Methods for increasing client conversion online

Sans-serif fonts increased client conversion by +30% in tests against a serif font (Times New Roman for example). Sans-serif font Arial at 12 points size gave the best results.

In background color tests, robin egg blue color (hex #6495ED) increased client conversion by +31% more than dark background colors. White and gray background colors are also more effective than darker colors. Blue colors trigger emotions of trust, and that is why news agencies use it the most.

A small increase of +2% occurred with autoplayed audio messages that featured a testimonial. Other sort of messages did the opposite, some decreasing conversions by -40%.

Text columns of 700px width had +19% more conversions than those at 800px width. The older the readers’ age, the less wide the column should be, as bigger widths require more cognitive load and longer attention spans.

In tests, big headers almost always decreased conversions and stole the focus from the title.

Avoid repetitive or pattern-like backgrounds. Tests that combined both a big header and a pattern background had -88% less conversions than one with a small header and clean background.

For headlines, Tahoma outperformed other fonts. Because of its design, Tahoma fits more words per line and this increases conversions by +17%. The color red was also the most noticed one.

Dropping a very light shadow to titles increases conversion by +5%.

Using a drop cap in the lead text draws attention to it and increases conversions by +23%.

Adding a personal signature above the screen’s fold increases conversions by +8%. Add a signature only when it makes sense in the context of the page.

Headlines such as ‘How to …’, ‘Who else wants …’ and ‘… in 3 simple steps’ give up to +44% more conversions than other ‘creative’ headlines.

Negative titles such as those found in bad news increase conversions by +20%. This is because most people live in fear or suffer from stress. (See Why novel and bizarre things catch your attention?)

Polls and quizzes increase conversion by +24% when they are relevant to the page’s content. Allowing the visitor to see results in a separate page that also features the product’s description, increases the conversion even further.

When done professionally, product images can increase conversion by +145%. They look good and users like to enlarge product images to see the details. That option should be available as well.

An animated arrow pointing to a link increased conversions by +12%. (See Why Do People Love Anime?)

Belcher button increases conversion by up to +300%. The Belcher button features the following 5 elements: the orange “Add To Cart” button, red dashed border, marked down retail price, a blue underlined link, and clickable major credit card icons.

Despite most people’s short attention span, best conversion rates occurred at videos that were between 10 and 20 minutes in length. Too short or too long videos don’t make people buy as much.

Make sure the most important info, such as call to action button, bullet points explaining what the features do for customers and titles are above the screen’s fold.

Allowing access to the video after the actual conversion increases conversion rates by +48%.

Use graphical elements that are reminiscent of arrow like shapes and subtly point the visitor to the right direction. Such elements increase conversion by +41%.

Animated, talking characters that guide the visitor or read page text increase conversions by +100%.

When compared to videos covering the same subject, expert articles increase conversions by +20%.

Animated or hand drawn art increases conversion in videos by +128%, compared to other types of videos.

Removing the need to provide a first name increases conversion by +18%. Some people are reluctant to give away their personal information.

Trust seals, even inexpensive ones, boost conversions by +28%.

Adding a success story somewhere on the order page increases conversions by up to +33%.

Displaying product images on the order page increases conversions by +22%. Images reassure people they’ll get what they’re buying.

These specific email elements do a better job at conversion than the usual ones: specific numbers in titles, question marks, percentages, video descriptors, free reports, reply prefixes (RE) and personal pronouns.

The best time for sending e-mails would be 4:30 AM from Tuesday to Thursday. This time means the email reaches recipients in Asia just before bedtime, and those in the West just as they are waking up.

Weekends are great for sending small-ticket offers. Avoid sending big, expensive offers because they under-perform over weekends.

Providing video instructions for product usage increases conversions by +24%.

Rewrite any selling content for e-mails into instructions. Split these instructions into parts and expect conversions to increase up to +17%.

CAPTCHA are a great way of combating spam but they also hinder conversions. A simple test with CAPTCHA turned off showed how a few spam messages got through but 160 conversions failed.

Assign very clear meanings to call to action buttons by renaming labels. For example, Help Me Choose is much better than Learn More.

Track the customer’s behavior and try to respond properly before he abandons the page. Don’t try stopping him from leaving because by then it’s too late. Try to help him before that occurs.

Any special policies such as those on refunds should be handed over before checkouts.

Some people fill the shopping cart and then leave it to return later in the month. They can become irritated if they see their shopping cart is empty.

Track all changes during the process to see how they reflect on the conversion rates.

Seeing a coupon entry field during checkout can irritate buyers who don’t have coupons. Some might even stop shopping and search for a coupon as they think somebody is getting a better deal. Either make small coupons available from the checkout or omit them.

Avoid using artificial terms and try to emulate the natural language as much as possible. The inability to communicate understandingly with the audience is one of the main reasons for conversion failure.