How do I fix my bad conversion rates?
That is potentially a misleading question. A conversion rate, alone, tells you nothing and may not even signify a problem! Still, bad conversion rates are on everyone’s minds, particularly after a brand or new product is launched or new marketing funnel is started. The truth is simple: we DO want ALL of our target audience to take a desired action, whether it’s open an email, visit a landing page, opt-in with contact information, or, ultimately, PURCHASE! But don’t be led astray by focusing on bad conversion rates. Instead, identify and understand the variables that can affect whether a consumer takes your desired call-to-action. Only then can you explore whether corrective measures are needed and, more importantly, where to address your attention.
This is part one of a two part article. This week, we’ll focus on factors that can impact your call to action. Next week, we’ll explore some things you can do to help identify where you have room for improvement.
Ultimately, it’s not about changing bad conversion rates, but about getting as many members of your target audience to take the action you want them to take. How so? Because a low conversion rate doesn’t always mean fewer sales or actions:
Can you see the problem focusing solely on numbers? Would you rather have a 20% conversion rate? Or sell 300 purchases? This is why is important to consider everything that can impact conversions, so that you are focusing on the right solution.
42 things that impact conversion rates:
Technical:
01. Bad contact information: your emails are sent to dead inboxes.
02. Your email is flagged as spam and sent to junk mail.
03. Your landing pages don’t respond and resize on mobile devices.
04. Your funnel isn’t working because of software glitches.
05. Is your tracking software working properly?
06. Your funnel has the wrong links in the Call to Action.
07. Your funnel goes into a loop and doesn’t ever reach the desired action point.
08. The captcha / spam filter for your opt-in doesn’t work.
09. Your page load speed is too slow.
10. A spike in website visits or email blast (the graph above).
11. Did your overall conversion rate really drop, or did the source of traffic change?
12. Your copy doesn’t articulate the benefits and problems solved.
13. TOO MUCH COPY (and your audience gets bored).
14. You aren’t following your Brand Archetype with your copy.
15. Asking for the sale too soon.
16. Asking for a sale too frequently. Seriously consider whether you want a blog post that’s informative, or a sales pitch.
17. You’re inconsistent: you say one thing but show something else.
18. Your Call to Action isn’t clear.
19. Your opt-in asks for too much information too early.
Design:
20. You aren’t following your Brand Archetype with your images.
21. The design/layout of your landing page is cluttered and hard to follow.
22. Your images are too small and not detailed enough.
23. Your images are too large and copy gets lost when scrolling.
24. Your images aren’t high enough resolution.
25. Your font is wrong for your personality.
26. No video content.
Target Audience:
27. You have a new target audience, but your messaging hasn’t changed.
28. The wrong channel: your target audience is on Facebook and your brand isn’t.
29. Your upsell is too big of a jump.
30. Your target audience likes a test drive and you don’t offer a free trial.
31. Your target audience likes a money-back guarantee, and you don’t have one.
32. The offer doesn’t solve the problem: who needs a cashmere sweater in Ecuador?
33. Your price point is off.
34. Your target audience needs a bonus or incentive and you don’t have one.
35. There’s no sense of urgency that a client must act… NOW.
36. Your offer is “off season” like selling Easter candy at Christmas.
37. Your target audience has unanswered questions and there’s no option for an exploratory call.
38. You’re missing testimonials and your target audience needs them.
39. You’ve got the wrong testimonials.
Competitive Landscape:
40. Your competitors changed prices.
41. Your competitors launched a new product.
42. You have a new competitor.
Everything you do online can impact traffic, which will impact your conversion rate. But remember: don’t measure success purely by the numbers. Instead, ask yourself whether the call to action is fulfilling your goals? What might be influencing your call to action if it’s not moving in the direction you want?
Branding plays an important role in answering these questions. Many of these variables above are directly related to your messaging: the words and images that you use to tell a story, create a perception, or inspire a feeling in your target audience. The key is knowing how to break these down and identify where your branding efforts need a little tuning.
Next week, we’ll tackle some of these issues and offer suggestions and tips so you can worry less about bad conversion rates and more about how to keep those buyers satisfied!
