Any e-commerce company depends on website conversions to drive their business. When those performance figures suffer, it's likely because of problems you'll find in your website experience, maybe even on your home page.
This can torpedo your online revenues, but there's good news: Many of the barriers to better conversions are easily resolved through some simple fixes. Here are five ways to increase conversions:
1. Make a Strong First Impression
If a consumer visits your site and leaves within a minute, it's safe to assume they weren't captivated by whatever they found. One of the best remedies is to build a website that features strong messaging to quickly capture attention. Word choice matters here: Marketers should put in the detailed work required to turn up the strongest, clearest and most concise ways of conveying their products and services, as well as their own brand message.
If you're an HVAC service provider, for example, emphasize your dependability, expertise and other qualities that make you the right choice for a consumer. If you can use this messaging to speak to consumer pain points, you'll likely draw in customers.
2. Make Site Navigation a Breeze
Website visitors get frustrated quickly, especially when they aren't clear about how to take the next step. You'll need to create a website with the simplest navigation possible. Buttons should direct consumers of where to take action: Placing an order, asking questions, etc. A website, despite its infinite space, isn't really the place to hit prospective clients with an info dump. The fine details should be tucked away outside of the customer's path-to-purchase.
3. Build Trust Quickly
As Inc.com pointed out, trustworthiness is a critical part of consumer analysis, and they'll use your website to evaluate your company. A proven way to help build trust is by featuring customer feedback on your site. Building a feature into your site for customer reviews is great, especially if you run an online store. Meanwhile, testimonials can offer first-hand insights into the quality of service and your expertise, and help ease concerns or fears that consumers may have.
Critics will point out this isn't trustworthy information, since businesses can filter out poor feedback and simply post what they want. That's true, but it doesn't change the fact consumers use these when making purchasing decisions.
4. Deploy a Retargeting Strategy
Many consumers who don't make a purchase do so because they want more time to research products and compare prices. When those consumers leave your site, you need to bring them back. Retargeting is a good way to do this. You can send them emails and use display ads to reach them after they leave your site, increasing the odds of conversion.
5. Streamline Checkout
Checkout processes are one of the main causes for poor website conversions. These are often too detailed and feature too many steps, making it harder for consumers to complete the process. Your checkout should only solicit the essential information, and there should be no distractions on the page to lead them away from the checkout process.
These tips are easy to implement, and they should increase conversions in short order.
