13 Proven Strategies to Boost Your Website Conversion Rate From Online To Bottom Line

13 Proven Strategies to Boost Your Website Conversion Rate
From Online To
Bottom Line
2
13 Proven Stratigies
Most companies mistakenly believe that in order
to increase sales, they must expose more people
to their product through expensive advertising
campaigns. That’s just not true. We’re here to
debunk that myth and show you a better (and
less expensive) way to increase sales.
The secret is simple – improve your website
conversion rate. A slight increase in your
conversion rate can have a huge impact on your
sales. And you can do it without a big payroll.
It’s time to educate yourself on conversion
strategies and then roll up your sleeves and get
to work! You will discover a whole new level of
business growth you never thought possible.
We’ve put together this resource guide with the
most important things you can do to boost your
conversion rate. Don’t try to implement all of
these steps at once – just choose a few of the
strategies you want to work on now and start
there.
Then, little by little, you’ll build up your marketing
efforts until you can just sit back and watch the
sales come rolling in. Let’s get to it…
3
13 Proven Strategies:
1. Use a clear layout and navigation
2. Position yourself as an expert in your field
3. Create a powerful lead generation magnet
4. Describe the value of the lead generation magnet
5. Include a hero shot and headline above your webform
6. Create prominent opt-in forms above the fold
7. Use comfort language to build trust
8. Limit form field requirements
9. Ditch the “submit” button
10. Up-sell on the thank you page
11. Get permission to follow up with your leads
12. Nurture your leads through follow-up marketing
13. Create up a multi-hoop system
CONTENTS
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13 Proven Stratigies
1. Use a clear layout and navigation.
Your website layout and navigation play a critical role in
capturing attention and pulling visitors deeper into your
site. If your navigation comfortably guides the visitor
through your website or landing page, it will be natural
for them to stick around. On the flip side, if your layout is
distracting or confusing to the visitor, they will probably
leave in a hurry.
To test your website navigation and layout, pretend
you are a new prospect and ask yourself the following
questions. (Or better yet, find someone who has never
seen your site and ask them to answer these questions.)
• Where do your eyes go first?
• What is the most important thing on the page?
• Where do you think you are supposed to go next?
• Are there any distracting or confusing menu items or
links that are tempting you to click on them?
A paragraph of text here.
A second row of text here.
A paragraph of text here.
A second row of text here.
A Big Title Here
One Two Three Four
“The service you provide
is great! I’ll be coming
back to you for sure!”
5
13 Proven Stratigies
2. Position yourself as an expert in your field.
When a prospect visits your website, they should come
away with the sense that you are the expert (or at least
an expert) in your field. Anything less means that they
will continue to shop around until they find someone that
inspires confidence.
Expertise can take many forms (such as social proof,
awards, and testimonials), but the best way to prove
that you are an expert is through relevant, readable
educational materials. This is real value that you offer to
your prospects in exchange for their trust.
A paragraph of text here.
A second row of text here.
A paragraph of text here.
A second row of text here.
A Big Title Here
One Two Three Four
“The service you provide
is great! I’ll be coming
back to you for sure!”
paragraph of text here.
second row of text here.
paragraph of text here.
second row of text here.
Title Here
Three Four
“The service you provide
is great! I’ll be coming
back to you for sure!”
6
13 Proven Stratigies
3. Create a powerful lead generation magnet.
The next step is to turn this expertise into a lead
generation magnet. A lead generation magnet is anything
valuable you can provide to your prospects in exchange
for their contact information. It could be a coupon, free
report or whitepaper, demo, subscription, event invitation,
or other kind of educational download.
Your magnet should:
• Appeal to your target audience
• Provide a solution to their pains and frustrations
• Have a clear title that conveys value
• Be packaged in a way that is appealing
The right lead generation magnet will attract a steady
flow of leads that you can convert into paying customers
down the road.
FREE
GUIDE
7
13 Proven Stratigies
4. Describe the value of the lead generation
magnet.
If you’re giving something FREE to prospects (a lead
generation magnet), you may be tempted to think, “Why
would anyone not want this?” But that is dangerous
thinking!
Your visitor is really wondering, “is this really something
of value or are you going to just SPAM me?”
You have to answer the question in the minds of your
audience: “What’s in it for ME?” Describe the value of the
lead generation magnet in terms of how it benefits the
reader and do your best to enter the conversation that
is already going on inside their head. And by all means,
avoid talking about your products as much as possible.
What’s in
it for me?
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13 Proven Stratigies
5. Include a hero shot and headline above your
webform.
A great way to increase conversion rates is to include
a “hero shot” and powerful headline above your optin
form. A “hero shot” is a graphic that makes the
lead generation magnet look more substantial or more
“heroic” so to speak. This can be a representation of a
hard-copy book or software package, even if the offer is
purely digital.
A Headline
Describe the value of your
lead generation magnet here.
First Name
Email
I’d like to receive communications and
special offers from ABC company.
View our privacy policy
Send Me My Guide
FREE
GUIDE
A Headline
Describe the value of your
lead generation magnet here.
First Name
Email
I’d like to receive communications and
special offers from ABC company.
Send Me My Guide
FREE
GUIDE
9
13 Proven Stratigies
6. Create prominent opt-in forms above the fold.
To maximize opt-ins, your home page should have an
opt-in form for your most widely requested and most
valuable lead generation magnet. The hero shot and form
fields should be visible without needing to scroll (a.k.a.
“above the fold’).
You can boost rates even higher by posting a small opt-in
form on every page of your site in the same place. This
provides an opportunity for visitors to be attracted to
your magnet everywhere they look.
A paragraph of text here.
A second row of text here.
A paragraph of text here.
A second row of text here.
