One of the main goals for any business website is to convert visitors. Maybe you want them to buy a product, or just sign up for your email list. Whatever it is, you have a goal in mind for what you want your visitors to do once they reach your site.
However, your conversion rate may not be where you want it to be. If so, you’re probably getting a little frustrated. After all, conversion rates are pretty important to businesses of any size, and having a low number isn’t ideal. You’ve probably started searching for ways that you can improve your conversion rate, particularly through your website, and that’s how you ended up here.
Luckily, improving your conversion rate isn’t typically too tough. In fact, there are a few changes you can make to your website that will help to drive that conversion number higher. Here are a few strategies to get you started:
Remove Choices
One of the first things you should look at is the number of choices you’re providing to your visitors. Studies have shown that when you provide too many choices to your customers, they are less likely to take action. The amount of choices ends up distracting them to the point they are unable to decide, and end up leaving the site.
Keep your website simple. Each page should have a single goal, and all of the elements should be geared towards that goal. For instance, don’t create a landing page that advertises several different products. Instead, have a unique page for each product or service. On your homepage, limit the number of links to other pages, opting for links to only the most important ones. This will help steer your visitors where you want them and make things simpler, thus resulting in more conversions.
Speed It Up
Speaking of choices, chances are your website isn’t the only one that might interest your target niche. They have other options, so if they grow impatient with yours, they’re likely to look elsewhere. That’s why the next thing you should look at is the speed of your website. People these days are impatient, and if your site takes more than a few seconds to load, your visitors are probably going to leave.
Make sure all of the images on your site are optimized for the web, as large images take a long time to load. Sometimes we don’t even realize the size of the images on our site – particularly if you buy a website or are using images found online – so it’s important to check this out and see if it’s the culprit.
If you’re using WordPress plugins, make sure they are operating correctly and that you’re only using the ones you really need. Beyond that, if your site is still running slowly, look into switching over to a faster server.
Optimize the Layout
Next, take a look at the layout you are using for your website. There are two major methods for website design layout, and using one of them could result in a better conversion rate. This might require either editing your website directly, or perhaps using a different WordPress theme, but the results could be worth it.
The first method comes from the world of photography and follows the rule of thirds. Imagine dividing up the visible page into three equal sections, both vertically and horizontally. You’d have two lines running horizontally, a third of the way down the page and a third of the way up, and the same for the vertical lines. Where these lines meet on this grid is where you want the most prominent parts of your webpage to appear. The human eye tends to be drawn towards this area of an image, so by placing the most important parts of a page here, you make your site more appealing.
The other method is called an F-Layout. The F-Layout is similar to the rule of thirds, but you’re essentially ignoring the bottom right corner. Imagine a big letter “F” on the page – this is where our eyes tend to focus first on a webpage. Place your article titles, banner images, etc all through this area for maximum effectiveness. To learn more about the F-Layout, you can check out this guide.
The Importance of Colors
Finally, pay attention to the colors you’re using on your website. Too many colors can lead to a distracting page, which in turn leads to people leaving the site. On the other hand, not enough colors can make a page boring or hard to read, which will also lead to a drop in viewers.
As a guidelines, stick to no more than 3 primary colors for your website, and a few of their shades. For example, if you wanted to use white, green and yellow on your site, some grays or different tones of green might work, but you wouldn’t want to add in reds and blues too.
Use colors that contrast well with one another, and which represent the type of mood you’re trying to set for your site. Blues and greens are often used to express loyalty and trustworthiness, while reds can be used for passion and yellows for happiness.
Once you have your color scheme, make sure you’re using them in a way that will help your visitors. For example, a yellow link on a green background is likely hard to read, and therefore less likely to get clicked. You can use colors to make the most important parts of your page – headers, buttons, images, and links – stand out from everything else. This will help to improve user experience and point people in the right direction.
Focus on User Experience
When it comes to improving your conversion rate, the thing you really want to focus on is user experience. If users are having a hard time finding their way around your site, or if the page is unpleasant to look at, they’re less likely to convert on your desired action.
Take some time to examine your current web design and think about how you can improve it. Do you need to move some elements around on the page? Change up the color scheme? Or does your website simply load too slowly?
So, whether you’re starting a website from scratch, you just bought an existing website, or you’ve been running a website for a while now, put a lot of thought into the web design. A few simple changes can go a long way, and the result will not only be happier visitors but an improved conversion rate.
