Mark Twain once said,
“The difference between the right word and the almost right word is really a large matter – it’s the difference between a lightning bug and the lightning.”
Similarly, the correct small change on your website will yield amazing results. Here are 3 changes you can make today to increase conversions:
- Quickly answer “What’s in it for me?” Saying, “We design beautiful websites that improve conversions” is better than, “We take your company’s digital presence to the next level.” One is concrete, the other is fluff.
- Put your call to action above the fold. Your own website analytics will prove this to be true: most visitors don’t scroll. Having your CTA high on the page gives it more eyeballs and more conversions. Notice that we’re saying “call to action” and not “call to actionS”. Placing numerous CTAs on a single web page is a sure-fire way to DECREASE conversions. Your visitors have a limited attention span. Don’t distract them – make it easy for them to know what you want.
- Give your CTAs a contrasting (but complementary) color. This makes them pop-out and draw the attention of your visitor. Look at the example below from TicketMaster as an example of good contrast. If you wanted to get tickets to a Rockies game (Hey – some people still enjoy the ballpark!), you know exactly where to click. They’ve made it easy for you to find the button. A color that clashes with your site, like a neon green on a light brown background, will turn visitors off resulting in a decreased conversion rate.
- Add photos to your testimonials. If testimonials are good, having your customer’s photo with the testimonial is great. It adds an extra layer of credibility and trust. The more trust you build, the more likely someone is to buy. At the end of the day, trust trumps price.
- Don’t kiss on the first date. This concept and verbiage didn’t come from me, it came from sales expert Kevin Knebl, but it rings true. The first time many people come to your website, they aren’t ready to buy yet. So why is your website set up only for those who are willing to buy? (Or “kiss”?) Adding a white paper, a case study or a newsletter sign-up let’s the customer enter into a relationship with you without having to commit to a purchase. If they see value in what you’ve provided and you reinforce that with other examples of your expertise, you’re well on your way to building the trust you need to make the sale.
- Add an email opt-in form to the bottom of blog posts. Think about it – if someone gets to the bottom of your blog post, he or she likes what you wrote. That is HUGE! You’ve already got credibility in his mind so why not capitalize on that by asking for something very small: opting-in to your newsletter? As you send out emails, you’ll build on the credibility you have and you’ll get first crack at the sale.
- Offer guarantees. People like it when you’re willing to back-up your goods or services with a guarantee and it makes them more likely to buy. You say you’re confident enough to stand behind your offering so that reduces stress and anxiety with the prospect and builds trust (are you seeing a theme here?). Customers love guarantees but be ready to back it up. Make refunds easy even if you suspect you were just used. If you throw up barriers, word will get out and your guarantee won’t mean much.
There are plenty more ways to increase conversions on your website. What have you done that’s helped you?