Conversion Rate Optimisation: how to increase your conversion rate

Conversion rate optimisation – the detail

We’re a dedicated conversion rate optimisation agency, so we’re passionate about the mechanics and detail of CRO. If you’d like to learn more, then check out our main CRO page. You’ll discover:

• How to calculate your conversion rate;

• How CRO can improve your marketing ROI;

• Calculations of the impact of CRO; and

• How we could help to improve your CRO.

How to increase your conversion rate

As an experienced CRO agency, we implement actions on your website that are designed to make a higher percentage of your website visitors convert. These actions can improve your website’s functionality and technical specifications and make your site more user-friendly and appealing to your target market. Here are our 9 essential actions to help increase your conversion rate.

1. Use A/B testing to identify what converts

A/B testing is probably the most critical of actions in relation to CRO and can help with all other CRO recommendations. That’s because it’s the most sure-fire way of identifying what works for your website. 

When A/B testing, you present users with two different versions of the same web page. As an example, on one webpage variant you might have a series of rounded-green CTA buttons, on the other you might use red rectangular CTA buttons. By observing which set of CTA buttons lead to the most conversions, you can make an informed decision about this design feature. A/B testing can be used to observe user response to a wide range of features including colour, design, written content, H1 headings, image choice and much more!

2. Simplify your homepage design

Your homepage is one of the most critical areas of your website. It’s where many pay-per-click (PPC) campaigns direct traffic to and where many of your website visitors begin their journey through your site. Simplifying your homepage’s website design with bold visuals, striking headlines and clear calls-to-action can significantly increase your conversion potential. If you’d like to revamp your homepage our web design Exeter team can help.

3. Make your website easy to navigate

One of our priorities as web designers and CRO experts is to look at our customers’ navigation structure. Website visitors want to easily move through your site to quickly get to the information they need. Menu’s need to be clear and simple and buttons and CTA’s should be located prominently. You want to structure your website so that your conversion goals are as easy to achieve as possible. Your website should actively guide your users to the point where they convert.

4. Your website should be fully responsive

Over 50% of all web traffic is on a mobile or tablet device and this percentage is growing year on year. That’s why we recommend a mobile-first approach to website design as a key CRO action. To successfully convert website traffic, your website must impress when visited on a mobile device.

5. Use website personalisations 

You can use website personalisation to provide targeted content to different users. Details like a web user’s location, demographics and browsing or shopping history are used to tailor marketing offers when on your website. For instance, you could display welcome discounts to new web visitors or provide users in Devon with a voucher to spend in your Exeter store. A website personalisation can be a great CRO tool by making your site’s content more appealing to end-users. Find out more about website personalisation.

6. Fill your website with quality content

Your website’s written content can significantly impact your conversion potential. You want your website content to tell a story. Your headlines and headings should draw your readers in, your products and services should be well described and the reader should be gently guided towards conversion. If you need help, our Exeter copywriting team can craft website text designed to convert.

7. Focus on website speed and security

CRO is about much more than design and content. As a CRO agency we pay a lot of attention to the technical specifications and settings of our client’s websites. Slow-loading websites cost UK retailers £1.73 billion a year in lost sales. Just imagine how much you could increase your conversion rate by simply speeding up your site. Security is another technical consideration. According to Session Media, poor security can be a major blocker to conversions. They report that up to 50% of web users check a site’s security certification before inputting personal data. Providing security reassurance is therefore essential to increasing conversions.

8. Prioritise your calls-to-actions

Ultimately, with CRO we want more users to convert and the most common mechanism for achieving a conversion is a call-to-action (CTA). As a conversion rate optimisation agency, one of the most critical actions we implement is reviewing and prioritising your CTAs. Your CTAs need to be visually appealing, with engaging text and occupying prime locations on your website. One example of a CRO action to prioritise your CTAs would be to create a pop-up for new sign ups to your mailing list.

9. Use social proof and testimonials

Social proof can take many forms – an award, an article in a respected publication, an accreditation, an influencer endorsement or a review. In fact, according to Shopify, 88% of consumers trust online reviews as much as they trust a recommendation from a friend or family member. Prominently displaying evidence of social proof on your website can help conversions, especially with new customers.

Improving your conversion rate – things to remember

Implementing actions like the ones we have described here should help improve your conversion rate. Each one is designed to make your customer’s journey from arriving at your website to converting as easy and compelling as possible. The impact of these actions is cumulative and for significant improvements it’s likely you will need to adopt a co-ordinated and strategic approach, making a range of changes to your website.

A key strength of CRO, however, is that you can see results quickly. It can often take 3-6 months for SEO improvements to translate to an increase in website traffic. But with CRO you could see an upturn in conversions within weeks or even days of making improvements, as new and returning visitors will see a more optimised version of your website.

Get help with Conversion Rate Optimisation in Exeter

Many businesses find it difficult to know where to start with CRO. It’s a technical area of search marketing that requires a good working knowledge of tools like Google Analytics and Hotjar to understand and profile user behaviour. When it comes to making improvements, some expertise in website design and copywriting is also needed to get the best results. That’s where we can help. As a full-service digital marketing and conversion rate optimisation agency we can identify where improvements are needed and implement them ourselves. Our team are experts in CRO, web design and copywriting and work together to make improvements to your website’s conversion rate. To find out how we could help your business, contact us in Exeter today.