A website won’t necessarily help conversions by itself. You could argue that the existence of a website allows you to draw online leads, meaning you may see some conversions that wouldn’t exist without a site.
We get that, but there are elements of a site that improve conversion rates for all businesses. The crazy thing is, some of these additions are fairly small and you barely notice them, yet they yield the most impressive results.
In the content below, you’ll see a few of the best things to add to your website to increase conversions. Before we jump into that, let’s talk more about conversion rates.
What is a conversion rate?
A conversion rate looks at your overall number of site visitors and sees how many of them you “converted”.
We’ve put converted in quotation marks because it’s a loose term. Most business owners see it in terms of generating sales. A visitor who lands on your site and buys something has been converted. However, you can include other actions under this term. For some, the aim is to make web traffic join a mailing list or download a free ebook. If they do this but don’t make a purchase, they’re still converted in your eyes.
So, the first aspect of a conversion rate is deciding what desired action (or actions) you’re looking at. Then it’s a case of increasing this rate as much as possible. If 1 in 100 users completes a desired action, you have a conversion rate of 1%. Bump this up to 15 in 100 and your rate is 15% – you get the gist!
What is a good conversion rate for your business website?
It’s hard to know as an almost infinite number of factors come into play – such as your industry, what you’re trying to get people to do, and so on.
Nevertheless, Wordstream reports that the average conversion rate across all industries is 2.35%.
Other experts have weighed in on this and said that most businesses should initially aim for between 2-5% conversion rates. The same Wordstream article commented that the top 25% of websites are converting above 5% while the top 10% are above 11.45%.
Effectively, if you can get your conversion rate above 5 or 10%, you’re doing more than good. This shows your site is perfectly set up to convert and you’re probably outperforming your biggest rivals.
On that note, let’s look at what you can do to boost your conversion rate!
5 Website Additions That Increase Conversion Rates
We’ll preface this section by recognizing that some obvious things aren’t on this list. We’ve not included stuff like responsive web design or fast page loading speeds. Both will increase conversion rates, but we don’t see them as additions to your site.
We’re approaching this with the mindset that you have a mobile-friendly business website, and it runs brilliantly. You’re struggling to generate conversions, so here are things you can add to this site to make it function better.
Landing Pages
A landing page is a dedicated page designed for people who click on specific links to your site.
It’s not your homepage – it’s a page you can only access when clicking a link. Usually, landing pages go hand in hand with online ads. Someone sees an ad for your business and clicks on it, then they get taken to your website.
You need proper landing pages to help convert visitors from adverts. Otherwise, you’re spending money on ads but people leave before completing a desired action. Each advert needs a dedicated landing page which should reflect what you’re advertising. It should be a page that encourages people to buy the product they’re interested in or get whatever you promised. Without proper landing pages, your adverts fail to convert, meaning the conversion rate of your website sucks.
Pop-Ups
Your initial thought is that pop-ups suck. As users, we hate it when websites bombard us with constant pop-ups. It ruins the browsing experience and can make you leave a site.
And yet, when done correctly, pop-ups can be a powerful conversion tool.
The secret is to only provide one pop-up. When someone visits your site, stick a cheeky pop-up on the screen for them to read. Make it easy for them to get rid of, but also ensure that the pop-up offers something. It’s a way of drawing their attention to an offer, so they’re more inclined to click on it.
For instance, imagine you want people to join your mailing list. Showing a pop-up with a 15% discount on their purchase if they sign up for your mailing list is a brilliant idea. They see what they’re getting (15% off) and there’s a clear way of getting it (putting their email in a little box). It requires zero effort from them yet helps you convert a visitor within seconds of their arrival.
Live Chat & FAQs
Information is everything for consumers. When you want people to buy products or services from your website, you need to provide as much info as possible. Live by the mantra that you should leave users with no unanswered questions.
Think about all the queries people might have about your products/services, and then come up with easy ways of answering them. This can be via live chat solutions or FAQs. In all honesty, you get the best effect when using both ideas together.
Frequently asked questions can cover most of the obvious queries someone will have. They find answers and feel confident making a purchase. Just like that, you’ve gained a conversion when a lack of FAQs may have caused them to leave as they felt too unsure about something. If they can’t find an answer, the live chat kicks in to provide a way to answer questions. They speak with someone and immediately receive the answer to their query.
You’re putting users in a position where they know everything they need to know before purchasing a product or service. It fills them with confidence as they can trust your business. They don’t feel like they’re taking a risk, while a lack of support leaves things up in the air. If a user doesn’t feel 100% comfortable when making a purchase, they’ll go elsewhere and your conversion rate suffers.
Social Proof
Speaking of comfort and confidence, other elements can be added to your site to boost both. Social proof builds confidence amongst users as they start to trust your business. They become aware that they’re using a safe website and dealing with a company that’s widely regarded as trustworthy.
What is social proof?
It refers to a multitude of things you put on your site that prove your credibility. Common ideas include the following:
- Reviews
- Testimonials
- Awards
- Journalistic features
- Companies you may have worked with
- Security certificates
- Business accreditations
Picture this: someone visits your website and sees countless five-star reviews and glowing testimonials from clients. They also see you’ve worked with big brands and have earned a few awards in your time. Immediately, you’re making a fantastic first impression. This can help persuade visitors to go ahead and complete the desired action you’re hoping for. It goes back to the idea of taking risks we mentioned earlier. FAQs and live chat prevent risks by informing users as much as possible. Social proof does the same, but in this case, the user is being informed that you’re a genuinely trustworthy company with a great reputation.
Imagine the same scenario, but the user is on another website at the same time. They’re trying to pick between the two, yet the second site has none of the social proof your site has. Whose website are they likely to stay on? Yours!
Clear CTAs
We can’t talk about conversion rates without mentioning CTAs.
A call-to-action literally encourages users to do something. There should be some form of CTA on every page of your website. It can be in the header as a “Contact Us” button to generate email or telephone inquiries – or it could be in the footer as a contact form for people to fill in.
There could be CTAs in the middle of content as well. For instance, on a page for products or services you’re selling, put a CTA button encouraging people to checkout and pay instantly. Things like an Apple Pay button or PayPal button encourage clicks as they’re super convenient and help people pay without needing to fill in any forms. To have a PayPal button you need to sign up for a PayPal Business account.
The idea of a CTA is to grab people’s attention so they’re encouraged to complete the action you’re hoping for. This is one of the simplest things to add to a site if you want to boost conversions.
This brings us to the end of today’s article. You should always use your website to market your business and build your brand image. Many of you may have great marketing strategies that drive traffic to your site, but what is your website doing with this traffic? You need to convert as much of it as possible, so consider these two things:
- Set some desired actions that you want to track
- Add all five of the things mentioned in this guide to your website
You’ll end up with a site that starts converting more effectively, meaning your business begins to grow!
