Ever wonder why some websites have sky-high conversion rates while yours struggles along at 1%? In order to persuade your visitors to buy, your site must incorporate purposeful design strategies to help them achieve their goals. Some of those strategies will be specific to your site, but others can be achieved by adhering to these six conversion optimization secrets for brilliant conversion rates.
Mini-Conversions: A Key Ingredient In Your Website's Conversion Rate
Mini-Conversions are a key ingredient in improving your conversion rate
Website analytics hold the keys to building a successful website. Analytics tell us what we’re doing well and what still needs work.
As we dive into all that data, we often tend to gravitate toward the BIG metric: conversion rate. And while conversion rate provides essential information (how many people are taking the plunge), it doesn’t tell the whole story.
How to Create A Successful Landing Page
The sign at the local farmer’s market announced fresh handmade Christmas wreaths. I go to the first stall and then another, and another… All the wreaths are made of fresh douglas fir branches, all have pretty bows, and all have friendly people in the stall making the wreaths. Prices? All the same.
Then at the last stall, an older woman is making fresh wreaths and she’s adding bits of fruit, berries, twigs and flowers – Maybe not exactly what I was looking for….but then again…they’re really interesting.
In a world of sameness, how do you make your offerings stand out?
Creating effective landing pages requires a commitment to finding not just what works with your audience, but also how to stand out from your competitors.
There are no hard and fast landing page formulas, because every market is different – and your pages need to be designed specifically for your market.
However, there are some ground rules that you can follow during the creative process.
What's So Special About A Landing Page?
How effective are your landing pages?
If “landing page” sounds like just another techie term that makes running a website complicated, you’re not alone.
Plenty of companies miss the concept of a altogether and end up using the term to describe any old page on their site.
But if that’s all you expect, you’re missing out on a huge conversion opportunity.
What’s so special about a landing page? Let’s take a look.
The Technical Definition
Technically, a landing page is any page a visitor lands on when he clicks through to your site from another place. He might reach you through a paid search ad, a Google search result, a link to your site on Facebook or LinkedIn or a link on another site.
Sounds like just a page on your website, but practically speaking, these pages carry much more significance than you might think at first.
Landing Pages, Practically Speaking
In the conversion optimization arena, landing pages are carefully crafted pages designed with the purpose of moving the visitor toward conversion. When a customer clicks your PPC ad or a link on Facebook, she should land on a page that captures her attention, answers her questions, and persuades her to take the next step by clicking on the call to action.
What Can a Landing Page Do for You?
What is a landing page on a website? It’s a page with a purpose.
Unlike home pages, or other random pages on your website, these carefully designed pages communicate one message, have one goal, and pour all their persuasive effort into accomplishing that goal.
Creating designated landing pages can significantly boost your conversion rates by letting visitors know they’ve arrived in the right spot and telling them what to do next.
When your customers click on a link that says “Holiday Blowout Sale” do they see a generic home page with a teeny “Sale Items” link in the left sidebar?
Or, do they see a page with an image that matches the ad graphic, a headline that uses the same wording, and a persuasive call to action?
By clicking on the ad in the first place, the visitor has already expressed interest in your Holiday Blowout Sale. It’s the job of the landing page to capitalize on that interest, stir up even more interest, and give the visitor a reason to keep clicking.
If you’re dumping visitors on your home page, stop! Landing pages can turn dismal conversion rates into dollar signs with just a little effort and design know-how.
Wow Them With Video
Video can be a great tool for introducing new products, engaging customers on the product page, or showing visitors how a particular product works.
I recently needed to replace my UGG insoles – so I went over to Zappos and checked out this video on the product detail page:
Short and engaging – and totally in sync with the Zappos Brand.
Is a Website Redesign Your Best Alternative?
Update or redesign.. which is the best alternative?
There is nothing more discouraging than to go through the time, effort and expense of a redesign only to discover that it doesn’t solve the problem you set out to banish – or worse, your customers tell you how much they dislike the new website.
Looking at the redesign issue from a number of different angles and exploring all your alternatives before embarking – can save you time, money and a lot of stress and frustration.