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11 Ways to Increase Conversion Rates on Your Website

Posted by Sandra Petrova | Last updated Aug 21, 2023

The ultimate goal of any business is to bring in more revenue.

One way to do this is to increase your conversion rate. However, for this to happen, you must be attracting the right visitors and already be converting some of these visitors into customers.

Many factors may be holding back your website conversion, such as design, load time, and page quality. Luckily, there are some strategies you can apply to boost your conversion numbers.

Here's how!

What Is a Conversion Rate?

A conversion rate is the percentage of visitors to a website that become customers. This rate, which can be tracked and measured, helps measure how successful a website is in converting views into purchases.

The conversion rate is typically expressed as a percentage of total visitors or page views, such as one out of every 100 people that visit your website will purchase. A three percent conversion rate means that three out of every 100 visitors will purchase something from your store.

If your conversion rate is low, you may need to adjust your marketing and advertising strategies. You can make adjustments in your website design, CTAs, or improve page quality. You also might need to optimize your ads to get more traffic to your site.

Why Conversion Rates Matter

Conversion rates are one of the most important metrics for online businesses. We know you’re probably tired of hearing about how important they are, but it’s true.

Conversion rates can make or break your business and website because they measure the likelihood of a visitor becoming a customer. Studies show that conversion rates vary depending on what industry you’re in, where you live, and other factors.

To start with, focusing on bringing more traffic to an optimized website will result in a low return on investment (ROI). However, aiming to convert the traffic you already have can significantly increase your ROI.

Additionally, conversion rates can tell you how users behave on your website. If something is not working, your business will have the chance to fix the issue and continually improve customer experience.

Whatever type of online business you have, there are steps you can take to increase conversion rates.

Read on as we discuss 11 proven strategies for increasing the conversion rate on your website.

Tips and Tricks for Increasing Your Conversion Rate

Get this:

The average website conversion rate is 2.35%.

Some of the best websites have conversion rates of 11% or more.

Other sites have a concerningly low conversion rate of only 0.1 to 0.2%. In other words, only 1 in 1000 visitors becomes a paying customer.

So, how do you increase conversions with the traffic you already have? 

The following section is all about helping you achieve that!

Include Social Proof

In marketing, social proof applies to reading reviews and listening to other people's recommendations before purchasing. If a large number of people have used a service or purchased a product, then other people will follow the actions of others and become customers themselves.

Here are some ideas to get you inspired:

  • Feature customer testimonials on your site : 92% of customers read online reviews before buying, while 72% say positive testimonials and reviews increase their trust in a business.

  • Write case studies : Case studies are a great way to use social proof if you're trying to show how your service or product has been implemented successfully by customers or clients.

  • Mention your existing customers or clients : By showing users your existing customer base, you're essentially telling them that these successful companies approve your product/service.

  • Share real-time stats : This shows that you have an established business that is trusted by thousands of people. What's more, new visitors will likely have a positive first impression of your brand – you're transparent and have nothing to hide.

  • Include awards and recognitions : This can be a fantastic opportunity to win new customers who are considering and evaluating the product/service you offer.

social proof

Optimize for Mobile

Optimizing your website for mobile is one of the most important things you can do to ensure that your online presence isn't being overlooked.

Mobile devices are now more than half of the global internet users. Even if you're not targeting a mobile audience, optimizing your website for smartphone screens will ensure that your site appears to be optimized for any device: desktop, laptop, tablet or smartphone.

Here are some simple steps to make sure your website is mobile-friendly:

  • Create an appropriate template
  • Design with responsive web design in mind
  • Keep images and videos small
  • Use minimal plugin use
  • Make it easy to download content
  • Remove navigation links that aren't necessary

Add Live Chat Support

Here's a fact:

Customers of the 21st century want to communicate with their favorite businesses as they do with their friends – quickly and effortlessly.

During the pandemic, live chat saw an increase of 16%, email 8%, and phone support saw no increase in demand whatsoever.

There are no waiting lines and no need to pick up the phone, which customers love. With that being said, adding a live chat is an easy and effective way to avoid losing potential customers.

Even if customers have a quick question about your product/service during odd hours, someone will be there to alleviate their concerns.

live chat

Create a Sense of Urgency 

Let's imagine you're all out of milk but are craving a hot cup of cocoa. You look at your watch, and you see the store is closing in 10 minutes. You grab your wallet and start running as quickly as a flash.

The point of the story?

A sense of urgency makes people move faster. And this can be an amazing strategy for driving conversions.

For instance, many businesses use countdown timers on their websites so that customers know how much time they have left before the sale ends. Other businesses inform their visitors about upcoming price increases, so they make a quick buying decision and purchase the product/service at the current (lower) pricing.

Discounts, scarcity tactics, special features, buy 1 get 2, and special services are all great ideas. Simply make them an offer they can't refuse.

sense of urgency

Improve CTA Copywriting

Fact:

Customers don't take action unless they're challenged to take action. It's obvious to us that we need them to subscribe to our newsletter, so we just assume it's obvious for them too. It's not.

Your customers can't read your mind. You have to clearly invite them to take a journey with you or they won’t. The best way of telling them your expectations is through strong call-to-actions.

