5 Ways To Increase Website Conversions

If you are at a point where you’ve managed to get consistent traffic to your website then congratulations, you have won half the battle already! But now it’s time for the next step: making those visitors act.

What Is A Good Conversion Rate For A Website?

Let’s start with the basics: a website conversion rate is the percentage of visitors your site has that complete the action you want them to take: fill out a form, call you, make a purchase, sign up to an email newsletter, etc.

How do you measure conversion rate?

To calculate your conversion rate, simply divide the number of conversions by the total number of visitors, and multiply that number by 100:

conversion rate = (conversions / visitors) x 100

What is a good website conversion rate?

Conversion rates vary immensely according to your industry and country. For example, a bottom-tier conversion rate for a legal website sits at 1.07%, compared to 5.01% in the finance industry. Despite these discrepancies, we are still able to draw some conclusions.

Across the board, an average conversion rate would be between 1 and 3 per cent, and a good website conversion rate is somewhere between 2 and 5 per cent. This means that even a small percentage change (say increasing conversions from 2.5% to 3%) is extremely significant.

So, whether your goal is to get visitors signing up for an email newsletter, buying products or contacting you for formal quotes, these are the best ways to get them to take the action you want.

How To Increase Website Conversions

There are no guarantees of immediate results, but following these best practices will help get your website on the way to conversion success. Here are 5 simple tips to increase website conversion rate:

1. Include Calls-To-Action

When your friend asks if they can borrow a pen you will likely do it, right? But if they don’t say anything you aren’t exactly thinking “I’m going to offer them a pen right now”. That is precisely why calls-to-action are so relevant: a website visitor is much more likely to take action if you tell them exactly what you want them to do. And it works!

The numbers don’t lie: clear calls to action not only get you more clicks, but they can boost sales by up to 1,617% more. And the more tailored the better: personalised CTAs convert 202% better.

Our CTA tips for increased conversions:

• Opt for buttons as they are more likely to be clicked as opposed to links.
• Make CTAs quick to read and easy to follow.
• Be clear with your message: for example, instead of just “Store” why not “Discover More Products”?
• Be wise with design choices: your CTA should pop from the page, but also be readable.

2. Ask For Smaller Commitments

Our second tip to increase website conversion is to delay transactions. It may seem counter-intuitive to ask your web visitors to call you when all you want is for them to purchase your product, but most people are commitment-averse and will shy away from bigger transactions when put on the spot (especially if they are not face-to-face with the seller).

Requesting small commitments, like calling you for a quote or submitting a form to discuss their options allows potential customers to come to terms with their decision and reassures that the ball is in their court - they will not have to commit to anything unless they say so.

An example of this is an “Add to cart” CTA instead of a “Buy Now” button. This delays transactions slightly yet allows the buyer to view your other offers without feeling pressured to commit to one single product.

3. Test Different Layouts

Why settle for a website that is performing averagely? Allow your website to improve by testing different colours, backgrounds, fonts, layouts. Some of them might not work, but by comparing all possible website variations you can rate their effectiveness in increasing conversion rates, and find out what tweaks can give you big wins.

Remember: your website navigation should be simple, seamless and intuitive. The last thing you want is for a visitor not to convert because they couldn’t find the correct page. Improving your web page’s load time is also key to decrease the number of immediate abonnements drastically. First-time users are notoriously impatient so aim for a loading time of under 4 seconds.

4. Make Your Website Mobile-Friendly

If your goal is to increase website conversion rate then this is less of a suggestion and more of an absolute MUST. The number of people using the internet on mobile devices (from phones to tablets) is increasing rapidly. So you need to ensure you have a responsive website that works across all devices so every single visitor can have a great experience. If a site is taking lots of time to load properly, or the CTA buttons are entirely inaccessible, your conversion rates can’t change for the better.

5. Display Reviews and Testimonials

Consumers are much more likely to trust a website if they have received a personal recommendation and can access organic honest reviews. To build trust and help your credibility, prominently showcase your website’s positive testimonials and previous customer reviews from different sources. Have you also won awards or worked with well-known brands? Then display logos and badges you have gathered.

The aforementioned practice of optimising your website across all devices also comes in handy here: the more people have a positive experience on your website, the more reviews you will get, which will likely encourage future visitors to take action.

On a final note regarding how to increase your website conversions: Keep track of changes you make to your website and measure your conversion rate often. This way you can pinpoint what changes implemented had the most impact on your conversions.

Need help improving your website conversion rate but don’t know where to start? Then get in touch with the team of professionals at Limelight Digital and we will help you get your website on track to increase conversions.