Stop using fads, start using data: one major insight that drives conversion

When creating and designing a product or service, we look for the best way to convince the customer to buy or use it. But what can we do to ensure our leads turn into sales (our conversion rate)?

When we look around for ways to understand what works with conversion and what doesn’t, we may encounter several fads or trends that claim to know exactly what we need to do. Things like changing a button to a particular color, using a particular picture or icon, or employing a certain layout. However, there is no one size fits all “magic bullet” to conversion.

Every demographic is different, so we need to use our data and our knowledge of our specific target audience to create designs that convert. If there is one single piece of advice that’s most important, it’s to focus on usability.

Building your product and setting it loose

You have just launched your new website or product, but you are noticing that your conversion rate is dramatically low. Let’s give a percentage: 0.3 percent. That’s only three out of every 1,000 leads converting into customers. Presumably not what you’re looking for.

Concerned, you run off to Google and search ways to convert users. You find articles that say:

“Red converts better than green.” “Orange beats any color.” “Cat pictures. Everybody loves kittens!” “Pictures of people convert better.” “Pictures of products convert better.” “Company logos make you $$.”

While each of these approaches may have, in fact, been useful in one or more scenarios, the likelihood that these magic answers are right for you is often slim at best. There’s no data behind the claim that making the button orange in all of your products will help it convert better.

Another thing to keep in mind is the quality of leads that you are receiving. Although you’d want as many leads as possible, you would also want to make sure that these are quality leads.

Having a ton of leads might sound exciting, but we end up wasting our time on the ones that don’t go anywhere. In this case, we are losing opportunities on the leads that will move our company forward and help our product grow.

How to identify quality leads

There are a few things to think about before you start the process of optimizing your site for conversion. Here’s a handful that you should consider:

Know your audience

What is your audience like? Their demographics? Their location? Is your website tailored to them?

Know your goals

Find your audience

Defining usability data

Everything checks out, so what is going on?

Usability instead of conversion