You might be surprised to hear it, but many websites are designed to fail and don’t convert.
You spend thousands on a glamorous website, then thousands more funnelling traffic into it, only to find that while your page views are breaking records, your bank account isn’t exactly going ka-ching ka-ching.
As a website agency in Melbourne, we’re strong advocates for attractive web design [insert humble brag here]. But the truth is, it’s not the be-all end-all.
Let’s be clear: Good quality web design is extremely important – and without it, you may as well shut shop. But you don’t just need a web designer; you need a conversion designer.
When you do web design and address these four things in the process, you make a powerful combination that will turn your website into a conversion machine.
Let’s dive into them:
Slow page speed
Unfortunately, one of the byproducts of web design can often be an underperforming, slow website.
Modern websites rely on many resources to look the way they do. Videos, images, animating elements and many other features put pressure on servers to deliver large file sizes to service your website, resulting in slow website speeds.
Should you then eliminate look and feel for the sake of page speed? Absolutely not.
It’s important to find the right balance – limit the amount of images you use per page, use trusted compression plugins such as Smush, and host your videos on a third-party platform such as YouTube or Vimeo.
Page speed is an extremely important factor when it comes to Google Search rankings. Infact, Google recommends a page load time of under 3 seconds, and anything more will result in a higher bounce rate – because let’s be honest, who likes waiting.
Of course, there are many other technical factors to consider when it comes to page speed, which is easily negated with the help of a great conversion designer.
Unoptimised home page
Your home page, in most cases, is the first point of call when potential customers or clients visit your website.
You might be surprised to hear it, but the average person won’t scroll past the first section of your website – unless of course, there’s something that entices them.
For this reason, it is paramount that the top part of your website is optimised to convert – both from a communications and design point of view.
Think of a newspaper. The front page will always have the most compelling story and the most attention-grabbing headline. Attention leads to curiosity, and curiosity leads to sales.
Your website is no different.
A conversion designer understands just how important your prime real estate is.
No clear path to take action
Your website should be operating on this premise: If you don’t ask, you don’t get.
That means, if your website is not flooded with ways to get in touch, you’re losing business.
It’s important to remember that there are three different types of people that visit your website: the ‘hot’ (ready and roaring to go), the ‘warm’ (almost there, I just need more information), and the cold (I’m just browsing).
It’s important to find ways to funnel your prospects, no matter where they are in your customer journey. The hot will want to call you straight away or book an appointment, the warm will probably prefer to submit an enquiry, and the cold will probably opt-in to a free resource that addresses their problems.
Compelling words
We’ve saved the best till last.
While web design is the initial appeal, it’s the words that ultimately sell your products and services.
This however, is by no means a licence to flood your website with words. Less is more, and clarity is the name of the game.
It’s important to remember why customers seek your products or services in the first place. They do this because they have a problem that they require your help with.
With this in mind, writing copy with a conversion designer’s perspective means that you are addressing their problems, showing empathy and providing real solutions in your copywriting – and yes, before you even talk about yourself.
Of course, there are many, many other factors that affect website conversion, but addressing these four will pay dividends for your business.
We’d love the opportunity to help you turn your website into a conversion machine. Give us a call or submit an enquiry today.
