Internet marketing is becoming a science, requiring thoughtful and data-driven decisions. These decisions are geared towards driving more traffic to a website and perhaps even more importantly, to optimize conversion rates. Optimizing your web-page’s conversion rate is a process, a systematic process that tweaks and modifies elements of a webpage in order to lower visitors bounce rate and increase the percent of web visitors to take action. Whether that be signing up for your email marketing list, making a purchase, or filling out a form; the action depends on your website niche.
So, how do you make this magic happen? Science! And here is the science behind it broken down into 16 easy steps.
1. Track website data
You want to take action to improve conversion, but do you know where you stand? Having analytics tools installed will help you track important information about your visitors and the actions they take while on your website. This is key information when strategizing on areas of improvement in functionality on your website.
2. Beef up your site’s security
Turns out lots of people (50%, in fact) scan through to see your site’s security before giving personal information. If you want them to sign up or take any action on your site, ensure that your https is secured.
3. Got speed?
If your website takes more than 3 seconds to load, you’re losing visitors. If your site is photo heavy, this may be one of the reasons it’s slowing down. To solve this, compress your images using CDN (Content Delivery Network). It compresses the size without compromising on image quality.
4. Have an enticing and to the point title
If you don’t snare the visitors’ attention within the first five seconds, chances are they’ll lose interest and move on to your competitor’s websites. We don’t want that. Have a concise and descriptive title that gives them an overview of what you’re talking about but doesn’t give everything away. You want them to keep scrolling!
5. Don’t slack on your CTA
Your CTA (call to action) is the heart of your web-page—it tells the visitor exactly what you want them to do. But people don’t like being told what to do, so you have to be crafty. Don’t be boring. Boring is bad. A good place to start in crafting a good CTA is to understand your niche and use words that appeal to them.
6. Have credible validation to your claims
Visitors want to know that if they purchase from you or sign up for your list, they’ll get good value. If you can verify your offer with a credible third party, you’re easing their worry and ensuring their purchase or action is worth their time.
7. Optimize bite-sized high impact copy
You don’t want to bore people with long sentences, they’ll lose interest. Make it short and sweet with lots of nutrients—the first 14 words are your pitching points. Your visitors want to get straight to the point in as little time as possible, make their decision, and move on. The more you can help them do that quickly, the more likely they’ll like you and want to purchase from you or sign up!
8. Use videos
If you have a YouTube channel, it’s a great idea to embed your videos onto your website. Not only do you source for potential views and subscriptions, but you are increasing your interesting factor that sways your visitors’ decision in your favor. Careful though! You don’t want your video to direct your visitors to another video (likely a competitor’s), so turn off related videos before posting.
9. Show off your impact
Having positive reviews is a great way to show your visitors that you are a safe bet! If your product has worked for others, it’ll likely work for them too.
10. What’s in it for them?
Your visitors already know what they want. But how does your service give them what they want? In your copy, focus on the “why” of their action. Why should they purchase from you? Why should they trust you? Listing key benefits will certainly boost your CRO.
11. Use high impact photos
Free photos are great! But if you randomly select photos that don’t emphasize or support your words, you may be working backward. Select photos that support your talk and appeal to your viewers’ sensitivities.
12. Share valuable content
Give value to receive value! It’s just that simple.
13. Don’t ask for too much information
If you have in-built forms, be careful with length. Too long, and they’ll give up along the way. Be short and concise on the first encounter. Plus, chances are you’ll have plenty of other chances of gathering their data as you build your relationship.
14. Integrate live chat support
Buyers who have live support feel valued. If you can invest in a virtual assistant, do so. It may make a difference between a bounced visitor and a converted visitor.
15. Encourage social media connections
At the very end of your pitch, encourage your visitors to connect with you on other platforms. This should come at the end because you don’t want to distract them before you make your point. Plus, if they do follow you on social media after putting up with your content, you probably have a solid lead there.
16. Mobile friendly optimization
42% of your searchers will use their mobile phones to search for your services. You want their experience to be just as smooth and fast as the PC experience.
See? Science.
These tips have been proven by marketing researchers and now you have the power to make your website as good as the marketing pros!
