When it comes to a business website, the most important thing is that it’s able to convert visitors into customers. Whether that’s done directly or through a process like having visitors schedule a consultation, once you identify your primary goal for the site, your focus should be on maximizing its conversion rate. And in order to achieve the best conversion rate possible, it’s important to avoid common pitfalls that can significantly hamper a site’s ability to convert visitors into leads or customers. So, to help you steer clear of costly mistakes, let’s dive into the most common ones:
Not Using a Prominent Call to Action
Many businesses assume that if they tell visitors what to do, they’re going to seem pushy. However, that’s not how most online users feel. If they go to a business website, they have a specific goal for being there. So by using a call to action that makes it easier for them to accomplish that goal, you’re actually enhancing their experience instead of taking away from it. That’s why a prominent button with Buy Now, Sign Up or whatever the target action is for a specific page should significantly increase your conversion rate.
Adding Too Many Elements to a Page
The most common misconception about web design is its main goal is to add as many visual elements to a page as possible. While quality web design is visually appealing, it doesn’t accomplish that goal by cramming tons of elements onto a page. Instead, it identifies what’s most important for a page, and then the design process focuses on supporting those key objectives. So if you have pages that you feel are fairly full, removing elements may actually be the best way to improve their performance.
Forgetting to Test
If you use a Mac, chances are your site looks great on Safari. You may also know for a fact that it looks excellent on Firefox. But what about Internet Explorer? Or how about on Chrome or the Android Browser? Since just one error on any of those browsers is going to exclude a significant number of people from spending more than a few seconds on your site, testing on as many platforms as possible is a smart investment of your time.
Having Too Much Text
Including plenty of text on pages is a proven way to increase conversions. That being said, it’s important to break the text you include up with other design elements. If the first thing visitors see when your page loads is a wall of text, they’re likely to hit the back button.
A Lack of Trust
Testimonials with pictures and names are a great way to increase trust and ultimately conversions. Additionally, it’s important to have a phone number prominently displayed so potential customers know they can get in touch with a real person. Also, even though it may seem like a small detail, studies have found that for sites that process credit card transactions, including a badge like the VeriSign seal does increase conversions.
If you’re interested in increasing your site’s conversion rate but simply don’t have time to implement these changes, contact us for a free consultation about how we can help!