Conversion Rate

Want to see how to quickly improve the conversion rate of your site?  The easiest way to see if your site is measuring up with your competitors is to take some screen shots of specific features that are on your site and on your competitor’s sites and to paste them all together into a word doc side by side.  You can then easily see what others are doing in your same market and get the creative juices flowing to do what they are doing even better!

1. Do a Google search for your top keyword and open new tabs or windows for the top 10 sites.

2. Open up Microsoft Word or other similar program.

3. Take screen shots or use SnagIt and copy the different sections of your site and the your competitor’s sites and paste them into your Word doc.

Areas to check:

1. Top Navigation bar.  Check to see if you have too much white space.  What things are above the fold on your competitor’s sites that you don’t have above the fold.  Do you have an 800 number?  Do you have a top navigation link map that links to the top sections on your site? Do you have an awesome Logo that your customers can identify with? Do you have a search box?

2. USP.  No that is not UPS.  USP is the Unique Selling Proposition.  The unique selling proposition are the reasons why your customers should buy from you instead of at your competitor’s sites.  First research and see if your competitors have a USP.  If they do, then write down their USP.  Look to find as many other sites in your market as possible and create a master list of all the USPs that you can find that apply to your market.  Once you have a list, then see which ones you can also offer and which ones you can one up them on and offer a better proposition.  Low price is NOT a good USP.  You never want to compete on price.  Think of what values you can add to your product or service that will make you stand out from the competition.

3. Guide the Site Visitor.  When someone goes to your site, where are they guided to click?  Is the process confusing?  There should be a clear call to action.  As you look at other sites, check out where your eyes are drawn to.  Look at what action you are compelled to take on other sites and then see how you can improve the call to action on your site to guide your customers through the sales funnel.

4. Live Chat.  If you don’t offer live chat, why not?  If you are selling to hundreds of customers and your phone lines are constantly jammed up, having live chat will literally save sales!

5. Call to Action.  What is your call to action?  Is it clear to your customers?  If your call to action is to call a phone number, then that phone number should be on each page four, six, eight or even ten times!  If your call to action is to click the Order Now button, then make sure your Order button is bright and easy to find.

6. Borrow authority.  Having credit cards, BBB, and Security Seals is known to improve conversion rates.  Make sure your seals are above the fold and if possible in the top banner.  Shipping logos such as by Fedex, UPS, or USPS are also good to have.  Compare your site with the other top 10 sites and see what seals they have posted on their site above the fold and be sure to do the same!

7. Collect emails.  Add a webform to collect emails on your site.  When analyzing the top 10 sites see what their web forms look like.  Check to see what words they are using.  Look at if they are offering a freebie in exchange for email addresses or maybe a discount or coupon code.  After you start to build your database, be sure to follow up and send out weekly emails!

8. Testimonials. As soon as possible, add customer testimonials to your site.  Be sure to check out the new FTC regs and be absolutely sure to follow all the rules.  Having testimonials throughout the site especially close to where your customers see the Buy Now button, is a great way to increase conversion.

9. Professional graphics and advertising.  Who says the professional ads on the right side nav of your site has to link out to someone else’s site?  Use professional looking ads on the right side nav of your site to link to other sections of your site!

10.  Last but not least, be sure to have analytics installed.  Google webmaster tools and Google analytics are a must.  Crazyegg.com is also ideal for seeing exactly where your customers are clicking.  If you have a link on your home page that is not being clicked on, then you need to get rid of that link or change it in some way so that it does get clicked on.  Links are the doors on your site that open to other sections.  If no one is going through those doors, then you need to either move the doors somewhere else or do something to call attention to them!

Enjoyed this article?  Have another tip to improve the conversion rate of websites?  Let us know by leaving a comment below! 

 

 

 I am a huge fan of the site Conversion Rate Experts! They have some free articles over there including a huge checklist of things you can do to improve your site.

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