The first thing I tell potential clients is that I can bring them millions of visitors a month.
I have some hacker friends who can bring us traffic.
The problem is, none of this traffic converts.
In fact, all this traffic just consumes bandwidth.
Bottom line – if the SEO traffic we send to a client’s website doesn’t convert, we’re fired.
I don’t like getting fired, and I bet you don’t either.
Let’s take a look at some proven conversion rate optimization (CRO) strategies you can use to move the needle in the right direction.
Conversion rate optimization can get expensive
i am a huge fan CRO.
But a true CRO requires a lot of testing.
Important tests require advanced tools, people, and a lot of time.
If you want to get statistically significant evidence that your landing page is working, you’re going to have to spend a lot of time and money.
But most people can increase their conversion rates by double digits simply by following the best practices in this column.
1. One table per page
Having a form on every page can increase conversions.
One of the most popular questions I get is, “How much?”
The answer is indeed “it depends”.
But I’ve never seen a site implement a form on every page without a significant increase in conversion rate.
The reason tables work is simple.
Consumers typically visit several websites that meet the standards they set for suppliers.
In the B2B world, this might be an intern tasked with finding the best solution to the CEO’s problem.
On the B2C side, it’s probably a top seller list for hot products.
Granted, in the case of e-commerce, the top suppliers of popular products will only see their e-commerce sales go up.
However, in the case of product sell-offs, suppliers with forms collect more customers to follow up once inventory is replenished.
These customers are also happy to reconnect with them when your company makes a sale, gets rid of overstocked inventory, wants to increase sales during a downturn, or simply adds to your mailing list to advertise targeted offers.
2. A unique selling proposition is the best bait
First, if you don’t have Unique Selling Proposition (USP)creating one might be a good idea.
For those unfamiliar, USP is just the reason why people should buy from you and not elsewhere.
Not only can your USP help you make an initial sale or get in touch, but it should also be one of the reasons your customers keep coming back.
Think of your USP as extra bait on your hook.
Consumers, whether they want to buy physical products or provide contact information to become leads, need something to convert them from prospects to customers.
USP is often the force of gravity that pushes consumers through the sales process.
A good USP is usually the difference between a sale and a skunk.
However, a well-designed USP will not appeal to everyone.
By definition, it can’t.
USPs are designed to specifically attract customers for the product or service you want.
In fact, in some cases, your USP will be tailored to attract certain customers and not others.
For example, if you have a high-end product, your product may not be suitable for budget-conscious customers.
In order to write the right USP, you need to understand your customer base and create a message that appeals to them.
Don’t be afraid to give them a specific message that appeals to them directly.
It’s okay to lose a client who doesn’t like you.
However, losing customers who are ready to pull out their wallets and buy directly from you is a crime.
3. Chat – Front and Center
You can strive to answer every question that comes up before, but that doesn’t mean your new customers don’t have questions you haven’t thought of.
Chat on your website A game changer when it comes to conversion rate optimization.
In my experience, chatting alone on a website can increase conversions by as much as 30%.
And you don’t even have to have a full chat on the site.
what do i mean?
On our site, we have a chat feature, but it’s more of another form than a real chat.
Our chats are not monitored.
It acts as an answering machine.
When a customer visits our website after interacting with a few pages, a chat box pops up that says, “Have questions about our prices and services? Want to see more? Chat with me now!”
Once a visitor starts chatting, they’ll encounter a dialog stating that we’re unavailable right now, but if they leave a message, we’ll get back to them.
I go into the office at least five to seven times a week and someone fills out that form.
Without live chat, chances are these leads would never have made it through the gates.
4. Phone number in the upper right corner
More and more, the potential clients I meet don’t think it’s necessary provide their phone number on their website.
In fact, for many, the measure of success includes spending less time on the phone.
I think this was a mistake.
Not only should you be happy when your customers call you, but you should also log their calls and look for things that can be done better or more efficiently.
If your business is technical in nature — like you sell SAAS products or other projects that require some training for customers — then reducing technical support calls is a reasonable goal.
However, if you’re selling a product or service, you want potential customers to pick up the phone when they have a question.
In fact, you might learn something from the customers who picked up the phone and kept your shy customers from entering their credit card numbers in the first place.
Burying your phone number on your website is almost like some consumer pleading guilty.
These consumers believe that if you’re afraid to talk on the phone, you don’t have confidence in your product or service.
In fact, most website owners simply see the phone as a failure of their skilled communication on the website.
But online consumers are trained to look for a website’s phone number in the top-right corner of a website.
Put it there and run a call tracking analysis on it to see how many calls you get.
Record calls and have operators listen to them regularly.
You’ll be amazed at the insight you can get.
bottom line
You don’t have to spend a million dollars to increase your conversion rate.
You can do something simple.
Depending on your USP, your chats, and your phone number, I doubt you’ll see your number increase in a short period of time.
More resources:
Featured Image: Vectorideas/Shutterstock
