Top 5 conversion rate optimization tactics

The Digital Marketing Podcast with Mandar Marathe

Here are my top 5 conversion optimization tactics. Before we get started,

What is Conversion Optimization? If I would have to define conversion optimization, it is a system for increasing the percentage of visitors to a website that convert to customers or more generally take any desired action on a web page. It is commonly referred as CRO.

Conversion rate formula is straightforward. It is the number of goals achieved divided by the visitors at your website. For example, if there are a hundred people that come to your website and its an eCommerce website and five people end up buying products from your website, the conversion rate is 5%. If you are a services website and let say you get 100 visitors to your services website and 10 people end up putting an inquiry on the contact us page, then your conversion rate is 10%.

Most commonly used or most well-known conversion optimization techniques:

1. AB testing: Here what we do is we create two versions of the same page. It is also known as split testing where are you now going to create two versions of the same page and make slight changes in each of these versions.

Maybe let's say on version 1 or version A of the page, you are going to have a form with 4 fields and on version 2 or version B of the page you can have a form with 3 fields.On version A you will use a video whereas on version B you use a customer testimonial. On version A, use a different headline or title for the page and on version B it would be a different headline and title.

So you could play around with multiple changes to specific pages and create multiple variations of this page. If you are creating more than two variations, it is also known as multivariate testing. With multivariate testing you could test multiple aspects of your pages whether its headlines, colors of design elements like colors of buttons, placements of buttons - whether they are placed left, right, or center; the layout page page with sidebar and page with no side bar; Copy - how you describe your product or service; Specific call to actions - Buy now button or try now button; Media - whether its usage of videos, images or text

2. Customer value proposition - you need to always think about the content on your landing page from customers perspective. Take a look at the content through prospects eyes.

Whenever a visitor comes to your website,you know what's the first thing that they would want to have a look at? It is what do you do?. And then next they would want to think or they think about subconsciously why should I care? And then they think about how do I believe you? And finally they might want to fill in the details so they think about where do we begin ?

So you need to create content for you need to make sure that you are creating content that addresses these questions your visitor would have. So the customer value proposition includes:

• Very compelling headline that talks to the audience or to the right audience.
• Sub-headline of subtitle
• USPS or benefits for your service elaborated in bullet points
• Image or some sort of visuals
• Social proof - which can be in the form of testimonials for video testimonials from your clients or your customer.

3. Don't try to sound smart, but try to sound human. Try to write in a language that everyone understands. Don't try to you know use jargon or don't try to use words that are technical or too difficult for people to understand.

Try to use very generic, simplified, colloquial language.

4. Create a sense of urgency: This works like crazy when it comes to E-Commerce businesses or when it comes to selling a book. To give an example, if you have not visited - maybe you should visit booking.com and try to search for a hotel on booking.com.

You will see that booking.com is the master of building an urgency play. Lets say you are searching for a hotel in Manhattan and you see list of hotels on booking.com. You see some of the listings have today 60% OFF - 26 people looking at this hotel - last booked in the past 15 minutes - booked 43 times today - only two rooms left - last booked 32 minutes ago - deal of the day and so there are so many urgency plays that booking.com does.

It's not just E-Commerce. Say for consulting services, you could say that you have limited consulting slots as you have limited businesses that you could take up. And you could offer limited seats for people who visit your website.

5. Address concerns upfront: Make sure that your page is so comprehensive in nature and includes these four elements

• Frequently asked questions - to make sure that you are clearly doubts and the questions that most of your customers are asking or the ones you anticipate from your customer.
• Include customer testimonials
• Make sure that you are including social proof - number of shares or reviews on third party websites.
• Chat - Use online chat so that website visitors can talk to someone from your business.