Boosting Your Conversion Rate: Key Practices to Follow

In the universe of digital marketing, the conversion rate is a crucial metric. Tech startup founders, for example, swear by conversion numbers because they measure how effectively a website, app, or newsletter turns visitors into customers or into specific action takers. While HubSpot's 2020 Marketing Statistics study reveals an average conversion rate ranging between 1 and 2%, these figures can vary significantly depending on the type of platform. For instance, the conversion rate on social media may range from 0.5 to just a few percent, while email marketing campaigns can lead to much higher conversion rates, reaching around 20%. However, this doesn't mean that the strategy of a website should be completely abandoned.

Indeed, despite potentially lower conversion rates compared to a newsletter, using a website remains an interesting strategy for several crucial reasons within a global digital marketing strategy. Firstly, a website serves as a digital storefront for your business, operating 24/7. It contributes to the credibility and legitimacy of your brand by allowing you to control all the information. But more importantly, it will likely serve as the central hub for all your campaigns and your entire digital marketing strategy. All other sources (social media, newsletters, paid advertisements) can redirect users to your company's website. Ultimately, it serves as the final destination for conversions, whether for purchases, sign-ups, downloads, etc.

This is also why it's important to understand the factors that determine the conversion rate on your website. Here are some key factors you need to know (and work on).

User Experience (UX)

The user experience of your website (referred to as "UX" in jargon) plays a crucial role in visitor conversion. You need a clear and intuitive design, easy navigation (menu, positioning of elements), and reduced loading times. Indeed, website visitors are generally not very patient before getting what they want. The probability of a user leaving your site significantly increases as the loading time exceeds a few seconds (3 to 5 seconds is often too long…). A well-designed site that offers a pleasant user experience encourages visitors to stay longer and explore more of the site's content and products. This obviously increases the chances of conversion.

Clarity of the Call to Action

In the same vein, the "call to action" (i.e., what guides your visitors to take the action you want them to) must be clear and visible. Whether it's to make them purchase a product, click on a link, sign up for your newsletter, or download a PDF… The call to action must be simple, easy to understand, and stand out. Above all, avoid unclear, confusing calls to action, or especially, dual calls to action that push visitors to both download a document and purchase a product, for example. Furthermore, the visibility, wording, and positioning of call to action (buttons, etc.) can greatly influence the conversion rate.

Trust and Credibility

These aforementioned elements contribute to the trust and credibility of your site, in addition to the brand's reputation and credibility. Visitors must obviously feel confident to take action on your site. The site's design, its UX, and the call to action play a significant role. But that's not all, elements such as customer reviews, certifications, a detailed "About" page, a contact page, and a clear presence of privacy and return policies contribute to building this trust. Site security, especially for online transactions, is also crucial. A site that offers non-secure payments and an outdated design, flooded with old clip art, will never encourage purchases or data sharing.

Quality of Traffic

The conversion rate of your site will also be strongly influenced by the type of visitors it attracts. This may seem logical, but qualified traffic, composed of users already interested in what you offer, is more likely to convert than non-targeted traffic. Thus, there's no point in sending newsletters to any database with a link to your site; it would lead to nothing. It's similar to influencers who buy their audience in distant countries, which only serves to inflate the numbers: these people won't click on any links. The same goes for your site. The traffic source (social media, organic search, paid advertisements) obviously influences the quality of visitors and, consequently, the conversion rate.

Quality Landing Pages

Generally, when you decide to direct visitors to your site, you'll send them to a "landing page," with the main information about your product or proposition, as well as a call to action. Let's say you want to present (and sell) your new book to them. You'll create a specific page with its cover, explanatory text, and a purchase button. Avoid doing anything random here. These landing pages must be optimized for the target audience and for the specific campaign objective. This includes convincing content, quality images, and a layout that guides visitors to the call to action.

Furthermore, these pages must also take into account the channel through which a visitor is acquired. Through a newsletter, you can probably refer to certain elements of previous campaigns because they're potentially loyal users, whereas through social media, you may also reach less engaged people. In this case, the landing page must quickly capture their attention and interest. The elements to highlight will be different, and the texts probably shorter.