Improve Your Site’s Conversion Rate: 5 Target Areas
When organizations reach out to us to plan a website redesign, they are often hoping to improve their conversion rates.
While it can be different for each organization, a conversion usually means site visitors making a donation, signing up for a demo, reaching out via a contact form, or making a purchase.
Improving your conversion rate has a direct impact on your mission and your bottom line, so if you are hoping to improve the conversion rate on your site, here are five areas that you should target.
1. Have a Clear and Accessible Homepage Layout
Your homepage sets the tone of your website, creating the first impression for new users.
In order to convert visitors, the messaging needs to be clear and compelling, but what exactly does that look like?
It’s establishing hierarchy, using clear and concise language, and including pertinent information above the fold. Users should be able to get a clear picture of who you are and what you stand for within a few seconds on the page.
2. Increase Your Site’s Trust Factor
The ultimate hurdle between introducing a brand to a user and convincing them to take action is establishing trust.
Your website has to convince users that your brand is trustworthy enough to interact with – whether that means signing up for a newsletter or completing payment.
In addition to ensuring the site is well-organized and easy to navigate, building trust can be achieved through social proof such as testimonials, awards, or statistics.
3. Lower the Interaction Cost as Much as Possible
Interacting with your site should be smooth and easy for users.
Minimize interruptions like pop-ups and ads, and check that your site speed is up to par.
If you offer a demo, or have any sort of form for users to fill out, ask only for essential information. Requiring too much from users too soon can drive them away. On the contrary, providing a free resource can help forge trust between users and your brand.
4. Design a Compelling Call-to-Action
The design of your call-to-action (CTA) serves as the final step towards converting users.
If it falls flat or gets lost among other content, users may leave. Ensure that any call-to-action uses compelling imagery and language that guides action.
Consider the position on the page as well – sometimes including a CTA in the hero can help convert users who wouldn’t otherwise scroll through to the bottom.
5. Monitor and Optimize Your Technical Performance
Your site needs to be tested often and kept up-to-date, including meeting accessibility standards.
Any site that appears outdated, has broken links, loads slowly, or isn’t optimized for mobile viewing may lead users to believe the site is neglected, which can create distrust.
Ultimately, if it’s difficult for any reason to complete a task on the site, users won’t feel confident about interacting further.
Taking the time to review these elements on your own site can make the difference between users who convert and those who don’t. If you have questions or need help taking the next step, reach out to us.
