Unstoppable sales: four ways to improve customer engagement and conversions from your digital presence

As ever, a strong online presence is pivotal for businesses hoping to thrive. One of the key metrics that define success in the online realm is the conversion rate – the percentage of website visitors who take a desired action, like making a purchase. This could also look like signing up for a newsletter, or downloading a resource but for the purposes of this article we’ll focus on purchase. In this article we’ll break down four ways you and your team can improve conversion rates and increase engagement.

Conversion only works in context

The first thing to clear up when it comes to conversion, is that maximising conversion rates is not about attracting traffic; it's about turning that traffic into loyal customers. Conversion is measured as a percentage of all your users, so you could have only eight online sales, and as long as only ten users visited - that’ll look like a crackin’ 80% conversion rate. Likewise, if most of your customers return your product because it’s not what they expected, that's likely to cause a net loss in profit. So, whilst conversion is a helpful metric - don’t use it out of context.

With that out of the way, let’s dive in with some places your team can start.

1. The Art of First Impressions

First impressions are lasting impressions, and in the digital realm, your website's design is the first point of contact with potential customers. A clean, intuitive, and visually appealing website not only enhances user experience but also builds credibility. Users are discerning, and don’t want to part with their hard-earned cash if a website looks less than professional -  with a growing awareness of not only poor products but data scams, growing user’s wariness. A cluttered and confusing website can drive visitors away before they even get a chance to explore your offerings. Invest in responsive design, clear navigation, and captivating visuals to ensure your website makes a positive first impression that entices visitors to stay. 

All of that being said, it’s easier said than done. Depending on your audience, brand, product and business’ complexity - the best way to get the most return on your investment is to let a professional take the reins. At Yoyo we work on projects end-to-end, defining the direction, best course of action and executing those actions with visual designers, UX designers and developers on hand. We also work with  some  businesses to simply assess their situation and put together a detailed and prioritised roadmap for clients to execute in their own time and when their own budgets allow.

2. Be clear on what you’re offering, and why it’s the best choice.

Capturing users' attention can be tough, but once you have it it’s easy to let it slip right back out of your hands if they can’t ascertain exactly what you are offering quickly. Long introductory text that builds tension is best left in novels as users are likely in a hurry or comparing you to competitors who can beat you to the punch with straight forward copy.

A great rule of thumb is, your website should state exactly what problem you solve and for whom - before making user’s scroll or click anywhere. For example, you could be a logistics company. Or, are you “a supplier of highly efficient transport solutions for UK businesses.” or, “The most efficient supplier of tailor-made transport solutions - preventing wastage and keeping businesses moving.”. Think about the way your opening paragraph describes your business then asks users to explore, you should use this opportunity to quickly describe what sets you apart from your competition. That might be because of an accolade, “As the only logistics company to win the Best Logistics Company Award three years in a row…” or maybe you have an impressive stat to provide heaps of credibility, “90% of our customers say they would work with us again.”. This is also where investment in powerful hooks and delightful hero content can save the day. This also helps to keep your brand at the top of Google’s search results.

3. Don’t send users to dead ends.

We see this a lot, as brands carefully plot out what they want their website to say, and what they’d like their users to know - it’s easy to overlook how user’s will navigate all this information. Pages of content that end abruptly, without providing users with a clear next step towards conversion - are a killer. That’s why we call them dead ends. If your website features delicious recipes, those pages should end with a call to action to buy your recipe book. Your website’s team page, showing off all your smiling faces, should end with a call to action to get in touch - or browse new roles. Whatever your goal, don’t leave user’s with nowhere to go.

4. Make conversion easy.

This one sounds obvious, but in practice it’s often overlooked. Our own websites are where we become the most biassed, and become blind to the possible pain-points and barriers we may be placing between our users and conversion. This is where user-centred design is critical. You may be able to list your bank or credit card details from memory, however most of your users can’t. You may be able to speed through a five-step checkout process, but that doesn’t mean your users can - or are willing to.

Remove friction at the point of conversion by enabling users to use a variety of payment methods, Google Pay, Apple Pay and Debit/credit card are a great start, with it being likely that at least 50% of your users will be using a mobile device. Save returning user’s details and don’t make them enter them a second time unless necessary. Allow users to enter only their post/zip code to look up their address, and save them the hassle of entering it in full. This all cuts down on cognitive load, time taken to convert and margin for error. It’s win-win-win, and all adds up to better overall conversion rates.

Every business and every website is different, and has a unique set of users with their own challenges and opportunities. That’s why a tailored approach to research and design is critical to avoid the painful and expensive trial and error that comes from going it alone.