The purpose of your website is to produce traffic and conversions. It's not a beauty contest.

If you want to generate more leads and sales, we have some tips:

1. Leverage several forms of social proof in the right places

   
   

   The user will only reach out if your company seems credible and trustworthy.

   The best way to portray credibility and trust is through various forms of "social proof". This may include client testimonials, links to review platforms, logos of awards/certifications, impressive statistics about your company, etc.

   It's important to leverage as many different forms of social proof as possible, and it's also important to display them in the right spots.

   Display some form of social proof near the top of the page to create a positive first impression. Then, the visitor should continue to see additional forms of social proof throughout the page as they scroll (keeping credibility top of mind).

   Toward the bottom of the page, you should have a prominent "call-to-action" whether it's a contact form, appointment scheduler, product to purchase, etc. Be sure to include some form of social proof right next to that call-to-action to increase the odds of conversion.

   Bonus tip: when displaying client testimonials, if possible, be sure to use the person's full name and headshot so that it looks legitimate (people know that testimonials are easily faked).

   Another bonus tip: Don't display more than 4 testimonials at a time, and keep them under 30 words each. Focus on quality, not quantity. Display the most impactful statements and nothing else. Website users have short attention spans, and if you display too much, they'll get overwhelmed and they might miss the most impactful statements.
   
   

2. Make your calls-to-action noticeable, frequent & enticing

   
   Calls-to-action (CTAs) are at the core of conversion rate optimization - the process of maximizing the percentage of users who take action.

   CTAs are usually buttons that lead to conversion events, such as contact forms, online purchases, phone numbers, newsletter signups, and more.

   The choice of placement, styling, and messaging for your calls-to-action are critical.

   Here are 5 tips for your CTAs:

   1. Make them stand out by using a prominent color and sufficient font size.

   2. Don't use too many different CTAs. Focus the visitor's attention on 1 or 2 primary CTAs.

   3. Include a CTA in many sections throughout the website to keep it top-of-mind.

   4. Keep a CTA in the header and keep the header "fixed" as the user scrolls down the page, so that a CTA is always in sight.

   5. Avoid generic CTAs if possible. For example, instead of using "contact us" or "get in touch", you'll get more clicks and conversions by using specific and enticing CTAs like "get a quote" or "free consultation".

   
   

3. Create a clean, cohesive and modern design

   
   

   Crafting a professional design is achieved by paying attention to many small details.

   Here are some of the most important tactics for creating a design that converts:

   1. Use sufficient spacing throughout. Don't be afraid to make your page "long" with a lot of scrolling. Users are already accustomed to scrolling through long pages, and it's much better than cramming the information close together. Having adequate spacing between all elements makes it easier to digest the information and prevents the user from getting overwhelmed. To combat the "long page" perception, you can always make the header of your website stick to the top of the page so that the user can easily access the menu at any point. It's also important to use consistent amounts of spacing. Everything should appear balanced and aligned, creating a sense of symmetry.

   2. Use appropriate font sizes. Body text should be about 16-20px, secondary headings should be about 25-35px, and primary headings should be about 40-75px. These numbers aren't strict rules and they might vary, but it's vital to ensure that your text has a clear hierarchy and that it's large enough for almost anyone to read without straining their eyes or getting overwhelmed by the density of the information.

   3. Pick 1 primary color and 0-2 accent colors. Don't use too many different colors, or else your design will look sloppy and unprofessional. Research the meaning of different colors to ensure that they align with your brand, and use complimentary colors that look good together. To learn more about color theory, pairings, etc, we recommend browsing Canva's color hub.

   4. Use images that have a consistent theme and that match or compliment your color palette. Also, avoid using cringy stock images. If you're using stock images, be sure to spend a lot of time searching for ones that are relevant, on theme, engaging, and simply not cringe. Lastly, ensure that all of your images have great resolution quality. If any of your images are remotely blurry, we recommend finding a different image or using an AI image enhancement tool such as Cutout Pro.

   5. Make all written content an appropriate length and structure in order to make the design balanced, aligned, and symmetrical. For example, if there are 3 testimonials or service descriptions side by side in 1 row, make all of them the same length to keep the design clean and professional. Also, don't forget to keep all paragraphs short and split up the written content with design elements and sufficient spacing so that the user isn't overwhelmed.

