One of the first things most business owners do when they start up a new company is they build a website with the hope of creating some website sales. 

Sometimes, they watch one of those ad on social media for a do-it-yourself solution and they figure, how hard can it be? They get the site up only to discover:

  1. Making a nice-looking website is more difficult than they had anticipated
  2. Sometimes even the very best do-it-yourself sites seem to have a hard time making conversions

When we talk about conversions in this context, I’m talking about the process of not only attracting a client but turning a website visitor into a paying customer.  Every time someone makes a purchase based on the information on your website, we call that a “conversion.”

Consumers on the internet make some really fast decisions.  People will usually make a decision about whether they are going to learn more about your product in 8-second or less, so those first 8 seconds need to be pretty stellar!

Even Cavemen are Using Mobile Devices

Keep in mind that while they are looking at your product or company, they are probably looking at your competitors as well.  Potential customers will be trying to make an educated decision about whether to call you are to call the other guy.

So, from a marketing standpoint, I want to give you 3 quick suggestions for helping your website to make more conversions. Those 3 things are: Mobile responsiveness, Photography, Free Offers

#1 Mobile Speed and Responsiveness Help Drive Website Sales

Unless you’re a caveman, you’ve probably realized by now that more than half of your internet traffic is coming from mobile devices.  But having your website just “work” on a mobile device is not good enough these days.  In today’s digital marketplace, your website needs to work well and be optimized for mobile viewing.

Mobile-friendliness is a big part of Google’s current algorithm.

What I mean is that Google will give ranking preference to websites that display content properly and quickly on mobile devices.  If your site (looks like the example on the left) and does not work well on mobile, then you can expect it to drop in the ranking and your can also expect a decrease in your online sales conversions.

Speeding up your site on mobile often means that you need to:

  • Load picture in at a smaller size,
  • Reduce the number of slides in a slider
  • Turn off various features that load well on a desktop but that don’t translate well to a mobile device.
  • Uninstall apps that are malfunctioning or that are unused
  • Remove all the themes from your website besides the one you are using and the lasted theme from WordPress.

There are a variety of Word Press templates that respond quickly and effectively to various screen sizes and shapes and this type of responsiveness is critical for website conversions.

#2 Proper Photography Helps to Drive Website Sales

You could have a silent enemy lurking around your beautifully designed website that is threatening to overthrow and devour your online presence.  That enemy is stock photography!

Does that sound a little overdramatic?  Well, maybe it is, but both the user’s experience and the google algorithm can be negatively affected by totally fake pictures.

Both the Google algorithm and your users are looking for both quality and authenticity.

On one hand, a stock representation of your services or products is better than just text.

Use Authentic Pictures

Use Authentic Pictures

All the studies show that pictures do help with conversions.  We use stock images all the time and they have their place, but stock images that are not really carefully chosen can come across as fake.

However, if you are given a choice between a fake photo with perfect-looking people in it or a high-quality photo with your actual staff, choose the real picture every time!

Also, front-facing people make a good first impression and work trucks and machinery don’t.  Make sure that the top image on your site is welcoming.

#3 Free Offers Help to Drive Website Sales

Ok so who doesn’t like free stuff?

Most websites that convert have a free offer or a coupon on their home page or on one of the main pages.  You can offer free things like:

  • Free E-Book
  • Free Shipping
  • Free Subscription
  • Free Newsletter
  • Free Consultation
  • Free Estimate

Free offers are incredibly effective for increasing your conversions!

There is a lot that could be helpful when you’re thinking about your websites, but for now make sure your site works as well on a mobile device as it does on a desktop, take the time and spend the money to get real, high-quality photos, and make a great offer that is free if possible