If you have a website, you want people to see it.
If it’s a blog, you want people to read it, and if it’s a product, you want people to buy it.
The first step is getting your page to pop during a search. Next, you need your target audience to click the link. At this point, the battle is not over. You need that customer to convert – to buy, follow, sign up, etc.
There are a number of methods you can try and quite a few common mistakes that can lead to failure. Look at things you should absolutely avoid when working on your conversion rate optimization (CRO).
Don’t Think Short Term
If website traffic, and therefore sales, are tanking, it is tempting to opt for a quick fix. People frequently wind up implementing CRO strategies that will hurt them in the long run. A big one is using discounts to attract customers. This can absolutely have the effect of boosting conversion rates same day. However, it is untenable beyond the sale period.
By shifting your focus to discounted rates rather than quality, you are setting a difficult precedent. People who are bargain hunting and don’t care about brand loyalty will quickly respond. You have inadvertently set the price expectation too low on your product. Once prices return to normal, people will vanish. Customers who are looking for great quality may skip past because the price focus was unappealing. So you get the short-term fix but a long-term problem.
Don't Make This Huge Social Media Mishap
Another fix that is detrimental in the long run is buying followers. “Social proofing” – the phenomenon of the actions of many influencing others – is one factor involved in conversion rates. Within this are several categories, followers being one of them. If you can demonstrate that your business has a great many followers, people are more likely to buy in. It is the same as choosing a hair stylist, because you know several people who go to it. The social consensus is the more users, the more reliable something is.
The trouble with the tactic is that the fake users are not active. If you generate posts that nobody responds to, ranking systems decide the material is not good. This means that dummy users can actually hurt you at the end of the day. There may be a temporary spike, but this method is not a solution to retain clients.
In an effort to reach real customers, some companies employ e-mail chains. Email marketing is perfectly acceptable and can bolster customer conversion. However, employing click-bait headline is unnecessary and troublesome. Consistently using over-the-top subject lines quickly annoys people.
The simple fact is that many click-bait e-mails cannot live up to the headline. If you are unable to deliver on the promise, change the title.
Sometimes, companies take this small-scale false advertising even further. Many companies chose to utilize timers or countdown clocks to add a sense of urgency to a sale. When a potential client is on the fence, knowing they only have 10 more minutes before the sale is up can make a difference. Used properly and fairly, it is a reasonable method. However, it cannot be leveraged all the time. Spread out timer tactics so that customers do not feel deceived. If the consumer makes a purchase and then sees the same counter a week later, they may not think of you as trustworthy vendor.
Much of this boils down to trust. There are a number of ways to trick people or systems in the short term. These can boost your conversion rates for the moment. However, nothing compares to the level you can reach by investing in the trust of your client base.
Don’t Rush the Process
Along your CRO journey, keep in mind that a beautiful site is not necessarily an optimized site. It is worth the time to make sure you are making the right architectural choices for your clients. Remember the “funnel” concept. Something may grab a person’s attention, but it must then inspire them to consideration, followed by action.
Source: Convert
If you invest in long-term CRO strategies, you are much more likely to succeed. As discussed above, the short-term bandwagon can be dangerous. This means patience. Recognize from the start that you may or may not have a marked change at the beginning. Optimizing is a powerful tool, but it does not necessarily make it predictive. There are a lot of factors that lead to customer conversation. It may take time and tides shifting for your numbers to jump.
In an effort to sort out exactly which mechanisms work for your business, run tests. Elements that you believe in may not have the desired effect. For this reason, it is not advisable to overhaul everything all at once before testing. By implementing one change at a time, you can monitor what impact it has. Altering many factors at once does not provide you with useful information for the future. Always seek to learn along the way.
Begin with midrange alterations. It is not worthwhile to nitpick until you know that the overall structure is effective. Once you have implemented a change, give it time. You may see an immediate bump and then things even out. Alternatively, it could take days for there to be a noticeable change at all. Making a call too soon can undermine an operation and a budget.
Once you have drawn a conclusion about your first test, explore it more deeply. Do not be satisfied with a broad correlation. Narrow it down and test again. Only when you think you’ve accumulated sufficient information about one aspect of your site should you move to another. Proceeding a step at a time with patience will provide much better data for your investment.
Don’t Ignore the Details
CRO and CRO testing are all about data analytics. It is therefore imperative to have an eye on the details. From the very beginning, make sure you have established baseline information. This is everything from a clear mission and sense of customer base to the impact of your initial design on customer conversation to what your peek sales seasons are. Without a baseline, any variations you explore will have no comprehensive comparison.
