Everyone can improve conversions and increase sales by optimizing their buy funnel. Each website has something that can be improved upon, but before changes can be recommended, pre-funnel considerations must be made. Consider the sources of your web traffic and the predisposition of customers. Are they already sold on the product, or are they doing product research? Have they seen your infomercial or did they find your website for the first time using Google? Set up a tracking and analytical tools to track your visitor paths and checkout process. Establish benchmarks before you optimize your buy funnel and always perform controlled tests so you know what works.
When optimizing the effectiveness and efficiency of any online marketing initiative one of the most crucial elements to address is the conversion percentage. What percentage of the users that arrive to your website actually make a purchase? Creating the optimal buy funnel will help to improve conversions and requires optimization in six key areas:
Establish site credibility
Establish company credibility
Establish product value
Establish service/support value
Establish guarantee/warranty value
Establish transactional trust
Establish Site Credibility
Key elements to establishing site credibility are; the overall presentation, speed of the website, navigation, search features, quality content, information resources or research, and the ability for the user to find what they are looking for. TIP: Encompass experts in both website design and marketing to help you establish site credibility for your industry.
Establish Company Credibility
Key elements to establishing company credibility; include B.B.B. and award logos, About Us page, photos of office building, company research and findings, press releases page, testimonials from customers, and full disclosure of address and contact information. No matter how large or small the company, it is important to portray an image of professional leadership within the industry. The more information you provide the customer, the more credible your company appears.
Establish Product Value
Key elements to establish product value; product photos, product description, product selection (colors, sizes, add-ons), inventory, price, customer testimonials, customer reviews and ratings, expert opinions, and any published product reviews. By providing customers with recommendations from other customers, and quality product information, you can help your customers decide which product is best for them.
Establish Service/Support Value
Key elements to establishing service/support value; include live help, contact us page, 1-800 number, FAQ page, hours of operation, help icons on each page, and a ticket system if needed. Most people don’t want to be helped, but most people want the option of getting help if they need it. Your customer needs to feel that they can get help before and after they purchase your product. On the FAQ page, supply customers with questions on, “What to do if the product is damaged.”
Establish Guarantee/Warranty Value
Key elements to establish guarantee/warranty value; dedicate a page of the site detailing the warranties and guarantees, manufacturer or company warranty, what exactly is under warranty, how does the customer claim the warranty, and what does the customer get if the guarantee falls through? Guarantees and warranties will always help conversions, but if you fail to offer any detailed information, it can actually hurt your buy funnel.
Establish Transactional Trust
Key elements to establishing transactional trust; secure transaction logo (verisign), secure pages, no “non-secure” error pops ups, credit card logos, offer many payment options such as paypal, confirm the price, and make sure to send out a confirmation email after the purchase. The customer needs to feel safe giving you their credit card information, if you have established the other key elements in the buy funnel, then all you need to do is show the customer that you have a secure site in order for the purchase to proceed.
Case Study – Sleepbetterstore.com:
Step 1: Evaluate Media Placements
In order to understand the problem areas, a tracking system was put in place to see the dropout rates on each page, understand the path of visitors and establish benchmarks. After trouble areas were uncovered, WebMetro began evaluating the predisposition of the users. About 75% of all users were derived from search engines. Over 90% of all users searched for air beds, air mattress or a competitor and over 50% of the traffic was arriving at the home page. It became obvious that users were educated enough to know the difference between an air mattress and a standard spring mattress. Therefore, a big change needed to be made on the home page (or landing page). The landing page should cater to why choose the Sleep Better Store, not why choose an air mattress. Users had already made up their mind on an air bed, they just had not decided why to buy from Sleep Better Store.
Step 2: Solutions
Graphics and text were changed on the landing page by removing graphics about air beds, and added a red text box of reasons to choose Sleep Better Store. Product based navigation was also moved to the left hand side and made simple. After checking our benchmarks, dropout rates on the home page went from 73% to 53%. Each of the key elements of the buy funnel were closely evaluated and changes were implemented while watching conversion rates improve.
Overall, Sleep Better Store saw an increase in sales of 74% and a savings of 42% in costs.
WebMetro, a California corporation, was formed in 1995 to help businesses capitalize on the growth and potential of the World Wide Web. The Company’s charter is to become a single-source Internet partner with businesses looking to incorporate Internet technologies and related solutions into their overall corporate strategy. WebMetro continues to provide companies e-business solutions that result in additional market share, increased revenues and improved customer service, all delivering to their bottom line.
