5 Elements For More Website Conversions

Tips & Tricks

Feb 28

What’s the best way to convert a potential lead into a paying customer through your website?

We have spent years exploring that exact question. There are several reasons why a seemingly perfect business website will often fail to convert. Sometimes it’s a lack of personality - there’s nothing for the customer to identify with. At the same time, a website bursting with personality but lacking an intuitive framework will lose customer interest just as quickly. It’s about striking a balance between beautiful, meaningful, and easy to use, and neglecting any of these components is a sure path to failure. So, what’s the answer? Clarity.

Put yourself in your client’s shoes. They have roughly six thousand questions, and you’ve got mere seconds to answer the most important ones:

What is this company?
What product or service does it provide?
Where is it located?
Why is this company better than the competition?

And, finally:

Can this company solve my problem?

Take a good look at your existing website. Review your marketing materials while you’re at it. How many of these questions do you answer? How long does it take? Are you forcing the customer to navigate multiple pages and dozens of paragraphs to find the information they need in order to click ‘Buy Now’?

At Freshly Pressed, Clarity is more than a goal - it’s a philosophy that’s at the heart of everything we create. By implementing 5 Essential Elements into each project, we are able to ensure that customers receive the clear guidance they need to take the next step - buying from your company.

Here are the 5 Essential Elements your website needs to successfully convert a potential client into a customer:

1. Stunning UX Design

Like acting, website design only works so long as nobody notices you doing it. An effective UX (User eXperience) must be naturally seamless: when done well, your client will intuitively navigate and interact with the site without ever having to pause to figure out how to get from A to B. This will in turn boost the user’s trust level and add legitimacy to your company in the marketplace.

The opposite is true for poor web design: each frustrating element you force the user to work through will bring them one step closer to bouncing – that is, leaving your site and never coming back. In this way, we like to think of gorgeous design, graphics, colours and fonts we work with as a silent ambassador for your company. The spectacular surface beauty of the site should reflect, not hide, the fine-tuned processes running silently in the background. Whether it’s viewing your gallery, filling out a lead form, downloading an asset or making a purchase, good UX design has one goal – to guide the user towards conversion by earning their trust.

2. Compelling Copy

If a design is the silent ambassador, copywriting is definitely its chatty cousin! This is your chance to look the client in the eye and speak directly to them. However, the biggest mistake we see on a regular basis is that writers make the language about The Company, not the user.

‘Wait, aren’t we supposed to be bragging about ourselves? I mean, isn’t it OUR website?’ You’re absolutely right. Your value statement has to be front and centre at all times. What we’re talking about is how you frame that information.

A potential customer will reach out to your company with a specific need in mind. What you have to do is show all of the ways you will help them solve it. For instance, even the About Us page should be customer-focused. Why did you start the company? To provide you with an exceptional product or service. Why should you talk about your experience, expertise, and industry accolades? Because it shows the customer that you can be trusted to live up to their expectations. Why should you purchase from us? Because we will fix your problem, remove your frustration, and make your life perfect again. It’s really that simple!

One more rule of thumb before we move on: keep it concise. Say only what’s necessary in the least number of words. Remember, this should be immediate and effortless! The faster you can guide the user towards your call to action, the more conversions you’ll make!

3. Clear Calls To Action

This is an easy one. At any point during their navigation, the customer needs to be able to skip the rest of the tour and jump straight into action. This might mean clicking ‘Buy’, entering their information to download a free resource, or a number of other options.

Here’s the secret to an effective Call to Action: customers click because they know that’s what they’re supposed to do. It’s the logical next step of their journey. How do they know? Because you’ve told them! Be bold with actions like ‘Buy Now’, ‘Get a Quote’, or even ‘Call Us Today’, but don’t bury them in choices. Provide a balanced set of eye-grabbing buttons to click on. There should be no confusion whatsoever; if you haven’t made everything 100% clear, chances are the customer will leave your site without ever converting!

4. Lead Generators

Ok, so your potential customer loves your company so far. However, they’re just not ready to make the call or sale. How can you make sure you’re the one they’ll call when they need help? Try a well-positioned Lead Generator!

Lead Generators are an incredibly useful tool in situations where you’d like to keep the door open for any future sales. These are simply a document, coupon codes or other freebies that users can download in exchange for providing you with an email address. By linking an email form on your website with an automated messaging software of your choice, the customer will then be sent the free item while their address is added to your mailing list.

It may come as a surprise that email marketing typically performs better than social media marketing. Because it avoids the routine roadblocks inherent in social media algorithms, it can be far less fickle as well. Just make sure it’s something that your audience will actually want, or they won’t sign up!

5. Contact Information

This one’s a no-brainer, right? Honestly, MOST websites don’t miss this - but they do mess it up on occasion by failing to give the customer the information that’s most relevant to their needs. For example, if the majority of your customers contact you by phone or email, make those the most visible elements. Your contact info must be easy to find - both in terms of placement and readability. Icons or images are a great way of drawing your customer’s eye towards the contact info section, especially when using the mobile version of your site. They should be able to contact you within seconds - no matter what section of the site they’re on!

There you have it - the 5 Essential Elements your site needs to convert visitors into customers. Seriously, don’t even think about launching a website without reviewing each of these items! Taking the time to properly address these issues will ensure that you have the best chance of drawing your clients towards your company - and an eventual sale.

One of the many reasons why clients love working with us is we include all of these elements in every site we launch! Whether you’re designing a new site from scratch or refreshing your current one, our focus is on building a beautiful and functional site that brings you a return on your investment by helping your business GROW. Contact us today and discover our stress-free web design services for yourself. At Freshly Pressed we’re building websites for big dreams.