A quality website is an essential part of any successful business. That's why there are various metrics for website performance that need to be continuously monitored, and the conversion rate is one of the most important.
What is conversion rate and why is it important?
A conversion occurs when a visitor to your website takes a specific action in response to your call to action (CTA ) on your landing page. In other words, a conversion is the completion of the desired action that you have set as the goal of your marketing message to potential customers.
There are various types of actions that can be a response to a CTA:
newsletter subscription
downloading free materials from your website (e.g. e-books)
filling out a form or survey
purchasing a product or service
subscription renewal
free trial registration
event registration (e.g. webinar)
and others.
Conversion rate represents the percentage of website visitors who take the desired action, and is calculated by dividing the total number of visitors who took the targeted action by the number of users who were exposed to the call to action.
Now the question arises as to what is considered a high conversion rate. Research shows that the average conversion rate on the landing pages of the world's best websites is between 5.31% and 11.45%, while the general average is 2.35%, regardless of the sector. Therefore, a rate of 2-5% is already an indicator of success and is by no means bad, but it is always desirable to strive for an above-average percentage.
Conversions are extremely important because they are about turning ordinary website visitors into something far more meaningful for your business. Of course, purchasing a product or service is certainly the most desirable conversion, but it is also the most difficult to achieve. “Smaller” conversions, such as subscribing to a newsletter or registering for an event, are also very important, as they open up a sea of opportunities for further marketing campaigns.
Characteristics of websites with a high conversion rate
To maintain and even increase the number of conversions, successful businesses implement CRO – conversion rate optimization – on their websites . A good CRO strategy includes several steps and methods, such as A/B testing, landing page and call-to-action personalization, collecting user feedback, etc.
However, certain elements of the website itself are very important factors for the conversion rate and are worth paying attention to before investing in more advanced CRO methods. Below, we highlight 7 basic characteristics that every website with a high conversion rate has.
1. Responsive web design
Given the multitude of platforms and devices that users have at their disposal today, responsive web design is no longer a recommendation, but a rule. Responsiveness is one of the key criteria when it comes to the user experience on your website, and it is the main prerequisite for any type of conversion.
In fact, 93% of respondents to a HubSpot survey said they would lithuania phone number data abandon a website if it wasn't responsive. That's why it's so important to ensure a seamless online experience across all devices, browsers, and operating systems. Otherwise, you could lose the majority of your website visitors, leaving them with virtually no chance of converting into potential customers.
2. Easy website navigation
Easy website navigation is a guaranteed formula for success. Put yourself in the user's shoes and ask yourself whether you would trust a business whose website you can't navigate.
The fact is that almost two-thirds of users abandon websites that are difficult to navigate. Poor navigation means wasted time, uncertainty, and frustration for them, which leads to a bad image of your overall brand.
Therefore, make sure that your website navigation is clear, simple, and neat to avoid dissatisfied users and loss of visitors, and to increase the possibility of conversions.
A great example of good navigation, as well as other essential elements, is the website for Discord , a communication platform that is particularly popular among gamers.
Discord's homepage as an example of simple navigation, appropriate visuals, etc.Discord homepage
3. A prominent CTA button
The CTA button is one of the crucial factors in conversion. However, performing the desired action is essentially a response to that call to action, so the CTA button must be very striking and enticing. To maximize its effectiveness, pay attention to elements such as color, shape, position, and how you will formulate the call in general.
When it comes to color, red, green, and orange are generally the most effective. However, if these don't fit your website, just choose a color that will create enough contrast to stand out from the rest of the content.
Additionally, it is recommended that you position the CTA button so that it follows a natural reading sequence and is within reach of users at the end. In other words, it is best to place it on the right side or directly below the text about the product or service that the CTA refers to. This way, users won't have to wander around your page to take your desired action.