Many clients want to see action taken by users on their website – buying, signing up, enquiring, clicking on key pages and so on. Web designers today must take into account these desired actions and design websites that accommodate and motivate those conversions in order for clients to achieve business goals and measure the success of the site.
Analytics allows you to track how many people visit your site, which then allows you to work out your conversion rate -the percentage of those visitors that are converting. We can look at where users drop off on the conversion funnel or look at the bounce rate, and see when users do not make those conversions and click away from the site. So, how do designers create websites that are built for those important user actions? We’ve created our own useful list on how to design websites for conversions and why it is so important…
1. User-centred
Effective web design isn’t about tricking users into converting or obsessing over users taking certain actions. A truly successful website is user-centred – it provides the solution to what users are searching for or the key information they need and guides them to the correct action they need to take. Customer-centricity should be an overall business goal, and the website should reflect that.
2. Value proposition
A site’s value proposition is how the user works out the value of your product/service to them. The value proposition can range from clear descriptions of the benefits and statements on how the product will add value to the user’s life, to detailed customer testimonials or user-generated content. The more the merrier. And the clearer these are to the user, the better. This means the page’s headline should reflect the value proposition.
3. Calls to action
A call to action clearly tells the user what they must do to resolve whatever problem they have. These can be buttons, links and copy directly following a value proposition. The call to action should be right in front of the user, right where they need it to be, so that they can take the next step to conversion. This must be easy for the user to do, because if it isn’t, how can the user take that all important step to conversion?
4. Clear messaging/copywriting
Clear, consistent copywriting is so important, especially when it comes to call to action buttons. For example, using more personal language such as ‘Create My Account’ rather than ‘Create Your Account’ can increase click-through rates, and including imperatives alongside action words such as ‘Submit Now’. Always focus headlines and calls to action on the value that you wish to communicate to the user, and consider answering the user’s problem straight away with solution-based messaging. Ensure that your writing is not viewed as ‘click-bait’ – users are savvy and well-used to seeing click-bait headlines that only attempt to reel them in for the click, and do not offer them any value.
5. Measure, adjust and readjust
There is no point in making great changes to your website so as to improve conversion rates, if you don’t measure those changes against your previous strategy. Use A/B testing to find out what is working, and what isn’t. Having this information will back up why certain changes need to be made.
This is a process – just because a couple of changes together show an improvement in conversion rate doesn’t mean that simply one change wouldn’t perform better alone. By doing this, your designs gain new purpose and your decisions become more focused and objective-driven.
If your company requires a professional online presence please Contact Us to discuss how we can help you, on Dungannon 028 3754 9025 or Belfast 028 9002 5050.
