Let's do a conversion audit!
Quick-hit tips to convert site visitors to customers.
It’s important to review your site regularly and make sure it’s working as seamlessly as possible to convert visitors to customers. But, chances are you’re so used to looking at your own website that it can be really difficult to think of it from an outside perspective. That’s what makes conversion audits so challenging: you need to get out of your own brainspace and think like a (potential) customer, which requires a fresh perspective - and sometimes, a fresh set of eyes as well. Here are a few quick-hit tips on how to do that.
For starters: if you’re conducting your own conversion audit, go somewhere new so that you can (hopefully) shift your brain to a different space. If you normally work in your home office, move to a coffee shop! The goal here is to think (as much as possible) like someone who isn’t you - someone who’s just a teeny bit farther out from your brand. This is also a great time to enlist a friend, (very honest) family member, or an industry peer for their feedback. You need to stay as un-biased as possible in order to make your site as effective as it can be.
Once you’ve done that - onwards! Here are a few quick-hit tips for some of the main sections of your website.
Conversion tips: homepage 🏠
The two things customers need to know the moment they hit your homepage are:
What you’re selling and why they’d want it
How easy it is to buy your product
It’s really that simple. Your homepage can absolutely include more information than that, but you need to make sure that those two things are the first things a new visitor can find: so they need to be above the fold, ideally in your hero section.
Let’s look at an example of a site that’s doing this well:
Even if you aren’t familiar with Psychic Outlaw’s brand, you can immediately tell that they sell Quilt Coats, and that your options are to shop custom-made or readymade. There are easy-to-find buttons taking you to both of those options, so as a potential customer, your next step is incredibly clear: what type of quilt coat do you want? That’s the link you click. (And the gorgeous imagery certainly helps - after seeing that photo, don’t you want a quilt coat?)
By contrast, Ulla Johnson’s homepage (while gorgeous!) isn’t totally clear for a first-time visitor - what’s being sold? How do I click into product? (Ulla team: make your hero image clickable! Call me.) Obviously, this is a large brand, so they’re likely able to surpass these issues because of name recognition. But if you’re running a smaller brand or just starting out, you need to make things as easy and seamless for your visitors as possible.
Conversion tips: main menu 📋
Your site’s main menu is super-important to optimize because it’s visible from every single page, and it’ll largely dictate your customers’ browsing experience. You want to make sure the main menu is five items or fewer (don’t freak out - you can use subcategories or dropdowns!) and makes it immediately clear what your brand sells and how to access it.
Remember to use product language that your customers will understand: maybe you’re a shoe brand who calls a certain category “Mules,” but does every shopper know what that means? Best to say “Shop Heels.”
Starface is (as usual) killing it on their site design in this regard - their main menu is only shoppable links (including photos!), making it super clear what their product assortment contains. If you need to access anything else (like the FAQ), you can, but those links are minimized enough not to draw attention away:
By contrast, Psychic Outlaw could use a bit of improvement on their menu design: they are making use of dropdowns (which I recommend!), but the overall effect is super busy, with TONS of options and a menu that stretches past the fold on desktop - not ideal:
Menu design is an area where it can be super helpful to have an outside eye. As a brand owner, you likely want to showcase everything all at once, which is awesome - but you also don’t want to overwhelm potential buyers. Sometimes designing something simple and impactful takes the most effort. (Psychic Outlaw, I love you! Call me.)
Conversion tips: product pages 💄
If your homepage starts the task of convincing visitors why they want to buy, your product page needs to finish the job. This is arguably the most critical page design on your entire job, and your entire objective here should be to remove (or alleviate) any customer objections, provide proof as to why your product is worth it, and make it as simple as possible to complete checkout.
Let’s look at our friend Glossier, whose product pages are Queen of Good UX Design in this regard:
Whew. They have it all! Check out these details:
Simple, graphic icons displaying product attributes: “Top Rated,” “Cruelty Free”
Easy-to-access customer reviews (this is the type of social proof you’re looking for to help overcome new customer objections!)
Super simple but impactful copy explaining what the product is and what makes it special (AKA why you want it)
Page design that incorporates a ton of info without being overwhelming
This is your gold standard. I’m not going to leave you with a bad example of a product page - we’re ending on a high note. Go forth, tweak those websites and prosper.
There is so much more to explore when it comes to conversion audits. Have any questions? Want a deeper dive on any of these sections? Hit the reply button and reach out!
Want to learn more? Interested in working together? Get in touch with me here.