A conversion is when visitors to your website complete an action you want them to take. Conversions mean more possibilities to get people to buy from you. Enticing visitors to download your eBook, sign up for your newsletter, consult your pricing page or make an e-commerce purchase could mean a lot to you. However, depending on your specific strategy and policy, you will succeed in this purpose only if you have a website optimised for conversions.
How to build it? Take care of some aspects of your website, like the website design, copywriting, and the ability to address the right people in a personal way.
Let's see the process step by step.
1. The CRO (Conversion Rate Optimisation): A/B tests and MVT.
Conversion Rate Optimization continually improves your website or landing page's ability to convert visitors into leads or customers. The only way to succeed is to test your website's elements (e.g., calls-to-action, headlines, colours, copy, etc.) and gather data about the results.
That's why running A/B and Multivariate (MVTs) tests is crucial. You can run these experiments directly on Google Analytics or through tools like Visual Website Optimise. Thanks to an A/B test, half of your visitors would see version A and half would see version B. Otherwise, an MVT allows you to essentially run multiple A/B tests simultaneously.
After gathering enough data, you can determine which version is the best and use it to increase conversions.
2. Conversion-centered design (CCD).
If you want your website to be sticky, it should be designed to include visual cues and psychological triggers to catch visitors' attention. In particular, there are six principles of CCD:
1) Attention. To keep your visitors on the page they are reading, you should avoid overwhelming them with too much information. Remember: 1 page, 1 goal.
2) Clarity. When someone enters your website, he/she should immediately understand what your business is about, what you are offering, and what the next step is to purchase your products/services.
3) Credibility. Dan Tyre from HubSpot says that people don't buy anything from a company if they do not trust it. Credibility concerns the general reputation of a brand, but it should also be built through the website. So be sure to include at least the following elements:
- Positive customers' testimonies (social proofs).
- Privacy policies (be careful with the GDPR).
- Social share buttons.
- A list of essential customers you already have.
4) Congruence. It is crucial to align every page on your website and adjust them with your specific campaign goal.
5) Continuance. Always ask your visitor to take a step further and decide to continue his/her journey. How do you do this? With a call to action.
6) Urgency and scarcity. If you want your potential customers to decide, show their limited time and limited offers. Sales and marketing have used this psychological trigger for decades.
3. Conversion-focused copywriting.
Using the right words to address people can make a big difference in your communication strategy. For example, Joanna Wiebe from CopyHackers gives some suggestions about headlines you'd better put into practice:
- Write headlines that match the visitor's expectations.
- Communicated in an easy-to-understand language.
- Make the benefit of reading your website page clear.
SEO wizard Brian Dean is a long-standing copywriter. After tons of attempts, he recommends:
- Write a sticky introduction to avoid people bouncing back to the search engine.
- At the introduction's beginning, point out exactly what your content is about.
- Simplify the text (the smoother, the better).
- Insert subheadings and bullet points to make the content easier to read.
- Make your blog posts longer. Longer articles rank better on Google and increase the dwell time of every visit.
- Proofread your content and ensure there are no typos in the copy (otherwise, visitors could think you're not professionally running a business).
4. Contextual marketing.
Contextual marketing is an online marketing model in which a website provides people with targeted content based on who they are and what they've searched for before (e.g., analyzing recent browsing behaviours or their stage in the buyer's journey).
HubSpot offers you advanced personalisation; the platform allows you to show different contents on your website:
- For first-time visitors, the list is based on country, languages, device types (tablet, mobile phone, or laptop), and referral sources (that is, how they found your site).
- For former leads, based on the buyer's journey.
FAQ: Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO) and Website Optimization
What is a reasonable conversion rate for my website?
A "good" conversion rate varies by industry and type of conversion. Generally, a 2-5% conversion rate is considered average, while rates above 10% are excellent. However, it's more important to focus on continually improving your conversion rate rather than comparing it to arbitrary benchmarks.
How long should I run an A/B test to get reliable results?
The duration of an A/B test depends on your website traffic and the size of the change you're testing. As a rule of thumb, run your test for at least two weeks until you reach statistical significance (usually 95% confidence level). This means collecting data from at least 1000 visitors per variation for most websites.
Can conversion-centered design (CCD) principles be applied to mobile websites?
Absolutely! CCD principles are crucial for mobile optimization. Focus on simplifying navigation, using clear and concise copy, implementing thumb-friendly button placements, and ensuring fast load times. Mobile users often have different intents than desktop users, so tailor your CCD strategy accordingly.
How does contextual marketing impact SEO?
Contextual marketing can positively impact SEO by improving user experience and engagement metrics. Visitors who see personalized, relevant content will likely spend more time on your site and interact, sending positive signals to search engines. However, ensure that your core content remains accessible to search engines and doesn't rely solely on personalization.
What are some common CRO mistakes to avoid?
Common CRO mistakes include:
- Testing too many elements at once
- Ending tests too early
- Ignoring mobile optimization
- Neglecting page load speed
- Not segmenting your audience for personalized experiences
- Focusing solely on conversions without considering the overall user experience
How can I use heat maps for CRO?
Heat maps are valuable tools for CRO, providing visual representations of user behaviour on your website. Use them to:
- Identify where users click most frequently
- Determine how far users scroll down your pages
- Spot areas of your site that users ignore
- Optimize placement of critical elements like CTAs and essential information
Tools like Hotjar or Crazy Egg can help you implement heat mapping on your site.
What role does customer feedback play in CRO?
Customer feedback is crucial for an effective CRO. It provides insights into user pain points, preferences, and expectations that quantitative data alone can't reveal. Use surveys, user testing, and customer interviews to gather feedback. This qualitative data can inform your A/B testing hypotheses and help you create more user-centric designs and copy.
That's it! Now you know how to optimize your conversion rate!
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