Having a website for your business is crucial. But it’s a waste of time, money, and effort if your website doesn't help visitors convert into customers.

So how exactly do you maximize your online presence? By focusing on creating a website that not only attracts people but also converts them into loyal customers. 

Across all industries, a website’s average conversion rate is 2.35%. Best-performing websites typically have a conversion rate of 11%. You may wonder: what makes these sites perform well? 

In this blog post, we'll cover the essential elements that make websites more effective at converting visitors into customers. Whether you're creating a new website or looking to improve an existing one, these tips are guaranteed to help you. Consequently, you can achieve better conversions and overall success.

Why websites that convert are crucial for success

A solid online presence is crucial for any business that wants to succeed. However, having a website isn't enough. Your website needs to be designed, written, and optimized effectively. This way, it encourages website visitors to convert into customers. 

A website that converts effectively guides visitors toward a desired action, such as making a purchase, filling out a form, or calling your business. When your website is designed with conversion in mind, you increase the chances of turning visitors into customers. This is especially important for businesses that rely on their website to generate leads or sales. But even companies that operate primarily offline can benefit from improving their website's conversion rate optimization.

Creating a website that converts can be a challenging task. It requires a multifaceted approach. You need to consider everything from user experience to website copy to calls to action. Focus on each of these areas. Once you do, you get a website that’s optimized to encourage visitors to take action. 

Let’s dive deeper into each of these areas in the next sections. Whether you're a small business owner or a marketing professional, our strategies can help you create a website that drives results.

User-friendly design: how to make a high-converting website easy to use

User-friendly design is an important aspect of website creation. It can set the foundation for a website that converts and ultimately leads to success. Here’s how to make your website more user-friendly.

Intuitive navigation

A user-friendly design involves making the website easy to navigate and understand for visitors. If your website's homepage is poorly designed, it can quickly frustrate potential customers and drive them away.

Organize the website’s content in a way that makes sense to visitors, offers a clear path to information, and makes it easy to take action. This includes organizing pages in a hierarchy that makes sense, using clear headings and subheadings, and including a site map or intuitive navigation menu that makes it easy to find information quickly. Additionally, using visual aids like images and diagrams in the right places can help to break up large blocks of text and make the content more manageable for visitors.

Fast page load times

A user-friendly website is one with a fast page load. If a website takes too long to load? Then potential customers may leave before even seeing what the site has to offer. You can have a fast-loading website by reducing the size of high-quality images and videos, using compressed files, and optimizing the website code.

Attractive web design

A clean, attractive web design with a clear color scheme can increase website usability. Use colors that complement each other and a font that is easy to read. With these elements, visitors are more likely to engage with the content. Additionally, you can use buttons and other visual cues. These can help visitors find what they’re looking for and take action. 

Compelling copy: crafting content that converts visitors into customers

Crafting compelling copy is an essential component of creating website pages that convert visitors into customers. Here are some examples of best practices to follow.

Know your target audience

First, you must understand your audience's needs, motivations, and pain points. With this information, you can tailor your messaging. You’ll be able to resonate with your target audience and address their concerns.

Write attention-grabbing headlines

To grab visitors' attention, start with a clear and engaging headline. It should communicate a clear value proposition of your product or service. From there, your content should be scannable. It should have short paragraphs, bullet points, and subheadings. All these help break up the text and make it easier to digest.

Offer a clear value proposition

Your content should demonstrate the benefits of your product or service. It should also show how your offerings can solve your audience's problems. Use clear and simple language, avoiding jargon or overly technical terms that may be confusing.

Create call-to-action buttons

Be sure to include calls to action throughout your content that guide visitors toward taking the next step. By making your calls to action clear and easy to follow, you can increase the chances that visitors will convert into customers.

Effective calls to action: encouraging visitors to take action

Calls to action are an integral part of any website that aims to drive conversions. They are essentially the prompts that encourage visitors to take a particular action. For instance, you may want them to sign up for a newsletter, download an ebook, or make a purchase. 

Looking for a great example of how to create call-to-action buttons that draw attention? Follow some of our tips below.

Place them somewhere prominent

Your calls to action must be clearly visible and prominent on your website. This means using contrasting colors and bold fonts and placing them strategically on the page where they are easily noticeable. You should also be specific with the wording of your call to action. Make sure it’s clear, concise, and action-oriented.

Make them urgent

Another important aspect of effective calls to action is to create a sense of urgency or scarcity. You can achieve this by using phrases such as "Limited Time Offer" or "Only X Items Left in Stock." This can help create a sense of urgency. And so your visitors are more likely to take action before it's too late.

Test and optimize

It's also crucial to test and optimize your calls to action regularly. This means experimenting with different colors, wording, placement, and even the shape and size of your call to action button. By testing different variations, you can determine what works best for your audience and continue to refine and improve your website's conversion rate.

Social proof: building trust with your audience

Social proof is a powerful tool. It builds trust and credibility with your audience. It’s essential for visitors to see that others have had a positive experience with your business or product. With social proof, they’re more likely to feel confident in making a purchase. This is why it’s important to showcase customer testimonials or reviews on your website. You can also display any press or media features your business has received to further establish your credibility.

Another way to utilize social proof is by displaying your social media followers or engagement numbers. When visitors see that your business has a large and engaged following, they are more likely to trust your brand. The greater the trust, the more they’ll consider purchasing from you. You can also showcase any partnerships or collaborations with other reputable brands or influencers to establish your business as a trusted authority in your industry.

To further increase social proof, you can consider implementing a referral or rewards program as well. These programs incentivize existing customers to refer their friends and family to your business, which not only brings in new customers but also increases social proof. When visitors see that others have referred their friends, they are more likely to trust your brand and buy from you.

Optimization: how to continuously improve your website's conversion rate

After implementing a user-friendly design, compelling copy, and effective calls to action, you should not stop optimizing your website. Optimization is a process of continuous improvement aimed at increasing the website's conversion rate. Even a small improvement in website conversion rate can lead to significant business growth. Therefore, it's crucial to measure your website's performance and continuously make improvements.

The first step is analyzing your website's performance using tools like Google Analytics. You can measure your website's conversion rate, bounce rate, exit rate, and other important metrics. Analyzing this data is vital. Why? This helps you know what's working or not on your website. Using this information, you can make data-driven decisions to improve your website's conversion rate.

Start testing different elements on your website to see what works best. A/B testing is a popular method for testing different variations of a website. You can test different headlines, images, calls to action, and other elements to see which version performs better. By testing different variations, you can adjust your strategy and encourage visitors to convert into loyal customers.

You should also optimize your website for different devices and screen sizes. Many people use their smartphones to browse the web. That’s why it's crucial to have a mobile-friendly website and mobile-responsive pages. A responsive website can automatically adjust your site's layout and content to fit different screen sizes. By making your website accessible on different devices, you can increase your reach and boost conversions.

Create a high-converting website and landing pages

Need help improving and scaling your business? B12 is the all-in-one platform that enables you to look professional online and reach new clients. Launch an online presence in 30 days or less that includes scheduling, payments, email marketing, and more. 

With B12's intuitive website editor and expert web designers, you can create a top-performing website, landing pages, and emails optimized for mobile devices and SEO. This helps boost your visibility and improve your rates of conversion, for overall business growth. 

Get started for free.