Building Websites Backwards

Hi, this is just a quick hub about increasing the conversion rate of your websites. In my work I look at a lot of sites and despite what you might think (ie. that these days people are clued up about digital strategy) people think in a very one-dimensional way when it comes to websites. They see other sites and themes and just follow the herd 'Home, About Us, The Team, Contact Us...etc.' ... look familiar? Well don't be too down in the dumps, these headings are perfectly valid so long as you actually need them and they are helping your site do what you are asking of it. People don't just click through these menu's one by one though...they search organically using human nature. Human nature is a difficult thing to cater to, but you can help it along with a few tricks.

Conversion Rate Optimization is a broad subject but in essence it is about adapting your website in various ways in order to increase the likelihood of a visitor converting. What is converting? Well for those of you who don't know, converting is when the visitor does what you want them to. This maybe buying a product, filling out a form, making a phone-call etc. This should be the starting point of every new website design, and the way to reinvigorate stale old Digital Campaigns.

Simple idea, but overlooked by so many people. Your homepage maybe the best part of the site, but that doesn't mean it's where the traffic is going. The trick is to make as many pages of your site into 'Landing Pages' as you can. If a site is well SEO'd, each page will be drawing in traffic relevant to its content and so long as the content is aimed at the correct type of customer, your chances of conversion are greatly increased. But who are these people and what exactly is it you want them to do?

The key to a successful website is knowing who it is aimed at and aiming at them. Now, your customers are not robots, they're not all the same. Some will come ready to buy, others haven't a clue who you are but something about your site tally's up with a search they have done. You have to cater for both. There must be pages for the buyers and pages for the speculators. It is advisable that during the testing stage you try to create persona's for around six different types of potential visitor, ranging from very warm (about to convert) down to ice cold (who the heck are these guys?). A page aimed at the former would be a straightforward 'click here to buy' or 'call us' etc. But the page for a cold lead would have to be carefully worded to arouse their interest and promote your message. The more thinking and testing you do along these lines the better.

So, you know your customers, you know what different people want to see and you know where you want them to go. Now all you do is build the website backwards! Start with your conversion point and work back through the various stages required to get there. For tentative people there maybe a few pages required to pull them in, for impatient people or those who've already decided you need a fast-track strategy. Just ensure that every page has links and cue's funneling the traffic towards your conversion point, and don't have wasted pages that need not be there. If a potential customer comes to a dead end, most likely you've lost em!