Sometimes it is easy to worry about getting traffic onto your website without considering conversion rate from existing traffic. For getting good results from your search engine marketing campaigns it is very important to optimise site for higher conversions. For most online merchants, a 2-4% conversion rate is considered about the industry average. But for some, a 25% conversion rate is perfectly reasonable because of the type of service or product being offered. Here are some ways to improve the conversion rate getting good results from search engine marketing efforts. In one of our post we wrote about the steps to improve usability “How to Improve the Usability of Your Ecommerce Website” which helps in better conversion rate.

The conversion rate is the number of customers that purchase the product/services. Some website owners only focus on the amount of traffic to the site when in fact there are some problems with their site that if solved would have a positive effect on their conversion rate without major expenses. Think of a scenario where, instead of focusing on building traffic, you could double your sales from the traffic of your existing customers? Doubling conversion rate from 2% to 4% will double your profits. Improving the conversion rate on a website from its existing traffic is the surest way to increase sales and profits in the shortest amount of time. Lets go through these steps one by one.

1. First things first

Professional layout and design, ease of navigation, accessibility, browser compatibility and usability make a site convert better than other sites. Believe it or not these should be considered important factors for you search engine marketing strategy.

• Professional layout and design

When trying to convert visitors into buyers, you really need to keep the visitor’s attention as focused as possible. Too many banner ads and visual elements on any webpage can be incredibly distracting and can severely impact your website’s conversion rate. Having an odd or quirky design and layout can also have a negative impact on conversion as well. Try utilizing a conventional layout that users are more accustomed to.

You should also be careful about having too many links on any one page. Too many links can confuse your visitors by giving them so many options to choose from that they’re unsure about what to do next. Minimizing the number of links and providing direction to take a specific action will keep your visitors focused and not distract them from your intended path.

• Website Accessibility
  It is best to design a site that is accessible to maximise sales.  It is a legal obligation to provide a site that is accessible. If visitors find your site inaccessible then there is a strong chance that they will go elsewhere. An inaccessible site could be losing 5% of potential sales because of this. (A really inaccessible website might not even be indexed resulting in lost sales.)

• Browsers and Internet Explorer
  When it comes to using browsers, a lot of designers only pay attention to internet explorer. The justification for this is usually that 99% of the site’s users use IE. However this may result in the site being broken and not working on anything else. Percentages of people not using IE varies from site to site – over 60% of visitors to this site use an alternative browser, for example. The number most often quoted though, is that 80-85% of web users are using IE on Windows, which means that an average site that doesn’t work in anything else could easily be losing 15-20% of sales.

• Ease of Navigation
  If a user wants to buy a product, how easy it is for them to do so? Usually There is a button or link (usually a button) and if they can’t see the button they will go elsewhere.  Having things above the fold is still important. When the buttons are too subtle, or don’t say the right thing, or are hidden away at the bottom of the page it is difficult to navigate. For example if there is a button to add items to a shopping basket. “Add” is not a good button text. “Buy” is ok. “Add xxx To Your Basket” is great. “Add xxx to Your Basket” in big letters on a big, bright button, near the top of the page, is even better. Everything has to be obvious and clear. Clearly defined breadcrumb navigation helps user in understanding the path and helps in conversions.

• Usability
• There are some things that should be made easy for the user like if they want to find out certain information. If your potential customers want to find out more before they buy, can they? It is important to consider the users needs and how they might use the site. It is easy to have a poorly designed site that makes it difficult for the user to navigate. Make your site accessible, make sure it is usable, make sure it works in common browsers, and make your calls to action clear and unambiguous, and you should be in a position to start converting the people who want to buy.

2. Be Clear, Open and Honest

At times you may have a product that is out of stock and if this is the case, it is important to make it clear to users of the website.  The same applies to pricing – a user might spend £120 on a product, but when they find out the shipping is £100 on top of that, they are unlikely to continue the sale. Showing delivery pricing is important, by using an Ip to Country database, it will allow you to work out where a user is from and show them a likely delivery cost, for example. If you can’t do that, show delivery prices for the countries most appropriate to you – where your products are most often delivered, or for major world regions.

