A lot of business owners view launching a new website as the virtual equivalent of "opening shop.".
But what happens when you hit "launch" on that new website and hear... crickets?
Well, with a combination of good marketing and good design, you should be well on your way to bringing tons of potential clients knocking on your (virtual) doors.
In this post I’ll be sharing 5 quick web design changes (plus the data that supports it) that you can make to your website today that will help increase sales.
1. Simplify Navigation
One of the most important web design changes to increase sales is to simplify the navigation of the website. The easier and quicker it is for visitors to find what they are looking for, the better.
What to do:
Keep the number of menu items to under 7, use clear labels (eg. "Blog" instead of something like "Musings"), and in some cases (like for online stores with looots of products) try adding a search bar.
The data:
According to a Komarketing survey, over 30% of respondents are bothered by poor navigation and find it so disorienting that it actually causes them to leave the website before finding the information they were looking for. Source: Komarketing
In a survey by Clutch, 94% of survey respondents said that easy navigation is the most useful website feature. This is because it allows users to quickly find the content they’re looking for. Source: Clutch
2. Simplify Forms
Forms are often essential but they can also be a barrier to booking more clients if they feel too long or complicated.
What to do:
Simplify forms and only ask for essential information.
Additionally, using a progress bar or visual cues can help to make the form-filling process less daunting. Third-party form builders like TypeForm already have progress bars built in.
The data:
In a large study by Hubspot, more form fields yielded lower conversions—but the results were not completely linear.
While conversions dropped by nearly half when jumping from three to four form fields, their main theory was that it isn't always about the length of the form. The type of form fields also makes a difference.
Single-line text fields didn't create as much of a drop-off as larger text areas or drop-down select boxes. This is likely because large text areas create an expectation of a longer answer (and therefore a longer time commitment) while lots of drop-down boxes break your flow of filling out a form by causing you to leave your keyboard to use your mouse. Source: Hubspot
3. Improve Page Speed
In the era of TikTok and instant gratification, attention spans are limited and it shows when we're waiting for a website to load. The majority of site visitors expect a webpage to load in less than 3 seconds.
While waiting a few seconds might not seem like a big deal to you, it can feel like an eternity to the potential clients landing on your website.
What to do:
Use a free website like Pingdom to find your page load speed and get personalized recommendations for how to speed up your website's load speed.
The data:
The majority of consumers expect a webpage to load in less than 3 seconds and Google has recently updated its algorithm to prioritize load speeds when determining which pages will rank.
The weird part in all of this? Despite this stat, the average mobile landing page takes 7 seconds to load. Source: Webfx, Think With Google
4. Add Social Proof
Adding social proof can be a powerful tool in increasing the number of sales and bookings. This can include customer reviews, case studies, testimonials, or social media sharing buttons. By providing evidence that others have had a positive experience with you, visitors are more likely to trust and buy from you.
What to do:
Add testimonials, reviews, and case studies to your website. Bonus points if you have video testimonials.
The data:
On sales pages, testimonials can increase conversions by 34%.
97% of consumers say online reviews influence their purchasing decisions.
Source: Opt-In Monster
5. Create urgency
If your service is always available, your clients are probably going to take their sweet time before investing in your services.
They already know that they need your service, but they also know that it isn't going anywhere and can be delayed further and further into the future as other more pressing life tasks pop up (ie. bills, social events, overdue nail fills, etc.).
You've likely seen this in action before when you go to book a hotel room and it says something like "only 2 rooms left!"
For most service providers or coaches, there's usually an inherent sense of urgency that isn't being communicated. This is because you can only work with a certain number of clients at a time.
What to do:
For services or programs, communicate client availability or deadlines. ("2 spots left", "program registration closes in 3 days and won't be open for enrolment for another 6 months.")
For products or programs, you can also use countdown timers, urgency messages, and limited stock notifications.
Quick note: This can (and should) be used across all your marketing platforms, not just your website.
The data:
According to a survey by WhichTestWon, adding a countdown timer increased a business’ revenue by as much as 9% on average. (Source: Adoric)
In a case study cited by Copy Hackers, a countdown timer resulted in a 400% higher conversion rate compared to previous marketing efforts. (Source: CopyHackers)
The bottom line:
If there's 2 things to take away from this blog post, it's this: no one has ever gone onto a website and said "I wish this was more time-consuming and complicated."
Try putting yourself into your future client's shoes and focus on providing a great experience before they even work with you.
Make sure they can easily and quickly find what the info that they're looking for and have a reason to invest right away and you'll be golden.