Introduction - Increasing Your Online Conversion is Key to Success
Online conversion rate is a measure of how many visitors to your website perform your desired action, such as making a purchase or signing up for a newsletter. This rate is essential to the success of online businesses - the higher your conversion rate, the more new customers and revenue your business is generating. But many businesses struggle with low conversion rates - failing to effectively guide visitors to convert.
In this article, we'll explore how critical high conversion rates are to business growth and how you can start improving your website's conversion rates. Ultimately, your goal should be to turn more of your website traffic into customers and sales.
Understanding Online Conversion Rates and Their Meaning
Online conversion is when someone completes your desired action on your website. Some examples include:
- Making a purchase - The percentage of website visitors that buy your products. The higher your purchase conversion rate, the more sales you'll generate.
- Signing up for a newsletter - The percentage of visitors that subscribe to your email updates. Growing your email list helps you market to customers repeatedly.
- Downloading content - The percentage of visitors that download your gated content like eBooks, whitepapers, or free tools. This helps capture leads to market to.
- Registering an account - The percentage that sign up for an account on your site. This builds your user base and creates opportunities to upsell existing customers.
The conversion rate is the percentage of total visitors that complete one of these desired actions. It varies significantly by industry but a good target is usually over 2-3%.
The Importance of a High Conversion Rate in Sales
Getting more out of your existing website traffic is crucial for online businesses. Higher conversion rates mean:
- More sales & revenue - Directly translates into higher profits and faster business growth as a higher percentage of traffic becomes paying customers.
- Better ROI on marketing - Allows you to get more value out of the visitors your marketing efforts already attract to your site. Making optimization changes that increase conversion rates improves your returns.
- Competitive edge - Higher conversion rates compared to your competitors give shoppers more reason to buy from you. You can capture more market share without spending more on advertising.
The bottom line is that without enough conversions, your traffic is going to waste. Identifying and fixing conversion barriers should be a top priority to maximize your sales. Read on to learn how improving your CTAs can start driving more conversions.
How would you improve conversion rates on a website?
There are several proven methods you can use to increase conversion rates on your website:
Define your site's goals
The first step is to clearly define what you want visitors to do on your site - make a purchase, subscribe to your newsletter, etc. This informs your conversion strategy.
For example, key goals could be getting visitors to:
- Add items to their shopping cart
- Complete checkout process to make a purchase
- Sign up for a free trial or demo of your product
- Download educational materials like ebooks, whitepapers
- Subscribe to email newsletters or blog updates
Collect and analyze visitor data
Use analytics tools to understand visitor behavior - what pages they visit, click-paths, exit pages and more. This reveals optimization opportunities.
For example, you may find:
- High bounce rates on key landing pages
- Visitors not scrolling down long web pages
- Particular pages have high exit rates
Address these issues to boost conversions.
Perform competitor analysis
Study top competitors' websites to benchmark your performance. See what conversion elements competitors use - calls-to-action, trust badges, testimonials etc.
Assess your conversion funnel
Map out your website's conversion funnel to identify leaks. Look for drop-offs at each stage and optimize accordingly.
For example, visitors may:
- Abandon shopping carts after adding items
- Not complete multi-step lead gen forms
Fix these through better incentives, follow-ups etc.
Define and highlight value proposition
Clearly convey your product's key benefits to compel visitors to convert. Feature this prominently on landing pages.
Optimize page layouts
Facilitate easy site navigation and access to conversion elements - contact forms, calls-to-action, pricing etc.
Apply proven sales copy techniques
Use compelling headlines, urgency cues, social proof and more to increase desire and intent to purchase.
In summary, take a data-driven approach to identify weak points hampering conversion. Address these through targeted on-site optimizations, compelling content and proven psychological triggers. Continuously test and refine to maximize conversion rates.
How do I optimize my website for conversion?
Call-to-action (CTA) buttons are a critical component of website conversions. A clear, compelling CTA guides users towards taking your desired action, whether completing a purchase or signing up for a newsletter. Optimizing your CTAs can directly impact conversion rates.
Use high contrast colors for CTAs
Make your CTAs stand out with bold, high contrast colors. Vibrant hues like oranges, reds and greens grab attention against more neutral backgrounds. Prioritize calls-to-action so the most important have the strongest visual weight through color.
Mind the placement
Position your CTAs in areas with highest visibility. CTAs placed "above the fold" can be seen immediately without scrolling, while embedding relevant CTAs near supporting content increases relevance. Avoid corners or edges that users may overlook.
Write compelling copy
Communicate value clearly in your CTA wording. Provocative, benefit-driven copy inspires action better than generic labels like "Submit" or "Buy Now." Tailor copy to user intents mapped to each stage of the conversion funnel.
Make them accessible
Ensure CTA functionality works cross-device, the buttons are large enough for smaller touch targets, with ample spacing between. Use simple, consistent language, allowing easy translation. Accessible CTAs improve user experience.
CTAs are one piece of an effective conversion strategy, which requires understanding your users, guiding them towards meaningful actions and reducing friction across touchpoints. Continually experiment with placement, design and messaging to optimize results.