3. Don’t Ask For Too Much Information

At times asking for too much information can be of putting for the user and seen as time wasting. Your conversion process may be sale, or it may be a request for information. It is important to only ask for relevant information. You don’t need to demand the user’s email address before letting them download a PDF. You don’t need their phone number when they fill out an email enquiry form. A user may not want to buy from you twice – so why make them create an account so they can buy again later before processing their first order? You can give the user the option to do all of these things by all means, but make sure it’s not compulsory. We have explained here how do design a good checkout page.

4. Help The User Trust You

A lot of people are weary about using the internet because there are a lot of sites that cannot be trusted! It is important to help users trust your website. By having an address and telephone number, (with people answering the phone) it can help to build trust in the products and business.  Showing a privacy policy and explaining shipping procedures clearly can also help the user to trust you. If you have a SSL certificate, show the “VeriSign Secured” logo to the user. You need to promise your clients that their privacy is taken seriously. Make sure your privacy policy is clear and easy to

Understand. Place a link to your privacy policy, an icon that shows precautions have been taken or a simple statement such as “Your privacy is important to us”, in close proximity to calls to action.

The design and content have an effect in the way the use views the website. A poor design gives off an unprofessional feeling. If a company can’t afford a decent website, or won’t spend the money on it, how can a user be sure their order will be treated with the importance it deserves? If content is inaccurate or badly written, the same applies.

Testimonials are another good way to build trust. When your prospects read testimonials from past customers, they will be more likely to feel at ease doing business with you. A good testimonial can include a full name, location, or even photo of the customer.

5. Have a Clear Returns Policy

It is often difficult to return things purchased on the web and this is an issue for customers. With a bricks and mortar shop, the customer knows where the shop is and that to return the product they simply have to go back there and explain the problem. With the web, this is more of an issue. This is especially true for clothing (where people cannot try things on before buying).Users are impressed with sites with a good returns policy and are more likely to buy from them.

6. Keep The User Informed

Giving them an estimated delivery date during the checkout process is a good way to deal with users and provide them with information. Emailing them when their product is dispatched is great. Keep the user informed at every step of the process, before and after sale, about as much as you can.  Leaving the customer happy once they have made a sale means they are more likely to speak favourably about you later. They may even recommend you to their friends and within online communities. They are also far more likely to buy from you again.

7. Payment Options

You should offer the user a reasonable selection of methods of payment. Not everybody has a credit card, and those that do don’t always want to use them. You don’t have to accept cheques, but when deciding on payment methods, consider alternatives to the usual methods. Make the user’s life easy and give them what they want.

8. Improve The Shopping Experience

If a user adds a product to a basket, you may want to show them other things they might like as well. For example, if they are viewing a product, the same applies – show them similar item and this can be a way of boosting the conversion rate. Upselling and cross-selling are tried and tested sales techniques, and there is no reason not to use them on the web.

9. Make Sure You Stand Out

In order to compliment a good search engine marketing strategy it is ideal to stand out. A good site will include information such as articles, reviews and so on. A poor one is just an online catalogue. Information such as articles all help the user early in their buying process. Users start with research online, just as they do offline. If you can help them during the research process, there is a good chance that they will come back and buy from you when they finally decide to make a purchase.

10. Unique Selling Point

In order to increase your conversion rate you should have a  Unique Selling Point (USP). Your USP is what sets you apart from your competition. If a visitor goes to several sites looking for a product, why would they decide to buy from you instead of somewhere else? Almost all companies have one, but not all of them are aware of it.  Low prices, unique products that can’t be bought elsewhere, free delivery, great support – all of these are USPs. Tell your users what yours is.

SysComm is a team of SEO experts with excellent knowledge of Internet Marketing, Search Engine Marketing, online reputation management and has been using white hat SEO techniques for years. We provide affordable online marketing  service packages which includes creating Internet marketing strategies, SEO consultancy services and search engine marketing plans and online reputation management. To know more about our services or to claim your free social media marketing analysis, fill up the contact form or email us on info@syscomminternational.com.

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