6 design elements that encourage visitors to convert
Tags: Design, Web Design, Digital Marketing, Conversion Optimization, Marketing

Perhaps the most important aspect of online marketing today is conversion. Getting a visitor to convert to your brand is just as important as earning new clients, as it seems everyone already has a preference and align themselves with another company. It’s always a tight race and competition is fierce.

This means a good website — one that is eye-catching and piques the interest of a visitor — plays a pivotal role in business success.

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In a study conducted at the Missouri University of Science and Technology, it was observed that users only take two-tenths of a second to form an opinion about the websites they visit, and the chance they will click away decreases immensely after the first 30 seconds.

If you want to attract and keep visitors on your website longer, here are 6 design elements that will encourage visitors to convert to your brand.

1. Keep it fresh

A fresh new layout is bound to capture a visitor’s attention, whether she is new to the site or has been a regular. Take CloudSponge as an example. They had an outdated and old-fashioned website, but once they upgraded to a newer, more up-to-date version, their conversion rate increased by 33%.

Basically, the more frequently you change the style or layout of your website, the more opportunities your conversion rate has to grow. It’s like buying fruit — the fresher it is, the more people want to buy it.

2. Have catchy headlines & calls-to-action

The first things that attract a visitor’s attention when she lands on your home page are the headline and call-to-action. Not the contact info, articles or product specs, but these two elements. For this reason, the more action-oriented your headline and CTA are, the higher your chances of success rise.

CTAs are designed to incite an immediate response from a customer. That’s why clear, concise CTAs are more effective. One software company reported that their site’s conversion rate increased by 106% after it got a makeover that included a clear, direct call-to-action.

3. Make it visually appealing

Visual appeal doesn’t mean over-crowded or complicated pages. Increase conversion rates by keeping your landing pages simple and appealing. Your page should show the customer what your company does without making them read a lot of content. One way to achieve this easily is by adding videos or image sliders. This also has the benefit of prolonging the time a visitor spends on your site.

Device Magic, a mobile software company, conducted an A/B test using VWO to determine whether an image slider would improve conversion rates for their website. The results indicated that the image slider increased completed sign-ups by 31%.

4. Don’t ask for too much information

People are usually very skeptical about sharing personal information with a new website. If you want people to subscribe to your site or services, it’s best not to ask for too much information up front.

Dropbox, one of the leading data storage platforms, has an incredibly simple sign-up form. It asks new users for nothing more than their name, email and a password. It doesn’t even ask you to re-enter the password.

When looking for new subscribers, it’s important to remember that new visitors aren’t familiar with your company or product. Gain their trust by giving them some incentive for free. It could be an eBook, a discount or something else. This tactic works like a hook, so that when they are looking to buy, they’ll seek you out.

5. Floating sidebars and drop-down menus

It’s very frustrating for users to have to move all the way to the top or bottom of a page to navigate the site. What many websites have now are floating menus: menus that move along the top or side of the screen as you scroll, making navigation a lot easier.

AMD, a giant in the computer hardware business, uses floating “share” buttons that visitors can use to share the content they find interesting across a variety of social sites like Twitter and Facebook. This helped AMD drive a whopping 3600% increase in social sharing, as more and more people found and shared their pages.

6. Establish contact

Creating a dialogue between you and the prospective clients is essential. If a user inquires about your service or product and gets a response quickly, the probability that they will buy from you increases immensely. Keep in mind that a customer is less likely to stick around if they don’t get the desired response in time.

Sending quick responses to customer inquiries can be simplified with CRM software. This is because CRM software segments and then converts leads from various channels. These leads can be segmented and organized to receive automated responses that save your time and energy — while improving conversion rates.

Getting people to convert to your brand is no small feat, but rest assured, the 6 design elements mentioned here will definitely give you some headway towards that goal.

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About Erica Silva

Erica Silva is a blogger by choice. She loves to discover the world around her. She likes to share her discoveries and express herself through her blogs. Currently, she is associated with airG for development work. Check out her firm’s performance reviews. Find her on Twitter: @ericadsilva1.