Why do you have a presence on the Internet? Why do you have a website? What is its purpose? If you have answered because everybody else is doing it then you are doing it for the wrong reasons; like going to the gym to feel good about yourself rather than to exercise and get fit. Unless you are focused on the end goal, your web presence is going to be in vain.
Conversion Rates
The conversion rate is one of the key measures used to monitor the success of your website. As the term implies, the conversion rate measures the number of conversions your website receives as against the number of impressions or page views.
Conversion of What?
Every business will have a list of parameters that are of importance to it. For example, if you run an ecommerce site and your reason for existence is to sell, than your conversion rate will be geared toward sales, or return visits. If you run an educational website, then the number of filled in forms or newsletter sign-ups may be a gauge of what interests you. Either way, the higher the conversion rate, the better your website is doing its job.
If you are measuring parameters that are not valuable, then monitoring conversion rates is a waste of time.
Factors Affecting Conversion Rates
Ever thought of what keeps you glued to a particular website or returning to a website? First you have to get traffic to your website, then you have to ensure that the traffic does what you want it to. There are many ways of achieving this including:
Website Design
Is your website user friendly and appealing? Obviously, the website has to be geared to its intended audience. Consequently, a fashion website must have a different look and feel to an accounting website. This is why having an ecommerce digital agency partner is important. A Cardiff web design agency can build you a website that can make it easy for visitors to find the information they need so they can move on to the next step in their buyer’s journey.
Call to Action
The Call to Action is the blurb on your website that urges and entices your traffic to perform a certain act, such as register for your newsletter, once they have finished reading your content. Often a free EBook is sufficient to achieve your aims. Your Call to Action must be clear, concise, and easy to comply with. Similarly, the text on the button accompanying the Call to Action must be direct and appealing. Once a client signs up, chances are they will tell their friends and the word will spread exponentially.
Copy
No, not your competitors but rather the content on your website. There are millions of websites and all your competitors also have a website. To maximize conversion rates, the copy on your website must be tight, engaging, and persuasive or your traffic will go elsewhere. Every word and sentence must be leading to the Call to Action.
Customer Reviews
People tend to want to run with crowd. Call them “sheeple” if you like but when people see customer reviews it gives them a sense of comfort. A Customer Reviews section with good customer reviews is worth is weight in gold to maximize conversion.
The effect of the Internet and ecommerce has been profound. Learning how to find your niche in this ever-crowded arena is your key to utilizing its power for your benefit. Your website is your storefront to the world, make sure you use it to the best of its ability.
About Brandon Leibowitz
