If you own a service-based business, you may not want the hassle of dealing with a website that you’re always afraid to break. But you do want to build a website that converts, which is why today we’re diving into how to increase website conversions in 5 easy steps.
IE 263: Increase Website Conversions in 5 Easy Steps with Samantha Mabe
Samantha Mabe is the owner of Lemon and the Sea, where she helps service-based business owners and coaches develop Squarespace websites that reflect their brand and help build their confidence in their website, which allows them to charge what they’re worth.
The #1 Tip for Increasing Website Conversions
There are many ways to increase website conversions, but when asked the number one tip she could share, Samantha said it’s knowing what you want your website visitor to do.
If someone comes to your website and doesn’t know what they should do, they won’t do anything.
And more so, if you aren’t clear on what you want your people to do, they certainly won’t know what to do.
As a service-based business owner or coach, your goal should be to have them click through to get on a sales call with you or consider investing in your program. If your offer is a product or low-ticket item, your goal should be to have them click the BUY button.
Your people need a way to get to know you before investing in a high-ticket item or service, so having a webinar or an opt-in that allows them more access to who you are and that gets them on your email list so that you can warm them up further is a worthy goal.
Know Who You Serve
Once you have your goal set for what your website visitor should do, you need to be sure your site tells those visitors who you serve and who might want to work with you. And alternately, who you are not going to be a good fit for.
You can do this simply in your headline, but you can go further in detail on your sales page, where you list out who will be a good fit for you and who won’t.
This benefits you and your prospective client; you because it saves you time not communicating with people who will never hire you and your client because they can feel confident when moving forward with you.
https://jennymelrose.com/growing-an-email-list-guide/
How to Use a Call-to-Action
To increase website conversions, you want to focus on your calls to action and use them in a strategic way.
That strategy is to have no more than one call-to-action per page.
This strategy goes back to the #1 tip: knowing what you want your visitors to do. If they need to get to know you better before buying your service or high-ticket offer, maybe you direct them to listen to your podcast or watch a webinar you have for them.
If your offer is a low-ticket service or a lower-priced product, your call-to-action might be to click the Buy button.
One thing to mention is that if you set your page up to reach someone at the beginning of their journey, they might need more touchpoints with you before buying, while someone who has more experience might want to go ahead and work with you.
That’s okay; they will find your sales page if they want to skip all the “getting to know you” jazz.
Make Buying Easy
A conversion is a sale, whether that’s having them sign up for your email list or buying a product or service. And to increase those conversions, you have to make it easy for your website visitor to purchase what you’re selling.
This means making the checkout process as easy as possible.
Samantha has clients who have a 4-step checkout process, and they always lose people along the way.
You want to require as little information as possible in as few steps as possible. The more you reduce the checkout friction, the more people complete the buying process.
Create an Alternative
There will be people who want to work with you, but for whatever reason, they can’t currently afford the service you offer, or they want more time to make a final decision.
For these people, you need to have an alternative, another way to engage with them and keep them warm, so that when they are ready to invest, you are top of mind for them. This can be as simple as getting them on your email list.
I have personally had people on my email list for over five years who have recently purchased my services. Don’t rush the people who haven’t bought; give them time to get to know you. They might need to save the money to invest in your product or service.
How to Increase Email Conversions from Your Website
We all know that email lists are essential for any online business.
You’ve heard me say it a million times – you can’t build your business on rented property. You own your email list, and if social media platforms go down or you get banned for any reason, you still have your list.
Samantha sets her email opt-in on the home page of the websites she builds. She likes to use colorful images and backgrounds that grab the reader’s attention.
The opt-in should detail what the reader will learn or receive when signing up.
One great way to send people to that opt-in is by including it in a blog post. If you stick it in the middle of a relevant post, the person who isn’t quite ready to invest can still keep up with you and learn more about you.
How to Create a Great “About” Page
If someone visits your website, chances are they will click on your “About” page. Our readers want to know who we are and what we are about, along with what we offer and how we can help them.
Your “About” page should relate your story to your ideal reader’s story, and it should show them what the transformation they’re hoping for will look like and how you will help them reach it.
Samantha recommends sharing the mission behind what you do in your headline, if at all possible.
Include a headshot and a short bio. If someone is going to purchase from you, they want to know who you are and something about you. But don’t make the page all about you.
You should focus on the people you work with, the places you’ve shown up (testimonials, podcast episodes, guest posts, etc.) What you’re doing is choosing the parts of your journey that are relevant to the journey they’re on.
Your “About” page is not the place to share a ton of fun facts. Use social media for that.
Your “About” page is to connect with your ideal client and help them discover whether they want to work with you or buy what you offer.
*Samantha shared how to create the best testimonials on your website near the end of this episode. Be sure to listen to in to hear that! Testimonials are essential, so learn how to make them stand out on your site!
Samantha has a free resource called 5 Steps to Higher Conversions which walks you through 5 steps you can take in just 15 minutes to get your website updated for higher conversions.
This is the guide for you if you’re ready to take action and serve more people with your business.
Action Steps:
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