How to Make Over Your Homepage for Maximum Conversions

I’m not really one for math, but here’s a thought… instead of slogging away at driving more traffic to your site, why not have a go at getting more conversions from the visitors already on your website? Let’s say you currently get 1,000 unique visits per month, and average a 1% conversion rate, which is quite normal. What would it mean if you suddenly increased that conversion rate to 2%?  You’d double your inbounds from 10 to 20 per month! If that floats your boat, then read on.

Here are some quick and easy ways you can make over your homepage to achieve a higher conversion rate:

1. Add your phone number (Big Bertha style) to the top right of your homepage. Simply adding a phone number to Less Accounting’s website raised their conversions from site visitors to signups and paid user conversions by almost 2%. In conversion land, that’s huge! The reality is, most people won’t call, but it will instil enough trust by telling them there are real people behind the site to increase your conversions.
2. Ditch the pretty picture banners for banners with calls to action. This space above the fold is prime real estate, so make it count. Don’t just put pretty stock photos in to fill the space. Banners are a key element of your website sales funnel. Instead of plain Jane photos, tie them in with special offers, key messages and click-throughs to important pages to encourage conversions.
3. Be crystal clear on what your primary goal is and communicate it well. What is the one ideal action you want your visitors to take when they come to your site? Request a quote, register for an event, buy your book?
   

   Focus on just one primary action first and ensure your site makes it easy for your visitors to do just that.

   Then if room allows, cater for your secondary actions next. Just keep it simple. If you give your visitors too many choices on your website, it could result in no action at all.

4. Build credibility by adding trust factors to your homepage. If you’re member of any reputable associations in your industry, add their logos to your homepage. ABN, ARA, Rotary… show it off! The same applies if you’ve won any awards. Or even better, get some fantastic testimonials from clients in text or video format, and add those too. These all help instill trust and increase conversions. When you say it about yourself it’s fluff, but when others say it about you, it’s proof!
5. Add a Video. Seriously. Bite the bullet. Before you wipe this idea completely, let me tell you that video these days is a lot easier than you think. Consider adding a video of you to help your audience connect with you, or even a client video testimonial talking about what it’s like doing business with you. Not only do they do wonders for getting found on Google, but they also help speed up the conversion and sales process.Video rocks and it’s here to stay! Get a camera, do your face up and get into it! Remember, it doesn’t have to be a perfect production; it’s the content that matters.
6. Add a ‘Quick Enquiry Form’ to increase conversions. You’ve seen those simple enquiry forms that stay fixed on a website at all times? That’s what I’m talking about!
   

   Make it ridiculously easy for prospects to get in touch with you.

   Get a Quick Enquiry form set up on your site to gently push people to make contact. They really do work!

7. As Ali G would say: “Keep it real”. Avoid stock photography and invest in a good photo shoot. You know that when you land on a site that has professional ‘real’ shots of the people behind the site, it tugs at something inside and gives you that warm feeling like you know them already. The reality is, real people shots get a lot of attention and stock photos are largely ignored. So set some dollars aside and use this simple tactic to increase your conversions!
8. Test, test, test. There’s no point putting in all this effort if you don’t know what’s working and what isn’t. So when it comes to implementation, always make sure you’re constantly testing what works by measuring everything with Google Analytics. If you’ve got the time, by all means do some A/B split testing or go crazy with Crazy Egg. Remember though, implement one small change at a time and see how that affects your conversions rather than doing everything at once. If you do it all at once, you’ve got no idea what actually worked!

Do it well and you’ll bask in a glorious conversion increase that won’t cost you an arm and a leg. Happy homepage makeover! And if you want to see how we encourage conversions at Web123, feel free to have a peak at www.web123.com.au.