Does your website generate sales? I mean – lots of sales? According to EY, in 2017 94% of consumers research products and services online. So with that in mind, if you are like most businesses, you really should be getting more sales. And if your website is not converting into sales, even if it looks pretty, then frankly it is pointless.
Two of the biggest website sales thieves are: prioritising creativity over reason, and making yourself the audience.
We have become so wrapped up in trying to be the Steven Spielberg of websites that we are putting creativity in front of reason. Creativity is fine—this is not about bashing it, but it must have reason. ‘Must’ should be bolded, underlined, italicised and in a different colour for emphasis!
The other major danger is that we are marketing to ourselves. This is a particular sin of business owners who are in love with their products or services so much that they think everyone will see it with the rose tinted glasses that they do. So they create marketing campaigns that only they will like and then scratch their heads wondering why no sales have come through.
Your core audience may not have the same thoughts and likes that you do, so for the love of all things good and proper, please do not simply create an amazing looking, colourful and flashy website because you think it is amazing and you think you are the audience.
Market specifically to your core audience and your sales will see an upturn, that’s a guarantee. We have seen a minimum 30 percent conversion on websites that we have created, because they were designed for the ideal customer. Here are five ideas to consider off the bat.
Colour
When it comes to choosing the colours for your website, don’t simply pick colours because they look good to you or because they are the same colours as your logo. Consider aesthetics, but more importantly, consider your audience and what colours may have an impact on them psychologically. Choosing the perfect colour is important as research shows us that people judge a product or service in just 90 seconds. In that small time frame, between 62 and 90 percent of that assessment is based on colour alone.
Attention
90 seconds to judge a product or service. That 90 seconds is vital. It’s almost impossible to get someone to purchase in 90 seconds. So your goal is not to make the sale in 90 seconds, but to extend that attention span. What are you doing on the website that is helping extend that time frame? Look at the homepage as a door, the equivalent of what a façade is to a brick-and-mortar store. You want to make people open that door and come in. A homepage has ‘regions of interest’ where consumers’ eyes automatically fall. Use these to your advantage and fill those regions with calls-to-action or interesting information.
Ease of use
We all know Apple for its iPhones, Macs and iPads which virtually sell themselves. But a large part of the success was attributed to the website design and how easy it made the path to purchase. How easy is it for visitors to act on your website? Everything on your website should be driving your visitors to do whatever it is you want them to do. If you want a certain behaviour from your audience, you need to tell them in the form of a clear call to action (CTA). For example, “shop now”, or “click here”. Without a clear CTA you’re just hoping that your audience will put the effort in to figure things out. Which, in most cases, they won’t. If you want your website to convert, you need your CTA to be front and centre, loud and clear.
Promotion
One massive reason why your website is not producing sales lies not with your website, but with your marketing plan. How are you attracting people to the website? There are a number of options you have to attract customers. The number one law of marketing is go where the eyeballs are. For example, Australians spend 40 more hours a week on social media than watching TV. Do your research, spend money on promotion on the right channels, trial and test to figure out what works for your business, and make sure that promotion has the right incentives to get consumers to ignore what they were doing and click through to your website.
Data
There is one thing that underpins these tips and almost every other tip around supercharging your website sales. And that is the ability to collect, read and act on data. Even small businesses should be gathering reams of useful information which will give key insights into what your customers want. Use that data to shape everything you do with your website. If you don’t know how to read, collect or act on data, bring in an expert. This is not an area you want to skimp on.
This all sounds basic enough, but poor website sales are one of the most common reasons clients come to us. And when done well it will literally transform your business.
About the author
Sabri Suby is the founder and Head of Growth at King Kong, a digital marketing agency that uses true ROI and only charges for success. Based in Melbourne, King Kong has clients across Australia and overseas. Its services include SEO, CRO, PPC, Facebook Advertising, web design and landing pages.
