15 Killer Hacks To Double Your Website Conversion Rates

How to Improve your Online Conversion Rates – Apply these 15 Strategies

Are you getting the most from your online marketing? You find it easy to bring the right people to your website, but your conversion rates tell a different story? You’re strapped for time running a business, but you know you must focus your efforts on improving your online conversion rates in order to grow.

These 15 techniques will guide you to quickly and effectively improve your website conversion rates. You’ll learn how to attract and the right type of customers, without spending more money.

If you want to learn how to increase website conversion rates, then this article is for you.

1. Improve your Website Navigation and Site Architecture

Your website should guide, and prompt your visitors to the key pages you want them to land on.
Google penalises for over optimisation: Too many links per page

• Use clear hierarchy of content and pages – users tend to follow a short path to the content they want. Limit to three levels deep.
• Use 7 or fewer links per page. Don’t hide or bury your main link navigation, this hinders your ability to get pages listed in the search engines’ indices.
• Help users easily navigate within your site by using descriptive keywords in your anchor texts and having clear Back and Home buttons.
• Minimize scrolling, keep it vertical.
• Limit distractions: Focus on the key goals of your website by pointing users to your key landing pages.

The more user friendly a website is, the better the experience for the visitor, resulting in more website conversions.

2. Design With Responsive In Mind To Increase Website Conversions

How your content is displayed is key to reducing bounce rate, increasing page views and improving how effective your website is at converting its visitors.

9 out of 10 smartphone users conduct some form of financial activity on their device. More than 50% use their phones to shop online.

The barrier between how you shop or interact with a website should be as simple as walking into a store and buying something.

In order to increase conversions to your website, you should endeavour to blur the lines between technology and reality.

Make it easy for a customer to convert.

Reduce the number of steps needed to complete an action and use alluring buttons that will entice them to click.

Responsive Design. Image from: www.noupe.com

3. Create Business Opportunities with your Conversion Funnel

A conversion funnel is the path a prospect takes through your website which ultimately results in a conversion.

A conversion in this context refers to an action a visitor takes whilst browsing your website. This could be signing-up to your newsletter, downloading a whitepaper, buying your products, filling out a form or even simply sharing your content.

Potential converts ask a lot of questions when they are deciding whether to click on your link or visit your page. Many businesses make the mistake of trying to appease every audience, this makes it difficult to develop a strong conversion funnel.

Angus Lynch suggest a tactic called traffic shaping – converting traffic to customers without disrupting the user experience. In essence it’s a tactic for bridge building. Having good information architecture attracts prospects and direct them to an optimal conversion point.
Help users find the right page. Make your desired pathway abundantly clear and incentivise users to follow it.

Always ask yourself the following questions:

1.What is the purpose of this page?

2. Why does it exist?

3. Why should visitors click here?

4. How does this page help the visitor find a solution to their problem?

4. Attract the right audience by creating Buyer Personas

Creating buyer personas is critical for determining which topics and channels you should focus on to grow your business.

You need to know who you are selling to.

A buyer persona is a clear, detailed description of your primary, target customers.

Having a precise, specific description of your customers is key to understanding who they are, and what they’re struggling with. You will also be able to write in their language, which will make it easier for you to attract them, thus increasing your conversions.

5. Engage prospects with Relevant and Compelling Content

Position yourself for success. Post content that addresses your customers underlying objections to converting. As part of your marketing strategy, use your content to sell interesting stories of how others have benefited from your service/product. Create desire and an unshakable relationship with your audience, then ask for the sale.

How do you create compelling content?
• Keyword research: Ask yourself, is the keyword relevant to your website’s content? Will it continually send visitors who convert to paying customers?
• Frequently update and refresh your content: This will attract and retain website traffic by showing visitors you care about what they are reading. Also, you’ll be telling search engines that you have made updates to your website, which in turn might lead to appearing higher on search pages.
• Get authoritative links pointing back to your site.
• Speak your audiences’ language.
• Enhance readability – write logically in a conversational style; using sub-headlines, bullets and short sentences where necessary.

6. A/B testing: The most powerful way to turn clicks into customers

AB testing, also called split testing, compares two options on your webpage against one another. You’re testing between options A and B, to determine which one produces positive results. For example, testing which colour Call to Action button leads to more conversions.

You’ll look at how many click troughs you get on each colour button. Based on the data you’ll be able to tell which coloured button is the best and will ultimately lead to more online conversions.

When using a/b testing, it’s important to first decide what you want to test. The most common tests include: Headlines, call-to-action buttons and form length and design.
Here are some of the best A/B testing software options:
• Optimizely
• Visual Website Optimizer
• Unbounce
• Kissmetrics
• Google Analytics (free)

7. A captivating marketing strategy – Place Call to Action above the fold

Place your call to action (CTA) above the fold so that it stands out. Make sure your CTA is clear and has a specific goal. Use a/b testing to test the shape, colour and wording of your call to action button.

