Your Most Burning Questions About Conversion Rates & Website Improvements, Answered

Clients often come to us with two questions they want the answers to, yesterday. The first is: what is a good conversion rate? The second: how do we improve our website? While these are reasonable questions, there’s often one more question missing that deserves discussion too: how good is your marketing? You see, when a client thinks their website sucks, it’s possible that it does. But it’s just as possible that the marketing driving people to the site is also the culprit. So, we want to help you figure out where your issues lie so you can fix them. To that end, here’s some information about how to improve website traffic and increase your website conversion rate.

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What’s A Good Conversion Rate?

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Many people will tell you that 2%-5% is a respectable conversion rate - and it is. But at the same time, you can do better. One report showed that an average conversion rate across all industries measured was 2.35%, but that “the top 25% are converting at 5.31% or higher” and the top 10% are converting at 11.45% or higher. There’s quite a bit of room in between those numbers, so you can - and should want to - close the gap between where you are and where the highest performers are.

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So first, consider your own conversion rate. Where do you fall right now? Next, consider your industry. There are differences between industries, so make sure you also check the average conversion rate for your specific field so you’re comparing apples to apples. If you’re on the mid to low end of conversion rates, your website may be to blame - but so may be your marketing.

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Marketing Efficacy Gut Check

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If you have a disappointing conversion rate, there could be many marketing-related reasons for it. Here are some questions to ask so you can start to uncover what’s behind yours.

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Are you getting traffic?

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This is important to zero in on because conversation rates, by nature of being percentages, can be a bit deceitful. Let’s say, in Scenario A, ten people came to your site and just one filled out your form, giving you a conversion rate of 10%. In Scenario B, 100 people came to your site and five filled out your form. This is a rate of 5%, so would appear to be worse than the first scenario. But, would you rather have five people converting or just one? Even though the first scenario had a higher conversion rate, the second one is actually preferable. So, you need to make sure you’re actually getting the volume of traffic you should be (check out benchmarks for this online to see where you stand).

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Are your ads targeted?

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If people are indeed getting to your site, but failing to take action, you might have the wrong traffic coming to you in the first place. This indicates an ad problem. For instance, your ad may be too general, offering something like “cost savings for homeopathic remedies.” But, you forgot to put anything in there that’s targeted to your key demographics, which is important because you only sell remedies for kids. So just half the people who come to your site are even able to buy what you sell, because the other half don’t have kids and were trying to find remedies for adults. Make sure you’ve spent time creating buyer personas, as well as negative personas, so your ads are speaking only to the people who would be your very best customers.

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Do they drive someone to a relevant landing page?

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Another main reason for a lackluster conversion rate is a disconnect between what’s in the ad and what’s on the landing page a buyer is taken to after clicking on the ad. The messaging and graphics in your ad should be aligned with the messaging and graphics on the landing page. You should also include a piece of content or additional information that’s relevant to that specific persona. If someone clicks on an ad because they liked the sound of a hot stone massage, but finds a smattering of information about all your spa services on the subsequent landing page, they’re likely to bounce - literally. Keep it focused and on topic.

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Is the CTA logical and, again, relevant?

Once more, how relevant is the action you’re asking someone to take? If your marketing efforts, including your ads and landing page, are all centered on a meditation course you’re offering, that’s great. You have one part of the alignment puzzle mastered. But, then your CTA invites a prospect to sign up for a lifetime membership to your wellness program. Womp womp. Someone clearly showed interest in one meditation course; now is not the time to upsell or try to force them into something different. Give them a quick way to sign up for the meditation course you’ve been promoting, and you’ll get better results.

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So, is it your marketing, your website, or both that are impacting your less than stellar conversion rate? We’d love to help you get to the bottom of this, and make sure all of your digital assets and tactics are in alignment so you can get more customers for your buck. Just shoot us a chat!