Improve Conversation Rates

It’s no secret that one of the major goals of online marketing is to get the best conversion rate possible to help increase revenue and steadily build your business. There is a lot of information available about conversion rate optimization and what makes for good website (and associated blogging) practices, but there also quite a few ways that are not discussed much in the online marketing world. Consider a few of these unique tips to help get you on a new path in 2015

5 Conversion Rate Tips to Use in the New Year

  1. Reducing Options for Products

We live in a world where we think that we want a lot of choices for every decision we make, but really, sometimes this just makes decisions more complicated. This is especially true when it comes to sales and consumer decision. Think about the last time you shopped for something that you really wanted. Let’s say you are in a shoe store looking for the perfect pair of boots. If you want to buy only one pair, would you rather choose from a selection of 5 quality pairs or 20 average pairs? For many, choosing between just 5 is a better option because it is far less overwhelming.

Shoppers think the same way online as they do in a store environment—they want to be able to make the best selection possible from the choices that they are presented. Therefore, when your site gives people too many options or you ask them for too much information, you may lose a few conversions.

Online Marketing leader Neil Patel of QuickSprout.com created an infographic that demonstrates how reducing options for products actually increases conversion rates. For example, he found that by reducing the number of options on a given product by 50% (for example, 8 to 4), you could increase your conversion rate, on average, by up to 66%. Check out the infographic here for more detailed information.

  1. Optimize Your Privacy Policy

We are all aware that websites have privacy policies, however, most company owners don’t consider how it affects conversion rate optimization. The privacy policy you use can actually have a major impact on your sign-up rate, and just simply having a privacy policy in the first place doesn’t guarantee more conversions.

If you’re not careful about choosing the right wording, you could seriously hurt your conversion rate. Many people have the idea that customers skim or don’t even acknowledge the privacy policy, but there are some key words people want to find when they sign up for a website.

A recent study from Content Verve demonstrates that people generally look for three things in a privacy policy:

  • Credible. Is it well-written and covering all the basics?

  • Clear. Is it easy to understand and not formatted as one big block of text?

  • Offers a Guarantee. Will the information ever be shared?

These three aspects assure prospects that it’s safe to fill out the form with personal information and create an account on your site. Various wording in pricey policies were tested in the study to see what users preferred, and the policy that did best in this series of tests was:

“We guarantee 100% privacy. Your information will not be shared.”

  1. Add Videos to your Website

Videos are an obvious favorite on the Internet, but did you know that adding them to your site can help conversion rate optimization? The reason people love video content in online presentation is because it adds another dimension to text and images alone. One way to do this is by introducing your business to potential customers with a short video. This is a great way to approach presenting information about your authority and business personality without having to add more text to your site (which can be overwhelming to site users).

Another way to use video is to highlight products and services, do demonstrations, or display videos of customer testimonials—all of these will hopefully encourage more consumers to contact or purchase from your business. If your site currently does not have any videos like I’ve described, give it a shot and monitor how it affects your conversion rates. I also highly recommend working with SEO experts or an agency, which you can learn more about here, to make sure that your videos are being embedded correctly and have proper SEO so that you don’t get penalized or slow your site down, which are both common occurrences if video’s are published incorrectly.

  1. Optimize your Site for Mobile

By now, this should be a no brainer, but it isn’t, which is why I’ve included it on this list of tips for conversion rates. With the increasing use of Smartphones and tablets for online interactions, more and more consumers will be visiting your website on their mobile devices. The take-home here is that if your site is not yet optimized for mobile users, it really needs to be.

This is actually a very positive thing as mobile sites actually get more engagement than standard websites. Optimizing your site for mobile use will increase conversion for customers who are on the go. One thing that really helps mobile users is creating an easily accessed phone number and email address, which people can “click” to call or email you directly from their device. Learn more about mobile optimization here.

  1. Clean-Up Your Home Page

It may be time for some 2015 spring cleaning with your homepage, because when it comes to the homepage of your website, less is definitely more. Google is the perfect example of simplicity at its best, but if you take a look at any popular corporate website, you will recognize that keeping a homepage on the simpler side works wonders.

Because so many of your website visitors will land on your home page initially, it is crucial that your home page is ready to go. Visit this article from Wordtracker for more detailed information on optimizing a homepage. In general, there are three main characteristics to make sure you follow:

  • It’s easy to read.

  • It communicates your business effectively.

  • It motivates action.

Some quick suggestions for optimizing (and simplifying) your home page include:

  • Remove excess images, text, videos, and links.

  • Aim for a design that is professional and user friendly.

  • Provide easy navigation and clearly labeled tabs or sub-pages.

  • Make sure that the home page is simple enough to offer the optimum website speed.

I spoke with Steven Spencer of No Risk SEO that specializes in web design, about this topic, and he explained that, “It takes the average user less than three seconds to decide if they want to stay on your website, which means you have to impress them with your home page. A clean and effective home page can do wonders for conversion optimization. Again, if you aren’t sure if you are on target, check out other major sites and note the differences between your site and their site.” Reference the article above when it comes time to really drill down your homepage.

The Takeaway

There are several approaches to improving conversion rates on your website, but starting with some of the things discussed—reducing options on products, optimizing on your privacy policy, adding videos, optimizing your site for mobile, and cleaning up your home page—you can start to have a leg-up on the competition. The main thing to consider is that visitors on your site are looking for the best experience possible, and they want to know straightaway whether they want to give their business to you.

Do you have experience with any of the tips I’ve mentioned in this article? Did it help with your website’s conversion rate? Let us know in the comment section below.