Step 8:
Conversion Tips

Getting Traffic To Your Site Is Only The First Step!

Getting visitors to your site, whether it be through organic search engine optimization, paid search advertising or other forms of online advertising, is only the first step in closing a sale. Once a visitor has arrived on your site, the success of turning that potential customer into an actual customer is dependent on the design and content of your website.

Design and Navigation

Make sure your entire site structure is user-friendly, easy to navigate and not confusing. The navigation framework should be identical for all pages (don’t suddenly change your left hand navigation links to navigation links in the headers of pages). A search box can provide a great alternative way for your prospective customers to find exactly what they are looking for.

In terms of design it’s always a good rule to keep things simple. Your site should contain good quality graphics and images, but in general there is no need for elaborate Flash design, animation or similar “gimmicks”.

Copywriting

The text content on your site should be topical, persuasive and only present information that reinforces your potential customer’s decision process. For a retail site, product highlights supported by pictures, features, variations available, pricing and purchasing information (e,g. delivery options, payment methods etc) are at the core of your success. If you get these key elements right, your conversion should increase dramatically.

Instilling Trust and Confidence

You are asking your customers to provide you with confidential personal payment information, so you need to make sure that your web presence instills trust and confidence in your potential customers. Apart from using industry standard encryption methods for your checkout, provide background information on your business and give visitors several ways to communication with your company. Testimonials and case studies from satisfied customers on your site also help to provide peace of mind for potential customers. Also investigate accreditation from online bodies such as TRUSTe (privacy policy certification) or the Better Business Bureau (business reliability and consumer education) who will certify your online practices.

Ask For The Sale!

Make sure your pages contain strong calls-to-action that are effective in converting visitors to buyers. The use of incentives like free shipping, bonus offers or other special deals are also effective in increasing your conversion rate.

Easy Purchasing

The checkout is the crucial part of the purchase process. So the easier it is for customers, the better is your conversion rate will be. Step through your checkout process yourself and determine how many clicks it takes to complete a purchase. Even reducing the process by one click can substantially increase your conversion and sales. There are a number of other elements you can optimize in relation to you shopping cart and checkout process – see "DIY Tip: Shopping Cart and Checkout Improvements" for more information.

Great Customer Service

With some complex products or services, customers go through a lengthy purchase and decision making process before actually buying. Whilst it might be difficult to convince a customer to buy the first time he or she visits your site, you can make sure that the necessary help and information is available to speed up the process. Your site should list all the ways that customers can contact you, be it via phone, email, live chat or text messaging. It is crucial that your response time to queries exceeds your prospects’ expectations. For you, the interaction with a prospective customer should not only be about closing the immediate sale, but also about gathering customer information which will help you to better meet their needs in the future.