Persuading people to click on pay-per-click advertisements is not necessarily hard; our targeted ads, messaging and graphics generally foster numerous website visitors. But all the clicks and site visits obtained do not mean much unless those visitors convert into customers. That’s where conversion rate optimization comes in. Conversion rate optimization is achieved after we analyze a person’s interaction with an advertisement, then make marketing changes based on those interactions to get a better ROI for our clients. Conversion rate optimization streamlines a Digital Marketing campaign (with hard data) to produce more paying customers and less wasted ad spending. To start, a PPC campaign manager would first assess what areas of a campaign should be changed.
Diagnose Conversion Rate Problems
In order to effectively increase conversion rates, we have to know what needs changing. The first step of conversion rate optimization is to do an in-depth analysis of data:
- Once in Google Analytics, begin by looking at the sources of visitor traffic to see which ones have the highest bounce rates and lowest conversion rates.
- Next, compare the bounce rate and conversion rate by the device type, the location of the user, what time of day it is, etc.
- Then look at the different paths that people take when they are on a website. What do they click on, and what page are they on when they leave your site?
Once you study and compare all of your data, it will be clear where you need to make changes if you want to increase conversion rates.
Prescribe the Right Fix
Websites fail to convert visitors for thousands of different reasons. The adjustments one website makes to achieve conversion rate optimization is usually much different than the adjustments a competitor would make. So if you want to improve conversion rates, grab your data, and follow along.
- If you have one specific page where you are losing most of your traffic, such as your services page, then clearly that page needs work. Maybe you need to be more clear, or spruce up the copy. It could be that a simple redesign with more pictures could be the ticket to increase conversion rates.
- If you see that your desktop users have a much higher conversion rate than your mobile users, it’s time to convert to responsive website design.
- If your site is e-commerce, there are many more conversion rate optimization tips you can follow. For example, if users view your products for a while, but are not making a purchase, check the product descriptions, images and reviews. Tip: Displaying customer reviews is shown to increase conversion rates by about 4.6%. And sometimes shipping charges can cost you a sale.
- If a lot of people visit your homepage, but never get any further, then maybe it’s time for a complete overhaul, which can include creating more enticing copy, a cleaner visual appearance, and adding a not-so-subtle call to action.
- If you think your pay-per-click campaign could be to blame, check out Google Adwords Tips for expert insight.
When it comes down to it, an effective way improve conversion rates is to make your website as user-friendly as possible while having strong language and a visual appeal—or better yet, use our conversion rate optimization services and we will take care of it for you.