Conversion simply means getting your site visitors to do something that you want them to do. Maybe sign up for a newsletter, enter a competition, apply for a quotation or buy something. Often, even a small increase in conversion rate can bring significant dividends.
Here are just 10 onsite factors which are known to influence visitor behavior and , when addressed, can bring about improvements in conversion rate:
1) The time that it takes for site pages to load has been found to be at the top of the list of things that adversely influence conversion rates. People really don’t like to wait, so test your web-page load times and ensure that, even in the worst case scenario (an old 28.8K dial-up modem), your site pages will each load within 20 seconds, or maybe 30 seconds at the absolute limit. While you may argue that nobody is using slow dial-up connections these days if you ensure that your site pages perform well under these worst-case conditions you can be confident that they will load at lightning speed for the majority of your site visitors.
2) Don’t use Flash introductions. Flash is a great tool and there are some fantastic Flash based site designs but it does nothing but put people off when they have to wait for a movie to load before progressing toward conversion. Remember that you are aiming for conversion and not for a web design award.
3) Don’t even use any graphics unless you must. Tests have shown that people are influenced first and most significantly by the text messages on a page so keep your graphical content to an absolute minimum and always optimize your images to ensure that your pages load lightning fast.
4) Make the function of your site obvious. For example, if you run an online store make certain your site looks like an online store. Or if your site is intended for children make certain that the colors, design and fonts use make it obvious that the site is intended for children. Making the function of a website obvious from the site’s design has been found to have a positive influence on the likelihood of conversion.
5) Remember that the text messages on your pages are of utmost importance so choose your font, font size, color and line spacing for readability. It is worth noting that direct marketers tend to choose the popular 12pt Courier font in their printed material. Always use a sans-serif font such as Arial, Verdana or Tahoma.
6) Make your site navigation simple and intuitive. Your navigation system should be so obvious that visitors are not required to think about it at all. Provide them with a simple navigation system that remains in the same location as they move from page to page. The familiar tab based design has been found to be the most popular and user-friendly style of navigation. It’s also important to always provide clear feedback that indicates the page that the visitor is currently viewing. This is often provided by highlighting the currently viewed tab and including a breadcrumb trail presenting easily followed text links.
7) It’s worth verifying that your site is accessible and viewable from all of the most popular web browsers on a range of display sizes. As for page load times, go for the worst case scenario of the oldest possible web browser on a display of only 640 by 480 pixels.
8) Provide the information that visitors want exactly where they want it. For example, you might provide delivery options and availability information alongside product descriptions and you might provide a reassuring message regarding the security of personal information right next to your newsletter sign-up button. This technique has been found to have a dramatic and positive influence on visitor behavior.
9) Use background images thoughtfully. Readability is a top priority so it’s important that your text stands out against the background of your site pages. If possible, avoid using background images in areas where you are presenting important messages.
10) Remember that most visitors will initially scan your pages so it’s useful to make important messages stand out by emboldening, enlarging, underlining or highlighting with a different background color.
Of course there is much more that can be done but these tips present some of the most basic considerations that I am certain will bring about improvements to your conversion rate.
Author Bio:
Tony is a Senior Search Engine Optimisation Engineer at FreshEgg.com.
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Great post, Tony!! – Nikki Rae
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admin Reply:
May 14th, 2010 at 9:51 am
Ya It is quite a well written post by Tony, Welcome to Netchunks Nikki
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I think navigation is really important. I’ll stick on site for long time if the navigation is easier =)
blinkky´s last blog ..Iron Man 2 Movie Wallpapers
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admin Reply:
May 14th, 2010 at 9:52 am
Yup I agree with you Blinkky. The navigation should be simple. The more simple the navigation, the visitor will stick to your site for more time and the conversion rate will also increase
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Great tips indeed. Hats off to Tony!
TechChunks´s last blog ..After Wine Now Linux Serves Ice Cream [Video]
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admin Reply:
May 14th, 2010 at 8:05 pm
Yup, I agree with you TechChunks, Tony has written quite a good article
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Very Goof Tips , Thanks
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admin Reply:
May 14th, 2010 at 8:06 pm
Glad to know you like it Anish
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Highlighting important points is a good technique.
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admin Reply:
May 14th, 2010 at 8:06 pm
And tony seemed to have forgetten it in this post. And I too. I directly published it before reviewing what he had drafted. I am so Silly
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Nice tips Tony, thanks!
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admin Reply:
May 14th, 2010 at 8:06 pm
Macmodi, welcome to netchunks, glad you liked it
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Ultimately the site speed is the main important factor for better site conversion ???
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admin Reply:
May 14th, 2010 at 8:08 pm
Actually Blooming site speed is an important factor but it is not the “all in all” factor. Besides site speed, the other tips like design, functionality, navigation, highlighting of main points can help seriously in increasing the Conversion rate
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Rajeel Reply:
May 17th, 2010 at 8:01 am
Ya that’s right. Site speed and easiness in navigation is the key points.
Also never use flash and pop-ups….
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It is really important to use H tags in this case as they help users to scan a page rapidly, thus increasing the chance to catch their attention and incite conversion.
Sachin @ Web Design Mauritius´s last blog ..You should be (over-) using the H (heading) tags.
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admin Reply:
May 14th, 2010 at 8:11 pm
Yes you are right Sachin, the H or header tags are quite important since it can capture the eye of the audience. Bold headings always appear strongly to the human mind unlike normal fonts which the human brain tends to ignore at times.
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Thanks for those tips. Using flash is like killing our blog!
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admin Reply:
May 15th, 2010 at 9:53 pm
Yup, Saksham Flash is bad for SEO
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Lakhyajyoti Reply:
May 17th, 2010 at 7:25 pm
And we do not want to kill our blog.
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Remember that most visitors will initially scan your pages so it’s useful to make important messages stand out by emboldening, enlarging, underlining or highlighting with a different background color.
this was nice and i made it in my site
Techshares´s last blog ..Roxio Toast Titanium 10
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I totally agree with ur list of points mate….really i nice share i found it pretty interesting
good excellent n awesome
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Thanks for all the comments on my post and I apologise for not responding personally (I’ve had a few days off).
I hope to post a follow up some time soon.
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Long but interesting.
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Shiva Chettri Reply:
May 20th, 2010 at 8:29 am
Lol…Lakhya…well yes there are great tips mentioned in the post
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The most important tip was the last one. I mainly focus on this post to invite reader’s interest. A blog should offer what a reader wants.
p.s. please add some thing for navigation, would like to know your ideas about navigation and conversion rate.
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Shiva Chettri Reply:
May 20th, 2010 at 8:29 am
Glad to know that you liked it Hami
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Good tips. Thanks so much
Hieu Martin´s last blog ..8 Twitter SEO Tips To Search Engine Optimize Your Tweets
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i have tested this thing , texts work better , and they convince the reader to buy, images , just keep the things in perspective .. .
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