Conversion: The Forgotten Factor in SEO Success
10:03, Monday, 21 March 2011
We've all, it would seem, had some exposure to the varying messages about what makes for a successful SEO campaign. The less-informed would cite traffic as the goal. The slightly more savvy would look at "stickiness" metrics, such as bounce rate, average page views per visit, and overall time on site. But let's face it; there's only one reason why anyone embarks on any marketing journey ... conversions.
For many; especially those with an ecommerce site, this is a very simple process. Search traffic that results in a sale means success for your search efforts. The next step would be to repeat, and expand the search terms for which you're attracting traffic (that then converts, too).
But if you already enjoy a healthy number of visitors to your site, coming from search engines, how can you improve the proportion that make a purchase. The answer is "Conversion Rate Optimisation".
The practice is simple; offer your visitors a number of differing versions of your pages, and test them to see which converts best. You'll need some web design and development help, but the results have the potential to transform your bottom line, and make your website a far-more effective marketing tool. Here are some things you can work on, to improve your chances of converting visitors into customers:
- Headlines and sub-headers (content and placement)
- Page layout and design
- Placement, colour and content of Calls to Action
- Contact details
- Testimonials and Case Studies
- Special Offers
- Form design and layout
Google offers its Conversion Optimizer to Adwords customers, and acts as a good guide on how to improve your end-to-end offering. The important thing is to continually improve your chances of making a sale. Review the tips above, and see the effects it can make to your online success.
Tags: seo,conversion rate optimisation