Converting Clicks Into Coversions

May 16, 2017

Converting Clicks Into Coversions

It takes a lot of work to get people to visit your small business website. To generate user clicks, you’ve taken the time to create a simple, yet engaging website that provides customers an enjoyable and easy to use experience. You’ve implemented a responsive design that works well on mobile sites, and the right keywords have been added to your site text in order to boost your local SEO ranking.  Now that you’ve laid the foundation of success, all that’s needed is to relax and wait for the inevitable spike in conversions.

But what happens if those conversions never start rolling in?

All of that hard work suddenly starts to feel like a waste of effort and resources if your customers simply stop by for a quick look and immediately move along. You have to convince them to take the next step from looky-loo to completing a sale. But how?

While a real art does exist when it comes to properly optimizing a site for conversions, the types of websites that enjoy the highest conversion rates are those that have performed exhaustive split testing and made a real commitment to crafting a message that really resonates with their target audience.

Fortunately, there’s a silver lining. By utilizing the following best practices, you can boost conversions and enjoy similar success.

Give your customers a chance to get to know you.

Neither Rome nor trust can be built in a day. If your small business doesn’t possess immediate brand recognition, you can’t expect customers to start handing over their money the first time they encounter your brand online. Instead of driving customers to a landing page designed to convert their visit into a sale, send them to a page includes an opt-in form. This will provide a potential new customer with the time and opportunity to get to know your brand before you start pressuring them for a conversion.

Why is this a successful strategy? Simple, people like to try before they buy. Getting a prospective customer to make a small commitment like opting in to receive an email or push notification will help warm them up to the idea of making a bigger commitment like completing a sale.

A few CTAs can go a long way.

Marketing basics have drilled in the important role “calls to action” play in helping to covert visitors to you small business website into customers. CTAs are the little messages featured on your website that instruct your visitors on what actions you hope they will take on your website. This means that increasing your conversion rates means that you should load up every page of your website with as many CTAs as possible, right? Well not so fast.

First, featuring four or five different calls to action on your website can easily lead to confusion and disorientation on the part of your visitors. Should they sign up for our newsletter, click to learn more, start their free trial today? An overabundance of options can leave a visitor confused about what you want and what they should do? Not to mention that hitting them from so many different angles can have you coming across as a little desperate. Simplify your message with one – two at the most – CTAs per page.

Let your existing customers become your biggest advocates.

The Internet is a big place, and first-time visitors to your small business website will be justifiably skeptical of any claims you make about the greatness of your products or services. Many have been burned before and they won’t be taken advantage again. So how do you convince someone uncertain of the quality of your products to give your business a try? You provide them proof. Customer testimonials offer an invaluable tool in helping visitors complete the buying cycle. Recent surveys have found that 63 percent of customers are more likely to buy from websites that features a testimonials or reviews section.

To generate the positive reviews your small business website needs, reach out to your best customers to see they would be willing to leave an online review of your business. You can then use those reviews and feature them and your favorite quotes on your site, either on a dedicated testimonials or review page or by organically weaving them throughout your content.

 

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