There are few things as challenging in the world of online marketing as increasing a website’s conversion rate – nor as gratifying once you’ve succeeded in doing so. Some marketers have thrown up their hands and accepted that conversion rate is something they have no control over, while others have taken it upon themselves to find great ways to improve their site’s performance. Below are six easy steps you can take to improve your conversion rate – and your company’s bottom line.

Make Navigation Easy

One of the biggest turn-offs for customers when it comes to using a website is the ease of navigation. If they can’t find what they’re looking for quickly, they’re going to go somewhere else. Make sure your site’s navigation menu is easy to find, and even easier to use.

Make Your Call-to-Action Noticeable

Sometimes, just knowing how to follow through on a conversion (subscribing, making a purchase, etc.) can be a challenge for customers. What you want to do is make your call-to-action (CTA) is noticeable, without being intrusive. Experiment with different colors to see how they complement the rest of your site’s design. Also note that your CTA behaves like a button; make sure it looks like one as well.

Don’t Forget About Mobile Users

Mobile devices, such as smartphones and tablets, account for an increasingly larger percentage of total worldwide web traffic. What this means is that lots of mobile users will be accessing your site. What you need to ask yourself is whether your website is optimized for mobile use. It’s a good idea to strip away any extraneous graphic design elements from the mobile version of your site, such as images or videos, as these can dramatically decrease the loading speed.

Embrace Simplicity

Maybe it seems counter-intuitive, but the more choice you give your customers, the lower your conversion rate will be. By cleaning up the clutter on your website, and presenting only one or two clear choices to customers, you’ll find that they’ll respond much more favorably to what you’re offering. In addition, keep in mind that nobody enjoys filling out online forms; if part of your conversion process involves collecting customer data, ask for only the bare essentials on the first pass; you’ll have time later on to fill in the blanks.

Earn Your Customers’ Trust

One potential barrier that customers experience while shopping online is a lack of trust. Before they become your customer, they want to know that your business is not just some faceless entity; they need assurances that there’s a human element behind the scenes. Providing basic information about your business, such as a street address and multiple methods of contacting you, can go a long way toward earning trust.

Be Flexible with Payment Options

It’s still surprising to some, but not everybody has a credit card. To make sure your site is usable by as many people as possible, offer a wide variety of payment options at checkout to make sure that nobody gets left behind.

Have you had any success with your conversion rate? What has worked for you? Don’t forget to comment!