There are lots of articles about improving positions on search engines and methods of driving traffic to your web site. Strangely, little has been written about the conversion of visitors once they arrive on your web site from search positions. Here are some useful things to consider.

Relevant Content
If someone clicks on your link from a search engine, then they are expecting to see relevant content to the text link they followed. It is amazing how even many of the largest online brand names are spending thousands on pay per click campaigns and SEO, but are giving little consideration to converting traffic when it arrives.

For example, if you do a search for ‘LCD televisions’, and click on a pay per click advert that says ‘LCD TVs’, then if you arrive on a page of electronics products including TVs, DVD players, Video Recorders – then you are less likely to stay and browse than if the page contained a well presented list of a wide range of LCD TVs with links to full feature specifications.

Another example, is where pay per click adverts get directed to the home page, rather than direct to a sub page about the specific topic being described in the ad text.

Check all your landing pages for natural and paid listings and take a critical view of how the content can be made more relevant to the text in your search engine link.

Negatively Qualify Visitors
In the goal of achieving higher visitor numbers it is natural to want higher Clickthrough-rates for your adverts. But, the real result of this

is attracting visitors that simply click on your compelling advert, and then leave your site because it is not want they want.

One of the goals should therefore be to avoid situations where surfers click on your advert who have no chance of converting. This can be achieved by ensuring your adverts are not so generic that they appeal to everyone – your should try to understand clearly what your customer needs are and match your adverts to these needs. In some sectors, a ‘Prices From’ can help avoid paying for surfers that are only looking for cheap bargain goods.

By experimenting with this, you will find your pay per click costs will reduce, while your conversion rates will increase.

Calls To Action
Implementing clear, enticing calls to action can have a huge impact on the leads and sales generated from your web site. When was the last time you visited every page of your web site to see whether each page has a call to action that encourages the user to engage with you?

By this, I don’t mean a Contact Us page, I mean something of value to the user.

Examples of calls to action:

  • White Paper Download
  • Special Offers (buy now)
  • Send Me Requests
  • Email Newsletters
  • Online Quote Estimator
  • Return on Investment Calculator

Before you begin experimenting with calls to action, ensure that you measure the current conversion rate of your site. For example, if you receive 1000 visitors and 20 conversions per month – this is a conversion rate of 2%.

By experimenting with calls to action, it is not uncommon to achieve conversion rates from 10% up to 30% in some cases.