Prior to launching any testing cycles, know exactly what you are testing and why. Simply swapping out elements until something hits is not efficient. Look at your customer base and develop a hypothesis regarding what could increase your conversion rate. Be very specific about the audience you are addressing and what would appeal to them. The clearer your starting hypothesis, the better information you can extract from testing.
While formulating your hypothesis, make sure the information is coming from your site, your customers, and your experience. While research can be helpful, changing your approach to match someone else’s is not advisable. Even if a particular tactic works well for another company, it does not mean it is right for you. CRO is not a mold to fill; you can tailor this flexible system to your needs.
Time, Energy, Patience
Conversion rate optimization is a growing science. Although it can be daunting, most companies find it worth the investment. The chart below demonstrates the difficulty versus benefit of optimizing.
Source: Wheelhousedmg
As you search for your perfect formula, remember these don’ts and their corresponding dos. Think in the long-term, and invest in a loyal customer base. Be patient with the process, as it may take some time. Going through the steps in the best possible way will lead toward much greater return down the line. Keep your eye on all of the details as you move forward with testing. This ensures you collect good information, and use it to your best ability. With solid and forward-thinking processes, you’ll quickly be on your way to optimization.
Good points mentioned here, Stephen.
I agree that far too much attention is placed on growing a list size and not enough on connecting with the people who’ve subscribed to your email list.
Appreciate your tip not to worry about social media following size but to focus on engagement instead.
Twitter is becoming so automated -bots are doing the social work for humans.
It’s not good for conversions or forming positive impressions.
~Keri
Hi Kery,
Following size is not something we should actually look for or think of while devising our marketing strategies. It can be a way to suggest that people are often visiting us or wanting to read about us. But more than that, if we can focus on real engagement, only then we will be able to focus rightly on knowing our audience. So I would prefer fan engagement and not fan following.
Hey Stephen,
Blogging isn’t an overnight thing. People need to have the patience and work with their full energy. I have seen many people getting failed just because of the lack of patience.
The CRO can be increased by adding some value to the content of your blog. Make sure that you have a baseline which can attract your readers.
You have added some great points here.
Thanks for sharing with us.
~Ravi
Hi Ravi,
Thanks for liking the post. And yes, patience is the key. You do the right work the right way, and you are sure to win. And also, one strong baseline is needed to build the work on. It’s a much needed strategy.
Thanks for this awesome writing. I have a question. Please make me grateful giving proper advice to overcome this. I usually work on my blog at least 10 hours per day but why I can’t get proper traffic? I’ve performed a lot of ways of SEO like Blog commenting, Web 2.0 link building, Directory submission, Guestbook posting etc. But yet I’ve seen a positive result. Of course, I’ve used “White hat SEO” method while performing SEO. Although, I’m ignoring by Google. Why? Will I need to make long my working period than before?
I am eagerly waiting for your kind reply.
Thanks
Sadhan Pal
Hi Sadhan,
Thanks for your reply and your anxiousness to know why you are not able to attract the audience to your blog post despite spending several hours on it. There can be many reasons for not getting enough traffic to your site. It could be type of your content, its freshness, your social media strategy, your site could be slow, etc. Try to find out the reasons for it.
You can also use keywords with high or medium competition in your content, especially in the headlines, create sharable content, link well both externally and internally. I hope some of these things might help you gain good traffic to your blog.
I’m searching new ideas containing article like this cause I’m getting failed to get a few traffic for my blog although I work every day on it and it has been going for six months. I think this article will help me to achieve my goal.
Thanks
Sadhan Pal
Hi Sadhan,
I am glad you can pick some of the tips mentioned in the post. I am sure you will achieve your goal. Keep writing and do not panic for ifs and buts, and also for not generating enough traffic. All the best in your endeavor!
Hello Stephen,
Good points made throughout this article!
It’s always amazed me when I’ve seen these huge Twitter followings, yet the level of engagement is unbelievably low. A sure sign that they’ve bought a load of bot followers. Such a short-sighted strategy, that’s almost guaranteed to hurt your long-term credibility.
While teaching the slow and steady approach, one that advocates making real connections over focusing on numbers, may not be what people want to hear, it’s what actually works. Just like anything else in life, quality and craftsmanship completely outshines shoddy and quick. I believe there’s a palpable energy that people can feel, subtle or not, when someone is pulling the wool over their eyes by using crappy techniques and janky sale’s tactics.
I mean seriously, it might work for a day or so but once people catch on, you’ve completely shot all of your credibility. Then there’s how the person feels who engages in short-sighted marketing. Does that really feel good? I think the person is harming them self in the process. It’s just not good business all around.
I really appreciated the section about analyzing the data, optimizing a website beyond visual appeal, and being patient while watching results.
