{"id":1670,"date":"2017-03-24T23:55:43","date_gmt":"2017-03-25T05:55:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/incomeschool.com\/?p=1670"},"modified":"2017-03-24T23:55:43","modified_gmt":"2017-03-25T05:55:43","slug":"whats-hurting-conversion-rates","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/incomeschool.com\/whats-hurting-conversion-rates\/","title":{"rendered":"What’s Hurting Your Conversion Rates?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Like a well-oiled machine, your sales funnel should have many parts that work together.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s your marketing strategies, landing pages, offers, and CTAs. These are all designed to bring your customer through the stages of the sales funnel. Once they reach the end of that funnel, they\u2019ll buy and you\u2019ll make money.<\/p>\n

Well, that\u2019s how it\u2019s supposed<\/em> to work. You\u2019ve been having trouble though and you\u2019re not sure why. You can drive traffic to your website no problem, but converting visitors to customers is where you\u2019re lacking.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re not making as many sales as you want, you\u2019re not alone. At some point, almost every company should take a step back and give a hard look at their sales funnel. If some parts of the funnel aren\u2019t working, these have to be cut or amended.<\/p>\n

Here are some common culprits that may be hurting your conversion rates.<\/p>\n

Your Website<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Back when you first started your company, you hired someone to make you a website. You ensured it was mobile-optimized.<\/p>\n

Periodically, you go through your site and check that all the links and images work. You double-check for outdated code, too.<\/p>\n

You\u2019re golden, right?<\/p>\n

Not exactly.<\/p>\n

First impressions matter. You only have one chance to make a solid first impression with your website. If you want a visitor to become a customer, there must be something that lures them in.<\/p>\n

If your site is cold, plain, and downright boring, it\u2019s no wonder you\u2019re not converting.<\/p>\n

Question time. What\u2019s the single most important page on your website?<\/p>\n

Your homepage. This doubles as a landing page where visitors will hopefully opt in and become customers.<\/p>\n

To get them to do that, you need simple headlines (more on this in a minute) and images. Few things humanize a company more than images.<\/p>\n

Make sure these are authentic, though. A visitor can sniff out stock photos in seconds. Real photos of people looking happy will strike a chord with your visitors.<\/p>\n

Okay, so how do you know which pictures to use? Does your headline look better in the middle of the page or off to one side?<\/p>\n

A\/B test to find out.<\/p>\n

We touched on A\/B testing<\/a> a bit in a previous post, so let\u2019s reiterate. With an A\/B test, you take Version A and Version B of your website and compare them. You test both versions for a few weeks or a few months and see which gets more traffic.<\/p>\n

That tells you which elements of your homepage to arrange and where.<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t forget though, your website is not static. It should always be changing and evolving to meet customer demand.<\/p>\n

Weak Headlines<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Let\u2019s double back and talk about headlines.<\/p>\n

Nike, Coca-Cola, and Apple might not seem like they have much in common. If you visit their respective websites though, you\u2019ll see that they do.<\/p>\n

What is the common thread tying these three giant brands together?<\/p>\n

Their sites all make fabulous use of headlines.<\/p>\n

These are crisp, concise declarations about your product or company. It\u2019s not uncommon for these headlines to be just three words.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re writing headlines like you would for an article or blog post, you could accidentally hurt your conversion rates. Longer headlines are too clunky and rarely look good on a website homepage.<\/p>\n

It will take some time to write the perfect short headline. You may have to spend a few hours brainstorming and coming up with different versions. Feel free to A\/B test several headlines until you find one that connects best with your customers.<\/p>\n

No Social Proof<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Remember how we talked about how pictures humanize your landing page? That human element is more important than you think.<\/p>\n

Have you ever heard of a product but felt indifferent about it? You make a conscious decision then not to buy.<\/p>\n

Say a week later you see your friend. They\u2019ve bought and tried said product and they love it.<\/p>\n

You go home, do some research, and, based on your friend\u2019s recommendation, try the product out.<\/p>\n

This is known as social proof.<\/p>\n

Social proof is a psychological concept as much as it is a marketing one. Through various tactics, you prove to your customers that your product is valuable because other people are using it.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s briefly unpack the various forms of social proof:<\/p>\n