A conversion ratio is the ratio of orders to site visits. For example, if 100 people visit your site, and one person places an order, your conversion ratio is 1 percent. Of the top 100 e-tailers, 22 percent report conversion rates between 1 percent and 1.9 percent, 20 percent report rates between 2 percent and 2.9 percent. Only twenty have achieved rates over 5 percent.
Conversion ratios can also be used to measure actions other than purchasing, such as subscribing to a newsletter, requesting additional information or downloading a file.
Generally speaking, you'd like to get your conversion ratio to at least 1 percent and then build from there. In this article, I'm going to give you some steps that should help you improve your conversion ratio.
1. First Impressions: In her article "The Power of First Impressions" Jill Bremer writes:
"First impressions count! Packaging is important, whether we're considering a house, a product or a person. We think what looks attractive or reliable from the outside must surely be on the inside. We judge books by their covers; we buy houses based upon curb appeal and we take people at face value. And they do the same to us!
I'll agree with you that none of this seems fair. People should be judged by their inner values and beliefs, but it is often the first impression that determines whether someone will stick around long enough for you to reveal those wonderful qualities. Very few people will ever see those documents that define who you are, such as your resume, diploma or birth certificate. Like it or not, it is often that first impression that determines your future, more than your professional achievements, family background or educational credentials."
So what first impressions does your website project? For example, are the colors of your site appealing? Did you know that blue is considered to be the best color for websites? It's true. According to psychologists of color (AKA color consultants) the color blue is psychologically connected to the following words:
authority, peace, unity, harmony, tranquility, calmness, confidence, water, loyalty, dependability, cleanliness.
Have you ever noticed that most police uniforms are blue, as are the uniforms of the United States Postal Service? These colors signify authority and reliability. They instill confidence.
To back up my point, I went to Google and typed in the words "Internet Marketing." Then I examined the top 30 Internet Marketing websites.
Here's what I discovered:
24 of the top 30 Internet Marketing websites use blue as the primary or dominant color on their sites.
24 out of the top 30. That's no coincidence. If you're not happy with your conversion ratio, change your website color to blue.
2. Navigation: Is your website easy to navigate?
While it may be true that Content is King on the Internet, your website needs to have an orderly structure - and many signposts - to help visitors navigate it. To find whatever they're looking for. To get to whichever section of it they wish to visit. Quickly. Effectively. Painlessly.
If you force people to click on multiple links and wander around your website aimlessly trying to find whatever it is they're looking for, you can bet your bottom dollar they won't return again. There are simply too many other choices available on the Internet.
Construct a website with a simple navigation system that shows visitors exactly where they are and how to get to other sections of your site. Do this, and not only will your visitors return again and again, they'll bring their friends with them.
3. Give Before You Take: Don't just send visitors straight to a sales page. Give them something first. Give them a free report, a free 7 day Internet Marketing course, an e-book, something. Give something of value, before you ask for money and watch your conversion ratio improve.
4. Make Your Website Credible: Lack of credibility can kill your conversion ratio. Here are some things you can do to make your website more credible:
- A. Make your contact information clear: phone number, physical address, and email address.
- B. Post a photo of yourself.
- C. Update or add new content to your site regularly.
- D. Have real and verifiable testimonials, including full names, website an/or e-mail addresses.
- E. Be aware of typographical errors and broken links. It's also important to keep your site up and running.
- F. Are you affiliated with a respected organization? Tell people. Conversely, don't link to outside sites that are not credible. Your site becomes less credible by association.
- G. Get our own domain name. Don't use domain names like, "Geocities", "Angelfire" or "Tripod" Be a professional. Get your own domain name.
6. Don't Confuse People: When people come to your website, is it crystal clear what your site's about, or do your visitors have to guess? Are you trying to be all things to all people? If you sell e-books on how to make money, why do you have banner ads for satellite dishes? See my point? Laser-target your focus, and leave no doubt what you website's all about.
7. Offer Free Bonuses: Does your salesletter offer free bonuses when people make a purchase? Start offering free bonuses...the more the better. But don't give away the same recycled e-books that everyone else is giving away. Do some brainstorming and try to offer something different and unique.
8. Make Your Website Sticky: "Sticky" refers to a site's ability to keep visitors on your site once they have navigated there, or encourage the visitor to return frequently (i.e., the visitors "stick" to the site).
Research has shown that anywhere from 95 to 99 percent of visitors to your website won't purchase the first time they visit. Therefore, it's important to get visitors to come back to your site again and again so you can have multiple opportunities to sell them something. The best way to do this is to have a sticky website.
A site's stickiness depends on the content of the site that encourages the visitors to remain there but is not necessarily what the visitors went to the site looking for. For example, in addition to the original content visitors are looking for, you can also add a blog, glossary, stock quotes, games, community forum, news feeds and/or chat room to make the site more appealing to visitors. Also, you add special features to set yourself apart from competitors. For example, on my site I feature interviews of top internet marketing experts.
9. Ask For The Sale More Than Once: When I began studying copywriting many years ago, one of the first things I was taught was to ask for the sale several times. This is called "closing the deal," or "call to action." Why several times? Because people are preconditioned to say NO. It's a psychological mechanism.
It starts when we're little babies, and our parents constantly tell us NO. It continues into our school years, when our teachers constantly tell us NO. And we deal with it everyday at work when our bosses tell us NO. So when people come across your ad or sales letter, they already have their guard up. So you have to slowly chip away at all of those years of hearing NO, NO, NO! That's why you have to ASK, ASK, ASK for the sale several times.
1O. Offer A Strong Guarantee: Show you have confidence in your product or service by offering a fair and reasonable money-back guarantee. Thirty days is good. But sixty or ninety days is even better! If you're offering good value for the money, you won't have to worry about refunds. Generally speaking, less than 1% of customers ever ask for a refund.
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