conversion tipsHaving an online business requires a major shift in thinking from the one used in running traditional brick and mortar establishments. Your entire approach to sales and revenue has to make a major change in order to keep up with the trending technologies that encourage customers to come back again and again. The good news is that more and more people are looking to buy online than ever before so there is much to be gained by generating conversions out of the growing population of Internet shoppers.

Research shows that in the coming years online shopping is expected to account for at least 30% of all US Internet access. This means that any business that is interested in growing their business would do well to direct their attention to optimizing their sites to attract and engage more Internet users. Here are 12 tips to get you started.

1. Use Good Content Management Systems

The most effective way to optimize your site is to use tools that have already proven their worth. WordPress has become a popular tool because of its effectiveness; it is easy to use, it can be customized to your business goals, and it has the backing of a large group of developers to support the system. For Ecommerce solutions, the same can be said for the BigCommerce platform.

2. Replace Flash with jQuery

While Flash banners and advertisements can be impressive, they are not compatible with many devices and for those that can support it, it takes a long time to load. Instead consider using jQuery, which can give you the same benefits but is more user friendly.

3. Modify your code

Make any adjustments and fix anything that might be off with your code. There are several tools you can use to identify errors in your code and make needed recommendations to improve your website performance. Most of us are primarily concerned with how Google views our sites, so it makes good sense to use their page speed insights tool: https://developers.google.com/speed/pagespeed/insights/

4. Change your hosting service provider

If your site relies heavily on images or videos then you should be considering a CDN (content delivery network) to increase load speed. Choose the hosting service that will work best for your customers so that their experience on your site will be as smooth as possible. If you’re using WordPress, there are several image compression plugins available.

5. Customize your title tags

Using the best title tags helps search engines to direct customers to the right page. With the right title tags you can increase the number of clicks to your site, which will naturally increase your number of leads and sales.

6. Analyze your funnel

There are two important pages that should naturally be a part of your funnel. However, that doesn’t mean that they should be your only focus. Set up your funnel using Google Analytics so that you can visually see which pages on your site may be causing your conversion rates to drop. This way you will be able to see what pages need to be adjusted so that you can concentrate on improving its performance.

7. Adjust your call to action tools

Effective use of colors can help to improve your call to action ratings. Choose a color that stands out in contrast from your overall website design. The color you choose should be tested for its effectiveness before you implement it as a permanent fixture on your site. Choose a text that will relate directly to your product or service to produce more effective results.

8. Tell a story

To effectively build up your conversions your site should help your visitors to relate and connect with your product or service. Readers are more responsive when they are able to relate to what they are reading. Telling a powerful story is an extremely effective tool but always make sure that your story stays on point and doesn’t ramble on. Remember quality is much more effective than quantity when it comes to content.

9. Become a problem solver

The main reason people buy anything is because it solves a problem. The number of features you offer or the benefits to be gained is worth little to the consumer if it doesn’t address their specific needs. So there are times when too much information may be getting in the way of your product sales. Focus on targeting your information to what your customers actually need so that they will be more inclined to take the action and make a sale.

10. Study your competitors

While a direct copy of your competitor’s sites may not produce the best results there is something to be said for analyzing their approach to marketing. Finding something that is working effectively for them may give you some solid ideas on a new direction for your site.

11. Optimize your traffic sources

All the effort in the world to improve your site will have little effect if your customers cannot find you. Rather than concentrating entirely on enhancing your website, spend a portion of your time on improving the results of your traffic sources. Spend additional time analyzing which sources have produced the best results for your competitors and then make the needed adjustments.

12. Make sure your copy is clear

You understand your product better than anyone else but it is not practical to assume that your potential customers fully comprehend what you have to offer. They need to know that your product is going to give them what they need. Know your target audience and make sure that your product offering is tailored to their unique needs.

When it comes to enhancing website conversions, you need to be fully informed about the many intricacies that may come up so that you can get the most out of your strategy. To do this, you could spend thousands of dollars getting professional opinions and expert advice on what to do but the bottom line is that only you know how well your products will benefit your customers. You can do a lot on your own to improve your web presence and convert those many visitors to actual buyers. If you know what your customers need and you know what your product has to offer, then you’ve completed half the battle of enhancing your website to boost your sales figures.