitive that makes converting easy?
As you can see, many variables influence Conversion Rate, if your product is too expensive for the perceived value you offer then visitors might not be likely to convert into a paying customer or your visitors stumble upon bumps in the road and dead ends while perusing through your website, you lose trust, credibility, and gaining a customer.
A high conversion rate means that a visitor is converting into a customer with greater ease, confidence, and satisfaction, this ultimately equates to increased success for your business.
Now with these influences in mind, let’s get to the tips and tricks on how you can optimise your conversion rate!
TIP 1 | Communicate Clearly
When communicating to your visitors, make sure your copywriting includes a value proposition. This means promising the value that you will deliver which can take many forms such as featuring recognizable brands that you’ve worked with or were featured in. Let your visitors know you’re the real deal and you offer only the best.
And another important factor to communicate to your visitors is the benefits. This promotes an emotional response especially when you communicate in a way that lets them know you understand what they need and your product or service is just the thing that’ll solve it!
Most importantly, ensure you have clear headlines that command attention. There are different types of effective headlines for you to choose from:
- Command Headlines
- Direct Headlines
- Question Headlines
- Problem Solving Headlines
- Instructional & How-to Headlines
Without a well-thought headline, you have a high risk of losing potential customers. So make sure it pops!
TIP 2 | Have a Mobile-Optimised Website
One of the best ways to ensure you’re not losing out on potential customers is by having a mobile-optimised website.
Since people are spending more and more time on their phones, it’s crucial that your site can be accessed easily from any type of device.
This will give visitors an easy way to navigate through your content without getting frustrated with unresponsiveness or unnecessary clicking around. Some studies have shown that 68% of users abandon sites when they take over three seconds to load! So make sure you’re set up for success in this area and offer convenience to those browsing your site. You know what they say, “Processing speed matters.” The faster pages load, the higher conversion rates are likely going to be. According to Monetate’s latest data, smartphone and tablet conversion rates combined are much higher than desktops.
Other than a smoother experience for mobile users, you also get a major boost in SEO. Google prioritises mobile-friendly websites! Take, for example, a mobile user searches “Best bikes in Melbourne”, Google will put the most responsive and mobile-optimised website at the top of the results.
So, if you’re a niche-specific store in Melbourne, you get higher chances of being on the first page of the results.
TIP 3 | Have a Web Design that Flows!
When your visitor is constantly bombarded with pop-ups or other distractions that your website feels more like a maze, I guarantee you that they will get frustrated and leave. Ensure that your website’s design is streamlined to a conversion. No-fuss just a smooth flow! Plus this allows your visitor to feel more in control as they navigate through your page.
Speaking of navigation, create an intuitive website that’s easy to navigate through! This means creating a simplistic menu and categories. To know if your website is easy to navigate, pretend you’re the potential customer and have a walkthrough on your website, from browsing to checkout. Iron out anything that may hinder your visitor from converting!
Other than user experience, ensure that your website has complementary colours that are most attractive to your target audience, and see to it that every page has a consistent shade for a more professional look! This visually tells your visitors that you’re a quality and trustworthy brand.
TIP 4 | Provide Social Proof & Build Trust
If you’re looking to gain more conversions, then put in place a social proof strategy. Include testimonials and reviews on your website from your happy customers/clients! This is called “social validation” which shows visitors how other people are feeling about your product or service. It is known that people trust other people. If someone tells you there’s an awesome BBQ place in town, you’d be more inclined to pay a visit yourself! The same goes for your business. In fact, research says that 92% of people will trust a recommendation from a peer and about 70% will trust a recommendation from someone they don’t know.
It’s all about building that trust. Social proof speaks volumes.
Another way to build trust is by offering verified payment systems along with displaying trust badges. Give your visitor that sense of security by letting them know that once they provide their information, they are in safe hands.
Did you know that Blue Fountain Media saw a 42% increase in sales simply adding the VeriSign seal to their checkout page? It’s truly an incredible means of boosting your conversion rate!
TIP 5 | Strategically Display your CTAs
CTAs are the bread and butter of any conversion rate optimization campaign. It’s what brings your reader to take action, whether it be signing up for a newsletter or making a purchase. Your call-to use can either make you or break you so it is important to strategically place them throughout your content, not just in one location. Positioning them correctly is a defining factor of successfully optimizing your conversion rate.
But where do you place them exactly? And nope, It’s not the landing page! It’s actually above the fold! And if you don’t know where that is, that’s at the bottom of the border. Anything below that border, you’d have to scroll down.
On a mobile device though, it is best to place the CTA within the first couple of paragraphs so your visitors will see it!
In addition, according to Grow & Convert here are the estimated conversion rates for certain CTA locations:
- Sidebar: 0.5 – 1.5%
- Generic, end-of-post: 0.5 – 1.5%
- Pop-ups: 1 – 8%
- Sliders and bars: 1 – 5%
- Welcome gates: 10 – 25%
- Feature box: 3 – 9%
- Navbar: varies
The key to successful conversion is understanding how your visitors think and act when they visit your website. It’s not just about what you want them to do when they get there; it’s also about making sure that they get the best experience possible when they do.
Searching for Conversion Rate Optimisation in Melbourne? Get your FREE no-obligation Strategy Session. Call today on 03 9068 6905 to book your free consultation, or you shoot me through a message here: https://digitalbond.com.au/strategy/
