Have you heard the Henry Ford quote about the Model T? Ford famously said customers could have the car in any color “so long as it is black.” That may sound far too limiting based on the variety of options we’re used to, but there was some wisdom in it – the man sold 15 million Model Ts before all was said and done.

One choice may not be enough for today’s marketplace, but offer too many and you risk overwhelming your customer to the extent they don’t buy, click or take whatever action you want even if you have a sweet website design.

Increase Conversion Rate, Decrease Options Infographic Tale

If you look at the jam case study conducted in New York City, you’ll see it showed that increasing product choice four-fold did increase traffic to the jam tasting table but eliminating choices increased sales ten-fold.

Increased traffic is great, but what you really want are sales.

A highly targeted website will hone your traffic to relevant customers that are ready to buy.

The only traffic that matters is traffic that converts

Traffic that doesn’t convert is useless, no matter how much if it you generate. Now let’s consider what you’re asking from your potential customer. Every piece of information you demand also drives away customers. It overwhelms in the same way that offering too wide an array of product does. Reducing the fields that must be completed to request an appointment, get a callback, a free download or to make a purchase increases the likelihood that your target will seal the deal.

This goes for contact forms, sales transactions and any other digital interaction. While it’s optimal to get your potential customer’s full name, address, phone number, city, state, zip and email – if gathering all this information up-front sends your customer to a competitor, it’s not worth it. The key is to figure out the minimal information you need to complete the conversion or transaction.

The less you ask for, the more you’re likely to get

First name and email address is enough data, in most cases, to complete an early stage conversion and move that potential customer deeper into your sales funnel. This rationale is apt across your web pages and even in your online store. Simplifying menus, drop downs and pages to get your customer where they want to be faster without sifting through excessive screens is a savvy SEO strategy.

Essentially, you’re herding traffic from the page they land on through your site to the point of conversion. Every extra page, hyperlink, menu selection and other shiny trinkets you dangle will distract from the purpose. Have you seen the movie Up? The intelligent talking dogs are constantly distracted from their mission with every passing squirrel. Don’t be a squirrel farmer – be a closer.

Let us help you clarify your site to improve converions

Eliminating the “noise” from your website will optimize your conversion rate and your bottom line. To find out more about how your website can be fine tuned to bring in targeted traffic and then convert that traffic to transactions, contact the experts at Seattle SEO Consultant. We offer a free 30 minute site evaluation where we’ll show you the weak spots in your web presence and how we can help. Click here to schedule.