Conversion rates are the lifeblood of any online business. Regardless of whether you’re operating an e-commerce site, a SaaS platform, or a digital marketing campaign, your conversion rate is going to measure how well you’re doing converting visitors into customers. But what drives that all-important metric?
This post is the first in a series that reveals the science behind why we make changes to websites and provides practical tips for improving your site. By the end of this article you’ll know exactly where to put in the work to be in the driver’s seat when making data driven decisions that produce results.
What Is a Conversion Rate, and Why Does It Matter?
Before we explore the “what affects it,” let’s define what conversion rate is. The conversion rate is the proportion of users that take a desired action on your site, such as signing up for a newsletter, making a purchase or filling out a contact form.
Here’s the formula:
Conversion Rate = (Conversions / Visitors) x 100
That is, if last month, you had 1,000 visitors and 50 of them converted from visitors to customers, then your conversion rate would be:
(50 ÷ 1,000) × 100 = 5%
When you have a high conversion rate, your traffic is highly optimized. A poor conversion rate means you have extravaganza possibilities on capturing and converting your audience.
Conversion Rate Influencing Factors
There is so much that conversion depends on — everything from user experience to the content and design can impact it to some degree even psychological triggers. Here is a closer look at the most high-impact details:
Website Speed and Performance
Performance of your site is also a key factor while CRO. Nowadays, visitors expect nothing less than a quick-loading website, and even a small delay can mean the loss of a conversion.
Key Statistics
- 53% of visitors leave a website if it takes longer than 3 seconds to load (Google).
- One second delay and conversions drop 7% (Akamai).
Quick Fixes
- Leverage resources such as Google PageSpeed Insights to find performance bottlenecks.
- I also do image optimization and use next-gen formats, like WebP.
- Leverage browser caching and also think about implementing a Content Delivery Network (CDN) to deliver the content more quickly.
Mobile Responsiveness
Because mobile traffic has overtaken desktop traffic in the past few years, your website needs to work just as well on multiple platforms. A badly optimised mobile site is a source of annoyance for users and is likely to increase your bounce rate.
Optimizing for Mobile
- Implement a responsive design so your site scales properly to all screen sizes.
- You should test the speed and performance of your mobile site on a regular basis with tools like GTmetrix or Pingdom.
- Make your site more mobile-friendly in terms of navigation, with easy to find menus and calls to action (CTA buttons).
User-centred Design and Usability
A complex or confusing design is a conversion murderer. Visitors should be able to get what they want easily whether they know law or legal search or keywords.
How to Improve Usability
- Keep your navigation menus simple with clear headings.
- Minimize friction by keeping forms as short and easy to complete as possible.
- Include search functionality for visitors to find their content or products directly.
- Adding some space to your layout will help prevent it from feeling congested.
Trust Signals and Credibility
Trust is everything with your audience. Visitors will be more likely to convert if they think of your website as trustworthy, authoritative, and secure.
Ways to Build Trust
- Show trust badges (like SSL certificates for secure payment gateways).
- (Add customer feedbacks and reviews to your website as soon as possible.
- If you can, list the logos you trust on the homepage, like news media mentions, or awards.
- Offer a no-questions-asked return policy to reduce shopper apprehension.
Strong Calls to Action (CTAs)
Your CTAs lead the way for your users on what they should do next. But some C.T.A.s are better than others. A generic “Submit” or “Click Here” won’t inspire your visitors to make the leap.
Optimize Your CTAs
- Use action-oriented verbiage, such as “Start Saving Now” or “Get the Deal Today.”
- Differ buttons with the use of a contrasting color and the right size.
- Place CTAs in relevant places on high volume pages and where decisions are made (like the check out, product and blog pages).
Copywriting and Messaging
The messaging on your website has a huge impact on how potential customers will interpret your value proposition. The misaligned or incomprehensible copy can serve to confuse users and turn them off.
Tips for Effective Messaging
- Write snappy headlines that share benefits at first glance.
- Pain Point and Solution: What pain points do your audience members have and how does your product/service address them?
- Leverage storytelling to evoke an emotional response from your audience.
- A/B test to see which of your copy performs the best.
Personalization and Relevance
When you personalize, you help deliver a unique experience and website for your visitors, and you’re more likely to convert them.
Personalized Experiences
- Recommend usyclesers based on their browsing history or past purchases.
- Leverage geotargeting to present them with items or information they might find useful on their mobile.
- Mass email campaigns have nice personal touch using a recipient’s name!
Pricing and Transparency
When pricing is confusing or when you look more expensive than the competition, visitors will be less likely to want to buy.
Pricing Best Practices
- Show the price in a clear way and do not have anything to hide.
- Ensure clear comparisons among SaaS business plans.
- Emphasise value: Use language to bring attention to cost savings or something a little bit different.
Psychological Triggers
There are psychological principles that can help persuade users to convert.
Some of the Common Psychological Triggers Are:
- Scarcity: Urgency is created by limited-time deals and low-stock signals (such as “Only 2 left in stock”).
- Social Proof: Show visitors that there are other satisfied customers (e.g. “Trusted by 30,000 users”).
- Reciprocity: In giving away something free — an ebook, for example — in exchange for an email address, the recipient is more inclined to “give back.”
Analytics and Ongoing Testing
Conversion rate optimization is not a set-it-and-forget-it job. It takes constant experimenting and analyzing to get to where you want to be.
Tools You Need
- Track traffic and behavior on critical pages via Google Analytics.
- Create heatmaps with Hotjar or CrazyEgg to see where your user clicks and scrolls.
- Test your headlines, designs and CTAs to see which version works best for you with A/B testing.
How to Begin to Increase Your Conversions
Now that you know what influences conversion rate, you’re all set to optimize your website. These are some actionable next steps:
- Conduct website audit: Look at spots where you may be losing traffic or not seeing engagement.
- Address the Biggest Issues First: Start with changes that will have the biggest impact, such as improving page speed and mobile usability.
- Test and Learn: Always test and measure what works best with your audience.
Optimizing your conversion rate isn’t just about using tactics, but also using insights to understand how all of these elements fit together and create a cohesive user experience.
