Top 10 Conversion Tips
1. Define your target(s)
The object is to sell something to someone, not to sell everything to everybody. The better you define and know your target audience the easier everything else falls into place. Write it down and refer to it constantly as you develop any aspect of your site.
2. Define your site objective
Your site should have a definite objective. It may be to educate, to motivate, to sell, to support, etc. You can have more than one objective (e.g. support current clients, motivate prospects to call you). However, you should have a primary objective and focus your site on achieving it. Once again, write it down and refer to it constantly through the process.
3. Define the offer and call to action
Make sure you have a clear and definite offer and/or call to action. Users should easily see what the call to action is and how they will benefit by taking it (e.g. “Contact us to get a quote”, “buy this item, now”, “download our white paper to learn more”, "Sign up for our newsletter to stay informed”, etc.).
4. Define a conversion
What determines a conversion for you? Is it a phone call, an email, a credit card transaction. Make sure you are clear on what your site’s conversion is. That is the only way to can evaluate success.
5. Match ads to offers/landing pages
Ads and “landing pages” should be developed in conjunction and should form a logical progression. If you are advertising “search engine optimization” services, the landing page for the ad should be specifically about that and not a more general “search engine marketing” subject.
6. Vary your approaches
When traffic is driven to your site via online advertising, create a number of combinations of ads, landing pages, offers, etc. You’ll find that some work better than others and that each may be effective for a different type of visitor.
7. Test, test, test
Gut feelings are often wrong. You are not the customer. You know more about your product and have different needs, feelings, etc. The only way to know the relative effectiveness of different approaches or different versions of ads, landing pages, etc., is to try different ones and track and compare the results.
8. Audit your conversion process
Go through the entire conversion process using different computers, browsers, bandwidth speeds, etc. Firewalls, anti-spyware setting, SSL certificate peculiarities, browser settings, etc., will all cause your site to act differently. The more anomalies you can eliminate the higher your conversion rates will be.
9. Have a good overall design
A good overall design, directed at your target audience will have a huge impact on conversions. Your design should vary according to your industry, your online competition, your target audience, etc. A high-end bank should have a very different design than a volume seller of lighting products. A good design will make your user feel at home.
10. Build a tracking methodology
Good evaluations and decisions can only be made if you have a quality tracking system in place. However, consistency is as important or even more important then conversion rate accuracy. A consistent system will show you relative improvement or degradation of conversion rates. Even if your rate isn’t accurate, the direction you are headed in, will be.
Ultimately it is vital to know what your conversion rate is and what the profitability of a conversion translates into in order to establish overall return on investment (ROI). Depending on what your conversion action is, it can be easy to track in an automated fashion. At a minimum, allow your visitor to tell you how they found you.
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