How to Improve Your Website for Conversions

Taking a structured approach towards conversions, can ultimately increase sales. That sounds ideal for any business, right? 

A conversion occurs when a user completes an action on your website. For example, signing up for your newsletter or latest whitepaper. By completing a conversion, the user is typically filling out a form with personal information. With such information, a company is able to tailor future communication efforts to said user.

There are a number of actions you can take to increase conversions. Below are three of my top recommendations: 

1. Use Compelling Actions and Intriguing Headlines

Compelling actions and intriguing headlines go hand in hand. A call-to-action (CTA) is as simple as it sounds. It is essentially calling out a specific action for your user. You typically see these very prominently in an advertisement or towards the end of a written piece. Unlike a CTA, a headline is where you gain your user’s first impression of your materials. It may be worthwhile to AB test a few different headlines to see which performs the best. This is a best practice I use often for social media advertising efforts.

According to The Daily Egg, most users leave a website within 15 seconds. With compelling actions and intriguing headlines, you can give them more reason to stay longer.

2. Create a Seamless Navigation

Do not trick your users into thinking they know where they are going. It is important for your website to have a clean layout and have minimal to no distractions. For example, if you want to push white papers, case studies, or videos, make a clear educational portal or drop down option for users.

Once you have a given area set up, you can consider setting up Conversion Goals in Google Analytics. To view your Goals, you will need to click Conversions → Goals →Overview in Google Analytics. Here you will be able to see any preexisting goals and how they are performing. To edit or produce new Goals, you will go to your Admin settings → Goals. By setting up Goals, you will be able to see a return on investment easier.

3. Do Not Underestimate the Power of SEO

Traffic is great. But, how exactly did they get there? Whether you have a small, large, or no budget, SEO is always a best practice. 

Start by choosing the right keywords. Often times, I find that a specific article is not ranking for what to me seems like a perfect match keyword. By optimizing the article for this keyword, you are increasing its chances of falling into the lap of your ideal user. Try playing around with the meta description, focus keyword or key phrase, etc. to get your ranking higher in your preferred search engine. The higher the result, the more likely they are to view that given page.

These are just three of the many ways to improve your website for conversions. Minor edits like these can get your company from few conversions to many! What is your favorite conversion trick? Comment below.