Does Your Website Grow Your Business?
At the end of the day, it doesn't matter how fancy your website is, if it doesn't convert visitors into customers or make you sales, it's not growing your business!
Here are 5 Tips to help Business Owners and Marketing Managers ensure their website is a business asset:
1. Ask For Your Conversion Rate
A Conversion is simply an action you'd like a customer to take on your website.
It could be to buy a product, to complete a form or sign up for a newsletter.
That means that your conversion rate comes down to this simple formula:
Conversion Rate = Number of Actions Completed
Visitors
You can check your website's Conversion Rate on Google Analytics (if you need help ask your SEO person or agency).
Your conversion rate is the easiest way to increase profits for your business and that’s why it’s so important to optimize it. Once you know your conversion rate, you can set about doing things to improve it and make your business more profitable.
2. Improve Your Customer Offer
In simple terms your Customer Offer (also known as your Customer Value Proposition) clearly describes the value that you bring to your customers that no one else can give them.
An engaging and carefully crafted offer is vital to improving your website conversions and ideally is visible the moment a customer lands on your website (no scrolling required!)
Here's a great example:
Chili’s has designed a great landing page, using Unbounce, with a clear Customer Offer:
Image: Chillis.com
Kids Eat Free. Parents Feel Cool.
1. What Do You Do? You immediately know that they sell pizza, because of the picture.
2. Why Should I Care? As a parent, you immediately understand why you should buy from Chilli's - you get to feel like a cool parent. :) Plus, your kids eat for free - which is something that no one else may be offering.
3. How Can We Believe Them? The next step, how can we believe them, is right at the bottom left corner.
A coupon for a free kid’s meal.
4. Where do we begin? The green "Click to Print" button.
This web page is designed to convert and is more likely to have a great conversion rate and more business.
Improving your Customer Value Offer is a brilliant and easy way to increase your conversion rate.
3. Keep It Simple
Two of the biggest obstacles to people converting on your website are overwhelm and distraction.
Big brands tend to be more guilty of the first offence.
When they launch a new product online, they sometimes make it too complicated, forgetting that the person on the other side of the screen is an average consumer.
Here's an example of how Motobix launched one of its security cameras online:
Instead of keeping it simple, exactly like when you're talking to a friend, we try to find the most complex terms and descriptions as we opt for "must sound smart mode".
This doesn't work!
Who is buying those camera's? Everyday people.
Here's another example by a competitor, Lorex, who keeps it simple so the customer can understand!
Simply give the customer what they want to know, and they can learn more, if they choose to.
Keep it simple.
Don’t try to sound smart. Aim to sound human.
At the end of the day, there’s always a human being at the other end of the screen, so talk to them, instead of writing for some imaginary crowd.
4. Social Proof
Social Proof is any text, images or videos that give customers a reason to trust your products or services. Social Proof used to be a nice-to-have, now it's a must!
Picture for a moment going to a new town and walking into a strange house you've never visited. Unnerving, wouldn't you agree?
This is what it's like for many people visiting your site for the first time, that's why it's so important to reassure them that they can trust you and your business, by providing social proof whenever you can. This serves to communicate that a) this is a safe place and b) many other people trust this place.
Research indicates 88% of people trust online reviews when deciding whether to buy a product or service.
There are many ways to show social proof, some businesses show testimonials, some show Facebook Likes or Twitter followers, the most important thing is that your social proof is seen by customers immediately as they land on your site (aka above the fold).
If you don't have social proof yet, no stress, enlist your family, friends and clients to leave you a short review by sending them a link to your Google Business listing to get the ball rolling.
5. Address Customer Concerns Upfront
When you go shoe shopping, have you noticed how sales people will do the famous shoe fit test, by pushing and pressing the shoe while you're wearing it to check the fit?
Image source: Runner’s World
What they're doing is addressing any concerns you might have before you ask, increasing the likelihood that you'll feel secure about the purchase.
It's the same online.
A good way to address any concerns a person might have is a Frequently Asked Questions section.
Another is to show customer testimonials that speak directly to a specific concern and show how your product or service was able to solve the problem.
Start by making a list of common objections your customers might have (the questions). And then come up with counter arguments (the answers).
A few common objections are:
1. You don't understand my problem well enough.
2. You understand my problem, but I don't believe your product will work?
3. You understand my problem and I believe your product works, but my situation is special and I don't believe it will work for me?
4. You understand my problem, I believe your product works, even though my case is special, but you're more expensive than the next best alternative?
How do you address those?
Be very specific when explaining what problem your product actually solves.
Show research, references, ratings, certifications, social proof and any awards you've won.
Show case studies and testimonials from various industries and applications of your product to match the customer's industry.
Draw a comparison with your competitors (before they do), and show why your product is well worth the money (remember the Customer Offer!)
Now you know what a conversion rate is and have
5 tips to improve it, you are on your way to increasing the number of people who end up becoming customers.
This will enable you to quickly and affordably increase your revenue and grow your business.
If you'd like some additional help optimising your website, ​Contact Organic Media Here.
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