For example, "buy now" or "subscribe" buttons are great examples of calls to action. But adding one CTA won't do the trick! You should place call-to-action buttons on:

  • the top right corner of your website
  • above the fold
  • in the center of your website

If you want to make your CTAs easier to notice, you have to make sure they stand out from the rest of the page. The best way of doing so is by using a bright color for your buttons, like orange or green. For instance, if your page is in a white color, like in the example below, using a blue color is a great way to grab attention.

CTA Copywriting

Add a Popup Email Capture

Popup email capture tools are a great way to gather new leads and nurture your existing ones. Popups can be used anywhere on the website, from the homepage to product pages.

If you're thinking about adding popups, be sure they don't disrupt the user experience. When done properly, these pop-ups are a great way to capture email addresses and build your customer database. But if they look like an obstacle, your visitors won't hesitate to leave your site.

Consider:

  • Adding a pop-up when a visitor is about the exit your site
  • Sliding in a request to subscribe once your visitor scrolls down
  • Displaying a sticky top bar that stays at the top of the screen and scrolls with the page
  • Offering something for free, such as a guide or an ebook
Popup Email Capture

Remove Distractions

We all know how easier it is to focus on a task without a smartphone nearby.

It's the same when visitors are using your website. If the website feels cluttered and confuses the user with too much content, they won't hesitate to click the "exit" button.

The fact is that the human brain prefers simple, clean sites that it can quickly process and evaluate.

If you want to remove distractions, the first thing you need to do is make sure your navigation is minimalistic. For example, your menu shouldn't have 10 menu headings with a dozen subheadings.

What's more, avoid using too many colors. Your visitors should be able to read the content clearly without too many colors overwhelming their eyes. Focus on a consistent color scheme and use plenty of white space.

Other things to remove are flashing ads and using too many graphics. Not only are these different elements distracting, but they're downright frustrating.

The most crucial content on your website is your headlines and subheadings, benefits and features, testimonials and reviews, and simple branded visuals.

Shorten Your Signup Forms

Web forms are one of the most crucial types of interaction between you and your customers. They are one of the final steps in the conversion phase and the customer's journey.

With that said, they should be easy to use and streamlined so that your visitors can quickly fill it out without much confusion.

For example, if your form is too long, visitors might drop out of the process. You must make your forms shorter and request only the necessary information from your users.

What's more, consider avoiding optional fields in your form. They take up space, negatively affect your conversion rate, and are most often left empty.

The labels need to be short, descriptive, and to the point. The user should be able to scan quickly through the label and fill in their data without pause.

Shopify signup forms

Try New Lead Magnets

One of the best ways to generate more leads for your business is through lead magnets. Lead magnets are any kind of content, ebook, or another piece of information that your company provides to prospects in exchange for their contact information.

If you're not satisfied with your conversion rate, experiment with different lead magnets until you find something that clicks with your audience.

Here are some ideas:

  • Quizzes can be a quick and easy lead magnet that will only take you a few hours (at most) to complete.
  • Consider combining several of your blog posts into a single ebook that people can easily download.
  • Guides that cover a subject in great detail are another enticing lead magnet.
  • A resource library which is a collection of tools that help people achieve results.
  • Turn your instructional blog posts into a checklist in a printable format.
  • Case studies where visitors can fill out with their name and email address to access.
  • Convert an extensive article into a webinar that people can access by leaving their email.

lead magnets

A/B Test Headlines

All marketers know that the headline is one of the most critical pieces of content you can create. They are so powerful that they can influence your visitors to click or to leave.

In order to ensure you're using the right headlines, a great strategy would be to conduct A/B testing.

In short, A/B testing is a process in which you show two different versions of the same content to users and collect data about which was more successful.

If you're considering A/B testing your headlines, experiment with the use of numbers and statistics, as well as with the length and tone of your lines.

a/b testing headlines

Increase Trust

If visitors feel like they can't trust your brand, they'll be less likely to make a purchase.

So, what are some strategies for increasing trust?

Some of the best techniques are money-back guarantees, removing spammy links, and making the site easy to use. Don't forget to post fresh content to help keep users on your site. Just make sure you remove any broken links because they can greatly impact your user experience.

Key Takeaways

To sum up:

  • Use social proof to show potential customers that others have tried and tested their products before them.

  • Optimizing your website for smartphone screens will ensure that your site appears to be optimized for any device: desktop, laptop, tablet or smartphone.
  • Adding a live chat is an easy and effective way to avoid losing potential customers.
  • A sense of urgency makes people move faster. And this can be an amazing strategy for driving conversions.
  • Clearly invite customers to take a journey with you. The best way of telling what you expect of them is through strong call-to-actions.
  • Popup email capture tools are a great way to gather new leads and nurture your existing ones.
  • Remove distractions because the human brain prefers simple, clean sites that it can quickly process and evaluate.
  • Make sure your online forms are easy to use and streamlined so that your visitors can quickly fill it out without much confusion.
  • If you're not satisfied with your conversion rate, experiment with different lead magnets until you find something that clicks with your audience. 

  • If you're considering A/B testing your headlines, experiment with the use of numbers and statistics, as well as with the length and tone of your lines.
  • Some of the best techniques for increasing trust are money-back guarantees, removing spammy links, and making the site easy to use.

Now you're all set to start converting those hesitant visitors into eager paying customers!

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