This is a response to this other landing page optimization article (Jonathan Mendez / Audible.com) which has some great visuals of before and after. My spin is to orient it towards online stores, your typical online retailer.
There are as many ways to increase a website’s conversion rate as there are ways to design a website. These are probably some of the most fundamental, and easy to change aspects of most sites, with the best ROI. So, while there are plenty others worth mentioning, these should get you started. Make a list of these and compare them with your website—then implement.
1. Have a Clear and Direct Headline
The headline is what people see first, and the first make-or-break point. Since pictures alone rarely sufficient explain to people what the page is about or how it will help them get to where their ultimate destination (even if you don’t think they have one yet). Such headlines are easier for each and every one of your product pages, but you should not overlook the home page especially as that may be bringing in most of your traffic. I still see a lot of sites that forget to include the key value proposition. This message may even be rotated depending on your ongoing specials, events, or seasonal activities. Some of this may be contained in your TITLE tags.
After reviewing the top 10 converting sites of 2007 (according to Nielson Ratings), they all had a direct headline that revolved around current specials/seasons. Some even had a message that was not seasonal, such as AbeBooks “Search 13,5000 booksellers selling 110 million books.” There were exceptions like Amazon.com which is so recognized these days that they can get away with it; and Hollister, who also has an enormously recognized brand—besides, their site is all about fashion, which is told visually. ThePopcornFactory could have skewed data since they are doing so many things wrong, but truth is, I have clients with equally good conversion rate since most that are buying already know the brand.
2. Place High Value on Whitespace
In an ever noisier web, white-space helps guide the eye to key elements. How does cluttering up a page with dozens of elements help people? Even sites like Amazon are always trying to simplify the clutter. The easiest sites to navigate have clear blocks of white-space between sections, including product descriptions, images, specs, etc… In my experience, white-space may also be less important if your selling items that rely heavily on visual appeal, and therefore uses a few key images; however, the rest of the page must be clutter free. A good web designer will find this easier than a lot of business people that simply want to cram everything in there.
3. Deliver Your Value Proposition with Short Direct Messaging
While a great title gives people a good direction, your marketing message is the means to carry them there. This is a lot easier when the site you’re dealing with is dealing with only a couple key products or services. Ecommerce sites can be more challenging as this message may be broad on a home page, and more specific on each category/product page. Why should someone choose you over some other online store? It’s amazing how much a difference simply moving your value proposition into a 3 or 4 easy-to-read word phrase can make a difference, as compared to a long sentence that is small and hard to read, or not having one at all.
4. Have a Persuasive Message Directly Above the Call to Action
If your site does not persuade, then it will not sell or convert. This can mean even more if an additional message lies next to your “Add to Cart” buttons. Even Amazon (who does not do everything “right”) has next to each product “Get it by Wednesday, Mar 19 if you order in the next 15 hours and choose one-day shipping.” Here are a couple more I just thought up “Only 15 more in stock, hurry before we run out,” or “Guaranteed to make you look good for your next trip to the beach.” Ok, so maybe this isn’t the most persuasive writing here, but you get the idea.
5. Large Red Buttons Rule
I am not including this one since it is rather debatable. Debatable by many, and varies per site. Perhaps high contrast on a flashy site is better, or blended in neutral colors on conservative style sites. Best option is to split A/B test it on your own site. One size rarely fits all. What is important? Test, test, test ! Google’s free website optimizer may prove helpful.
6. Call to Action Copy Matters
Getting too cute here can be bad too, because people are familiar with certain phraseology like “Add to cart.” As the original article points out “Try it now” can be better because it’s less committal, and use a time-sensitive word such as “now.” For an ecommerce site, I have tried other things such as “add to bag” since it creates more of a premium shopping feeling. This is fairly easy to test.
7. Trust and Security are Still Incredibly Persuasive
Adding a few trust seals, SSL seals and such are one of the easiest things you can do, and in many cases cost you nothing. If possible keep that sense of safety close to the call to action. Conversion rates can go through the roof in some cases here. This doesn’t mean you should go out and pay for a monthly service either to get a logo on your website.
I highly recommend reading Jonathan’s full article for additional insights; it also has a full 3-step guide to Landing Page Optimization. Eventually, I will also write up a complete guide to landing page/conversion rate optimization. As you know, this blog is targeted towards smaller merchants running online stores. A decent shopping cart software company should be able to help you accommodate most if not all of these aspects since most of it is visual stuff.
