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Chicago Web DesignWebsites are about much more than just providing information to internet visitors. They are your digital calling card. They are about turning visitors into paying customers. Turning those visitors into customers is referred to as the conversion rate of the website and it’s a much more effective measure of the success of your website than simply looking at how many hits the site gets in a given month. If ten people visit your site and all ten leave without making a purchase or taking a desired action like signing up for a newsletter then your website isn’t doing its job.

 Design & Promote’s professional web design can help change that.

 Many businesses think they have to go through a complete overhaul of their web design and come up with something totally new featuring the latest trends for web design in Chicago and beyond to attract more online shoppers. But that’s not usually the case. In most cases, a few tweaks, a bit of reorganization or simply telling the shoppers what to do are all that is needed to increase your conversion rate.

 Here are five components of web design in Chicago that can convert browsers into buyers.

 Five Design & Promote Tips For Web Design In Chicago To Increase Your Conversion Rate

  1. Think Like A Customer. Make sure your homepage and sales landing pages clearly define what you do so the customer knows they’re at the right place as soon as they open up your site. What do customers need to know about your business or website to make a purchasing decision? Include that information on every page and make it easy to find.
  1. Include Calls To Action. Don’t count on customers to figure out what to do on their own. Create clear, easy-to-find calls to action that guide the customer to what you want them to do. Want them to make a purchase? Add a “Buy Now” button and make sure they can find it on every sales page. Do you want them to contact you for more information? Include several ways to do so – a phone number to call, an online sign-up form, an email address to mail the information to. Remember that everyone has a different comfort level with doing business online. By providing multiple ways of doing something, you can connect with a wider variety of customers.
  1. Make It Easy. Complex sites are a turn off. If a site doesn’t load well, is hard to navigate, crashes frequently, if the ecommerce functions don’t work properly or if the site is just plain hard to use, people won’t use it. Make it easy for customers to find what they’re looking for, make a decision and a purchase and then move on. Don’t force them to click through several pages to find what they need. Don’t force them to provide unnecessary personal information or sign up for email marketing materials in order to complete their purchase.
  1. Be Trustworthy. Even more so than brick and mortar businesses, online retailers must earn the trust of their customers. Many people are afraid of security breaches and identity theft and that holds them back from making purchases online. You can ease these fears by establishing trust with your customers. To do this, make sure you include your physical location and address — including a map is a nice touch. Post your phone number on every page and make sure you have someone to answer any phone calls that come in. An About Us page will personalize your site a bit and is your chance to add a touch of humanity to the site. If you have ecommerce functions, be sure to include your privacy policy and any relevant SSL certificates and security information on the site. Just as you’d make sure your brick and mortar business was clean and professional-looking, you want the same for your website. A professional design conveys trust and authority and can make customers feel more comfortable sharing their personal and credit card information on the site.
  1. Reduce Clutter. Resist the urge to put anything and everything you can about your business on every page. It’s not necessary and it will overwhelm visitors and turn them away. Provide just enough information for visitors to make a decision but make it easy for them to contact you for more information or to find additional details elsewhere on the site. A cluttered site runs the risk of confusing shoppers to the point of frustration and forcing them away. The last thing you want to do is overshadow the call to action or the product itself with unnecessary content. The old adage “Less is more” is more true than ever.

If you want to turn website visitors into customers, contact Design & Promote for successful web design in Chicago. We work with organizations of all sizes to create custom websites that are affordable and effective. For more information call us at  (630) 995-7109.

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