Many companies overlook the fundamentals of converting website traffic into leads.
In this blog I will discuss ways in which you can improve your websites conversion rate by addressing 7 simple user experience tasks. We've also got a free E-guide on 'How to Convert Web Visitors into Enquiries.' which you can download at the end of the blog.
Often businesses overlook the design and user experience of their website, focussing instead on marketing it and driving website visitors to it. But without a good experience for site visitors and mechanisms in place to convert those visitors into leads, the website is only achieving a fraction of its potential. How often have you browsed your own website in your customers’ shoes? Do they experience it in the way you expect them to? Take a look at it now with fresh eyes; open a new tab and take a good look...
Was it quick to load? Did you find what you were looking for? Is your website easy to use?
Was it easy to follow through to the checkout or contact form? Did it explain what you do? Did it offer help and advice? Did it offer you whitepapers or downloads? Would you trust your website with your contact details? These are just a few basic questions to ask. It is surprising though how often they're overlooked.
7 Tasks to Create a User Friendly Website and Increase Lead Generation.
#1 Do your prospects know where to go and how to get there?
Sitemap Creation is one of the first factors you should look at when designing a new website or when analysing an existing one. This skeletal plan of your company’s site should detail all of the key pages that you need on your site. Include a brief description of your content, functionality and where you would like visitors to go next. Think about your visitors journey through your site, where would they arrive? Where would a contact form, telephone number or button fit naturally. If a website is easy to use it will convert more visitors into leads than one that's hard to browse (For more information on website creation please also read our blog "12 Critical Factors to Ensure Your Business has a Website that Works"
#2 Do you truly know your customers?
Developing your customer personas is fundamental in getting the right user experience and goes hand in hand with developing your website map and user journeys. Persona mapping is about creating a fictional representation of your typical customer and mapping a website experience to suit that persona. The results will affect all areas of your website from whether visitors stay and buy to how and when they prefer to shop, to what their preferred method of payment is for the services/products that you provide.
#3 Can you predict your visitors’ journeys?
Once you have established what you want to say and who to, the next stage is to shape that content into a journey for each of your personas.
Visitor journeys include elements like:
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Where you wish your visitor to enter your site?
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What information should be presented to them (and in what order)?
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What layout would work best for your persona/s?
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What colour scheme/type style would appeal to your potential customers?
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At what point would you like your visitors to leave your site (usually the check-out or ‘contact us page’ for instance.
#4 Are you saying the right thing at the right time?
It is important to establish a Message Hierarchy for your business site. This could determine whether a user continues their journey or leaves your website.
#5 Save time and money by wireframing.
So you’ve now established what you want to say, who to and in what order so it’s time to layout your content. Wireframing is such a great way to visualise your site without getting too hung up on the way it looks.. Quick changes to the layout, structure and hierarchy can be made before anything is committed to design or code. The wireframes can be tested live on a web platform and on potential customers or focus groups before a website is built.
#6 Is your current website user friendly?
I've talked much about getting user experience right on new websites, but there are many Usability Testing Tools that can be applied to your current website to learn about the behaviour of your site visitors. This unique insight can indicate to you what your visitors are doing, where they go first, in what order they view your pages and what they click on. Most importantly it will demonstrate to you why they’re not doing what you expect or wanted them to do.
#7 Does your website convert visitors into leads?
Conversion Rate Optimisation (CRO) brings numerous activities together. Your current conversion rate can be analysed and measured. The number of changes you make to your website impact this rate over time. By continually monitoring, evaluating and adjusting parts of your site and it’s content you can vastly improve this conversion rate. There are fundamental components that all websites should have for conversion to take place. Download the eguide below for a detailed explanation of what each one is with best practice examples and pitfalls to avoid.
Don’t over-look your visitors when building a new website or re-designing your existing business website.
User experience can make the difference between a potential customer and an actual one. Put yourself in your customers’ shoes and download our free E-guide on “How to Convert Web Visitors into Enquiries.”
PHOTO CREDIT: Freepic