   6. Pick a modern font that's clean and easy to read, such as Montserrat or Plus Jakarta Sans. Avoid using overly complex or "fancy" fonts like Marck Script or Audiowide. If you want to use a serif font (which adds small lines or "decorative strokes" to each letter), be sure to only use them for headings (never use them for body text) and pick an easily readable serif font such as Playfair Display. Lastly, stay away from fonts that have been overused in Word Docs and Google Docs, such as Arial, Times New Roman, or Calibri. They'll make your website appear too basic or outdated - find something more unique and modern, but still clean and easy to read!

   7. Optimize your website to look perfect on all devices, browsers and screen sizes. You can double check this by using Responsive Test Tool or any similar tool.

   
   
   

4. Keep it simple, prioritize the user experience, and don't go overboard with "unique" or "flashy" design concepts Many businesses are tempted to turn their website into some type of artistic masterpiece.

   
   

   Be careful.

   There's a reason why 99% of websites follow a similar structure. It's because users are already accustomed to certain types of layouts and functionalities. If you deviate too far from the norm, you'll overwhelm or confuse the user and they'll leave your website.

   Stay away from radically unique layouts, extravagant motion effects, sideways scrolling, intrusive popups, etc. There's a way to make your website elegant and unique without going overboard. You can create a WOW factor while still keeping the user experience simple and intuitive.
   
   

5. Write compelling copy

   
   

   Design is only half the battle. In order to optimize the conversion rate of your website, you need to write copy that motivates the user to take action.

   Follow these copywriting principles to engage the reader and get better results from your website:

   1. Write more about them and less about you

   2. Focus on the bottom-line benefits that the user will receive. Don't be generic. Get specific about how your company will improve their life.

   3. Avoid jargon and simplify your copy. Write as if you were speaking to a friend. Be approachable and make your copy easy to understand.

   4. Keep it short and to the point. Avoid long paragraphs and use spacing or design elements to break up the copy and make it more digestible.

   5. Invest in a professional copywriter if your budget allows.

   
   

6. Use the power of "testimonial videos" and/or "explainer videos"

   
   One of the best ways to boost credibility (and conversions) is to add a "testimonial video" to your website, where your customers talk about their positive experience. To see an example, check out our own testimonial video!

   Another great way to leverage video is to create an "explainer video". In many cases, it's more impactful to explain your company's value in a video instead of written content. There are 3 different types of explainer videos:

   1. Animated explainer videos (use graphics, motion effects, and a voiceover to help the person visualize how your company operates)

   2. People-based explainer videos (interview one or several of your team members and have them talk about your company's mission, benefits, processes, etc)

   3. A mix of both!

   You could also merge the "testimonial video" and the "explainer video" into the same video!

   This video should be placed prominently on your homepage and any other conversion-focused pages. You can also use this video on social media, paid advertising campaigns (such as YouTube Ads), proposals, etc.
   
   

7. Research your competitors

   
   

   While it's important to be creative and to stand out from the crowd with a unique website, it's also helpful to analyze your competitors to extract some of their best ideas and make improvements to them.

   If you have 5 key competitors, analyze each of their websites and take some of the best ideas from each website. Then, repurpose and enhance those ideas while mixing them in with your own fresh ideas.

   By the end of this process, you'll have a unique website that is clearly a step ahead of the competition. After all, the only way to ensure that you're better than the competition is to analyze them!
   
   

8. Optimize your website for Google (SEO)

   
   In this article, we've talked a lot about converting website visitors into leads and sales, but we haven't discussed how your website can get more traffic.

   There are plenty of ways to boost traffic to your website, but in most industries, the method that produces the highest long-term return on investment is search engine optimization (SEO).

   When you're building a new website, it's always best to consider the best practices of SEO from the very beginning. If you don't optimize your website for Google during the initial design and development process, you might need to make drastic changes to your website later on, increasing the overall cost and headache.

   The design of your website revolves around the written content, and the written content is based on the keyword research for SEO. Since everything is connected, it's important to get it right from the very beginning (even if you don't think that SEO is a big priority right now).

