How to design a website that converts visitors into leads, I have been working on websites of small businesses and small start-ups the larger part of the last twelve years, and this is what I had to learn in a rather painful way: the fact is that as beautiful the web site may be, it is of no use to it when it does not bring leads.
In 2016, I redesigned a site of one of my clients which featured beautiful graphics, eye-catching animation, and award-winning design. The number of traffic grew by 40, yet the conversion actually decreased. The lesson of that failure was that conversion-oriented design was something that I could learn better than any course would have taught me.
Before you get to buy advertising, I want to tell you what really works when you need to make your web site convert casual visitors to qualified leads.
Knowing What Makes Visitors Convert.
There is something basic about human behavior online that you have to know before delving into the strategies. Humans do not convert the fact that your site is a pretty one. They make the conversion because your site is a solution to a problem, it creates trust and makes action easy and worthy of the action being taken.
Consider the last time you completed some form of contact or subscribed to something on the internet. What pushed you over the edge? And likely a mixture of a feeling that the company would assist you, as well as an assurance that they would not overload you with spam to the point of insanity.
Begin With an Effective Value Proposition.
Within about three seconds, your homepage has to convey what you are about and why they should be interested. I have reviewed hundreds of websites in which the value proposition lay hidden beneath three scrolls of stock and nonsensical corporate rhetoric.
The remedy is simple yet you have to be honest with what truly makes your business stand out.
Consider a plumbing company that I was involved in last year. Their initial headline was Quality Plumbing Services since 1998. Accurate, but forgettable. We reformed it to Emergency Plumbers Who Answer the Phone at 2 AM Guaranteed. The number of conversions increased by 67 percent during the first month.
What do you offer should be answered in your value proposition. Who is it for? Why would they select you as opposed to others? Visitors will go away in the event they are forced to think too much about these questions.
Fashion to believe, not to be beautiful.
Elements of trust that are spread across your web site come to your rescue. I am referring to case studies, testimonials, certifications, client logos, and press mentions.
However, this is the area where most companies fail to get it right, they place all their trust cues on one page of testimonials that no one is going to see. We should instead have social proof be woven into the pages to which conversion decisions occur.
Have a related testimonial where your pricing section is. Include the logos of your clients on top of your contact form. Add a snippet of a short case study on service pages. This strategy is reassuring at the time when the indecision may be present.
Credibility is also created using real photos of your team and workplace. Human beings purchase as human beings, and connection established by portraying the human face of your business is something stock photos cannot provide.
Make Your navigation and User Flow simple.
In cases where I am auditing websites that have poor conversion rates, it is normally as a result of navigation confusion. Too much choice paralyzes the decision-making. Tourists browse aimlessly and walk out without making a single move.
Draw the perfect path of landing page to conversion. What does it take someone to be prepared to get in touch with you? Give that information in a logical sequence and then the next one is obvious.
Artistry Conversion-Centered Landing Pages.
Your homepage is used, however, focused landing pages make serious lead generation. A landing page must appeal to a certain segment of the audience or a service offering.
I had an opportunity to work with a financial advisor who was advertising to his homepage on Facebook. The home page was dedicated to six various services and addressed all people, including retirees and young professionals. Expectedly, the conversion rates were pathetic.
We have developed individual landing pages of retirement planning, investment management, and estate planning with the message that corresponds to the concerns and goals of the target audience in each case. The quality of the leads was also boosted significantly, and the cost per lead reduced by fifty percent.
Make Your Forms Work Harder
Conversions occur in forms, but are frequently left as an afterthought during the creation of a site.
Each extra field of form reduces the percentage of completion. Tell yourself the truth, do you really require the size of someone, his/her job title and phone number to write him/her a pricing guide? Probably not.
Begin with few fields name and email is enough. Additional information can be gathered using the follow up sequences or qualification calls.
Form placement matters too. Landing pages that have the forms above the fold perform better than those that are at the bottom. Think of inline forms on the blog pages and exit-intented pop-ups to visitors who are going to leave.
At times, multi-step forms are better than long forms since they are not as intimidating. Display progress indicators to inform the visitors that they are almost complete.
Speed is a Lot More than You Think.
The speed of the page is directly proportional to conversions. It is always observed that the longer the load time the higher the bounce rates.
Increase compression of images, reduce code, take advantage of browser caching, and think content delivery network in the case you have visitors in various geographic locations.
Free websites such as Google PageSpeed Insights point to certain things you can do better. Goal of mobile load times of less than three seconds.
Test, Measure, and Iterate
Optimization of conversion is an endless process. What works with one group of audience may not work with another. Establish appropriate analytics monitoring, establish conversion objectives and conduct A/B trials on headlines, color of buttons, length of forms and layouts of pages.
Minor changes multiply with time. A 1 percent growth in conversion rate may not sound any alarm, but when it comes to thousands of visitors that is a growth in the business.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the good website conversion rate?
The conversion rates vary between 2-5 percent based on industry. The range of leads expected by lead generation websites is around 5-10% and the e-commerce would be approximately 2-3%.
What is the number of calls-to-action that the page needs?
Limit the number of calls-to-action on a page to one. Secondary CTAs are good but they should not be competing with your primary objective.
Do pop-ups hurt conversions?
Pop-ups can be helpful in boosting conversions when properly used and at the right time and relevance. The exit-intent pop-ups would normally work better than instant interruptions.
What is the frequency of updating my web site to make conversions?
Data conversion review on a monthly basis and quarterly change. Redesigning your site every 2-3 years ensures you have an up-to-date site, but does not require you to redesign your site all the time.
What are the pages that should be optimized?
Begin with the most active pages and the ones nearest to conversion activity which are usually your homepage, pricing page, and main service pages.
