It’s time to view your website like any other physical store or office. A website shouldn’t just take up digital space. It needs to generate business, whether that’s in actual sales, email signups, or whatever you consider as “conversions.” Your goal is to enhance your conversion optimization strategy by blending traditional marketing methods with e-commerce trends.
Conversion rate optimization, or CRO, is a well-known term in e-commerce. It involves enhancing the customer experience to boost key performance indicators like online sales or social media engagement. For example, consider a case study about the European cosmetics brand L’Axelle. The original homepage headline for its underarm sweat pads read, “Feel fresh without sweat marks.” After changing it to the more action-oriented “Put an end to sweat marks!” the conversion rate jumped by an impressive 93%. With some simple marketing adjustments, you can significantly improve your conversion rates.
Here are conversion rate optimization trends for 2019.
Catch attention with the right images
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Watching Don Draper, the fictional character of the award-winning US drama “Mad Men,” seems to make advertising easy. Catchy tags flow smoothly from storyboards to marketing channels. How we all wish that we have the creative genius of Don Draper and his team! But do not worry. There are ways to increase your e-commerce conversion rate without hiring an expensive ad agency.
Internet users have a short attention span. Very few read long articles; many are used to 140 to 280-character tweets. One of the most effective ways to catch their attention is through appealing photos. Are you targeting millennial entrepreneurs? Go for images that show strength and motivation. If you are selling retail products, use photos that will allow your audience to visualize themselves using your product. Instead of showing a photo of a dress, use an image of a model wearing the product. Remember to give the photos a realistic touch.
Use the power of testimonials
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With the Internet, people can easily compare and contrast products and services. Your competitors will surely showcase the best of their offering, but what will help yours stand out? Boost your conversion rate with customer reviews and testimonials. Job marketplace Wikijob placed testimonials, in the form of quotes, at the top of its page and saw a 34% increase in conversion rates. Media analytics company ComScore displayed customer testimonial next to the product description. Its number of leads rose by an impressive 69%.
Mobile-friendliness is the gate to the world
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As of January 2019, about 3.9 billion people access the Internet via their mobile phones. This is equivalent to more than half of the global population. No wonder mobile-friendliness is one of Google’s 200 ranking signals. The search engine giant started migrating sites that observe mobile-first indexing last year. “Mobile-first indexing means that we’ll use the mobile version of the page for indexing and ranking, to better help our—primarily mobile—users find what they’re looking for,” it noted.
Reach more people and boost your conversion rate by creating a mobile-friendly website. The mobile version of your website should have the same information as those in the desktop version. This includes text and media content. Speak to a web specialist to help you out.
Videos are in 2018. Explore image sliders
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Everyone is saying that the video is the future. In 2018, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg said that it is betting the future of its company on video. But there is something better for your retail conversion strategy: image sliders. A revolving carousel will allow you to showcase your products or services while saving space. It can also keep website visitors engaged as they tend to linger on the page while giving them control over the content. Mobile software provider Device Magic saw an increase in signups by 35% after using an image slider on its homepage.
A customer-centric optimization strategy
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While AI has revolutionized digital marketing, not everything can be quantified by algorithm. At the end of the day, it is about how you know your customers. “It’s important to design a research process that uncovers actionable insights through both qualitative and quantitative analysis, while not forgetting that we have to see beyond numbers and behavioral patterns,” said CRO specialist Robert Jones.
Understand their pains and gains, then identify their thought process. This will allow you to align all the information your visitors need. “This way, you can establish a better connection with them and, eventually, lead to them to convert,” advised digital marketing firm Propelrr. Always go for a customer-centric CRO strategy.
Mere presence in the Internet superhighway is not enough. Your website, as well as social media channels, is an extension of your shop, if it is not your major store. It should be able to bring in traffic, deliver your message, win new customers, and essentially, boost your bottom line. Speak with conversion rate experts today!