We all know copywriters and conversion rate optimization specialists can help us increase conversion rates.
But not all small businesses can afford to hire these specialists.
The good news is, that you can easily increase the conversion rates of your campaigns without spending any extra money on specialists.
The facts are, that there are many factors that make a potential customer take an action. If you tweak any of these factors, chances are, you’ll increase conversion rates.
What does ‘increase conversion rate’ mean?
In internet marketing, increasing conversion rates involves optimizing a page for higher response. If you run Facebook Ads, you want more clicks. Entrepreneurs using landing pages want more sales. You may want more subscribers to your email list, more clicks for your emails, or maybe even more sales for your Shopify store.
If you have low conversion rates, you have erratic sales and if you have erratic sales, you have no business. For startups, increasing conversion rates should be the main business.
Web traffic is a vanity metric, while conversion rates are a true metric directly tied to sales. Unless you’re a mainstream publication relying on sponsored ads for revenue, your focus should be on getting conversions.
How do you boost conversions on low-traffic websites?
The best way to increase conversion rates on new sites is to write a sales page around specific long-tail transactional keywords.
I consult with small tech businesses a lot because my goal is to apply the skills I’ve learned, from leading marketing agencies to small startups.
Most small businesses have good products. Some run ads and get significant traffic, but no sales. They often think they need more traffic so they can get more paid customers.
Not so. The truth is if you can’t get one out of 100 people to take an action, you can’t get 10 out of 1,000 people to take action.
For this reason, most startups misfire their marketing efforts. They get little to no results, end up discouraged and finally give up.
But with good conversion rates, even a low-traffic website is a goldmine.
As a freelancer, I can honestly say that 8 people out of 100 people who visited my site downloaded my free eBook.
Eight is a low number for a free eBook download. But in comparison with other B2B sites that get 0.01% conversion rates, I’m 800 times ahead. It may not bring a direct income since the eBook is free, but the conversion rate acts as a vote of confidence to scale my marketing efforts with a larger budget.
Because small businesses often rely on social media, you have to increase conversion rates at all stages of your funnel.
- If you increase conversion rates on your Ads by 1.4X (40% more), and on your landing page by 1.10X (10% more) — that’s a 1.51X increase in conversion rate and sales.
Checklist: Increase your conversion rate by 1.4X on Google Ads.
Whether you run ads on Google, Instagram, or YouTube, chances are, your ad will be ignored. Why? Well, customers are actually looking for information and people, not ads.
So the best use of search engines such as Google is to make your ad mimic an informational piece, a.k.a. an advertorial. For YouTube, use infomercials and influencer partnerships. This is known as social search. For Facebook, use infomercials and viral-type ads. And if you’re advertising in an official-like trade publication, use a corporate style.
The secret is to blend with the platform so you get their attention. You are there to seek attention, you should not be ignored.
The small business product for this demo is CRM software.
- Did I use an advertorial style…instead of typical ads?
- Does my headline appeal to self-interest rather than general appeals?
- Can you be a better email marketer rather than the best CRM software for email marketers?
- Do I add some curiosity to my headline?
- Lessons from Hilary Clinton: Use emails to make you a better email marketer.
- Look to Quora headlines to get a sense of curiosity.
- For social ads, do my ads invite a conversation?
- The goal is to engage. Filter top posts on Reddit or any platform…that’s how your advertorial should look.
- Do you push your ads organically?
- If you have the best product, you will want to do everything to ensure it reaches everyone.
- Is your product unique?
- This “wow factor” causes products to trend (and even go viral).
- Did you add some urgency?
- Why should people click now? Limited availability, limited editions?
Checklist: Designing websites that convert.
So which methods can you use to increase conversion rates on low-traffic and new sites?
- Messaging: Does my landing page stick to the principle of copy focus…or are ideas all over the place?
- Do my hero area and headline solve an urgent problem, call out a target customer, and continue the conversation from the advertorial?
- Does my product/service have credibility and proof elements, education, statistics, examples, case studies, track record, and demonstrations to back up my claims?
- Do I make a big, believable, unique promise?
- This is the only way to move a saturated market.
- Do I have a clear call to action, and an irresistible offer someone would be dumb to ignore? A.K.A. “value.”
You’d be surprised at how many websites fail at each of these.
eCommerce: How to Increase Your Conversion Rates
Unlike B2B businesses, eCommerce drop shippers could be D2C and B2C businesses. As a result, their product pages require less copy and should be more graphic-rich. The aim of every graphic is to increase sales.
- Do I use direct response design tips?
- Do my images show the fulfillment of the promise rather than a problem, i.e. show glowing radiant skin rather than acne skin?
- UX: Is my website loading fast, with 99% uptime, with 1-3 clicks to checkout?
- Do I practice up-selling — recommending higher-priced packages, down-selling for abandoned carts, and cross-selling — recommending similar packages?
- Does my ordering system use notifications?
- Do I use countdown timers and scarcity plugins?
- Do I use customization? Am I calling visitors by name, location, using gamification techniques?
Unlike SEO, conversion rate optimization doesn’t change. These timeless principles remain evergreen.
People buy because they have a problem. All you have to do is to present a solution, like a caring friend, with utmost trust and clarity.
