In e-commerce, the conversion rate applies to how many visitors to a website actually become customers and buy something. Many merchants concentrate on attracting traffic to their website but fail to focus enough attention on increasing their conversion rates. High conversion rates translate into real profits. Here are some tips for how you can improve the rate of conversion on your website.
Make sure your website is well-designed. Your site should be user-friendly and look professional. Large online retailers have tons of money to spend on website design and research. If you want to compete with that, you have to make sure no one is deterred from your site. Make sure your site is organized logically, easy to read, free of errors and easy to navigate. Purchasing items should be done in as few clicks as possible. The longer it takes for customers to find what they need and checkout online the less likely they are to complete a sale. Saving your customers time should be a top priority. A quick and easy buying experience will improve your conversion rate and help build a loyal customer base.
Be open, honest and upfront. Customers appreciate having as much information as possible at their fingertips even if that information is negative. For example, if you have an item that is temporarily out of stock, provide that information prominently. Stringing a customer along through the check out process only to find out that the product is not available will not win you any loyalty. Make sure all of your policies are clearly spelled out and easily found on your website. If you customer has to hunt for important information, he/she may grow frustrated and move onto one of your competitors. The goal is to make shopping on your website as easy as any brick and mortar store if not easier. Many people will shop for what they want online but prefer to buy it locally out of convenience. You can convert some brick and mortar shoppers into online shoppers by taking all of the guesswork out of the shopping experience.
Finally, one of the best ways to improve your conversion rates is to demonstrate your website’s security. Many online shoppers are concerned about providing their personal information to e-commerce sites for fear of identity theft. They often prefer to shop with large national retailers online because they trust them more. You can improve the confidence in your website’s security measures by enrolling in Comodo’s HackerProof Trust Mark program. HackerProof does Vulnerability Scan daily, to detect areas of vulnerability where hackers could potentially breach your security system. If such vulnerabilities are discovered you are alerted right away so they can be corrected. If your system is deemed safe, the HackerProof trust mark appears throughout your website. This trust mark makes customers who might have been uneasy entering their personal information into your website more comfortable. Trust marks have been shown to increase conversion rates significantly. With HackerProof, you won’t pay until your conversion rate is increased by at least 5%. HackerProof even comes with a web-based management tool to help you track the improvement in your conversion rates.
