Discover Lost Revenue by Shifting How You Communicate Your Business Online
A common misconception about website optimization is that graphic design and “cool features” will drive the best returns. Designers will focus on “brand integrity” with slick images and fonts creating a beautiful presentation of your business online. Clearly, you want your best foot forward as this is your opportunity to make a first impression online. However, you can get lost focusing on the design and lose sight of what the user of your site is looking for – INFORMATION.
As you know, there are a variety of learning styles in the classroom – visual, auditory, kinesthetic, and analytical. A good teacher will try to address all of these personalities while delivering the curriculum to convey information that will foster learning.
It’s the same for a website – some of your website visitors may be impatient fast-clickers, others may quickly scan for specific details OR they may be methodical and read every word and watch every YouTube clip. Your website is an ecosystem and needs to be crafted to support the variety of “learners” and user mindsets. How you shape your site, write your copy and lead prospects to the next step will affect your conversion rate from website visitors to leads.
A number of years ago, Shane created a print ad in the local newspaper for a client when he had his design business. It was in the classified section alongside your typical display ads – they had pretty pictures and catchy “tag” lines. Shane’s ad, in comparison, was simple – a clear headline that stated the value, a simple but demographically connected image and a few paragraphs of copy with a clear call to action. Shane’s ad wasn’t “pretty”, seemed content dense but was, in fact, very effective in driving phone calls – hundreds of phone calls.
People aren’t coming to your site to look at pictures – they are coming for information. The main way to communicate is to “talk” to them about it. Write in a conversational tone and guide visitors towards the next step you wish them to take. Yes, design is important. Your site needs to look professional, have visual cues and be clearly laid out but it’s the content of your site that will lead to action. In our internal testing, content has surpassed all other tests with the greatest gains in conversion improvements.
So, the best thing for you to do is to get curious. Put yourself in your prospects shoes. Start by asking a question, “I’m looking to become a……”, fill in the blank. Then objectively see how easy it is to find that information as though it’s the first time you’ve been to your website:
- Are there a lot of choices?
- Where does your eye get drawn too?
- Can you read the text easily?
The best metrics to test your site is how fast you can get the information and how clear is the path to get there.
Addressing all the learning styles and patterns of website usability will not only lead to more inquires and engagement, but equally important, a positive experience on your website. Clarity is the quickest path to conversion optimization.