How To Convert Website Visitors Into Paying Customers

For a businessperson, having a thriving website means greater visibility.

But how do you convert website visitors into customers?

Brick and mortar businesses know that more footfalls mean more business, but if you want customers online, how can you attract people when you cannot see them or they cannot see you?

How do you convert all the hits into business?

Here are a few tips and strategies for conversion of your customers.

As much as you would like to be a favorite across all categories of people, it is good to have a target audience. This will help you focus your content and help establish a stronger connection with a core group of buyers.

Sites like Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, and Instagram are great, but do not rely completely on social media. Try to think of your website as the main doorway that people will enter before buying from you. Social media can help to mine the audience, gather contact details, and create brand awareness in an informal setting. You can even upload helpful videos to YouTube which will encourage people to become more acquainted with your product or service.

Remember, people turn to social media for information or for relaxation, so add some value and keep it light…don’t ‘hard sell’ your audience with every post.

First impressions are always lasting impressions. Therefore, ensure you have professional content and photographs on your website. This will increase its credibility.

Think of your website like a book. You want to give visitors helpful, informative info about who you are, what you can do to help them, and how to get in touch. You may want to hire a content writer to produce a number of articles about your industry or business, which you can post on your site to highlight your knowledge and experience in your field.

Your website is your virutal storefront. When the visitor comes to your store, you probably make every effort to help them find the right product or service. Similarly, a visitor to your website should never be more than one or two clicks away from getting what they need.

Care should be taken to not clutter the homepage, but at the same time, users should be able to find the details they are looking for. It is a fine balance. Too much or too little info may leave the visitor confused.

Furnish contact information prominently on the website. If the visitor wants to learn more or ask questions, they should be able to find your phone number or e-mail contact form easily. Contact buttons on the homepage are a great way to streamline the process.

Visitors may hesitate to make a purchase online if they feel there is a threat to their information. Therefore, if you accept payments online, ensure you have a SSL security certificate for the site (there should be an https in front of your domain name). As well, partner with a company who specializes in certifying your site’s security practices and display their trust seal on your homepage to let the customer know that their information is protected.

You can offer your visitors free consultations, first time discounts, free shipping, price match guarantees. Also consider maintaining exchange and refund policies that are consumer friendly. These little things will not only help convert visitors into customers, but also increase the likelihood they will come back for more.

Checkout should be made very simple. Nothing irks the customer more than long and lengthy procedure while checking out. Some statistics on ecommerce transactions suggest that over 50% of shopping carts are abandoned for one reason or another. If the customer gets irritated during checkout delays due to a lengthy form, a slow website, or a confusing shipping process, they will ultimately abandon their shopping cart.

Make sure that your website has multiple payment options to cater to customers across various segments. This will avoid last minute shopping cart abandonment of genuine shoppers when they realize that you do not accept their mode of payment. Services like PayPal make it easy for people to use their existing account or to pay via credit card.

While we’re just scratching the surface of conversion optimization, trying these basic conversion hacks can really help you make a big difference in your sales targets and revenue generation.