A Big Title Here
One Two Three Four
A Headline
Describe the value of your
lead generation magnet here.
First Name
Email
I’d like to receive communications and
special offers from ABC company.
View our privacy policy
Send Me My Guide
FREE
GUIDE
10
13 Proven Stratigies
7. Use comfort language to build trust.
Often people hesitate to fill out forms because they don’t
want to get added to another email list or receive a sales
call. You can address this fear (and increase conversion
rates) by using comfort language to show the value they’ll
get and reinforce that they can trust you not to misuse
their information.
This can be an overt “Don’t worry” statement or a simple
link to your privacy policy. You can further increase
conversion rates by clarifying your privacy policy in just
a few lines and posting it in a prominent location next to
your form.
A Headline
Describe the value of your
lead generation magnet here.
First Name
Email
I’d like to receive communications and
special offers from ABC company.
View our privacy policy
Send Me My Guide
FREE
GUIDE
Describe the value of your
lead generation magnet here.
First Name
Email
I’d like to receive communications and
special offers from ABC company.
View our privacy policy
Send Me My Guide
11
13 Proven Stratigies
8. Limit form field requirements.
Most people are comfortable providing their name and
email address in order to download a free report or
similar lead generation magnet, but hesitate when asked
for phone, mailing address, or budget. In fact, opt-in
rates drop significantly as the number of required form
fields increases. A good rule of thumb is to only request
the bare minimum amount of information on your web
forms and collect more data as your relationship grows.
A Headline
Describe the value of your
lead generation magnet here.
First Name
Email
I’d like to receive communications and
special offers from ABC company.
View our privacy policy
Send Me My Guide
FREE
GUIDE
A Headline
Describe the value of your
lead generation magnet here.
First Name
Email
I’d like to receive communications and
special offers from ABC company.
View our privacy policy
Send Me My Guide
FREE
GUIDE
12
13 Proven Stratigies
9. Ditch the “submit” button.
Most web forms include a standard gray button that
says “SUBMIT” in all caps. To boost conversation rates,
swap out the boring button for a more colorful one that
reinforces the value of your lead generation magnet. Be
creative and specific with your button language by saying
“Send Me My Guide,” “Register Now,” “Place My Order,”
or something similar.
A Headline
Describe the value of your
lead generation magnet here.
First Name
Email
I’d like to receive communications and
special offers from ABC company.
A Headline
Describe the value of your
lead generation magnet here.
First Name
Email
I’d like to receive communications and
special offers from ABC company.
Submit
View our privacy policy View our privacy policy
Send Me My Guide
FREE
GUIDE
FREE
GUIDE
13
13 Proven Stratigies
10. Up-sell on the thank you page.
Your “Thank You” page is extremely valuable real estate –
this is the page your prospect lands on immediately after
hitting the submit button. It is hot property because the
person has just taken action, shown interest, and is likely
in the mood to taken additional action—if you invite them
to do so.
The page usually says something like “Thank you for
Registering” or “We hope you enjoy Report XYZ.” But
to increase conversion rates, you have to be strategic
about what you want your prospect’s next steps to be.
Consider offering a similar download on the same subject
with an opt-in form that collects more information (such
as mailing address so you can send them a free gift).
A paragraph of text about a webinar or something
else they may like goes here to upsell them.
Thank you for your order!
Register Now
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13 Proven Stratigies
11. Get permission to follow up with your leads.
Just because someone fills out a form on your website
doesn’t mean that they want to hear from you every
day. So before starting any email follow-up, be sure your
contacts want to receive the information you’re sending.
Whether you include a checkbox on a webform, use a
double opt-in email, or collect business cards in a fish
bowl, getting permission isn’t just a good idea…it’s the
law!
Be sure to set proper expectations up-front regarding the
frequency of your communications (weekly, monthly, etc.)
and what content will be in your messages. By setting
the right expectations upfront, you can minimize SPAM
complaints and develop a strong and responsive email.
A Headline
Describe the value of your
lead generation magnet here.
First Name
Email
I’d like to receive communications and
special offers from ABC company.
View our privacy policy
Send Me My Guide
FREE
GUIDE
Send Me My Guide
I’d like to receive communications and
special offers from ABC company.
View our privacy policy
15
13 Proven Stratigies
12. Nurture your leads through follow-up
marketing.
The not-so-secret weakness of small businesses is that
they don’t follow-up with leads as well as they should.
In general, it takes several communications before a
prospect is ready to buy…but most businesses give up
after one or two emails. If you stay in front of prospects,
educating and building trust along the way, they’ll come
to you when they are ready to buy.
The most effective follow-up campaigns have a very
specific purpose (such as getting new leads to schedule
a consultation with a sales representative) and provide
meaningful information that prospects can actually use.
They’re more likely to look forward to your next email if
they know it’s full of information that’s intended to help
them rather than hassle them.
delay: 0 days
Schedule an Appointment: Follow-up
delay: 2 days delay: 5 days
Email 1 Email 2 Email 3
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13 Proven Stratigies
13. Create a multi-hoop system.
The objective of a follow-up action plan is to get your
prospects to move progressively towards greater
commitment. If you have a sales team, an effective
approach is to create a multi-hoop follow-up system.
Think of the initial opt-in form on your website as the first
‘hoop’ your lead needs to jump through. Once the lead
has jumped through enough hoops and has educated
and qualified themselves to a certain point, you then
assign the lead to a sales rep for one-on-one follow-up.
Your multi-hoop system will increase sales efficiency
because your reps will spend time working with qualified,
motivated buyers instead of poor fits.
Step 1: Free Guide
Move your prospects toward greater commitment
Step 2: Appointment Step 3: Sale
FREE $
GUIDE
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Give us a call at today at (866) 800-0004 Ext. 1.
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