2 Nov 2013

Conversion Optimisation: The Key to Creating Customers

In: Marketing Web design

Following our previous blog post on Search Engine Optimisation – here’s an outline from The Energy Cell into some of the basic principles of conversion optimisation – another important element of online marketing strategy. As well as investing efforts to help improve the quantity and quality of traffic coming to your site, another hurdle is to convert these visitors into paying customers. A good conversion rate may be relative from business to business, but to make sure you are getting the most from your website, you need to carefully evaluate exactly what your site is saying and the ways in which it is saying it.

Once you have clearly established what it is you need your website to do and the action you wish your visitors to take, (whether this is online sales or lead generation) your site should be optimised to achieve these goals through both design & functionality and the content. Here at The Energy Cell, our websites are always designed to the highest standards, using a combination of experience and science to create sites based upon a fundamental principle for success – ease of use. A good website should never waste your visitors’ time by making them think too hard – your calls to action should be clear and consistent, swiftly directing users to where they want to be and making the checkout process or action as quick and easy as possible, to convert the sale and reduce the chance of them looking elsewhere. The power of high quality design should also not be undermined: sites that not only look professional and well crafted but are clearly laid out, powerfully branded and importantly, consistent will help make your brand more recognisable and give the user more confidence in the quality of your services. From a technical perspective, your site should also perform to expected standards, should be designed with accessiblity and usability in mind, and optimised and browser tested for different web browsers and mobile devices.

As well as being optimised for search engines, the content of your website needs to do more than just provide descriptions of your company, products or services. In order to improve your conversion rate, you need to build trust between you and your users; this can be done by the use of accreditation marks but also through providing accurate and thorough information: everything your user may possibly want to know should be readily available, including a good help or FAQ section, information about returns policies and full contact information. You should always be able to provide any guarantees or promises you make on your site: the aim is not just to reel in impulse buyers, but to convert visitors into loyal customers.

From a commercial aspect there are some simple points to remember that can make a big difference. Your site should emphasize your USPs: what is it your site can offer that others don’t? If you are not selling unique products or services, are you offering competitive prices, voucher or offer codes, free delivery, different payment options or guarantees? Reviews can also boost conversion rates: allowing user feedback will increase buyer confidence but again, it is crucial that you are able to provide the services you offer to a high standard, as numerous negative reviews will reduce rather than improve your rates of conversion. Finally, regularly use analytics to track your user activity and see which elements of your website are the most successful. Making adjustments to your site to boost conversion rates can often be a case of trial and error: try out new ideas and be prepared to admit mistakes if the outcomes aren’t as you hoped.

These are merely some of the fundamental principles of conversion optimisation: as with all areas of web design and marketing, there is no substitute for professional knowledge and expertise, so for more information about our services just get in contact and our team can help!

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