Baseball managers always want one thing in particular: an all-star athlete; an athlete who has an outstanding batting average and is a brick wall in the field. If we look at your website, you want much of the same impact because you want your site to have a significantly high batting average (a.k.a. conversion rating) as well as play phenomenal defense (retain the audience). However, what needs to be done to your new website to transform it into the next Derek Jeter?

Concentrate on Quality

It’s now how much you practice, but how you practice that makes the difference between a champion and a regular athlete. The same holds true with your content – it’s not how much content you write but the quality of the content that you write that will benefit your company’s sales.

I’m sure that most of us can write a sentence in a matter of seconds, but to write an effective and cause-driven statement may take a few minutes. Make sure you take the time to:

  1. Remove the Fluff — Take out any and all words that are unnecessary. In fact, I could have written that previous sentence as, “Take out all unnecessary words”. The revised example is significantly easier for a reader to understand and put to memory which positively effects the conversion rating.
  2. Use Action Verbiage — Use as much wording as possible that demonstrates or elicits action. Live and die (when you write) by the old saying “Actions speak louder than words”. I cannot emphasize this enough, but the more action words that you use the more interesting your content becomes. The general rule of thumb: the more effective action verbiage you use the better your sales percentage of your site.
  3. Write Then Rewrite and Edit — My colleagues can attest to my writing styles, but when they ask me to write a simple sentence it takes me anywhere from 5 to 10 minutes (especially if that one single statement is on a landing page or services as a product description, etc). Quite honestly, you cannot fault yourself for editing too much because you are essentially reaffirming your dedication to quality content for the audience.

Unique, Powerful & Logical Site Layout

You only get one chance to make a first impression on your target audience. Once they click from either to go onto your website you make that initial impression with the content “above the fold” (what the visitor can see without scrolling down). Within that small but important piece of real estate you have to convey your message through color schemes, font families, images, and call to action links.

Here are a few things to consider:

  • Imagery — Choose your images wisely and only use objects/images that depict your brand message. For example, the National YMCA recently re-birthed their brand to an all-inclusive and supportive non-profit community enhancing organization. Their imagery delivers that message as they use simple photography that focuses on the wide range of individuals within the community. The imagery you use has a tremendous effect on conversions and can singlehandedly elicit a sale.
  • Call To Action — When trying to improve your conversion ratings throughout your site, there needs to be a consistent and obvious call to action button (or buttons) above the fold. Make sure that while you want to make them prominent features which draw attention that you also fully avoid any spam-like feeling or characteristics. The call to action button(s) significantly impact conversion ratings depending on placement and conspicuousness.
  • Individual Design — Your design, as mentioned above, is one of the single most important aspects with regard to the conversion rating of the site. Every company no matter how big or small should have a customized site design even if that design is only an alteration of an existing template. You need to ensure that your brand message is delivered through the colors, font-families, and content layout (openness, boxiness, square or rounded corners, web 2.0, etc). If you are not consistent with your brand and provide functionality through great design you will lose sales.

Simplify The Sale

In looking at the typical analytics of a retail site, most buyers get to the point of no return and go searching for a better deal. In fact, this has happened so much that companies are starting to list competitor’s prices and reviews within their own product descriptions as well. In other words, they are trying to make the process more simple for the client.

Here are some other ways you can accomplish this and solidify the sale:

  • Two Forms And Done — Research has shown that clients only want to be one or two clicks into a sale before they submit the final order. Anything over those two pages starts to show a vast decline in the retention rate of those particular customers. In order to avoid this, use the first click as an input of their name and pertinent contact information while the second click is confirming the billing and shipping information. To further the simplicity, you can also include the shopping cart tally at the bottom of that billing and shipping info so that when they click “Confirm Order” you now bring them to a printable receipt and the sale is complete.
  • Drag and Drop Sidebar — This is one of my favorite features of retail sites because it makes my life extraordinarily easy. When your client finds a product that they wish to purchase they merely have to drag and drop into the shopping cart in the sidebar. Without hesitation, they can continue to shop for other products they need or simply checkout. Overall, the idea is to make the product selection process as non-invasive as possible to increase your conversion rating.
  • Prominent Contact Information — Provide a consistent opportunity for the client to contact you should they have a question and provide them with a auto-response e-mail confirming the delivery of the message and dedicating a time that you will get back to them. For me, I love when websites have a feedback/contact button(s) that slide alongside the page as I scroll up and down (no matter to which page I venture off). It allows an easy access to help which doesn’t disrupt your clients’ browsing behaviors and gives you the opportunity to contact them directly to improve your sales.

With all of these techniques and ideas your website now has the tools it needs to become an all-star batter, and there is nothing standing in your way to increase the conversion rating today!

Should you need assistance in completing any of these techniques, please don’t hesitate to contact IMPACT today for a customized quote

Need Help?

If website design is something that you are interested in but don’t know how to get started, contact us today to schedule your free marketing analysis.

Sources:
“The Essential Step-by-Step Guide to Internet Marketing”-E-Book
SlideShare.net
Image Source: HubSpot, “The 2011 State of Inbound Marketing”, E-Marketer.com