While you may be keeping an eye on the number of visitors who land on your website, it can be argued that it’s the conversion rate that’s the most important statistic. The conversion rate is the percentage of people who fulfil your website’s intended purpose, whether it’s signing up for a mailing list, filling in an online form, requesting a callback or buying one of your products; and, the higher your conversion rate, the more effective your website. So, if your percentage is currently a little low, how can you give it a boost?

 

1. Look objectively at your own website

It’s important to regularly visit your own website and undertake a typical customer journey, such as searching for and buying an item. Was it easy to find what you wanted and easy to check out? If not, then people are likely to just go elsewhere to get what they need. There are many ways you can improve your customer journey, and even small tweaks can boost your conversions.

2. Use your site statistics to see where you’re going wrong

If your conversion rate is low, it may be because there’s a bottleneck in your customer journey, or simply because something like an online form is broken. You can often improve the customer journey simply by using the principles of Six Sigma. At this point, you may be wondering ‘what is Six Sigma?’ It basically means using statistical analysis to improve processes, so it can be very useful when tracking how customers use your site.

3. Check your loading times

So, your website takes a few seconds to load. It’s worth the wait, right? Unfortunately, web users are incredibly impatient, and a one second delay in page response can lead to a 7% decline in conversions. Nearly half of users expect a website to load in less than two seconds, and nearly 80% won’t return to a website if they experience poor performance.

Don’t forget your mobile and tablet users. A website that’s not optimized for different devices can be incredibly frustrating, and conversion rates will reflect this.

4. Don’t bombard users with pop-ups

Ever been in a store and been asked whether you need help the second you walk through the door? It’s annoying, and if you visit a website that instantly fills your screen with pop-ups, you’ll probably feel the same level of rage. Some of the most hated advertising techniques include ads that cover content, ads that scroll with you and auto-playing videos that pop up. That’s not to say you can’t use pop-ups. Delayed pop-ups that have special offers or offer you something, whether it’s a discount or a free eBook in exchange for joining the mailing list, can be pretty effective. So can exit pop-ups that offer an incentive for people to stay on your page.

Even the most beautifully designed and smoothly running websites can find their conversion rates dropping at times. That’s why it’s important to regularly review your sites and look for anything that’s potentially costing you conversions and sales.