Real connections, real engagement, real buzz, slow and steady but always up and up!
Thanks for a great article!
Sean Carey
Hi Sean,
Great comment I must say! Thanks for the same and I am glad that you found my article helpful. I liked the three points that you have mentioned – real connections, real engagement and real buzz. I think, this sums up the strategy to use CRO and make it successful. Of course other factors like analyzing data in right manner, and optimizing your site the best way, and holding yourself for the best results come along to make your CRO a success.
Thanks and keep writing.
Hi Sean,
You are right. Big Twitter followers, little engagement is a sign they bought it. But you know the funny aspect, they will still call themselves social media strategist. What an irony! Anybody can buy followers. But only a social media strategist can build loyal fans that will convert to customers.
Emenike Emmanuel
Hey Stephen,
We know very well content marketing plays a crucial role in conversion rate optimization it is considered as traffic booster but it will possible when our almost every things are well placed then we can expect thrive in sales and leads. Today, conversion rate optimization is considered as complicated mechanism due to mixture of design, copy, website’s trust and many more factors that most marketers overlook. CRO really requires patience to achieve goals. Eventually, thanks for adding much significant facts regarding this topic.
With best wishes,
Amar kumar
Hi Amar,
Thanks for liking my post. CRO tactics are a great booster but if your site is ready for it. I know many of my friends who are marketers feel the same way, they say that if the overall site design and its experience do not sync with CRO or aren’t in favor of it, it can be a waste of time and efforts, both.
Hi Stephen,
You nailed it. Patient is the ultimate. How it worked for Mr A might not be how it will work for Mr B. So if Mr B must profit online and someday be making millions of dollar selling his product, he must be patient to water the system and watch it grow.
I pity people that buy followers. They want to make it look like they have the social proof. But of what gain if those fake followers cannot buy from you? You see, at the end he will lose. It’s better to have longterm plan and goal like you suggested than trying to hit it at the flip of rgw finger.
On my personal experience , I have discovered that the more your readers know about you, the easier it is for them to convert to customers. The rate will double if you have some level of emotional investment in them.
Thanks for sharing.
Hi Emenike,
Thank you so much for liking my post and sharing your views. Engaging with the community is extremely important for an extensive social media presence. Merely chasing follower counts cannot assure success for your brand. You need to find a formula that can help you establish real connections with your followers and influence them to buy your products and services. As you said, emotional investment is one such tool that can surely and effectively spread your brand to your followers and help grow your business.
Great post about social media marketing, I really like the size focusing concept. All your marketing concepts in social media marketing were excellent. Social media engagement is a good real time engagement. And the major thing needed for this is to have the patience. Patience will surely make us to reach our goal. All these strategies have provided me a stable baseline. Real engagement and real patience will surely get me reach my goal.
Hi Sathish,
Thanks for liking my post. I am glad you could pick up some useful points. Real time management on social media indeed pays well. Many delight in fake engagement and fall in wrong traps as this cannot generate real connections. Also, it harms in the long run. Those who have decided not to rely on fake connections and false engagements, would never believe in the brand, how much so ever one lures them. This is because when users connect, they do not connect with brand, they connect with people. Second, of course patience is the key. Build the trust, engage often with your audience and get the right returns.
Great piece Stephen!
Quick rush to salvage for tanking sales and ending up with long term damaging CRO strategies – I totally relate. Growing the short term numbers may not be the ideal of ways.
However, unless the strategy is muscled up with a loud horn on quality delivery, then there’s a small chance it could result in a win.
Keep writing!
Hi Demas,
Thank you so much! Right strategies require quality delivery, substance in the service. Something which is damaging CRO leads nowhere. In fact, there are greater chances to lose your precious audience. I am sure those who have suffered due to lack of proper and real engagement with their audience must have realized this by now. It’s no easy game to get engaged with your audience and build the trust in them, we can feel that in our daily lives too. It takes time, requires a great deal of patience and efforts in the right direction.
Hello Stephen, I felt good to read your post as it’s very informative and helpful. This is the perfect guide to optimize conversion rate without wasting time.
Hi Sonal,
Thank you for liking my post! I am glad that you found it useful and could pick up a few points to take care of while optimizing conversion rate. I am sure we all must have read about some common mistakes and learnt from them, but sometimes it seems difficult to see positive results in limited time period. It’s not advisable to leave things to improve with time. However, if we can really take some concrete and genuine steps to climb the ladder, we can certainly get the results in wanted time period. A mix of website design, web content and how one handles other things related to website matters a lot. For e.g. if your site is slow, and there is even a one second delay in page loading, you can lose much. And if you aren’t aware about it, it’s all the worse. My final words would be to gear up and avoid common mistakes.