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8 Ways to Improve Online Conversion Rates for Your Small Business

If you want to improve sales conversion rates, here are eight simple and actionable practices you can apply today.


Getting someone to visit your company website is one thing, but getting them to buy is another. As an e-commerce site owner, you should know by now how critical your conversion rates are for business growth. Better conversion rates mean fixing certain elements (e.g., headlines, CTA buttons, etc.) of your conversion funnel (e.g., home page, category page, product page, checkout page, and cart page) to make it more appealing to customers.

It is true that you need traffic to your website, however optimizing your landing pages to get them to buy is equally, or in some occasions more, important because this is what drives sales. Acquiring website traffic will definitely cost you one way or another. While achieving your breakeven point would only be possible once your optimized landing pages finally serve the purpose they were intended for. This happens when you provide a web experience that results in repeat purchases (since acquisition costs could then be set to a minimum) as you make a steady profit.

So, if you are looking to improve sales conversion rates, here are eight simple and actionable practices you can apply today.

 

  1. One page = One action

    Your landing page needs to be direct to the point for your visitors to clearly see what you want them to do. Aside from clogging the visual aesthetic of a webpage, telling your customers to do more than one action would more or less lead them to confusion. Make your CTA (i.e., call to action) button more prominent by making it larger and ensuring the background is a stark contrast color.

  2. Add Human Touch

    If you’re selling clothing or accessories, your customers will definitely want to see how it looks when an actual human being wears them. Consider presenting photos of models wearing your merchandise in addition to product shots. This will help potential buyers imagine themselves wearing your products, making it easier for them to decide if they should make the purchase.

  3. Showcase Multiple Angles

    It’s not enough to outline product specs in text. In the case of products with special features, consider presenting several product photos taken from different angles. Football cleats, for example, have modified features that help enhance a player’s capabilities. While the claims are much better tested in real life, providing high-quality images highlighting the modified power swerves, sprint frames, and control pads would make the materials used easily identifiable for your audience.

  4. Highlight Urgency

    People in general hate the idea of loss and missing out on something. Highlight the urgency of your product by creating compelling copy that tells people how much they are losing by not using your product. But make sure your product delivers on its promise, since failure to do so will give them the impression that you’re ripping them off. This would ultimately be bad for your brand because these days customers have every possible means (offline and online) to tell their peers about a bad customer experience.

  5. Show Social Proof

    From a customer’s point of view, it would be comforting to know that they’re not the only ones buying from you. So, showing social proof would be essential for conversions since it’s a proven way to build trust. Start by displaying customer reviews using a review box placed under product specs and photos. The feedback you receive from a third party endorser is just one of the ways potential buyers can assess your credibility as an online business.

  6. Be Transparent on Costs

    Many people buy products and services online since they often end up spending considerably less when compared to retail stores. Certain costs, however, like shipment and handling fees may potentially cost them more. And nothing ruins a customer’s online shopping experience more than clicking to a payment page with costs that exceed expectations. Instead, show them how much total expenses would be in the shopping cart. This may not always lead to a sale, but being transparent aids in building trust. It establishes your company as an authentic e-commerce site that doesn’t rip people off.

  7. Offer Live Chat Support

    There are several different problems that could cause an online visitor to bounce from a landing page, thereby causing you to miss out on a potential sale. Maybe he or she is looking for answers and your FAQ section does not cover it? The addition of a live chat service on key landing pages fills the need for a “virtual salesman” to walk a customer through a sale. This is especially good for e-commerce sites selling high involvement products (e.g., electronic gadgets) since answering queries in real-time could ease anxiety about big ticket purchases.

  8. Promote Free Trials and Demos

    For websites selling virtual products or applications (e.g. video editors, backlink checkers, software, etc), consider offering  a free demo version of your product. Customers often want to try an application first before purchasing the full (or premium) version. Allowing them to use a free trial can help prospects become acquainted with features and ease objections. For this to work, make sure the duration of your demo is long enough to try basic features, but short enough to make the user feel the need for premium access.

Making the smallest changes to certain parts of your conversion funnel might just be the key to increased profit. These methods can enhance your offering by making your website visually appealing, increasing credibility, and giving users a hassle-free online shopping experience.

 

Morrys Sarmiento is a web content writer whose main interests are online marketing, lifestyle, and business management. Among his interests outside the profession are football, music, theories of personality, philosophy, gaming, and creepy stories. Follow @morrysxi on Twitter.

 

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