The name of the online game is conversion. Whether your advertising budget is slim or generous, your conversion rate is what will determine the growth of your online revenues. If you are looking for ways to browsers into buyers, the good news is that there are easy ways to improve the conversion statistic.
What is Conversion Rate?
Your online sales conversion rate is simply the percentage of website visitors who make a purchase. For instance, if you make three sales from every 100 visitors, your conversion rate is 3%. The conversion rate is a managerial tool you can use to make goals and monitor progress toward that goal. Be sure you maintain a constant and updated web stats tool that gives you your conversion rate.
Tip 1. Clarify Verbiage
Online customers can get confused with too many statistics or too much information thrown at them. Configure your sales copy toward the lowest common denominator. Make it simple. For instance, don’t explain too many technical details about the features of your product. Instead, simply state the benefits, for instance, “Saves 50% cleaning time”.
Tip 2. Make a Clear Call to Action
Keep in mind that online shoppers are lazy. A visitor may want to buy, but could be unsure of how to move forward with a purchase. In all cases, make the next step absolutely clear.
You should avoid intimidation in your call to action as well. Rather than say “BUY”, or “PURCHASE”, which comes with the denotation of a financial commitment, make it a softer sell with words like, “GET YOUR VITAMINS TODAY!”
Tip 3. Clarify Graphics
One way to certainly say goodbye to most of your visitors is having too much clutter on your website. Most of the clutter comes in the form of too many graphics. Keep your graphics and photos to a minimum.
If you do use graphics, be sure they are relevant and clear. For instance, if you operate an online chocolatier business, a graphic of a cocoa plant may confuse a visitor and make them think you are some type of florist.
Tip 4. Reduce the Number of Ways to Leave Your Sales Page
One way to encourage visitors to continue through the entire checkout process is reducing the ways they can leave that process. Remember, you do want clear navigation throughout your site. But when visitors start a checkout process, eliminate the navigation bar, and reduce the number of links that take the customer out of the buying process.
Tip 5. Demonstrate a Clear Return Policy
Internet sales are riskier for buyers when it comes to unwanted or damaged goods. Be sure your potential customers know your policy on returns and the steps they need to take to make a return. Give your full contact information, including street address (not a vague P.O. Box), and disclose how long the customer has to make a return, generally 30 – 60 days.
Tip 6. Avoid Wasting Visitors’ Time
Do you really need full address, phone, email, and mother’s maiden name with all orders? Be sure you make it easy to purchase your goods or services with just a 2 or 3 step checkout process. If they’re willing to give you a credit card number, don’t require that a customer create an “account.” Sure, the contact info would be nice for follow-up marketing, but if the visitor returns, they can do it on their own.
Tip 7. Test Several Versions
The most successful online businesses don’t stick with one sales page and hope it works. The best way to know what brings in more conversions is to test several varieties of your sales page. Try your logo on the left and the right. Compare how one set of longer sales verbiage works compared to another shorter set. These types of comparisons help you understand your online customer better and gives you the tools to design the most efficient sales page.
Take a look at your checkout process and monitor how your sales pages convert visitors into customers. The little things you do to improve your conversion rate translates into bigger profits for your online business.
