Tips for Improving Sales Page Conversions

The main goal of a sales page is to sell, period. This is why it can be so distressing when a page isn’t converting as you expected, or at all. The worst thing is that so many factors can be at cause here; it could have something to do with the length of the sales page itself, or because you didn’t use the right terms and formatting to catch your audience’s attention. Then you have cases when the page is not even the reason why it isn’t converting, but the type of traffic that is sent to it. This is why improving conversion rates can often be easier said than done. Here are a few tips that could help you improve sales page conversions on your website.

Have Clear Goals for Your Campaign

This may sound obvious, but you’d be surprised at how many landing pages either have too few or too many calls to action. Many will have tons of different offers that end up confusing people and lose sight of the conversion aspect. The goal here should be to have your customers focus on one offer and one offer only whenever possible.

One great example of that is Forms on Fire’s landing page. They’ve created a clear page that explains exactly what they do, always highlighting the benefits of their software. They make it easy for people to try their product and make the call to action clear and concise without being too forceful. This is what you should be looking for when building pages.

Make Sure Your Headlines are Clear and Concise

You want to make your headlines as simple and straight to the point as possible. Take Inspeclet, for instance. You know exactly what they’re about, and the kind of solutions they offer, even if the headline is less than 20 words. You have to make sure that your headline is short and bold, and that it explains how you can solve your audience’s problems.

Make Sure that the Flow of Text is Compelling

You’ve probably noticed how many sales pages use a combination of short and long phrases, quirky punctuations, and big header text. This is all to keep the readers’ attention and keep them interested.

You might be surprised to hear this, but people don’t really “read” content online; they’d rather skim it and get right to the meat. As a matter of fact, one Nielsen study found that readers not only tend to scan pages to get information but do it in specific patterns. Learning these patterns and how to fill them with concise, eye-grabbing content will be key in keeping your readers glued to the page and hopefully cause them to opt-in.

Use the Power of Social Proof

One of the easiest ways to get higher conversions is through reviews and testimonials. There’s something about social proof that draws customers in and gives your brand authority. Logos can also be used for that purpose, as long as you’ve actually done business with the companies they represent.

However, don’t assume that just any testimonial will do. You want something that will be detailed and explains exactly what kind of problem they had and how you were able to solve it. Having clear metrics could also help. In addition, always make sure that the full name of the person and who they work for can be seen.

Simplify Your Online Forms

The forms you use will also make a big difference in your conversion rates. If you overcomplicate them or make them too intrusive, you might end up discouraging people. You also don’t want to make it too complicated for them to verify their information.

If you notice high abandonment, it’s probably because there’s something holding your audience back, so try to see if there are ways that you can streamline it. For instance, there is absolutely no need for you to ask them both for their first and last name separately. Just asking for their full name should do. You also don’t need to ask for their home, work, and business number either.

Some people will decide whether they’re going to buy or not just by looking at the length of the form. They will also start skimming what is asked of them. Some will be wary the minute they see credit card information being asked. You could leave this to the last step after everything has been verified and you have had time to legitimize yourself.

Also, note that it doesn’t matter if fields are optional or not. More fields will usually translate to lower conversions, so that’s something you’ll always have to consider.

Improving sales page conversions really has to do with monitoring your efforts and constantly trying to find ways to improve user experience. You also have to make sure that your message remains consistent and focused so that your audience can stay focused as well.