3 Ways to Improve Conversion Rates

How you market your products online depends on who your audience is and where they shop for your product type. No one-size-fits-all solution really exists. Some businesses find early success getting the word out through influencers who have used their products. Others struggle to get off the ground because the condition of their websites cause them to rank poorly in search results.

Not every platform works for every type of business. Sinking money into Instagram makes no sense if your business is B2B. Regardless of the platforms you try, conversion tracking that is set up properly in advance will allow you to measure results and determine whether the return on investment is worthwhile. But start small at first; you can limit your daily spend or geographic region to finesse your ad copy and targeting before opening to a broader region or higher spend.

1. Attract more searchers. Before you start spending on ads, consider optimizing your website. In most cases, organic traffic coverts best and at a lower cost than any other marketing channel. This is true for both B2B and B2C websites. No matter what a conversion looks like to your business – an online purchase, form-fill lead, phone call, subscription, etc. – building content for winnable keyword terms is the long and steady path to increased traffic. It can take six months or longer to make a dent when your niche is competitive. But if you build your website with high quality, relevant content for your users, your traffic will grow over time, even if you stop paying for PPC marketing.

If you use Google Ads’ Keyword Planner Tool, you can search for keywords and generate a list of long-tail derivatives. Download that list and see which ones have low competition and a few hundred search queries, as they are ideal terms to build content around.

2. Improve landing pages. Where you send visitors and what they see on the landing page are every bit as important as your ad copy. Rarely is your home page the best place to send visitors. Your landing page’s copy should match the copy in your ad to make it a relevant destination for the searcher. Google Ads takes this into consideration when determining your ad quality score, which directly impacts what you pay compared to competitors bidding on the same keywords. Another important factor for Google Ads is the page loading speed. Your page should load in under two seconds. If not, work to reduce loading time.

Techniques that help improve conversion rates include using the keywords in your headline, listing benefits with bullet points, and placing the call to action near an image or video.

On HubSpot’s blog, Lindsay Kolowich Cox has written an excellent article with examples of great landing page designs you can follow for layout ideas.

The key to improvement is to continually A/B test different versions to see which changes improve user behavior. For example, studies have shown that green buttons tend to get clicked more often. Try out different size fonts, images, video, calls to action, etc., to see which perform best. You can use Google Optimize to test two versions at the same time, sending half of your traffic to one version and half to the other. Optimize will show you which version is the winner once both pages have accumulated sufficient impressions to make that determination. Then you can update the page with the change and test out another modification.

3. Tailor your offer to your audience’s preferences. Studies have shown that most millennials prefer value add offers that make them feel like they earned something rather than discounts. Consider giving them something they value when they spend a set dollar amount.

One example is ProActiv, the skin care line designed to clear up acne. Customers who enroll in the company’s subscription program receive a free charcoal pore cleansing brush. ProActiv relies on the repeat business generated by automatically refilled orders and monthly payments.

The same principal applies for customers in different industries. Think about their pain points and how your product solves their problems. Use graphics related to the keywords or the type of industries they work in.

Once your ads are up and running, focus on testing ad copy, adding and removing keywords, adjusting bids, demographics, schedules, audiences, etc. When your ads begin converting, you can turn your focus to lowering your cost per conversion. If you’ve taken the time to make your landing pages highly relevant for the searcher, easy to navigate and quick to load, you will have an easier time increasing the number of conversions you achieve within your budget.

And even if you decide not to continue running your ad campaigns, a better experience for the user typically results in higher keyword rankings and conversions no matter the traffic source.