In the age of technology, many SME owners know they need to have a website. The problem is, once created, these websites aren’t used to their full potential and often become forgotten platforms that do little to represent the brand. As a marketing tool, your company’s website has the ability to improve your brand’s profile and increase revenue. If it’s optimised for conversions, of course.
What is a conversion?
When marketing a business, business owners are increasingly directing potential clients to websites as a first point of contact. Once visitors have arrived on the website, the ideal situation is to convert them from potential customers into real customers. On a website, a conversion can take many forms, including selling visitors a product, getting them to sign up for a newsletter, or getting them to request more information.
Optimise your website to increase conversions
While it’s critical to get your website noticed by the public, it also needs to be properly optimised for increased conversions from the word go. A beautifully designed website that attracts thousands of visitors per day is useless if none of those visitors convert. This is why it’s important to have a clear focus on what you want visitors to do on your website and make it as easy as possible for them to do it. Some tips on optimising for conversions:
- Unify your brand messaging. As the online welcome to a company, the website needs to have a strong and accurate brand message, which must be reflected on each page. This will make the site a place that visitors trust.
- Make your website user-friendly. There are many aspects to this point. First, a website should be easy to navigate and every page should load quickly. Second, the information provided must be relevant to the visitor, as well as being useful and current. If the content isn’t regularly updated, visitors won’t convert more than once.
- Add clear calls to action. Conversions are important for all companies, not just those selling products online. They show that people are interested in your business and at some point, depending on what you offer, will increase your profits. Calls to action offer a way to engage with visitors and get them invested in a dialogue with your brand. Examples of popular actions include signing up for a newsletter, downloading a brochure, creating a user account, filling in a contact form and, of course, buying a product.
Websites with panache
You can get more from your website by following these four steps:
- A user-friendly website puts visitors at ease immediately.
- A targeted marketing strategy will increase the percentage of your visitors who are likely to convert
- Regularly updated content makes your site more interesting to users and improves your credibility.
- Having a clear call to action on your website will point users towards contacting your company and engaging with your brand. With careful planning and extensive research, a simple form on your website can increase your customer base and, therefore, your profits. Because conversion optimisation is a relatively new field, it’s highly recommended to use a specialised Internet marketing company with experience in enticing visitors to convert.