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Okay, so I’m going to warn you ahead of time that this is going to be a long post.

In the last post we talked about “Things You Say” and this week I’ll cover “Things You Do” to improve conversion rate on you websites.

Let’s get started…

I’m just going to list them out and then talk about each… So here goes.

1. A Photo Can Make All the Difference

Images do have an affect on your conversion rates in two ways; (1) The quality of your images, (2) The actual images you use.

In order to optimize your conversion rates with the help of images you have to first need to make sure you have good quality images. Because the customer can’t physically see or touch the product this is really they way in which they will reach a conclusion on the quality of your product. If your images are too small (you should always have a “click to enlarge” function for your product images) or “fuzzy” they will assume that the quality of your product is not as good as it may actually be.

The second issue regarding images is the actual images you use. For example you could on a product page include the product image as the main image and then have the product being used by actual customers, etc.

Each image Type evokes different reactions. The bottom line here is test different types of images to see which convert better.

2. Trust = Sales

Credibility has always been important in the conversion process but has become even more important int the current economic climate. With consumers being tighter with the money now more than ever, it is imperative that we build trust with our users in order for them to buy from us. Remember the words of Dale Carnagie, “Listen First, Sell Second”.

We need to be genuine and make our customers feel that in our ad copy. We can also add some design elements that will help build credibility.

1. Add Trust Seals to Your Website. (You can see examples at www.MojoSac.com at the bottom of the page.) (They’ve also said they’ll waive your set up fee if you want to add these to your site at http://ConsumerSafeGuard.com/pmi)
2. Credit Card Logos on your Site
3. Association Seals (BBB, NBA, Local Chamber of Commerce, etc.)
4. Testimonials (remember there are 3 types of testimonials; [1] Video – the best, [2] Written w/ Picture – the second best, [3] Written testimonial – the worst but still better than nothing)
5. Contact information, especially a phone number.
6. Privacy Policy, terms pages, etc.

3. Features Tell, Benefits Sell

People don’t buy features they buy Benefits. Remember to find out what the benefit of your product is you have to put yourself in the shoes of your customer and answer the question “what will this product do for me”?

That one question will get you to the benefit of your product to your customer. For example, a Golf Swing Trainer, when you answer that question you would come up w/ the answers: (1) I’ll enjoy the game more, (2) I can finally beat my buddies, (3) I don’t have to be embarrassed out on the course anymore, etc.

4. Tell Your Customers WHAT to do and they’ll do it

While this may seem counter-intuitive, this one principle is very important in improving your conversion rates. If your customers land on any page on your website and they have no idea what they’re supposed to do they won’t do anything.

That’s why it’s your responsibility to tell the customer exactly what you want them to do. For example, it may be you want the customer to opt-in to your newsletter. Okay so tell them that’s what you want them to do on the page or if you want them to order your button should say something like “Order Now” or something similar.

You’d be amazed at how this one principle can really help boost your CR.

5. Remember the KISS Principle

Don’t make your website difficult to use. The easier to use the better. Remember that KISS (Keep It Simple Sweetheart) .

Sometimes this means that you’ll have to ask other people to look at your site for a “usability test”. Send them to your website without any explanations and ask them to create a desired action (i.e. add a specific product to the cart, etc.). Ask them to write down every button they clicked on, where they went, etc.

Then ask them overall questions like, how easy was it to find the product, how many clicks, etc. Try to pick someone that is somewhat computer illiterate so it can represent the general Internet user.

6. Paragraph Length does matter

We’ve talked about how “longer text is better” but remember that doesn’t mean to write a novel. What it does mean is that you need to provide enough information for the customer to make a buying decision. That means you will need to have more information than you might think and it doesn’t all have to be on one page, etc.

So when writing your paragraphs in your site, here’s the rules to follow:

1. Your opening paragraphs should be no longer than 2 – 3 visual lines (not sentences, lines).
2. Any other paragraph in your site should never exceed 5 – 6 lines long.

7. The “Skimable” Test

This principle goes hand in hand with the previous one because as we want shorter paragraphs (with longer overall text) we want our information to be “skimable”.

If you’ve ever had to write an executive summary then that’s really what type of page we’re looking for. In an executive summary the executive wants all the info to be there but in an easy to read format.

Some things that you can do to make your page easily skimable are:

1. Bullet points
2. Bold text
3. Proper use of Sub-Headlines
4. Font colors
5. Images

8. Using Endorsements or Testimonials

Here’s some rules when using Testimonials:

1. Use photos and/or URLs below the names of your testimonies - Not only does it make your testimonials more believable (since mere text and names can be easily faked by just about anyone), the URLs make it possible for your prospects to possibly crosscheck with them. Also, photos add a hidden message whereby you took some effort to get these people to endorse you and your product/service.
2. If possible, add audio or video - This would also add the believability factor to your testimonials. Also, it’s easier for your customers to relate their happy experiences from benefiting from your product or service through their own personal touch i.e. voice or video.
3. Make sure your Testimonials Stand Out -
4. If you have a lot of testimonials, feature some of them on your side bars and create a Testimonials page – You can delegate the testimonials around the your site in a convenient-reading format, with the best testimonial(s) placed as your featured testimonial(s) on the right.
5. Make sure your testimonials are results-oriented - In short, your testimonials shouldn’t be about Wow John! You’re great! It should be about what your product or service did to benefit the customer.

9. Using Video to Improve Your Conversion Rate

It is a fact that many of us are primarily visual in the way we relate to the world around us. With this in mind, it only makes sense that you would be able to make the content of your web site more accessible by adding the video features to your web site.

The thing to remember about using video is that you need to keep it short, sweet and to the point. No one is looking to settle down with a bowl of popcorn and a soda while watching the video presentation on your site.

You want the video to follow the same lines as your text. Let it be concise, to the point, and call attention to the features of your product or service that will be of most interest to prospective clients.

Prepare the text for your video script and run through it with a couple of people before you ever begin the process of videotaping. You want to make sure there are no dead spots in the text that would create a pregnant pause during the video presentation.

Also take care to choose locations that will provide you with sufficient light. Nothing will turn off a prospective client like clicking on a video presentation and finding it is too dark for anyone to see what is happening.

There is also the need to consider the Internet connections that potential clients will be using to get to your web site. If your product or service is mainly for a midsize or large business, then chances are they are using a high-speed connection.

Residential customers and small businesses may be using a dial up connection. Make sure you allow for each of these possibilities by providing your video presentation in versions that can buffer and run for at 56K and higher speed connections.

Videos, when planned well and accessible to any potential client, can help to set your web site apart from your competition. Check into the possibility of preparing a short video to include with your web site today.

10. Follow the Rules of Page Layout

Here’s some basic rules on page layout:

1. Make sure to have a consistent site header/logo
2. Make sure to have a consistent navigation area
3. Write a Great Keyword Rich Headline for each Page
4. Page footer area — copyright, last update, contact e-mail address, secondary navigation
5. Good use of basic design principles: repetition, contrast, proximity, and alignment
6. NEVER make your user scroll left to right. Up and Down is fine.
7. Balance of text/graphics/white space on page (white space isn’t always bad)
8. Good contrast between text and background (Don’t use background colors that make the text hard to read)
9. Make sure your interesting information is above the fold (before scrolling down)
10. Don’t overload a page with too many images as it will slow down the load time

Related posts:

1. CRO – Specific Things to Test – Week 2
2. Improving Your Conversion Rate – Week 1