Getting people to your website is only half the job. Once they arrive, your website needs to give them the right information, build confidence and make it easy to take the next step.
You could be generating plenty of traffic through Google, social media, referrals or paid advertising, but if visitors are leaving without calling, submitting an enquiry or making a purchase, there may be some relatively simple issues standing in their way.
At Sympley, we regularly review websites where the underlying product or service is strong, but the website itself creates unnecessary barriers to conversion.
Here are three key things that could be hurting your website’s conversion rate.
1. Your Messaging Isn’t Clear Enough
When someone lands on your website for the first time, they should be able to quickly understand what you do, who you help and why they should consider choosing you.
Visitors shouldn’t have to work their way through several paragraphs of content to understand your offering.
Your homepage, service pages and landing pages should clearly communicate the outcome your customer is looking for. Rather than focusing entirely on your business, think about the questions a potential customer has when they arrive.
Am I in the right place? Can this business solve my problem? Why should I trust them? What do I do next?
Clear headings, short paragraphs, supporting images, prominent calls to action and simple benefit-focused messaging can all make your website easier to understand.
The quicker someone understands your offering, the easier it is for them to decide whether they want to take the next step.
2. You’re Leaving Important Questions Unanswered
Potential customers almost always have questions before they’re ready to enquire.
How much does it cost? What areas do you service? How long does it take? What happens after I submit an enquiry? Do you offer a warranty? Can you customise the service?
If your website doesn’t answer these types of questions, visitors may leave to find the information elsewhere — and that could mean visiting a competitor.
Review your website from the perspective of someone who knows absolutely nothing about your business.
Look at the questions you regularly receive by phone, email or during sales conversations. If customers repeatedly ask the same question, there’s a good chance the answer should be clearly available on your website.
FAQs can help, but important information shouldn’t always be hidden at the bottom of a page. Address common concerns throughout your content where they are most relevant.
Keeping this information accurate is also important. Regular website reviews and a reliable WordPress maintenance service can help ensure your website remains current, functional and useful to potential customers.
3. Your Enquiry Process Has Too Much Friction
Someone has decided they’re interested. Now, how difficult are you making it for them to contact you?
Long enquiry forms, unnecessary required fields, confusing buttons and unclear next steps can all introduce friction at the most important point in the customer journey.
In many cases, an initial enquiry form only needs a handful of fields. You can always collect additional information after the customer has made contact.
Your calls to action should also be easy to find. Don’t assume a visitor will scroll back to the top of a page to find the original “Contact Us” button. Repeat relevant calls to action throughout longer pages and provide an obvious next step once someone has finished reading.
It’s also worth testing your enquiry process yourself. Submit your forms on desktop and mobile. Check the confirmation message. Make sure notification emails are being delivered. Consider what happens immediately after the enquiry is submitted.
Every additional obstacle gives a potential customer another opportunity to leave.
Small Changes Can Make a Big Difference
Improving conversion rates through rigorous conversion rate optimisation doesn’t always require a complete website redesign or A/B split testing. Sometimes it starts with making your messaging clearer, answering the questions holding customers back and simplifying the path from visitor to enquiry.
Take a look at your website as though you’re seeing it for the first time. Is it immediately clear what you offer? Does it answer the questions you’d have as a potential customer? And when you’re ready to enquire, is the process quick and obvious?
If you think your website could be generating more enquiries, reach out to us here at Sympley. We can review your website, identify areas that may be creating friction and help you make practical improvements designed to turn more of your existing visitors into leads.
