What every Marketer should know about Conversion

Neil Patel, co-founder of KISSmetrics and CrazyEgg, shared tips on conversion optimization. He highlighted several aspects of working with a website that help not to endlessly pour money into the marketing budget, but to invest exactly as much as needed to reach the goal.

1: Environmental resistance – the main enemy of conversion growth

Many marketers overlook the difficulties of interaction between seller and buyer. Patel uses a physics term – “environmental resistance”, meaning the buyer’s resistance to attempts to sell them a product or service. However, it is possible to identify why this happens and remove the obstacles.

1. KISS or primary obstacles

Your website may be so poor in usability that high conversion is out of the question. Neil Patel reminds us of the acronym KISS – Keep It Simple, Stupid. The more complex the site structure, the higher the resistance.

Barriers that can make users leave:

• too much text,
• irrelevant content,
• forms with too many fields,
• marketing jargon confusing users.

Information

Site information can attract clients or scare them away. Analyze it considering:

• Is there enough information for the user to become a client?
• Is there information needed at UNEXPECTED moments?
• Is the information logically structured?
• Is the information easy to understand?

Design

Design is not just about “prettiness”. It strongly influences user perception. Patel recommends asking:

• Is the design well perceived by most visitors?
• Should users be involved in improving design?

Time

How much time does it take for a user to move from the homepage to actions? Important to know:

• How long do they scroll to see the whole page?
• Are there too many fields in forms?
• How many pages must they pass to complete an action?

Visual elements

The number and type of visuals (videos, fonts, backgrounds, button colors, etc.) affect perception. Focus on:

• text size and font,
• heading size and font,
• CTA button color,
• clear visible price tags,
• readability (background, color, font).

Patel suggests asking users what they dislike, collecting feedback, and applying improvements.

2: Sometimes the user themselves prevent high conversion

Users can cause low conversion by their own psychological barriers.

One such barrier is anxiety before an uncertain outcome – like purchasing. Patel offers the equation:

Equation elements:

• C = conversion probability,
• M = consumer motivation,
• V = clarity of value proposition,
• i = incentive to act,
• f = reasons for resistance,
• a = anxiety-inducing elements.

Sources of anxiety: unclear content, spelling errors, lack of information, false claims, too many reviews, overuse of punctuation/emotions, too much advertising, or asking for too much personal data.

Patel stresses: balance and professionalism build trust. Excessive innovation or experimental design may cause distrust. Proven methods often work best.

3: What you remove from a site is as important as what you add

The question is not “What can I add?” but “What can I remove to improve the site?”

Collect user feedback, find what bothers them, and remove it immediately! Sometimes removing elements boosts sales and conversion.

Examples of distracting elements:

• images that distract from action,
• too many videos,
• links opening in the same tab (especially on landing pages).

If you solve these issues, your conversion growth will remain steady.