Although CRO aka conversion rate optimisation is a completely different discipline to SEO, it’s becoming increasingly important for digital marketing professionals such as myself to have an understanding of both and how they work together.
99% of the time it is within a consultant’s interest to increase the conversion rate across a site they are looking to increase traffic to. I pride myself in being ROI driven in my approach, below I’m going to take you through some simple and effective way you can increase the conversion rate of your website and maximise your results from digital marketing.
A conversion will be different to each business, an eCommerce business might see a conversion as a sale of a product. A service-based business such as I may see a conversion as an enquiry or phone call. Whereas a new website might see a conversion as a database sign up or increased amount of time on site.
1. Have an enquiry form in relevant places
As obvious as it sounds, time and time again I see companies linking to their contact page rather than providing users with relevant enquiry forms. If you have different pages for different services that you offer, provide unique enquiry forms for each or at least a stand form across each.
This will remove the step of being directed to a contact page, the attention span of a user means decreasing the steps to a conversion is vital.
2. Ensure your phone number is visible
Not only is it important to understand what a conversion is too you, but you should also understand what the most valuable conversion is to your business. What type of enquiry converts best for you?
For example, in the travel industry a phone lead is twice as likely to convert as a web enquiry.
If you see similar trends within your business, then ensure your phone number is visible as possible.
You might want to look at investing in phone tracking which will help you to understand what media & keywords generate phone calls.
3. Implement live chat or instant messaging widget
This is something I’ve tested on my site & found it to increase the engagement of users. Whether it’s an enquiry or a question regarding your service and simple widgets such as the WhatsApp or messenger will give users another method to connect with you.
4. Offer something free (freemium)
Another way to increase conversion across your website is to offer some sort of free version of your product or service to entice users initially.
For example, I offer a free SEO audit to users on my website, this gives them a taste of the service and insight I would provide it working with them on a monthly basis.
If you offer some sort of monthly tool, you could offer a free 7-day trial.
5. Schedule a callback
Going back to my previous point regarding understand your most valuable conversion. If for example, you find it to be a phone call, then optimise your website accordingly.
I find phone calls to be a great way of qualifying a lead, because of this I advertise my calendar where users can book a free call & strategy session. I use a call Calendly for this.
6. Simplify your enquiry form
As well as ensuring you have enough enquiry forms on the website, make it as simple as possible for users to enter their details.
Step by step forms tend to have a great conversion rate compared to the standard long format. As a note, make sure you test any changes you make to see the effect. Results will differ from business to business.
7. Promote Reviews
Product reviews have the potential to increase conversion rates across eCommerce sites by 190% according to a study from the good.
Whether you’re an online store or a service-based business, reviews are a no brainer and a great way to show off to your customers.
8. Offer Flexible Payment Options
My final tip is to look at how you can be flexible with your customers. This for example can be from how you accept payment for products or services. Credit key have a great article about how you use this to impact traffic & conversion.
Conclusion
As we enter an uncertain period due to external factors, it’s important we look at maximising our conversion & UX across our website as efficiently as possible. Get in touch if you need any further advice!
