The internet is home to billions of web users surfing through websites daily. As of January 2021, Statista estimated that there were 4.66 billion active internet users worldwide, representing a whopping 59.5% of the global population. See the graph below for details about this statistic.
The internet users consist of potential clients and prospects to your business. However, to be successful, you need to rise to the occasion and ensure that you take your share of the wide base of internet users. One vital tool you need in doing so is a website. A good website.
Your company website is one of your most potent marketing tools for your business, yet most business owners neglect the need to create an enjoyable website that will drive conversions. Creating a great website means that you are one step away from delivering a perfect digital experience and converting mere web visitors into everlasting prospects and brand ambassadors.
As you might already know, the success of a website depends on its usability and conversion rates. As a general principle, the more the conversion rates of a website, the more successful a website will be.
This guide will tell you some of the best tips that will help you get conversions. It will help you to make your website sell rather than just exist.
Create strong Website Content That Converts
The first thing an SEO expert will tell when seeking advice about increasing conversions is the phrase “Content is King.” Great content gas always remains an indispensable ingredient that plays a vital role in the success of any website.
Website content includes the following elements:
- Infographics
- Videos
- Written content
- Images
- Case studies
- Reviews and testimonies
- Press releases
- White papers
At their best, the content elements mentioned above could catapult your website to the top search engine results pages. At their worst, the content elements could drag your website to its lowest point, and in worst cases, attract Google penalties that are almost difficult to recover from.
According to the Ascend 2020 Digital Marketing Survey Report, 57% of marketing experts feel content development is still the most effective SEO strategy. Website visitors often appreciate valuable content that impacts. If they find your content useful, they will most certainly contact you for more.
You are probably wondering about some of the things you can do to ensure website optimization. The following are my recommendations for creating content that improves your conversion rates.
- Make your content valuable and informative. You can add a blog site to tell your prospects about your business.
- Watch out for your competitors’ content and curate one that surpasses your competitors’.
- The credibility of the content matters, and this is why you must ensure that the content is as original as possible.
- Create high-quality content free from grammatical errors and mistakes
- The content should be as engaging as possible to keep your web visitors coming for more.
You can also consider hiring a professional content creator to help you out.
Install a Secure Socket Layer On Your Website
Security threats are hitting the internet extremely hard. In 2020 alone, data breaches exposed over 36 billionrecords and sensitive user information. Users have now become extra vigilant and want to ensure that a website is secure before proceeding. You are missing out on a lot of traffic and conversion rates if you do not have a secure website.
How would my website visitors know if I have a secure website or an insecure website? Well, that is relatively easy. Website visitors usually check the HTTPS status of a website before they click on the website. A website whose URL starts with HTTP is insecure. On the contrary, a website whose URL begins with HTTPS is secure.
Google has also been taking website security with a lot of seriousness, and that is why it will rank HTTPS websites higher than HTTP websites.
You notice that 33% of pages using HTTPS websites rank in the first three positions from the chart above. Thus, we can also conclude that there is a positive correlation between using HTTPS and ranking high in search engines.
You are most certainly wondering what you need to initiate the HTTP to HTTPS transfer. That is simple. All you need is to purchase an SSL certificate, and you will be good to go. This will ensure an encrypted connection for the data exchanged between the web browser and the client server. Today, with so many SSL certificate providers and resellers, it is not hard to find an ideal SSL certificate that will help improve your visibility and your conversion rates. The best SSL certificate providers you can employ include the Comodo SSL certificate, GeoTrust SSL certificate, and Symantec SSL certificate.
Optimize the Speed of Your Website
Previous studies have all pointed out that fast website load speeds lead to increased conversion rates. However, according to a 2016 Q2 Mobile Insights Report, a 100-millisecond delay in your website’s load time could reduce your conversion rates by 7%.
There is no doubt that an average website user has a patience threshold. Unnecessary delays will cause your web visitors to leave and never return. In simple terms, a slow website means reduced revenues.
The graph below shows the results of a case study conducted on Orange Valley’s website. From the graph, a one-second delay caused the conversion rates to drop by 25%.
If you have a slow website, you should consider improving it to increase your conversion rates. The following are some of the things you can do to improve your website’s load speeds.
- Find out which areas are causing your website to load slowly and then rewrite the JavaScript code.
- Restructure the HTML and CSS to ensure the “above the fold” content loads faster.
- Minify the size of your code and compress your scripts.
- Reduce the number of themes and plugins.
- Compress image sizes.
- Delete all irrelevant or idle headers.
Mobile-Friendliness
Mobile usages have been skyrocketing year after year. This is because website users usually use mobile devices to surf the internet. According to Statista, mobile devices are generating 52.2%of all web traffic today. The number is expected to increase even further in the future. So whereas it is vital to optimizing your website for desktop, it is as good as dead if it is not optimized for mobile.
If you wish to capture more leads and increase your conversion, then you should focus on mobile-first. In short, if you want to see success with your online presence, then you should ensure that you first optimize your website for mobile.
The following are the things to do to optimize your website for mobile-friendliness:
- First and foremost, check the mobile-friendly status of your website on Google Search Console.
- Only Work with a responsive WP theme.
- The hosting provider you choose will matter a lot. Ensure you do your homework well to choose a hosting provider that supports a mobile-responsive design.
- Restructure all popups on your website for mobile devices
- Enable an Accelerated Mobile Page
- Create a mobile application version of your website.
Have Clear Call-To-Action
Calls to action are one of the most fundamental aspects of a website, yet it is often overlooked. Calls to action are what will motivate your site visitors to convert. You must make your calls to action clear and make them spark actions. The following are a few tips to make Calls to action work for you;
- Make your CTAs visible. Your customers should be able to see them.
- Make the CTAs as clear and concise as possible.
- Make it easy for all your web visitors to complete their requests.
Conclusion
Search Engine Optimization and conversion optimization are complimentary website elements that help build a strong audience and direct their behaviors. This article has explained the top five website optimization tips that will help improve your conversions. Please note that the fruits of following these practices won’t appear overnight. You will need to diligently and constantly improve your website for more conversions.
