5 Ways to Increase Sales Conversions Online

Written By : Greg

At this point, you have probably figured out that a well-designed website will help you reach your target audience online. You’re probably even seeing quite a bit of success with it, as plenty of traffic has come your way. But if your site visitors don’t convert into regular contacts or clients, you might be wondering what’s wrong. Isn’t your website supposed to help you expand your practice?

Ideally, yes. Your website helps prospects find you, learn more about you, and ultimately hand over their contact information so that you can initiate further contact with them. If you’re having trouble getting over that last hurdle, try these five ways to increase your conversion rate.

Decrease website clutter. Consider the thought process of your website visitors. They land on your website, curious to see what you’re all about… and the site takes too long to load. Or, once it does load, the design is so cluttered that visitors aren’t sure what to do first. Overwhelmed at this point, some of your website visitors simply leave. Remove excess images, unnecessary sidebars, or anything else that detracts from the flow of your design. You want the main focus to be on your content.

While you’re at it… make sure your website is mobile-friendly. Did you know that more of your website traffic probably originates from mobile devices, than it does from laptop or desktop computers screens? That’s according to Google, on which the majority of searches are performed from smart phones or tablets. If your website isn’t optimized for mobile screens, you visitors could quickly lose interest in viewing it.

Use an effective call to action. Generally speaking, most people don’t pick up the phone and call a financial advisor after viewing their website only once. Most of your prospects need a subtle nudge in the right direction. Ask your viewers to provide their contact information, in exchange for something they will value (a free download or newsletter, for example). The most effective calls to action are a little bit catchy, and subtly confirm to the reader that they need or want your free offer.

Include click triggers. Even a great call to action won’t always do the trick. A click trigger consists of a few words of text, which are designed to reassure your prospects that they are making a good choice. Encourage them to go ahead and fill out your contact form by using a click trigger such as:

• offer transparency (they should know what is asked of them, and what they will receive)
• customer testimonials about your services (if allowed by your compliance officer)
• a guarantee (that your offer is free, you won’t share their contact information, and so on)
• listing a benefit of your offer
• a reminder that they can opt out at any time

Make it easy. Remember that you are asking visitors to do something for you. Anything overly complicated or lengthy will often cause prospects to opt out at the last moment. So make it easy for them! Your contact forms should be short and simple.

In today’s business world, most of your prospects will research you online before deciding to do business with you. Your website is your calling card, and it is often your first chance to make a good impression. Use every tool available to maximize their experience, and you should find that more website visitors eventually convert into regular contacts.

Filed under: Financial Advisor Marketing