Sometimes in our industry it's quick to jump to the conclusion that if sales are down, it's time to do one of the following:
a) Spend more marketing dollars
b) Spend less marketing dollars
In this blog post we'll talk about,
Option c) Simple tweaks to your website that cost $0 but can potentially grow visitor interest and the bottom line.
Truth of the matter is that sometimes it's the oft overlooked details of a website that can mean the difference between a sale and user ADHD.
What is user ADHD? See below:
:Customer visits your website:
Customer thinks: "Ok what does this business do...Not sure what to do here... Hmmm... bah, let's just Google something else and see what comes up."
:Customer goes back to Google Search:
This is the exact scenario we want to avoid! The goal of this blog post is to provide a few tips that will help to keep users on your site for as long as possible, until they're compelled to take some sort of action.
Let's start with the basics:
1. What's The Value Of A Click On Your Website?
If this question hasn't run through your mind yet, then it's time to start thinking about it!
How do your customers behave? What pages will they realistically visit before making a purchasing decision, phone call, or decide to leave their email address?
Typically it goes something like this:
User will
Let's say it takes 4 clicks for a user to find all of that info out, and your product or service costs $40.
$100 Product or Service / 4 Clicks = $25/click.
Here's what you need to know:
Half of the battle in getting more interaction with your website is to ensure it's as easy as possible for people to find out those 4 elements. If all 4 of those elements are on one page then all the better; in that case your click value (or, call-to-action value) just turned into $100/click.
The second half of that battle will be to make sure your content is worth that $X/click. Write compelling content, make sure all of your unique selling points are point blank visible and that you have trust signals (testimonials, partnership logos, etc) integrated into your website design.
Bottom Line: Have content and a website design that's worth trusting. Think of every click, every action on your site as a mini-commitment to you and your product or service. Make sure that your content reflects the value of a conversion/click.
2. What Should I Do Next?
This is a big point to highlight because I've noticed it's been overlooked and in some cases, overdone on websites (more on that below). When potential customers visit your site, think about what you want them to do and don't be afraid to tell them to do it!
Whether it's a hot new product they need to check out, a seasonal sale they can't miss out on, making a phone call for instant customer service, or leaving their information so they can receive your email newsletter, make sure you tell them loud and clear.
Here's a good example of a solid, singular call to action button:
This button would ideally be placed in a position that's noticed as soon as your page is loaded. If your call to action is a phone number, have it big and obvious (ideally at the top right of a page). If it's a button, have it shown near the center of the screen preferably near your selling points.
Here's what not to do: Don't list too many strong calls to action. For example, you don't want to ask a customer to fill out an email form AND call you AND visit your promotion page AND read your blog. Too much can be intimidating to customers; especially for first time visitors.
Bottom Line: Keep calls to action simple, and limited to 1-2 per page. To determine what call to action you should use, think about what action would most likely lead to a sale, and at the same time offer value to your customers.
3. Are Your Customers Getting Lost?
One of the most common occurrences while browsing the web is coming across that awkward 404 - Page not Found error.
It's bound to happen - yes, even on your website.
The question is: Are you corralling those users who come across that error?
If users ever come across that error on your website you want to make sure it's very easy for them to get back on track. Otherwise, you risk losing that visitor to YouTube, Facebook, other distracting sites...or :gasp:, a competitor.
You may see where this is going: Create a custom 404 landing page! Some ideas to have on that page:
- Links to the most popular pages on your site
- Links to current promotions
- A Search Bar
- Your main navigation (a must!)
- A 404 error message that isn't boring: feel free to have fun with it if your brand allows. If you run a skiing business, tell them something along the lines of "you've fallen off the run but here's a few links to get you back on track".
Want to know if your site has broken links? Check out the 'Crawl Errors' area in Google's Webmaster Tools to see what links on your website are triggering 404 errors.
Bottom Line: Make sure that if at any point your website visitors trigger a 404 error, that they still feel like they're on your website. Don't give them any opportunity to abandon ship if they come across a broken link.
User ADHD is a growing epidemic, but the good news is you can be part of the cure, not the problem. Implement these simple tips to keep those users & customers on your website!
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