Converting Website Visits into Sales
Converting a visit to a sale is the result of a variety of factors:
Clarity of message
Often website owners assume that a visitor knows the exact nature of their business and products and that visitors specifically searched for their website. When deciding on a homepage layout and its elements it is best to create a focus point that emphasis’s 2 very important messages: “who are we?” and “what do we do?”
Purpose
It is essential to define the purpose of the website as one of the first steps in the planning process. A purpose statement should show focus based on what the website will accomplish and what the users will get from it. A clearly defined purpose will help the rest of the planning process as the audience is identified and the content of the site is developed. Setting short and long term goals for the website will help make the purpose clear and plan for the future when expansion, modification, and improvement will take place. Setting a goal practices and measurable objectives should be identified to track the progress of the site and determine success.
Audience
Defining the audience is a key step in the website planning process. The audience is the group of people who are expected to visit your website – the market being targeted. These people will be viewing the website for a specific reason and it is important to know exactly what they are looking for when they visit the site. A clearly defined purpose or goal of the site as well as an understanding of what visitors want to do or feel when they come to your site will help to identify the target audience. Upon considering who is most likely to need or use the content, a list of characteristics common to the users such as:
- Audience Characteristics
- Information Preferences
- Computer Specifications
- Web Experience
Taking into account the characteristics of the audience will allow an effective website to be created that will deliver the desired content to the target audience.
Unique Sales Proposition (USP).
Your homepage needs to state exactly what you offer. If a visitor has to try to figure it out based on a few images or a logo they will click away to another site that makes sense to them. Both for the sake of search engines and your website visitors, include a one or two sentence statement of exactly what your store is about.
Call to Action
A “call to action” is an item on your home page specifically designed to excite action from the visitor. In most cases this action would be as simple as getting a visitor to click through from the homepage to look for more information. Other examples of a call to action are “click here to receive our free newsletter”, “online calculator (fees and rates)”, “Read more on our latest developments”.
Educating your Visitors
In terms of placing content on your website it is best to place industry and product-related information on your website. A potential client is more likely to read content in bullet points or divided under headings than long paragraphs. Most website owners underestimate the value of a Frequently Asked Questions (or “FAQ’s”) page. It is a good idea to invest in providing answers to the questions that you know are likely to be asked.
Urgency or Specials
Test an offer (a discount, a free gift.) that is linked to a sense of urgency so that your customers order right away, instead of deciding they need more time to think. But make sure the urgency is credible and realistic, or you'll lose trust.
Establishing Credibility
Signing up with regulatory organizations indicates your involvement in the industry and that your company upholds certain standards. Briefly indicating certifications, awards and relevant memberships can be invaluable to increasing your “visit-to-sale” conversion rate. Also when collecting information from client in the form of feedback forms you need to eliminate all anxieties by clearly reassuring users that you won't misuse any personal information, that you offer secure transactions, and are trustworthy.
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