First of all, you need to understand the term “Conversion” in relation to the Internet.
A website that converts is viewed as active content (as opposed to casual content). The web content has a purpose to increase conversion rate. The conversion rate is the number of goals achieved, divided by the number of visitors to the website.
The goal of “Active” content may vary from website to website. For a services website like a law firm, insurance company or design agency, a conversion may be an inquiry like your phone number or street address, for an ecommerce site it may be a sale, for a blog it may be a newsletter sign up.
The conversion focused web design
The most sophisticated form of conversion focused web design involves a conversion funnel. This is a marketing technique where a viewer is exposed to a series of events/elements, which move him or her closer to a sale.
The technique is not a new one, as traditional advertisers have been doing it for years with the AIDA method (Attention, Interest, Desire, Action). The thought process of a potential viewer must be analyzed, and each page must ponder to what the viewer is likely to think or feel. This information is used to move a viewer through the various elements, almost as if the web design were a narrative. The last element is the conversion rate optimization tool, such as a newsletter signup or checkout. There’s a lot of approaches to structuring a conversion funnel and which is better to use depends on your business type and needs.
Below are some conversion focused web design tips help you to increase conversion rate, which could all be applied to a conversion focused web design.
Remove any barrier to a potential conversion
A big barrier to conversion optimization is a navigation. Poor navigation leads to frustration that will often cause the user to leave your website. Worse still are the occasions where a viewer has decided to purchase (convert) and cannot find the means to do so. This is one of the dangers of a poorly constructed funnel design.
A web designer will imagine that a user will only purchase at the end of the funnel. As a consequence, he or she will only put the ability to buy at the end of the funnel. If you fear that this is you, then you should make sure that a user is able to convert on every page. Have the checkout link, newsletter signup link, contact form, etc, available on every page if you must.
[box type=”shadow” align=”” class=”” width=””]Read Also: 6 Design Elements that Convert Visitors to Lead [/box]
Start the process off-page
Run ads to increase brand awareness and post reviews of your products and services on other websites. Be prepared to receive visitors who are already amenable to purchasing from you. In these cases, you will not need to market to them as hard. Consider having them enter the conversion funnel at a later stage (on a page besides the home page).
Design your site around your goal
Creating a conversion funnel is one way to improve conversion rate, but that is just one element of your website. Apply your goal to every section/element of your website. If you have an ecommerce site that is 150 pages large, and 5 of those pages consist of your conversion funnel, and 9 are landing pages, you can apply your goal to all 150 pages.
Your landing pages can drop people off at certain points during the conversion funnel. The other pages may simply link to or advertise your goal, with each link placing the viewer at the beginning of the conversion funnel.
[box type=”shadow” align=”” class=”” width=””]Read Also: Visual Marketing Strategies for Eye-Popping Content in 2018 [/box]
Improve your website’s focus
A mess of information and design may seem useful, but it is not ideal for conversion focused web design. Casual content can afford to lack focus since its usefulness is not relative to a specific actionable goal. A lot of the time, it comes down to either making your point or purging elements that detract from your point.
Include images to improve conversion rate
This is a no-brainer in many cases to increase conversion rate. It is hard to imagine a good site without images. But consider them also when you are linking from other domains, linking internally, or trying to prove a point. Picture links have less SEO value, but we are dealing with your conversions and not your SEO, and images aide conversions.
Reduce the thinking needed to click
The popularity of big boxes and widgets that are links has grown because they are a needed part of mobile browsing. This is not a bad thing because clicking on a big box requires little thought. Now, compare this to the website that puts five text links in a list and asks you pick one (it takes some thought). A thought is good if you are trying to provoke a reaction, but if you are trying to improve conversion rate and convert someone then help them to think less (at least when it comes to using your website).
Credibility is King
This is the last point for conversion focused web design and improve conversion rate. Credibility is the biggest and most important key to conversion rate optimization, and your web design can go a long way to increase your credibility.
- Poorly designed websites are the first credibility killer. If your website takes ages to load, is hard to navigate, has tiny text or is cramped then your credibility will evaporate.
- Websites that look like they were built by amateurs are credibility killers.
- Boxy designs with sparkly or poorly animated features and plain color backgrounds will kill your credibility.
- Too many security and association logos are a credibility killer. They are often added by fraudsters in an attempt to fool people into thinking a site is safe.
[box type=”shadow” align=”” class=”” width=””]Read Also: 11 Ways To Reduce Bounce Rate and Increase Conversions [/box]
Less is more–sleek and minimalist websites are easier to trust. Cramped or overfilled websites look desperate. And over promotional websites look like they offer reduced quality at a higher price. These tips will help you to design conversion focused website and increase conversion rate.
