Has your website been attracting a large number of visitors, but conversion rates are below what you expect? There’s no need to worry just yet: there are numerous strategies you can implement to boost sales figures.
Keep in mind the average conversion rate for a landing page sits a little over 2%. However, certain websites can achieve 5% or even 10%+ in that regard. If you want to touch those higher figures, here is a guide to improving conversion rates and turning visitors into customers.
Make the first step an easy one
There are many reasons why a visitor may land on your website, become interested in what you have to offer, and then… leave without making a purchase or even supply you with their contact details.
This could be due to everything from the price of your product to a lack of customer reviews. One of the biggest culprits that sees bounce rates go up, however, is a complicated initial step that makes people feel it isn’t worth going further to take advantage of an offer.
As a result, it is imperative that the first step is extremely easy to complete. This means avoiding the use of an online form with multiple required fields. In fact, it is recommended you only request a visitor’s email address as a starting point.
This is useful for a couple of reasons. One, it only takes a matter of seconds for a user to input their email address. Secondly, even if they don’t move along the sales funnel and complete the purchase right there, and then, you still have their email to target them at a later date with direct, personalized messages.
Keep it simple
Extending on from the previous point, it’s not only the initial step in your sales process that should be kept simple. This approach should be taken across your entire website – or at the very least, your landing page (if applicable).
You want to avoid a site that is packed with various distractions, the type that can pull a user in multiple directions and make them lose concentration. The main aim should be for potential customers to only concentrate on your offer and nothing else.
To make this a reality, there are several methods you can incorporate to stick with a simplified – yet refined – website design. If you’re utilizing a landing page, for example, this type of general structure is recommended:
- Headline with subheadings
- A general summary of the benefits and features of your product/service
- Customer reviews and/or testimonials
- Visual content (images, videos) which add context to what you’re offering
When distractions are eliminated, your content becomes easy to navigate and consume – and this results in greater conversion rates.
Enhance your website’s live chat function
At this point, it is likely you have already read about live chat and the various benefits it provides. For a quick summary, it is one of the most effective communication tools on the market today. Customers can communicate with your business via real-time text, with the chatbox typically appearing in the bottom-right position of your website.
This not only presents the type of convenience site visitors come to expect in this day and age but also the right level of effectiveness. Within a couple of minutes, they could have an answer to any inquiries they may have about one of your products or services. Remember: a lot of users could be sat on the fence about making a purchase or not. A positive experience via the live chat can tip the odds in your favor.
However, it is not a case of simply installing a live chat onto your site and leaving it to do all of the work. There are steps you can take to enhance this function. One of these is to use the right live chat triggers which will appeal to your visitors.
For those unaware, triggers analyze the browsing behavior and personal information of visitors, using this data to automate the right welcome message. Rather than waiting for your potential customers to initiate the conversation, triggers – which can range from a warm welcome to the offer of a free product – can catch their attention and make them curious to learn more.
Increase urgency
Urgency is one of the most effective methods for increasing your conversion rate. Think about it: everyone at some stage has found a product they’d like to buy from an online store, but they haven’t gone through with the purchase. Their mindset is that the product will still be available weeks or even months down the line, so they hold off completing the transaction in the hope a better deal will appear in the future. There’s just one problem: they’re unlikely to return and make the purchase.
This is where urgency can play a key role in ensuring someone immediately buys what you have to offer. This urgency can take the form of a limited-time sale, reduced stock notice, and so on. If this urgency can be doubled up with, say, a countdown timer, this is only going to lead to a large increase in conversions. Your audience won’t want to miss out. They will feel the pressure and anxiety to capitalize as soon as possible, which means splashing the cash straight away.
Gain and display social proof
Few people want to be the first to try out a new product or service. A consumer usually looks beyond the marketing bluster of a company hyping up their product/service instead of searching for social proof from previous customers.
This social proof can take the form of reviews and testimonials. While positive reviews from regular customers are always worthwhile to share, it’s even more beneficial to use feedback from a reputable brand. These reviews can be posted under a specific product, for instance, or given their own isolated section on a landing page.
As for how to collect reviews and testimonials, you can simply ask previous customers for their feedback. An incentive such as a discount code or free gift also works to elicit endorsements.