In the wild and wonderful world of digital marketing, you hear a lot about algorithms, web crawlers, SEO, page ranking, and other buzzwords.
Tip: Digital marketing “gurus” who throw these words at you without context aren’t going to be helpful.
You might assume their jargon proves expertise, but if they can’t break it down for you and explain things in language that makes sense, you’re wasting your time.
What you really need is the type of guide that spells it out in plain, actionable English.
Another buzzword in modern marketing is conversion: the number of customers who find your marketing content, read it to the end and eventually buy from you.
Here are 101 things you can do right now to improve your conversion rate and establish a solid reputation for your brand, products, and/or services.
Answer their questions. How-to articles and blog content achieve this beautifully.
Don’t just tell them what you can do. Prove it with stats, case studies, and testimonials.
Guide them. Easy navigation leads them to the exact spot they need.
Tell them what to do. The right call-to-action makes their “next step” obvious.
Use remarketing pixels. They’re free across both Google and Facebook.
Switch to episodic video content. You can shoot them on your smartphone.
Speed things up. Begin with Google AMP, Google PageSpeed Insights, and Facebook Instant Articles.
Be helpful. If they feel like they’ve gained by visiting your site, they’ll be back with credit cards.
Offer freebies like infographic downloads or pre-order coupons.
Target your banners. Specificity of your audience targeting improves the quality of visitors. If they find exactly what they want, they’ll buy.
A/B testing works, and it doesn’t cost much. Try Google Optimize for free split tests.
Give them a reason. They need to know why they should buy from you.
Break it down. Tweak one page element at a time, reviewing the response.
Use a chatbot. Active engagement improves conversion.
Change your shopping cart. You want it quick, safe, integrated, and easy to use.
Create separate landing pages for Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, or search engine traffic and customize the messaging.
Check that everything is working – links, contact forms, social media buttons, etc.
List multiple ways to contact you – phone numbers, emails, live chat, messenger apps, etc.
Opt for mobile-first. It’s the source of half your traffic (or more).
Test your sales page on different browsers. Compatibility is crucial.
Give before you take. Offer value before you ask for contact details.
Personalize. A short quiz can assess your reader’s purchasing needs.
Review your competition. What are they doing that you aren’t?
Track keyword performance and shift accordingly.
Build trust. Upload a conversational intro video – showing your face and voice. It helps.
Solve problems. Tell them what’s wrong, and how you can fix it.
Write sharp, effective headlines using tools like CoSchedule.
Clean it up. Remove distracting page elements.
Use floating forms. They nudge readers to “talk back” and offer instant gratification.
Use heat maps. They show you which part of the page gets the most attention.
Record the page. You’ll see how and where readers ignore or click.
Introduce hovering functionality. It boosts interaction and ups loading speeds.
Include “trust markers” like awards, partners, clients, and compliance certificates.
Write for skimmers. Introduction, headlines, bullet points, and concluding summaries.
Design “test drives” and free trials where applicable.
Emphasize benefits over features. Show them what they’ll get out of it.
Target their emotions with evocative images. Kittens are good.
If you list your price, be transparent. No unseen taxes or hidden charges.
Sell at the top in case they don’t read to the bottom.
Chart their path, offering a simple step-by-step buyer’s journey.
Work with a professional copywriter.
And a professional designer to make it pretty.
And a professional developer to keep everything functional.
Profile your ideal buyer and speak to them directly.
Use a contact form – many netizens prefer it.
Employ scarcity (While stocks last!).
Urgency works too. (Only five days left!) Add a countdown timer.
Be clear (and prominent) about cancellations, returns, and refunds.
Always offer a tracking number and 24-hour sales assistance.
Use floating carts which follow readers from page to page.
Pose a question. It lowers your bounce rate.
Use tools like Serpstat to formulate thought-provoking sales questions.
Be concise. Flowery words don’t tell buyers what you want them to do.
Maximize internal links. It trims your bounce ratio.
Guest post strategically to build targeted traffic.
Switch from outgoing to incoming social media strategies. Lead customers from your social media to your website.
Use inclusion tools – text-to-speech software, closed captions, diverse models.
Tell relevant stories and tie them to your sales pitch.
Study your audience and speak their language.
Gamify your purchasing process. Loyalty points are good. Badges are better.
Define your clients’ goals. They don’t always know what they want.
Test your user experience – it could be putting buyers off.
Localize your content using GPS / IP data and multiple site versions.
Change your web host for guaranteed uptime.
Compress visuals for enhanced loading speed. 100kb max!
Avoid external crowd-sourced script. If it changes, you’re stuck.
Cache it if you can.
Make your sales site interactive. It boosts page retention.
Ditch the clickbait. It isn’t worth your reputation.
For social media, court engagement over follows and likes.
Run a five-second-test to see what readers recall … then adjust accordingly.
Build different landing pages for different conversion goals. One size doesn’t fit all.
Get their number/email by exchanging a gift (like a free report) for a sign-up.
Offer free online courses/products/services then use them to upsell.
Create a content path to keep them on your site longer. Link to similar articles.
For first-time visitors, design a “Start here” list of essential content.
Combine paid and organic traffic-generation techniques.
Build a content library that establishes your expertise.
Plug in a lead magnet and grow your mailing list.
Review individual content posts and boost your best performers (via paid ads).
Insert customized lead forms on each of those top-performing posts.
Offer visitors a digital welcome mat and a virtual gift box.
Check the content that converts best and craft more of the same.
Learn and apply color (and font) psychology.
Refresh evergreen content. Don’t just repost. Tweak it first.
Drill down. “5 tips to earn more Facebook friends” is more effective than “How to succeed on Facebook”.
Segment your audience and develop distinct strategies for each set.
Offer sincere service, not marketing manipulation.
Plug in triggered pop-ups and exit pop-ups.
Gauge and adjust your promotional spend.
Write human, sound human, target humans.
Respect customer privacy – and tell them that you do.
Use a trusted payment processor.
Present your CTAs in button form, and make sure they work.
Keep in mind that at the end of the day, tons of web traffic doesn’t automatically guarantee sales.
If you’d like to improve your conversion rates, get people to stay on your site longer and invite them to actively engage with specific elements on it.
Social media integration is fine, but your approach should be inbound. Prioritize social-media-to-website, not vice versa.
Target customers individually and personalize their experience. If they feel like you’re only speaking to them, they’re more likely to buy.