What’s a Conversion Rate?
The conversion rate of a website can be loosely described as its ability to turn visitors into business leads. A website’s conversion rate is calculated by dividing the number of received calls/contact forms/sales by the number of visitors. For example, if 1000 people visit your website and you receive 50 contact forms: 50 ÷ 1000 = 0.05 or 5%. The challenge is to increase the number of visitors actually taking the time to fill in a form or pick up the phone to enquire, which increases your conversion rate!
Clever Website Structure Tips for Improved Conversion Rate
The structure of a website refers to the general layout of elements (headings, images and paragraphs of text) on each individual web page. These elements either convince visitors to take action (like filling in a contact form) or leave visitors scratching their heads. The bad news is that your website could be costing you leads and possible converted sales; the good news is that you can capture those leads with a few tweaks to your site’s structure! So, here’s how to optimise your website for a higher conversion rate…
First Impressions.
There are two sections to any website page: an ‘above the line’ section and a ‘below the line’ section. In a nutshell, above the line refers to what someone sees when they arrive on your website without scrolling further down. Below the line is the content they’ll see as soon as they scroll down.
Anything that is above the line is your webpage’s first impression, and you have about 50 milliseconds to capture a visitor’s attention, so make sure that your most eye-catching content is found up top. If your webpage is interesting enough above the line, your visitors won’t think twice about scrolling to see what’s in store for them below the line!
Tip: make sure your website’s banner grabs attention immediately, and that visitors know they can scroll down for more information.
Headings and Sub-Headings.
One of the first things a website visitor should see after viewing above the line content is a concise, formal main heading – followed by a more causal secondary heading. WELCOME TO BRAND NAME would be a good main heading for a home page, with YOU’RE EXACTLY WHERE YOU NEED TO BE accompanying as an emotion-rousing secondary heading.
Sub-headings can also be strategically used to break long, rambling sections of wording into shorter sections of easy-to-consume copy. Headings and sub-headings are usually physically larger than a webpage’s body copy, so they’re noticed first. For this reason, make sure your headings are short and to the point, and that they sum up the theme of the content found below them.
Tip: pages other than the home page should ideally feature the menu title (ABOUT US, PRODUCTS, etc.) as or as part of a main heading, with an emotive secondary heading.
Wording.
This is arguably the most important element of your website’s structure. While image choice and heading optimisation certainly can affect its conversion rate, the biggest conversion facilitator will be the wording found on it. If a visitor lands on a website, reads the first paragraph of text and doesn’t feel he or she can find what they’re looking for – they’ll leave.
For this reason, what you’re communicating to your audience on each webpage becomes absolutely critical. Check if your wording is clear and concise; gets to the point in a conversational tone. Just like journalists start news articles with the most important information (to grab a reader’s attention), consider opening each webpage’s wording with a sentence that is humorous or surprising.
Tip: develop personas for your ideal customers and write your website’s copy as if you’re explaining your business and its services/products to a group of them.
Navigation.
As online portfolios of sorts, websites are designed to be browsed. We want visitors to spend time looking through the products and informative blog articles; educating themselves on the industry and brand. A well-informed customer is a happy one. While they can always just use the main menu to access your webpages, placing navigational prompts throughout your content might just be what boosts your conversion rate.
These prompts come in the form of buttons, clickable banners or images, and in-text references. For example, a website’s about page could talk at reasonable length about the brand and its staff, after which prompting visitors to connect via the contact page should they require more info. A linked button could be placed below the text, or an in-text reference like this: Connect with Waverly Digital Marketing and we’ll tell you more!
Tip: promote informative blog articles on relevant pages as means for visitors to learn even more about the brand and its products should they wish to.
Waverly Digital Marketing understands what it takes to improve a website’s lead-generating potential. Connect with us today and we’ll help you optimise your website for maximum conversions!