   SEO is an enormous undertaking with tons of factors to consider, but it can be broken down into 8 primary tasks that need to be addressed and optimized:

   1. Keyword research (relevance, user intent, traffic volume, competition levels)

   2. Competitor analysis (establish key indicators and benchmarks)

   3. On-page optimization (page types, content writing, keyword placement, keyword frequency, keyword synonyms, word count)

   4. Search Engine Results Page Optimization (page titles, meta descriptions, schema markup)

   5. Technical optimization (site speed, HTML tags, link optimization, redirects, ALT text, site architecture, mobile optimization, Google Search Console)

   6. Google Business Profile optimization (local SEO and Google maps)

   7. Ongoing content creation

   8. Backlink generation

   
   

9. Maximize site speed

   
   

   It goes without saying that having a slow website will significantly harm the conversion rate of your website. However, there is still a surprising amount of websites that load slowly today.

   IWhen a website loads slowly, the visitor gets frustrated and they leave. However, even once your website reaches an "acceptable" speed, don't stop there!

   If you truly maximize your site speed with lightning fast pages, it will subconsciously put your website visitors into a happier state of mind, and they'll be even more likely to convert.

   IOn top of that, site speed is an important ranking factor on Google. You'll be more likely to rank higher on Google if your site loads quickly!

   Assuming that your website is built on WordPress, here are 6 actionable tips that will allow your website to load as fast as possible:

   1. Use a high-quality hosting provider like Cloudways

   2. Use a CDN like Cloudflare

   3. Use a caching plugin like WP Rocket

   4. Use an image optimization plugin like Imagify

   5. Use a lightweight theme like Hello Elementor

   6. Keep your number of plugins to a minimum and do research on every plugin to make sure that it won't have a negative impact on site speed.

   
   

10. Always be testing

    
    

    Maximize your conversion rate and SEO rankings by continuously running split tests (also known as A/B tests). This allows you to collect data for different versions of the same page. From there, you can pivot and make changes based on the results.

    Let's start with the conversion rate. Before running split tests to maximize the conversion rate of a page, make sure that the page is already receiving over 1,000 unique visitors per month. If it isn't, it's better to invest your time and money into driving more traffic to that page - whether it's through SEO, paid advertising, or other digital marketing channels.

    Following steps 1-9 of this article should allow your page to have a sufficiently strong conversion rate. In most cases, split testing only slightly increases the conversion rate. So it's only worth the investment if the page has significant traffic.

    IHere's how to effectively optimize the conversion rate with split testing:

    1. Create multiple versions of a page, isolating for only 1 variable. For example, you can change a headline, swap an image, move social proof to a different spot, change the call-to-action, adjust the color of a button, rearrange the order of the sections, etc. But only test 1 thing at a time so that you know what's affecting the conversion rate.

    2. Set these test pages to "no index" so that they don't show up on Google and make these pages "hidden" by creating separate URLs that aren't accessible from anywhere else on your website. The only way to access the page should be through the direct URL, which will only be linked to Google Ads for testing purposes. However, one of the test pages should be the existing page that's already active and accessible on your website. You don't need to duplicate and create a separate URL for the active page - Google Ads is able to isolate the test data for that.

    3. We recommend testing with Google Ads because it allows you to test the different versions simultaneously, which prevents the data from being skewed by seasonal differences. It also allows you to target the exact same audience, as the pages will only show up when certain keywords are searched (and Google will equally rotate the page that gets displayed).

    4. For sufficient data, you need to generate at least 1,000 unique visitors to each version through the Google Ads. This will incur a cost from Google Ads, which is why it's not worth investing in split testing until the active page is already getting over 1,000 unique visitors on a regular basis.

    5. Track the results in the Google Ads dashboard (be sure to set up conversion tracking). When you find a winning version, make it the active version that's accessible on your website. Keep testing different variables until you've reached a point of diminishing returns for that page, and then focus on a different page. You can also test several pages simultaneously if your budget allows.

    When testing SEO, you don't have the luxury of testing simultaneously. It's a matter of checking the SEO results through Google Search Console, making changes to the page, and then seeing if the results improve a few months after making the changes (it takes time for Google's algorithm to catch up). Keep track of the adjustments you're making and keep an eye on your rankings to see if you're heading in the right direction.

    Are you looking to partner with an agency that will handle everything for you?

    At SkyQ Digital, we create award-winning websites that drive revenue. Get a proposal today 🚀