“Take a risk and keep testing, because what works today won’t work tomorrow, but what worked yesterday may work again.” – Amrita Sahasrabudhe
Imagine your small business has just forked out for a swanky new marketing campaign. Your exposure is high, and everything seems to be going to plan. Traffic is rolling into your website, and the business’s social media following is increasing.
However, it turns out none of these visitors are actually buying. But that’s what it’s all about, right?
A common mistake amongst newer companies is focusing too much on directing a high volume of traffic to their website. The aim should not be to rake in as much traffic as possible. The point is to convert any visitors you do have into buyers.
For a small business, it’s likely there’s not going to be a vast sum of incoming money. Whilst more prominent companies can afford prolific advertisements and various other fancy features, starting-up companies have to make do.
Luckily, when it comes to CRO, it’s all about the small hacks that make a big difference. We’ve come up with some changes for small business owners to implement to bolster Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO).
1) Get testing
If you want to understand audience behaviour on your website, then some surveying will help out a great deal. Analyzing hard data means you can see patterns of consumer behaviour. Through this, you will begin to understand the strengths and flaws of your website in terms of CRO.
A/B testing
This experiment lets you put out two versions of your site. One version will be the original, and the other a variation on the feature you are testing. Ideally, you should be running a test on any element on your website that’s new or that you want to change.
This standard is because it’s best to test the success rate—and conversion rate—of a new feature before implementing it. You don’t want to risk losing customers over something you could have done differently.
Heat map
You have most likely seen some version of a heat map. A heat map feature works best with mobile phone marketing.
At Convertica, we use heat maps to render visual representations of activity and data. Through a heat map, you can see how a visitor interacts with your site. What is the initial thing they do when arriving on your page? Where do most people click and scroll?
Some may find testing tedious, and admittedly, it can be a huge learning curve. However, your company is likely to pick up some useful observations and data as a result. You can then use this data to implement more targeted business advice and make your changes according to what you discover.
2) Make your CTA clear
Any small business owner and digital marketing agency will know about the call-to-action (CTA).
A CTA is not just about ensuring you throw one somewhere on the page. There’s a lot of psychology behind the seemingly casual CTA button. It can be the difference between what encourages consumers to follow through with a purchase or not.
Whilst the colour of the CTA button has an impact on the decision visitors make, there is more to it than just that. One of the key characteristics of a high-converting CTA button is that it is obvious. High-contrasting colours help to make a CTA button pop.
Also, the design of the CTA should be simple and unmistakably a button to buy a product or add to the shopping cart. It can make customers anxious if they are unsure because let’s face it; most people don’t like taking risks with money.
You can optimize the button by:
– Making the CTA stand out on the page. It should be eye-catching and conspicuous.
– Avoiding making it look like a phony link. If it seems like clickbait, potential customers won’t want to click it. Also, banner blindness is an increasing phenomenon amongst internet users, meaning consumers are ignoring ad-like images.
– Testing fonts, words and phrases. Keep it simple, but experiment which combination of words (or singular words) target audiences like best.
– Utilizing the area around the action button. You could include reviews and testimonials and add certified trust labels around it.
– Refraining from putting the call-to-action at the bottom of the page. Customers don’t always read through entire pages. If it’s a physical product, place the button next to the product images as this is the focal point.
Smart and strategic CTA usage should help boost your conversion rate of visitors to paying customers.
3) Pep up product descriptions
As we said, it doesn’t cost a tonne of money to enhance CRO, and it’s not rocket science. As long as you have a repertoire of digital marketing strategies and understand the power of well-written content, you should be able to get selling!
The thing with buying online is that visitors do not have the same sensory advantages as they would in a physical store. Your small business should compensate for this in other ways.
Capture your audience’s attention with images
The most compelling images do more than complement the product description—they are the product description. Take the following picture, for example.
An image is like opening a digital door to your products or services. It takes your customers to the physical store (metaphorically speaking, of course).
Always use high-quality images and use at least three. Ensure the visitor can get an accurate look at the product from different angles.
Also, you want to understand the psychology behind consumer behaviour in response to images. With items like clothes and jewellery, customers are more likely to buy if they see it on an actual person.
Likewise, with cooking and exercise equipment, people get a better feel for things when the picture shows someone using the item.
Don’t be lazy with words
Poorly written bullet points in a product description do no one any favours. The bullet points you can keep as they are more digestible. However, make them articulate.
Try and incorporate sensory words, too. Imagine you are looking to buy a product, what would you want to know about it? What would you want from it?
Use language that will captivate and excite visitors.
Conclusion
It’s not difficult to make changes for your business to accommodate for conversion rate optimization. All you have to know is what you’re optimizing for and the mindset of your target audience. Through these strategies and changes, you should begin to get a better understanding of how to turn traffic into customers. Success doesn’t come quickly, but with passion and determination, it won’t be far off.
Remember, it’s not all about numbers, either!
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This blog post was written by our partners at Convertica. Let us know what you think in the comments below!