Why is my website conversion rate so low?
There are several reasons your website conversion rate could be low:
Poor website design
If your website design is confusing, difficult to navigate, or doesn't clearly communicate your product or service offering, visitors will likely leave without converting. Key issues like bad layouts, tiny fonts, cluttered pages, broken links, or a lack of clear calls-to-action can ruin the user experience.
Confusing messaging
Website messaging should clearly convey your value proposition and differentiate your offerings. Vague, overly complex or inconsistent messaging will fail to resonate with visitors. They need to immediately grasp what you do and why it matters.
Asking for too much too fast
Don't ask visitors to sign up, subscribe and buy all at once. Reduce friction in the conversion funnel by only requesting one clear action upon arrival.
Lack of trust signals
Lack of social proof like customer reviews and testimonials can inhibit conversion rates. Build trust by showcasing real customer views and success stories.
There are many other reasons for low conversion rates, but focusing efforts on improving website design, clarity of messaging, ease of conversions, and building credibility can significantly boost conversions over time.
What is a good website conversion rate?
A good website conversion rate is typically considered to be between 2-5%. Conversion rate refers to the percentage of website visitors that take a desired action, such as making a purchase or signing up for a newsletter.
So for example, if you have 100 visitors to your website and 5 of them make a purchase, your conversion rate would be 5%.
Anything above 5% starts to be seen as an excellent conversion rate. However, the actual "good" conversion rate varies significantly based on factors like:
Your industry and business model
For example, SaaS products often have conversion rates around 2% whereas ecommerce stores are more commonly over 4%. Conversion rates also tend to be higher for lower priced products and services versus more premium offerings.
Type of conversion
Signing up for a newsletter tends to convert higher than making a purchase. So you need to analyze conversion rates based on your specific business goals.
Traffic source
Visitors from paid ads, organic search, or referrals convert at different rates on average.
So rather than compare your conversion rate to a general benchmark, focus on:
Improvement over time
Even small conversion rate improvements of 0.5-1% can make a significant revenue impact. Set realistic goals to increase your rates month over month or year over year.
Optimization opportunities
Analyze your conversion funnel and identify opportunities to reduce friction in the customer journey. Experiment with version A and B tests to improve page layouts, content, offers, etc.
At the end of the day there is no "one size fits all" conversion benchmark. Set specific goals based on your business model, traffic sources, and optimization priorities. Even minor improvements add up, so focus on continual testing and evolution.
Optimizing the Placement and Design of Your Call-to-Action Buttons for Shopify and Beyond
Strategic Placement of Your CTAs
Your call-to-action (CTA) buttons are one of the most important elements of your website when it comes to converting visitors into customers. Their strategic placement can make or break how effective they are at guiding users through the customer journey towards conversion.
For ecommerce sites like Shopify, the product and checkout pages are prime real estate for call-to-action buttons. Place your primary CTA, "Add to Cart", most prominently on product pages so it catches the customer's eye. This is one of the moments of truth where you want the path to purchase to be as smooth and frictionless as possible. Don't hide this vital button far down the page or amongst distracting elements.
Additionally, the checkout page deserves focus too. Guiding customers through the final steps to complete the transaction is critical, so ensure your checkout CTA buttons, such as "Place Order", allow users to seamlessly finish the process. Minimize unnecessary steps or fields if possible.
Beyond the core product and checkout pages, also consider where else you can incorporate relevant CTAs to match a user's intent. Prominently display subscription CTAs like "Sign Up Now" on pricing or account pages. On your home page, blog, resource centers or support pages, tailor download, contact, sign-up or learn more CTAs to match the surrounding content and provide a natural next step. Analyze your customer journey to identify drop off points where an intentional CTA could bridge gaps in the conversion funnel.
Designing Effective CTAs: Color, Text, and Visual Elements
An effective call-to-action gets you results because of its compelling design. When designing CTA buttons and links, pay attention to elements like color, sizing, contrast, wording, and visual design to maximize your click through rate.
Choose Bright Colors Purposefully: Bold, bright colors garner attention, especially against softer backgrounds. But be purposeful with them rather than arbitrarily assigning colors. Link colors to emotions and actions you want to invoke - urgency with red, safety with green, or trust with blue. Ensure sufficient color contrast between background page elements and your primary CTAs so they stand out.
Craft Clear, Concise Text: Write CTA text that speaks directly to your customers' needs and clearly tells them what action occurs with a click. Replace generic words like "Submit" or "Click Here" with action-oriented text like "Add To Cart" or "Download eBook." Adhere to concise, scannable phrasing to increase readability.
Incorporate Supporting Visuals: Enhance plain text CTAs by incorporating visual elements like directional arrows, confirmation icons or other graphics reflective of the desired action. These supporting visuals grab attention while hinting that something dynamic occurs when clicked. But don't let them distract or clutter the CTA. Find the right balance to pique interest.
