Having trouble getting your website to perform the way it should for you? As you may or may not have discovered already, having a great-looking website is one thing…getting that website to convert and produce customers is another thing altogether. There are solutions and it’s not overly complicated to fix a broken website that won’t convert. But today, let’s highlight 5 of the top reasons that your website might not be converting in the first place.
- It’s too ugly or too polished.
The reasons why an overly ugly site doesn’t covert are obvious—it turns visitors away before they can discover what you have to offer. What surprises people sometimes is that a website that looks too good—or is just way too slick—can have just the same adverse effect. Visitors can feel as if they’re interacting with a large corporation or someone that they won’t be able to deal with directly, which can be a turnoff.
- Your website is broken.
You might not see them on your computer, but that doesn’t mean that a large portion of your website’s visitors aren’t getting errors or experiencing a broken website. Broken websites don’t convert. Be sure, through redundant testing, that your website works flawlessly on all major modern web browsers and mobile devices.
- There is no conversion funnel.
Depending on your site’s structure and goals, the way you attract visitors and eventually lead them to becoming converting customers may vary. Some sites use landing pages that are very niche focused, others depend on a very solid navigation structure to get visitors efficiently to the right place. Most high-conversion websites rely heavily on calls to action throughout the copy and with graphical elements on the site as well. The bottom line is that you must have a clear vision and create a clear path for visitors to flow through your site and covert.
- Your visitors don’t trust you.
Does your website offer a level of transparency that you yourself would be comfortable with if you were the visitor or customer? In other words, most savvy visitors are not going to provide you with any of their personal information if your site doesn’t build trust. Do you have an about page that actually tells about who is behind the site? Do you have a contact page with full and legit contact details provided? Does your SSL security certificate come up accurately for any forms visitors must fill out? Make sure your visitors can trust you.
- Do you make your visitors comfortable with their transaction?
It helps to utilize methods and strategies to help your visitors be more comfortable doing business with your site. For example, if you have an e-commerce website, are you offering an easy, no hassle return policy? Perhaps a 100% guarantee of some sort? Remember, your conversion is only effective if your visitor completes the order—and any methods of encouraging a first time visitor to your site that they can place an order with confidence will help increase that final click on the “Submit Order” button.
Conversion isn’t all that complicated. It comes down to developing a rock solid website with clear and simple copy and navigation. Earning your visitors’ trust is essential from that point on. Once this is all in order, it’s just a matter of lots of A/B testing and tweaking, because even the smallest detail—perhaps just one word in the sales copy—can substantially change your conversion rate.
Until Next Time.
George Chaney
President/CEO
SEO King, Inc.
