5 Ways You Might Be Killing Website Conversions

22 Apr 5 Ways You Might Be Killing Website Conversions

We’ve discussed on this blog before the importance of the interrelated strategies of search engine optimization and content marketing. A full 61% of Internet users worldwide research products online before making decisions; we all know that when consumers want to find something online, they rely on search engines (primarily Google). And since about 75% of searchers don’t scroll past the very first page of search engine results, it’s important to use content marketing to improve organic search engine rankings. Content marketing results in about three times as many leads as traditional marketing, all while costing 62% less. That’s a pretty good deal.

But what if your SEO strategy (or accompanying pay per click strategy) is giving you more search engine visibility without an accompanying increase in leads or sales? It’s very likely that your problem lies in website conversion, or the step that deals with turning site visitors into customers. There are numerous steps that go into creating websites that convert, and it’s all too easy to kill conversions with a few common mistakes. Here are five ways you might be sabotaging your website conversions without even knowing it:

1. Glacially Slow Load Times
   If searchers click on the link to your site (either an organic one or a paid result) and then have to sit around waiting for your page to actually load, it’s highly likely they’ll simply hit the back button and try the next result down.

1. An Unfocused Landing Page
   When searchers click on a link that’s promised them some sort of specific information — whether that’s store hours, information about a promotion, etc. — then the landing page they arrive on should contain exactly that informationand nothing else. If they struggle to find the information they’re looking for, searchers may just give up.

1. Mobile Incompatibility
   Increasingly, Internet users are using their mobile devices to conduct online searches. If any of those searchers click your link and then find it’s difficult to use your site on a smartphone or tablet, there’s a very high likelihood you’ll lose their business.

1. Hoops to Jump Through
   No one likes to be told they can get something only to find out there’s a multi-step process for getting it. If your search engine link promises something such as a sale or a free copy of a study, then that’s what you need to provide — with a minimum of surveys or account creation or other hoops to jump through. There’s a lot of choices out there on the Internet, and your goal should be to make it easy for customers to choose you.

1. A Lack of A/B Testing
   While there are some best practices that can give you an edge going in, the only way to get maximum conversions is to do some A/B testing (also called split testing). Essentially, this works by directing some of your visitors to one landing page and some of your visitors to another, and then tracking which group goes on to buy products or become clients at a higher rate. You can never fully predict the behavior of online consumers, so testing is key.

Can you think of any other common website conversion mistakes? Join the discussion in the comments.