One of the worst mistakes people make when thinking about their website is to think in terms of traffic. Are the rankings high? Are the numbers up?

That’s a lousy way to think, because it focuses on numbers, not conversions. Rankings and traffic mean zilch without conversions.

Conversion Rate Optimization 

Conversion rate optimization or CRO is the process of turning traffic into real money. Behind every website visitor is an actual person with a potential interest in your product or service. If you can get that person to convert, you win. If you fail, you lose. It’s just that simple.

Winning Conversion Rates

So, what’s the secret to better conversions? There’s no quick and easy Hamburger Helper to do the trick. There are, in fact, three broad areas in which you must concentrate your efforts to increase converts.

1. Web Design

Your website design has everything to do with conversions. Here’s what you should aim for.

• Clean and simple. Simplicity wins. Web surfers are moving quickly and clicking fast. If they see clutter, they’re gone. If they see clean simplicity, they’ll linger long enough to engage.
• Eye candy. Pictures are a precious part of your design arsenal. Not just any pictures will do. Stay away from unprofessional quality or stock photos. These will kill your site design and compromise trust.
• Good use of color. Color is an understated conversion tool. There are studies to back up the power of color. For example, a red link on a black background is far more likely to cause conversions than a blue link on a white background. Use color strategically in your site design.
• Intuitive and responsive layout. When considering the issue of layout, be sure to keep in mind the importance of responsive design. Not every visitor is using the same device.

2. Trust.

In order for an individual to convert, he or she must trust you. People trust sites that have high social credibility (Google plusses, or Facebook likes), good reviews, positive comments, and high-quality content. Remember, there’s a lot of scammers and jokers on the Internet. People are wary. Build their trust before you gain their allegiance.

3.  Engagement

If you engage your visitors, you’ve almost converted them. Both of the points above — design and trust — are part of the engagement. But it’s not the whole story. By engagement we mean that a visitor is hooked onto the page. There is something for them to do or to interact with. Maybe it’s a video, a compelling article, a bookmark-worthy page, or like or share buttons. There ought to be enough on-page interest to keep that visitor from being a bounce rate statistic.

When you unleash the power of your call to action, you’ve nearly guaranteed a conversion.

Conclusion

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We believe that SEO is the process of getting the right traffic to your site, which in turn gives you better conversions. The right people will convert.

You can work all you want for numbers. You can pay some big-shot SEO company for higher rankings. But you’re going to be disappointed until you learn that conversion optimization is the true path to success.

What sets Seattle SEO Consultant apart is that we blend SEO and CRO into one seamless operation. You’ll get both higher rankings and more conversions. Be sure to schedule a free consultation to learn how.  Stay connected with Seattle SEO on Facebook and Twitter for regular updates.