With millions of businesses competing online for impressions, clicks and sales, digital marketing can feel like a minefield. Couple that with the vast amount of data and metrics that can be used to report on success and it can all get a bit too much.
However, one key metric that needs to be tracked to determine the effectiveness of a website and marketing activity is conversion rate. Without it you will find it near impossible to scale your eCommerce business.
Why is Conversion Rate Important?
Building a successful eCommerce website takes time. It is, therefore, crucial to have a holistic view of what’s happening on your website. This enables you to understand where the successes and failures are occurring. Without a holistic view, you could be trying to solve a problem that is actually being caused or impacted by something else.
Conversion rate is important because it tells you what percentage of the people visiting your website make a purchase. There can be many factors that impact the conversion rate which we will discuss below. If your conversion rate is very low, significantly lower than your industry benchmark, then it is probably a good place to begin exploring to help boost eCommerce sales.
The average conversion rate varies between different industries. You can check out WordStream’s Conversion Rate Benchmarks Report to find out what it is for your industry.
Tips for Increasing Website Conversions
It’s unlikely that there will be a single factor that will increase website conversions. Factors that impact website conversion rate range from site speed to how good your product information is.
Here are 5 practical tips that are proven to increase the eCommerce conversion rate.
Have a Stunningly Quick Site Speed
The speed of your website is very important. It can be the difference between your visitors leaving your site before the homepage even loads and them completing the purchase journey. Google has said that site speed is a significant ranking factor.
A slow site will see you penalised and potentially drop lower in the ranking. It’s also important to remember that some people will be viewing your site on slower a 3G connection. Your site should work as well for them as those on Fibre or 5G.
Give Customers All the Product Information They Need
Ensuring that your products have complete and correct information is vital. Online shoppers rely on this information to make an informed purchase. Without it, they will go elsewhere and buy from a site that gives them the information they need.
eCommerce sites with over 100 products will benefit from using a PIM, especially if they are selling in multiple online locations such as their own site, Amazon, eBay and other marketplaces and social media sites. Without great product information, you are sure to be losing out on hundreds if not thousands of sales.
Focus on a Fantastic Customer Experience
The speed of your website will play a big part in helping to increase your conversion rate, as will your site UX. If customers find it difficult to navigate through your website and make it to the checkout they will drop off before they get there.
Pop-ups can be one of the biggest reasons for a low conversion rate. You should also ensure that your site is mobile friendly. If users can’t navigate your site on a phone or tablet that’s a big problem. More people use their phones to browse the internet although people are still mainly purchasing on desktop.
Get Customers Back with Basket Abandonment
Setting up basket abandonment emails will give you a good chance of increasing website conversions. They are triggered when customers place items in their cart and leave the site before completing checkout.
It’s worth noting that these can only be sent to users for which you have their email address. If you don’t know who they are you could set up a re-marketing campaign. This will help to target unknown users with relevant ads across the Google Display Network.
Be Laser Focused in Your Marketing Efforts
Finally, if you are driving the wrong people to your website then they aren’t going to buy. This is where the importance of customer profiles come in. You can use these profiles to target specific customer types on social media and to generate better ROAS from digital advertising campaigns.
Driving highly targeted traffic to your website will lead to higher conversions because you will only be marketing to the people who are truly in the market for your product or service.
Conclusion
The process of increasing website conversions can be a long one. It requires a lot of testing and monitoring to find out which factors have the most impact. From start-ups to billion-pound corporations these 5 tips are proven to increase website conversion rate. Can you afford not to try them?
If you would like to talk more about increasing website conversions then please do get in touch. We have a wealth of experience in digital marketing and can help you to develop a plan that gets those conversion rates to where they should be.