8. Write Headlines That Sing

Your headline encapsulates your promise to the user. Make it simple and direct. Clearly communicate the benefit you’ll deliver. The more you focus on the benefits to the reader, the more likely they are to convert.

Headline formulas that work:
• “How to” headlines
• List headlines
• Announce exciting news
• Pose a provocative question
• Bark a command – tell the reader what to do
• Offer useful information
• Relay an honest, enthusiastic testimonial
Read this post to learn how to write powerful headlines.

9. Optimise your Lead Capture Forms

Website users are turned off by having to fill out long forms. Don’t ask for a lot of user info.

Keep it short and simple.

Use checkboxes, lists and dropdown menus to make data entry easier.

Focus on the goal, and get rid of the fields that distracts the user from accomplishing that goal.

10. Use Video on your Landing Page

Using video on your landing page helps engage visitors for a longer period of time, allowing your brand message to sink in. Consumers are spending almost 45 minutes a week more on digital media than watching TV. 81% of marketing executives already use online video content in their marketing programs (marketingprofs).

Video is very searchable and shareable, placing increased likely hood on websites using video marketing to be ranked on the first page of Google. According to Videobrewery, visitors are 64% more likely to buy a product on an online retail site after watching a video.
How to use video to increase your website conversion rates:
• Use video tutorials to show how your product and/or service adds value
• Put videos on your product page to demonstrate how your product works
• Use video customer testimonials to increase trustworthiness
• Add a call to action on your video
• Add your video to Youtube and optimise it for search engine optimisation

11. Build Trust through Social Networking

Make it easy for visitors to share your pages with their friends on social networks or via email by using social share icons on your website. Let them personalise the message. As of January 2014, 74% of adults online in the United States use social networking sites and 42% use multiple social networking platforms.

• Use social logins to allow users to sign up for and log into your website, app, list or service through their social accounts.
• Reduce shopping cart abandonment with social checkout, this simplifies the process.
• Get your customers to share their purchase (see Amazon) with their social networks, you’ll improve trust and expand your audience.

12. Run a Facebook Ad Campaign

Use Facebook ads to capture attention and promote special deals. Your website will benefit from increased exposure and you can capture information about your customers and prospective customers. This gives you the ability to generate hot leads for your business. Facebook ads can be shared amongst friends, which will dramatically increase participation, leading to business referrals and increased conversions.

13. Attract More Visitors By Making Your Website Appealing

The whole process of doing business with you should be easy, appealing, desirable and fun. It’s human nature to avoid pain and seek pleasure. All of us essentially want to avoid effort and discomfort and will rather seek fun and comfortable experiences.

Converting via your website must be organised, friendly and professional. Explain to visitors what’s in it for them by clearly stating how your offer will benefit them and make their life easier.

14. Have a better Risk-Free Guarantee

The more risk and pain you alleviate, the higher your conversion rate will be. By reducing your customer’s risk of buying/converting it gives them a feeling of security and control.

People regret taking action and getting negative results and will thus rather avoid taking action. Overcome this inaction by offering a better risk-free guarantee:
• 90 day money back guarantee
• Return with no questions asked
• Free trials and samples
After your guarantee, add something like this: “And just for trying our product/service we’ll give you a $50 gift certificate to our online store”.

15. Apply Robert Cialdini’s 6 Persuasive Selling Techniques

15.1 Reciprocation:

People generally feel the need to pay back, in kind, what another person provided. This usually produces “yes” responses E.g. give users a free trail or sample, this will stimulate the “yes” response when you start selling.

15.2 Social proof:

Include customer testimonials and reviews on your landing pages to act as endorsements for your product/service. This will encourage trustworthiness and increase website credibility by verifying your claims.

15.3 Commitment and Consistency:

Human beings are obsessed with appearing consistent with what they have already done. They simply convince themselves they’ve made the right choice. Stimulate this response by sending users an email, after their purchase, commending them on their choice. Reinforcing that they’ve made the right decision.

15.4 Liking:

We prefer to say yes to requests from people similar to us, people we know and like. This is where buyer personas are very important. Use endorsements to increase your website’s likability.

15.5 Authority:

People have a deep seated sense of duty toward authority, they want to follow the lead of real experts. Ensure your compelling content positions you as a thought leader and expert in your field.

15.6 Scarcity:

Things become more attractive when it seems it would soon become unavailable:
• Limited offers
• You will never again have this chance
• Limited number of. . . .
• Exclusive information

When you’re trying to grow your business, most metrics pale into insignificance compared to your conversion rates.

The earlier and more frequent your site appears in Google SERPs, the more traffic you’ll get. Ultimately leading to higher conversion rates. Implement these 15 strategies to increase your website rankings, appear on the first page of Google and have more clicks leading to conversions.