Your incoming web-traffic is at an all-time high, but your bottom line isn’t following suit. What’s a business owner to do? For starters, it may be necessary to make design adjustments to your website to boost conversion rates.
Here are some ideas to get you started:
Testimonials on Landing Page
If your prospects are near the point of making a purchasing decision, a written or video testimonial may be all you need to convert them into paying customers. Since they back up claims asserted by your company regarding your products or services, prospects will feel more secure with their selection. Prezi, a company that has completely altered the world of both academic and professional presentations, shares powerful testimonials from clients directly on its home page.
Simplified Opt-In Offer
Looking to boost the number of subscribers on your mailing list in an effort to increase the company’s bottom line? If so, embed the option to subscribe in a highly visible location on the website and simplify the process as much as possible. The Social Media Examiner, a site that specializes in disseminating useful tips to help businesses navigate the social media jungle, enables website visitors to subscribe to its mailing list in exchange for their name and email address. Most importantly, the invitation to opt-in is located directly below the header so it’s one of the first items visitors see when arriving on the page.
Professional Photos
While it may be tempting to use inexpensive stock photos for simplicity’s sake or due to budgetary constraints, doing so could convey your company in an unprofessional light. Instead, bring in a photographer to capture professional images or go for high-quality images from a reputable source, instead. TireBuyer uses clear product imagery and provides a similar experience as if you were to see the tires in a store.
Cut the Clutter
When visiting your company’s website, are prospects greeted to a clutter-free layout or bombarded with a plethora of content and images? If it’s the latter, chances are they’re clicking the small x at the right-hand corner of the screen prior to taking a moment to see what you have to offer. As a result, you should tailor your web layout to be as clutter free as possible. There’s not a ton that can be said about toilet paper, at least from a marketing perspective. However, that didn’t stop Charmin from creating a website chock-full of clever copy to draw visitors in. Furthermore, the company kept it simple to ensure the focus was on the benefits conveyed through words, and not the design, which ultimately determines whether prospects make a purchase.
Lone Call to Action
With a lone call to action on your homepage, you drastically reduce the risk of visitors growing overwhelmed and taking their business elsewhere. Even if you have a ton of products, consider incorporating a slideshow into the header, like Apple, to highlight the most favorable benefits about the particular products you’re promoting. Or if you’d like your visitors to give your services a test drive, embed a button at the top of the page for them to click on.
Other Important Elements
In some instances, you could be at risk for losing a sale simply because your contact or frequently asked questions are missing pertinent information. Therefore, you should go the extra mile to ensure they’re updated and contain answers to the most pressing questions people tend to ask. USAA provides so much information on its website that potential policyholders can learn a bulk about its offerings and the insurance industry before picking up the phone to purchase coverage.
Brands with optimal website layouts typically include some form of social proof on their websites to demonstrate to their target market that they’ve established a solid flock of supporters with whom they’re connected.