Troubleshooting Low Conversion Rates

Honestly, it can be hard to predict how well your landing page or web page is going to perform. But what do you do if you are struggling with low conversion rates?

Below are some common things to look at when you have a below average conversion rate and how you might be able to fix these issues and boost your conversions.

Your CTA Isn’t Obvious Enough

You’d be surprised how quickly someone will bounce from your page if they don’t have a clear path of action laid out for them.

People on the internet are browsing at a fast pace, and if they can’t find the “sign up” or “buy now” button, they will leave your landing page and click on another search result that’s going to give them an easier and more straightforward experience.

To fix this problem, make sure your CTA clearly indicates of what visitors should do and what will happen next. For example, with a button like “Click Here for a Free Demo,” visitors know exactly where to click (here) and what will happen next (free demo).

Make sure your CTA is a contrasting color so it sticks out visually on the page. Also, be sure that you place CTAs throughout your page, especially if is long so that there’s not an issue of having to find the button through endless scrolling.

Your Form is Too Long or Too Complicated

Some industries can’t avoid long forms with lots of information, but if your form is long, visitors should expect that.

For example, if you are offering a specific and personalized price quote, visitors will expect that you need more information about their project/situation. I’ve seen it many times where data shows visitors starting a form but abandoning it after too many questions, or questions that are difficult to answer.

To fix the problem, only ask for the bare minimum on your lead forms.

Do you really need their address at this point? Do you need to ask how they heard about you if you are running a remarketing campaign? These are the types of questions you need to be asking when choosing what form fields to include.

If you do need to collect a lot of information, try using a multi-step form that will break it up into easier to digest sections.

Your Page Isn’t Mobile Optimized

Most people out there know that they need to optimize their landing pages for mobile traffic, but for many people that simple means scaling everything to fit in a mobile menu. Although your page might be “mobile optimized”, it might not be truly optimized for the best mobile experience.

To fix things, think about your mobile audience and how they might interact with your page. Often times, “optimizing for mobile” means creating new content or layouts that better address your mobile visitors.

Don’t think you have to have the exact same content, CTAs, or sections on mobile as you do on desktop. For example, people are more inclined to give you a call when browsing on mobile then fill out a lengthy form.

Add click to call CTAs to your mobile page, reduce long sections of text, and think about how to put information in a place where visitors can easily interact with it on a mobile device.

Your Product/Service Isn’t Defined

I’ve seen too many landing pages that use clever (yet ambiguous) copy for their above-the-fold content. The problem is, you only have a few seconds to convince your visitor that you are the solution to their problem.

It’s a common misconception that landing page headlines should always be unique and tag-liney. For the sake of conversion, choose clear over clever.

To fix things, make sure you use your headline to clearly define your product or service and let visitors immediately know that they are in the right place. If your headline can apply to multiple products or industries, throw it out. Find a headline and value proposition that is specific to your businesses. You can also use imagery, screenshots, or video to help visually define your product and demonstrate its value.

Your Page is Overwhelming

Have you ever landed on a web page and thought “Where do I even start?” That page would be a great example of a landing page that is too overwhelming or overcrowded to the point that it hurts your conversion.

In this case, less is more.

A landing page’s purpose is to isolate specific information tailored to your audience. If there is too much info and too many options, visitors will leave your page in effort to find a friendlier user experience.

To fix things, define your audience and where they are coming from and use that information to come up with the content that they might need to convert, and nothing more. Try and avoid lengthy navigation options that lead to multiple different pages.

Chose one call-to-action (Get a free consultation, Learn More, sign up for emails, etc). You don’t want to make visitors feel conflicted about which action to take.

Lastly, white space is your friend, don’t feel like you need to crowd every inch of your page with content. Use visual cues of color and hierarchy to create a visual map that is easy for your visitors to navigate.

Conclusion

Low conversion rates can be a pain, but often, your conversion rate is low for a reason. So, if you’ve got a troublesome page, go through this article and check for some of these common problems.

Or, if you’d like, I’d be happy to take a look at your page and give you some feedback. Just let me know here or in the comments!

What common factors have you seen that lead to low conversion rates? Where do you start with a page that is converting poorly?