• 01 Apr 2019
  • 4 Min read

5 tips and tricks for boosting your conversions

Digital marketing techniques like SEO and PPC are great for getting your brand and products in front of more people but, once potential customers land on your website, you need to convince them to buy from you.

There are a whole host of ways in which you can give website visitors a reason to spend money on your products or services, and we’re going to highlight some of the most effective techniques here.

Answer prospective customers’ questions (without them having to ask)

One of the best ways to gain the trust and respect of prospective customers is to answer any questions they might have without them even having to ask. And there are plenty of ways in which you can do this.

Firstly, you should make sure that any useful information about ordering, delivery, and returns is easy to find. This should include everything from how much postage costs to what returns options buyers will have — for example, will it be easy for them to arrange a pick-up from a courier service or will they have to go to the Post Office? They’ll want this information before they check out.

Having an FAQ section on your website can also be incredibly helpful. Which questions these might be will depend on what kinds of products or services you offer, but you can use any customer service calls or questions you receive on social media to inform which queries you’ll want to answer.

Publishing blog posts and content marketing on your website can also help to provide potential customers with useful information about how your products work, reasons to use your services, or complementary and relevant advice that your target market are likely to be interested in. This can also help to establish your company as an expert in your field, as it will give you plenty of opportunities to show you know you have a wealth of knowledge about your products and industry.

Don’t just tell website visitors what you do — show them

Anybody can claim that they’re the best at what they do but, if you can show potential customers evidence of this, they’ll be far more likely to buy from you.

There are lots of techniques you can use to show website visitors your credentials. For example, customer reviews are perfect for this, because they’re impartial and come from people who have used your products or services. 74% of consumers say that word of mouth is a key influencer in their purchasing decisions, but only 33% of businesses actively seek out and collect reviews, according to Big Commerce. This means doing so could help you to stand out from the crowd. And, don’t be afraid to showcase reviews that aren’t quite perfect (as long as you’ve handled them quickly and effectively), as showing that you can deal with difficult situations will also help to build trust in your brand.

If you’ve won any industry awards, this is also worth publicising as, again, it shows that impartial third parties admire your work. It’s one thing to claim that you’re great at what you do, but having an accolade to prove it makes all the difference.

Tell them what to do with effective calls to action

Targeted calls to action have been proven to boost conversion rates (Jeff Bullas), so it’s well worth weaving them into your content and possibly even the design of your website.

Including “add to cart” buttons on your pages, instructing shoppers to “buy now” in your product descriptions, and telling people to “click through to see more” in your meta descriptions can work wonders. This is because it gives internet users an obvious next step and takes all of the thinking work out of the equation.

Give them a reason to buy from you instead of your competitors

Chances are, there will be other companies out there that are selling the same products or services as you, so it’s important that you give consumers a reason to buy from you instead. Of course, when people are shopping online, price is a huge factor. So, if you can undercut your competitors without it having too much of an effect on your profit margins, this is likely to give you the upper hand. But, don’t worry if you’re not in a position to lower your prices — there are plenty of other incentives you can offer.

For example, 73% of shoppers say unconditional free shipping is critical when they’re deciding whether to buy something online (James and James Fulfilment) so, if you can offer this and your competitors don’t, it’s likely to help you stand out from the crowd and bag more sales.

Offering top-notch customer service can also help. If you make it clear that you’re always willing to answer people’s questions, help them through the purchasing process if they’re unsure of anything, and deal with any post-purchase issues quickly and effectively, you’ll be far more likely to gain their trust and, in turn, their sales.

Give them multiple ways to contact you

Everyone has their preferred way of communicating, so you’ll want to cater to as many of these as possible. For example, some shoppers like to speak to customer representatives over the phone, while others like to work over email so they have a record of everything. Consumers on the younger end of the spectrum are also accustomed to shooting off a quick Tweet whenever they have a question or problem they need solving.

Building a strong profile on social media can help you to gain business over your competitors, too. If you’re seen to be active, responsive, and helpful, then people might feel more comfortable buying from you. Plus, it can be a great way of building a rapport with those who are thinking about making a purchase on your site, or who might in the future.

Ensuring customers are given multiple ways of contacting you will ensure they can always get in touch through a channel they’re comfortable with. This in turn could help you to secure more sales and make it much easier for you to provide excellent customer service to anyone who needs it.

As a business owner, your ultimate goal will be to make as many sales as possible, so it’s not enough to simply attract people to your website: you also need to convince them to make a purchase from you once they’re there. And, the tips we’ve outlined here should help.

If you would like some help with boosting your online performance, having an SEO, affiliate marketing, or PPC agency to help can make all the difference. If you would like to learn more about this, call us on 0191 338 6903 and we’ll be happy to help!


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