By optimizing your call-to-action button placement and design elements in harmony, you have a greater ability to guide website visitors towards conversion at each stage. Continually test placements and variations to determine what resonates best with your audience. Refine designs based on real user data rather than assumptions to maximize the effectiveness of your CTAs.
Testing and Iterating to Continuously Improve Conversion Rates
Continuously testing and optimizing your website is crucial for improving conversion rates over time. Setting clear goals and KPIs, leveraging the right tools, and following a structured testing methodology will ensure you maximize the impact of your optimization efforts.
Setting Goals and KPIs for Your Conversion Rate Optimization
Before launching into testing, it's important to align on goals and key performance indicators (KPIs) that tie to broader business objectives. Rather than focusing on vanity metrics like page views or time on site, identify the key conversions that matter most to your business. These may include:
- Newsletter sign-ups
- Free trial starts
- Product purchases
- Contact form submissions
Quantify these into targets for conversion rate or volume over a set timeframe. For example, improve newsletter sign-up conversion rate from 4% to 8% over the next 3 months. This focuses efforts on optimizations that will directly impact revenue and growth.
Revisit your goals frequently and expand KPIs as needed. Over time, you may widen optimization targets from a single page to site-wide testing or shift to more advanced on-site conversions. Setting appropriate success metrics is essential for determining which tests to run, how to analyze performance, and which iterations to ship.
Tools and Methodologies for Effective A/B Testing
The right A/B testing tools and disciplined methodologies are key to running and learning from experiments. When it comes to software, look for platforms that allow flexible targeting, multivariate testing, advanced analytics, and integration with other martech systems. Some popular options include:
- Google Optimize
- Optimizely
- VWO
Equally important is having a standardized process for ideating, designing, and analyzing tests focused on achieving your KPIs. For website conversion best practices, apply the CASE methodology:
Create test ideas tied to business goals
Align test variants to hypotheses
Set up test targeting and success metrics
Execute tests and evaluate results
Brainstorming sessions, user research, and analytics can uncover optimization ideas for testing. Design variants that specifically test hypothesized improvements aligned to your goals. Ensure accurate tracking and big enough sample sizes. Then objectively analyze performance and statistical significance before making iteration decisions.
Following a consistent roadmap will help you continuously launch and learn from optimization experiments aimed at boosting your website's conversion rates over time.
Practical Cases of Conversion Rate Improvement
Case Study 1 - Checkout Optimization and its Impact
Ecommerce company ABC implemented several changes to optimize their checkout process, aiming to increase conversion rates.
First, they removed unnecessary fields to simplify the checkout flow. This included combining "Ship to" and "Bill to" sections into one unified form for logged in users.
Next, ABC prioritized key action buttons according to the checkout funnel. The "Continue to Payment" button was made more prominent through size and color contrast. Less critical actions were moved to the sidebar.
Additionally, trust signals like security badges and guarantees were made more visible to reassure users. This helped reduce cart abandonment due to trust issues.
As a result, ABC's checkout conversion rate increased by 12% in the first month. Revenue from completed checkouts grew by over 15%. By streamlining their checkout process and reassuring users, ABC significantly improved conversion performance.
Case Study 2 - Homepage and CTA Redesign for Better Conversion
Lifestyle brand XYZ sought to redesign their homepage and calls-to-action to boost conversions.
First, they clarified their value proposition on the hero banner with a clear positioning statement. This better communicated their differentiation to visitors from the start.
Additionally, XYZ redesigned their primary CTAs according to conversion best practices. They used high contrast buttons with action-focused copy and visual cues.
Furthermore, they A/B tested CTA placement to determine optimal positions on site. CTAs "Add to Cart" and "Start Free Trial" saw uplift when moved above the page fold.
In 2 months after launch, XYZ's homepage conversion rate increased by over 20%. Their new hero messaging and redesigned CTAs compelled more visitors to convert on critical goals. This proves the value of CTA optimization for conversion gains.
Conclusion - Effective CTAs are Essential for Your Business Growth
Improving your website's conversion rate is critical for business growth. As discussed, clear and compelling call-to-action buttons play a vital role in guiding users towards conversion. By optimizing your CTAs, you make it easier for visitors to take the next step, whether signing up for a free trial, making a purchase, or downloading educational materials.
Here are the key takeaways:
- Strategically place prominent CTAs in areas with high visibility. This includes at the top of pages, above the fold, in sidebars, etc.
- Ensure CTAs clearly communicate what action you want users to take. Use clear, concise language like "Start Free Trial" or "Add to Cart".
- Make CTAs visually stand out by using high contrast colors, borders, animations etc. This draws attention and encourages clicks.
- Test different CTA variations to determine what performs best. Experiment with placement, design, copy, etc.
- Pair CTAs with value messaging explaining the benefits users gain by converting. This provides further motivation.
Optimizing your website experience to guide visitors towards clear calls-to-action is an investment that pays dividends through increased conversion rates. The higher percentage of visitors that convert, the faster your business grows. Use the strategies outlined to ensure your CTAs effectively facilitate growth.