12 Key Elements Your Website Needs to Improve Conversion Rate

In an article I happen to have stumbled upon yesterday, I read that one of the major marketing predictions for this year is that of the increase in demand for conversion optimization.

This is a subject I haven’t really deliberated on, not until I read that blog. After pondering on it, I realized that SEO is very common now. Companies are becoming aware that they need to be on top of search results, as well as the strategies they need to do to be able to reach that goal. But, at the end of the day, what every company wants is to turn all those strategies and efforts into sales – conversion as marketers pertain to.

But the question is how do you convert your audience into customers? How do you know if your website is quality enough to generate, not just thousands of views but, thousands of returning visits and eventually turning to sales?

Listed below are the key elements of your website, to keep track of this year to make sure that you’re not just another website in the vastness of the worldwide web that just spends a lot of money with domain and hosting. Rather, one that uses it as an avenue to profit.

1. Web Design

Like in football, and almost all team sports, there will always be first-stringers who will play hard in order to win. Usually we judge a team by how their first-stringers or front-liners play. The same goes for websites – web design and layout are the first-stringers, and it’s natural that people will judge your site by its design.

Websites with a pleasing design and layout gain more trust, which is of great help in retaining, even gaining a large audience, and increasing the chances for conversion.

2. Content

Now, before asking where your potential customers are, the question you should be asking yourself first is does your website contain relevant information? May it be blog entries, landing pages, videos or photos, your site’s content will build your identity. So, if you want people to find you significantly valuable, prove that your products and services are worth trying – offer them something good through your content.

3. Website Speed

User-Experience is an imperative factor in CRO (Conversion Rate Optimization). If your website is slow – and takes just about forever to load – chances are people will leave you.

4. SEO

Try doing SEO. Optimizing your website to the top of the search engine results page complements CRO. When you’re in top of search results, people will automatically find you trustworthy. But, use this strategy not just to build links with the aim to be on first page of results, but to actually reach out with other sites related to your niche or industry.

Also, take time to work on your on-page optimization. Make sure that your title tags, descriptions, and even your images’ alt texts describe what your services or products are and how it could be of use to them.

5. Contact Page

Ensure that your contact page is not too complicated that it can prompt a prospective customer to leave your website. Keep it straightforward and concise, with just enough details for your audience to have different options of contacting you, instead of the typical contact forms. It could be telephone numbers, email addresses or your social sites where they could also reach you.

Remember that we all love options!

6. Team Profile

Nowadays, customers want to know who will work for them – pertaining to the people working behind the products and/or services you’re offering and trying to sell. Always remember that people don’t just trust anonymous websites. You have to show who you are, who your staff is, what it is that you do, and how exactly can you help them.

7. Clients Page

Do not be afraid to showcase your clients. Unless it’s confidential, you can create a one-page portfolio where you can show the list of people or companies that you’ve rendered services with.

8. Jobs Page

Although this isn’t applicable for everyone, if you are (representing) a company, one thing that could make you look genuine is if you’re hiring.

9. Testimonials

We know how testimonials can help out our brands, but the problem with many testimonials is that most of them aren’t made by real people. Don’t do that.

If your brand is new, and it doesn’t have enough customers yet to review the products it offers, or even send you a testimonial, do not put falsified reviews and testimonials in your site. Fake testimonials may seem like an easy way to appear to have good reviews but it will only harm your company and your brand’s credibility and reputation.

10. User signups/ forms

One thing that usually hinders growth with conversion are sign ups and forms. In an article I wrote last year, I discussed how you can possibly lose a whopping 86% of users or customers through registration forms.

Avoid making your audience fill up long forms – they don’t like it. Requiring them to do so, before they can acquire your services or make a purchase, will only lose your chances of closing deals.

11. Trust marks

If you accept credit card payments (usually for e-commerce sites), prove to your customers that transacting with you is safe. You can use The VeriSign Seal for that. Check its Fact Sheet to know more about it.

12. Clear steps

While it’s true that we hate long forms and being redirected to many different steps, we don’t always have to make our call to action super short. Sometimes, you just need to be more concise, so balance it with a good design and clear and brief steps. Giving them valid reasons why they need to fill up the necessary information, all while assuring them that these information will be kept confidential, are also essential factors in the entire process.

But wait, there’s more!

Don’t overdo it. Just like the English Proverb “If it’s too good to be true, then it probably is,” too much goodness can make you look even more suspicious. Be natural and work with just the right amount of effort and care.

At the end of the day, in spite of hundreds of posted strategies to better optimize your conversion rate, still, the key element to success is your honesty to yourself and your audience.

We would love to hear from you!

Share us your secret strategies to improving your conversion rates by commenting below.