SEO is a powerful and valuable skill to have, one that is a bare necessity for the success of your website. However, it seems that past SEO, many webmasters and website owners fail to utilize conversion optimization. While SEO aims to drive more traffic to your website, conversion optimization aims to increase the revenue you generate from the current amount of traffic your website receives. This is important, and should not be overlooked. Here are five conversion optimization tips that will help you get more out of your current traffic.
Tip 1: Never Stop Optimizing
Websites, by nature, are meant to be dynamic entities that require constant attention and frequent updates. Once you have tested your site for conversion optimization several times, you may feel that the job is done. But as your website is updated, a variety of factors can change that affect your conversion rate. Each page you add presents you with a new opportunity to maximize conversions.
Tip 2: Run as Many A/B Tests as Required
An A/B test, in the realm of statistics, evaluates the change that occurs between two definable variables: A and B. In conversion optimization, an A/B test is used to determine if a change made to your website helps or harms your conversion rate. Each version (A/B) of the website is exactly the same with exception to the single variable you are testing. Test your site before changes are made, then test your site again after the change. Compare the conversion rate with both cases to determine your best course of action. Repeat as many times as needed, but make sure you run the tests in increments with your changes to track each variable independently.
Tip 3: Color Testing
Well known to advertisers and media experts, colors have a strong effect on the actions of customers. Colors often communicate subconscious messages and either entice or repel potential clients. Case studies have shown that making a call to action button flashier and more attention grabbing by coloring it red has led to as much as a 20% increase in clicks. A simple change to the color scheme of your site combined with A/B testing has the potential to yield a higher conversion rate.
Tip 4: Mind Your Phrasing
Words are very powerful, and they have the innate ability to influence the thoughts that enter your audiences’ heads. There are numerous examples from case studies on the Internet where changing the phrasing of a call to action more than doubled the conversion rate. Web copy is a very powerful tool, and landing pages need to be optimized to maximize your conversions. Yet again, make sure that you run a test both before and after the change (an A/B test) to quantify your results.
Tip 5: Appeal to Different Types of Learners
The cognitive learning ability of various types of people can best be summed up by the old adage ‘different strokes for different folks.’ Some people are naturally predisposed to learn better from reading, while others learn better from audio and visual content. If your website fails to make its content available in a video format as well as text, you likely have a missed opportunity to increase conversions.
There are countless other factors that can be manipulated to maximize your conversions. Just remember, whatever changes you make need to be tested thoroughly. Testing is by far the most important component of conversion optimization, so don’t skip it!