10 Factors Affecting Website Conversion

Website conversion is an issue that concerns every site owner.

Experienced specialists run several A/B tests per month, constantly improving their resource, while beginners struggle — they often don’t know which elements to focus on.

In this article we’ll look at 10 core factors that can increase conversion for an online store or any other website.

The first element is relevance. Remember: the page must be relevant to the user’s needs.

First of all, this concerns page headlines the user lands on. They must immediately see what the page is about. The headline should connect to where they were before landing on your page. If they clicked an ad saying you offer laptops on sale, the headline should also say “Laptops on Sale.” Then the user knows they arrived at the right place. Otherwise you’ll lose them.

Consistency between the look of your page and, for example, the banner that leads to it. If there is consistency, the user understands they’re in the right place.
For example, a banner:

and the site we land on after clicking the banner:

Imagine you’re dealing with a user with “attention deficit.” They’re on your site and on VK, on Facebook, chatting in Skype, someone is calling them, and the TV is on. They’re with you and not with you. They’re easily distracted.

So the simpler you make their path and the more clearly you show that what they clicked brought them to your site — the better your conversion will be.

Need. You must be relevant to the user’s needs. No one wants to “buy something” — people want to solve problems. Sell the solution to their needs, not the product.

Specificity. Many beginners avoid showing prices. “They’ll call and I’ll tell them the price” — this doesn’t work online.

A user can open 20 sites and close 15 simply because there are no prices or things are unclear. You lose users without concrete copy.

It’s easy to write “we’re market leaders” or “high quality.” People don’t believe that. They believe specific numbers: what % of customers recommend you, how many projects you’ve completed, items sold, how many positive reviews you have. Concrete figures build trust.

Personalization. Luckily it’s easy to tailor a landing page online. If the user is from Kyiv — show a Kyiv phone and local delivery terms. If from Moscow — show Moscow contacts. If they came from Facebook — invite them to like you on Facebook.

If you work on weekends and the user visits on Sunday — invite them to call that day. Display “Sunday,” and program the site to show “yes, we’re open today.” This works better than “we’re open 7 days a week.”

If a user visits on Sunday, places an order, and you can’t deliver that day — program the page to show delivery will be Monday. This is simple to implement and significantly boosts conversion. Use personalization; make the site “talk” like a salesperson.

Remove everything unnecessary. Sometimes even the menu is removed during checkout — e.g., Amazon. There’s no way back. The fewer options a user has, the more likely they are to make the choice you want.

Remove unnecessary links to partners that distract users. Keep only those needed to select a product, purchase, or decide to purchase.

No one cares about links to “our friends.” People care about reviews, delivery, payment, and return terms. Keep these; remove the rest.

Also remove extra form fields. Filling web forms is often the most annoying step. Poor forms cause drop-offs when subscribing, entering contact info, or purchasing.

Everyone asks for a birthday but never congratulates. Many ask “enter password twice, email twice, confirm registration,” etc.

Ask extra info later by phone or a follow-up email (e.g., “How did you hear about us?”). Use web analytics to track sources, not a drop-down in a form. That doesn’t work.

Also offer bonuses, especially to those who complete the desired action online: price discounts, gifts, free delivery — if the order is placed online.

Trust. The more trust elements you have, the better.

Logos of trusted services/sites with links to reviews, photos of your office, address, phone numbers. Landlines work better than mobiles. All this builds trust.

If you have certificates proving official representation, legal import, certification, tests — display them.

Call to action. It’s crucial to know the purpose of each page and treat it as a step toward a sale. Your CTA should sometimes be repeated on the page: Buy, Order, Leave contacts, Fill the form to get something. Simplify CTAs. Make them clearer and faster to grasp:

Testimonials. If you have them — post them. If not — collect and post. Ideally: person’s name, photo, text, sometimes video/audio. Video/audio builds more trust — harder to fake.

Copywriting. Learn to write effective copy. It matters a lot online because most sites persuade with text.

There are many books/courses/tips. My advice: think from the customer’s point of view. Instead of “we sell,” say “you get.” It usually works better.

Design. Use large, noticeable buttons that slightly break the color scheme. If the page is blue-green, make the button red, for example. Even if the designer objects — conversion goes up.

Whitespace. Around the button and target actions you need space, so users see what to fill and focus on the button.

You also need an arrow. Sometimes simply adding an arrow near the form (animated or static) increases conversion by 10–15%.