Great SEO may get you online visitors but how do you ensure they convert into customers? Brad Warwick, commercial director at Crafted Media, provides five top tips for improving your website’s performance
You may well have thousands of visitors to your website but how many of those visitors request a quote, buy your product or book an appointment? If the conversion rate is looking a bit on the lean side, it’s probably time to look at how well your website is working for you.
Google’s ‘website optimiser’ is a free and powerful system capable of A/B and multivariate testing to gauge which version of your enquiry form, checkout or quote tool works best. But before you get started setting up experiments, check out these suggestions to drive up your conversion rates.
1. De-clutter the page
Look carefully at your web page – does it need two paragraphs of introduction or would one get the point across? Do you really need to ask the user for their date of birth? Asking for a ‘preferred contact number’ might be better than asking them to fill out a work telephone number, mobile and fax number.
Once a user is on the page where you want them to engage, it is essential to remove any potential stumbling blocks. If you can process their enquiry or order without asking for certain information, do so (you can always ask them for extra information once they have submitted their core details).
Quick tip: Keep forms concise. If you need to ask 40 questions to complete a quote, split your form into two stages: the first to capture important contact details, and the second to ask everything else you need. If the second form isn’t completed, you can still call the customer to get the missing information.
2. Reassure the customer
When a web visitor is already on your contact page they often need just a little more encouragement to take the last step.
Providing them with reassurance they are doing the right thing can be the difference between form abandonment and a new sale. Emphasise your website is secure – explain your ecommerce site uses a trusted payment gateway or that it is independently tested to ensure safety. If thousands of people complete your online forms every month, then publicise this fact.
Most importantly, always inform customers of what you will and won’t do with their data. Even if you do not need them to opt-in to your newsletter, make sure you explicitly state your intentions with their information. This will ensure you comply with the Data Protection Act, but also remove doubt from visitors’ minds by trying to second guess their concerns and address them with carefully placed messages. Make the process seamless and comfortable.
Quick tip: Think like a customer. How many times do you click off of a website because its bad design and complicated forms make you suspicious? Create your website and contact forms in line with what would make you feel comfortable submitting your own credit card details.
3. Optimise form fields
What might seem a fairly inconsequential aspect of your form design can have a serious impact on completion rates.
Left-aligned labels are perhaps easier to scan read, but the gap between field and label can increase completion time – these should be reserved for advanced or unfamiliar field entry. Top-aligned labels allow users to capture both field and label in one eye movement and therefore improve speed of completion. Right-aligned labels are most commonly used when vertical space is restricted.
Quick tip: Unless your form is reasonably complex, use either top-aligned or right-aligned labels for fastest completion time.
4. Use intuitive language
A well-designed form should be self-explanatory to complete. But are there any fields that could use a little explanation?
Firstly, review your form’s questions and ensure they are intuitive. Strive for clear labels and don’t leave any ambiguity about what you require as a response.
Secondly, for any questions that could use some clarification, make sure you provide a note against the field to fully explain (concisely) what is needed.
Quick tip: To keep a tidy form without additional text, use ‘reveal’ code to automatically display a relevant message as a user clicks on/hovers over each field.
5. Promote positive action
The most important aspect of your form is arguably the action button. There are several factors to think about: message, colour, location, size. Simply changing the colour of your button could have a positive effect on your overall conversion rate. Your button should be visible and follow the user’s path through the form – don’t overly separate the button from the final field.
The message on the button should be a positive action. ‘Submit details’, while factual is very dry, whereas ‘Send my details’ or ‘Checkout now’ suggests more active engagement.
Quick tip: Simple: avoid a grey button with a dry message.
