What The Highest Converting Websites Do Differently

Let’s turn those window shoppers into buyers – and at a high rate.

Use conversion rate optimization to get the most of every dollar spent on PPC.

Hit the sweet spot for what persuades the greatest number of your visitors to take action.

My gut tells me the reason for this is MOST companies are too caught up in the “business as usual syndrome”, and they rarely take a second to stop and think about really focusing on conversion optimization.

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In this post, we’re going to go over what the high converting websites do differently. But before we get into the details, we want to highlight a few points to get you thinking first:

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You have 0-8 seconds to make a compelling headline and landing page. After 8 seconds, the majority of visitors leave.
Approximately 96% of visitors that come to your website are not ready to buy.

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The more landing pages you have, the more leads you are likely to get.
Product videos can increase purchases of the product by 144%.
A 1-second delay in your site speed can result in a 7% reduction in conversions.
A/B testing is becoming the preferred method that has brought a lot of companies the most success.

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1. They Make Their Unique Value Proposition(s) Clear
Visitors should clearly see on your homepage or landing page why they should do business with you and the benefits of doing so.

A great example of this is MailChimp:

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There are plenty of email service providers out there, so for a company like MailChimp it’s quite difficult to differentiate yourself from the pack. MailChimp made itself different by focusing on making email campaigns that make you money.

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If you think about it, what’s the point of informing customers via email?

You want them to follow through with their cart or shop with you again. MailChimp shows they can help your team turn emails into revenue and even automate the workflow along the way. It’s a win-win deal.

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Not to mention, if you have ever used their service – everything from campaign creation to sending out your emails is really simple and clear.

Another example is Helzberg Diamonds. They are a little more subtle about their USP, but they definitely address “Why you should buy from them.”

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For example, they state free shipping on orders over $99:
Certainly, having over 18,000 5-star reviews doesn’t hurt their conversion rate, either.

What are the reasons customers should buy from you? Is it a money-back guarantee? Free shipping? Find what yours are and make it clear.

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2. They Test Their Calls-to-Action
HubSpot did a study and reported personalized CTAs converted over 202% better than basic, multivariate, and smart CTAs. To get personal with users, meet them where they are in the funnel. Say you offer student loan financing, set up CTAs like this:

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Visitor CTA: 7 Helpful Tips on How to Deal with Student Loans
Lead CTA: Financing Consultation
These CTAs will be effective for converting leads and increasing your conversion rate overall.

As a great historical example, Mozilla increased downloads of their popular Firefox browser by having a stronger call-to-action. “Download Now – Free” performed better than “Try Firefox 3”. This makes the psychology of CTAs clear that Firefox was free and drew the reader to download the program.

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Instacart sees high conversion rates, with some estimates being around 70%. They make it really easy for customers who are in a hurry to buy groceries and other items – they can start by simply seeing their estimated delivery time if they order at that moment:

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Instacart eliminates any initial questions that the prospect may have. The prospect knows right away the answer to the question “can you get this to me by __?” They’re helping to overcome any obstacles to a purchase. See if you can do something like Instacart has done—answer one of your most popular questions in a clear, above-the-fold headline. If some obstacles to prospects purchasing from you are:

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“I don’t feel comfortable purchasing from a small company like yours” – then some ideas to help overcome this fear could be:

Include a behind-the-scenes video of your company and how your operations work.
Include a banner at the top with customer testimonials, each one showing for a few seconds.

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Give your unique value proposition right at the top. Tell how long you’ve been in business, how many orders you’ve shipped, customer satisfaction rate, etc.
How Do You Find Out What Questions Your Customers have?

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You should always be asking your customers questions to get their feedback. Understanding your customer’s pain points, confusion, and what they are really looking for can help you design a site that converts higher. Qualaroo is a tool that allows you to do just that:

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3. They Test Their Headlines
The headline can make or break your website, and possibly a sale. As mentioned in the intro, the first impression is formed quickly, and the headline is a big part of that impression. It’s important to follow a guide to A/B testing and see what resonates most with your visitors. There is no magic formula, but there are some good guidelines that you can follow.

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MOXĒ improved conversions by 30% by taking a personal approach. They reminded visitors how the smell of joy was something they deserved and made a short story with the line: 15 seconds of bliss anywhere you go.

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The key lesson from this is that it’s important to have a clear headline with an effective unique value proposition. “Enjoy your favorite blends anytime, anywhere” doesn’t tell of any benefit. They don’t give a reason why they should shop now. Consider adding “free trial” in your headline or try “Save __% and start [enter the benefit of your product here]”. The important thing is to test to see what works.

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CityCliq improved their conversions by making a clear headline that tells the user what they’ll get. First, the tested headlines:

Businesses grow faster online!
Online advertising that works!
Get found faster!

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Create a webpage for your business
This is the best headline because it’s clear and avoids any language that you may find in your spam folder. Be creative with your headlines and inform the visitor of what you do or the benefits of your product.

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4. They Tend To Have Short Forms
UX Conversion expert Omar Andani recommends keeping forms to only the essentials. How many times have you been ready to sign up for something, continue and see 25+ fields that you have to fill in? I’ve seen it a lot and I’ll often just leave the site. It’s important to respect the user’s time. If you’ve gotten the user as far as wanting to sign up, it’s pivotal that you don’t let them drop off because your form is too long.

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Test The Number of Form Fields
Most conversion experts will agree that simplifying forms and making them clearer should be the direction you want to aim for when you ready to start iterating.

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Sometimes, having more fields can improve your form conversion rate. However, in general, fewer fields tend to produce better conversions (it depends on what your form is for). The point is: Don’t look for rules of thumb, test and find out for yourself!