When it comes to website optimization, you can’t always take the obvious for granted. With the ability to create limitless versions of your web pages, you have an opportunity and a duty to your business to test everything, even that which seems obvious. Follow these guidelines for best results:
1. Make calls to action stand out
What’s the most noticeable thing about a stop sign? Its bright red color? Its octagonal shape? Or the word STOP in all capital letters? Maybe it’s a combination of all three of these characteristics that makes a stop sign so unmistakable to drivers.
The same kind of logic should be applied to your website. Your “submit” or “buy now” buttons should stand out from the rest of your website, eliminating all confusion surrounding your call to action. With its ease of use and abundance of information, the Internet invites laziness and preoccupation. Don’t allow your users to become preoccupied while on your site. Give them clear, easy-to-follow instructions.
Simply brightening the color of a submit or buy now button can increase your conversion rate by several percents. Or perhaps try making it larger, with a unique shape.
2. Give visitors a warm and fuzzy feeling
Everyone likes feeling like they got a good deal or the inside scoop on something. Web visitors appreciate saving money and getting valuable information not everyone is privy to. Indulge your visitors by making them feel positive about their decision to sign up for your services or purchase something from your site.
You can do so by telling them how much money they saved by shopping with you, or by letting them know that the services or information you are providing them can’t be obtained anywhere else.
If you offer free shipping, make that benefit stand out to customers. Remove any clutter around the positive message you are presenting. Some sites are clogged up with so many “benefits” they hide the true differentiator between them and their competition. Be sure to choose a feature that will set your product or service apart from your competition. Make that offer the most prominent on the page.
3. Don’t make them have to guess
Predictability can be a wonderful thing when it comes to the web. Luckily, it’s also an easy thing to establish on your website. Let your visitors know what to expect when completing your sign-up form, request for information, or other processes. Simply telling them how long it will take to get through the process can increase conversion to your thank-you page by 5 percent or more. For example, add “in one easy step” to your “sign up for our newsletter” above your website’s email sign up box. Quite simply, the more predictability and transparency built into the process, the easier it is for users to commit their time.
Testing is essential for anyone who maintains a website. It’s the only way to know for sure what works and what doesn’t. It should be a manageable task if you start out by testing the basics and work your way into more advanced testing. You can learn a great deal about what makes your visitors tick by testing seemingly obvious things.
For more information on Website Marketing Solutions, call us at 1-800-978-3417 or Contact Active Web Group and let us help you!
