Question

Topic: Website Critique

Conversion Or Credibility?

Posted by Anonymous on 2/3/2010 at 2:41 PM ET 101 Points
I have a dilemma of whether to focus on Conversion or Credibility.

On the one hand, I want more conversions, but many of the best practices for online conversions compromise the "polished look and feel" of a corporate website.

Our service is somewhat "high" risk for our prospects/clients - and I want them to have the idea and comfort-level that we are a legitimate corporate entity. I have received multiple comments that our website reinforced their decision.

As of now, more of our traffic is "branded" than via search terms, but we are moving up the ranks and I don't want these visitors to fall through the cracks. On the other hand, I don't want people we've already met to think we're a "mom & pop" shop because of the "spammy" look of a "high conversion"-type site.

Would love your thoughts.
To continue reading this question and the solution, sign up ... it's free!
SUBSCRIBE
Or, SIGN IN

RESPONSES

  • Posted on 2/3/2010 at 2:44 PM Accepted
    Could we have the url of your website so we see what you are talking about?
  • Posted by thecynicalmarketer on 2/3/2010 at 3:28 PM Accepted
    You are measuring the wrong types of conversions.

    If your end goal is sales or subscriptions, don't count a contact or someone filling out a form as part of your MROI (marketing return on investment) or as a conversion until you get to the end. Lots of clicks and leads are great, but you need to measure revenue (and ultimately profit if you can).

    If credibility delivers fewer people but more sales, then pursue this path.

    Best of luck, JohnnyB
  • Posted by Gary Bloomer on 2/3/2010 at 5:22 PM Accepted
    Dear alaughton76,

    You do not have a dilemma, you have a choice.

    That choice is that you can be poor, making few sales if any (credibility), or you can be rich and count the number of prospects that you convert into buyers (conversions).

    If you want more conversions you have to offer enough evidence, and provide enough risk reversal material to persuade prospects to become buyers, but until then, nothing will happen.

    Revenue-wise, nothing happens until you make sales. Think about this: customer-wise it underpins and reinforces EVERYTHING you do, think, say, promote, market, brand, package, and offer.

    All those nice clicks and views?

    Meaningless until someone thinks enough of your message's RELEVANCE for them to make the change from shopper to buyer, and for them to move from the status of mere buyer into the wider and far more interesting realms of being your customer.

    As for your '"polished look and feel" of a corporate website.' All the flash in the world is meaningless if your customer cannot navigate on your site to where they want to go.

    If you want more conversions you must make your online sales processes ULTRA simple; you must remove all road blocks, all barriers, and all speed restrictions between where your customer enters your process and to where he or she leaves it, and leave it they will if they do not or cannot see where they're going, or if they cannot find what they're looking for.

    And all this stuff about being a legitimate corporate entity? Have you looked at Wall Street lately? The average customer's trust in legitimate corporate anything right now is pretty low.

    Those "multiple comments" you've received? Turn them into testimonials and you'll reinforce corporate legitimacy AND show people that you're not a mom and pop shop.

    I hope this helps. Good luck to you.

    Gary Bloomer
    Wilmington, DE, USA
BACK TO TOP

Post a Comment

Related Discussions

Community Info

Top 25 Experts
(Website Critique)