An Updated Website Can Drive More Revenue

Location, location, location. So goes the old adage when it comes to retail locations in the offline world. But what about online? Well, it’s less about a location or address and more about making the property itself more appealing. Whether you have a small business that provides targeted services in a specific area or operate an online store for a specific kind of product, you need to have a website that is updated and in line with the latest industry trends. And your website needs to be appealing to anyone that happens upon it.

Doing so not only provides you with a digital location that is competitively built, but also helps you increase your revenue. Here are some ways that can drive more revenue to your business through an updated website.

A Faster Site Equals More Conversions

It’s well-known that the more time your website takes to load, the more visitors you are going to lose. In fact, Google has data that shows how 53% of mobile visitors leave a site if the load time is over three seconds. Due to this, the “3-second rule” is something that is often considered as a standard by many web professionals. In fact, most developers shoot for a two second load time for websites if at all possible.

While reducing load time inherently translates to increases in visitor retention and the time those visitors spend on your site, a faster website also leads to more conversions. In a digital world that competes for every moment of a person’s attention, using the time you do capture should be utilized with content and information…not showing empty screens as the visitor waits for the page to load.

And this change isn’t limited to small sites trying to cut through the noise online. Pinterest increased sign-ups by 15 percent once it purposely brushed up site load time. In addition to that, Google’s DoubleClick noticed that ad publishers whose sites loaded within 5 seconds earned more revenue than those with higher load times.

Keeping these findings in mind, making sure that your site’s load time gets the attention that it deserves could pay off in the long term.

A Modern Design is More Appealing

Just as you would be more inclined to browse through a retail brick-and-mortar store that is clean and well organized, your website will also appeal to its larger audience more if it sports a modern design. By more modern, we mean a site design not encumbered with lots of popups, banners, flash animations, and confusing menus. Let’s leave those digital artifacts in the late-1990s where they belong!

Aesthetics drive the first impression and the foundations of perception. This perception not only affects users who land on your website for the first time but also works with long term viewers and customers. The style and design of your site can have a significant impact on your overall brand in the market. It is highly important that your website evokes positive feelings from your users through simple design. This strategy reassures the user and allows them to trust your brand. And that trust translates to increased conversions and revenue, which is exactly what every website owner wants from their online property.

Adapt Your Site with Plugins

Here at Pixel Jar we recommend using WordPress for your business website. This CMS is not only extremely popular, it’s also easy to use while being very powerful. If you use WordPress then plugins can provide additional interactivity and tools for your site’s visitors and potential customers.

The open architecture of WordPress allows plugin author’s (or your development team) to add custom functionality as needed. As your needs change you can add additional features with the addition of the right plugin.

Easier Navigation is Akin to Faster Conversions

What’s the one thing you hate the most about shopping in a large store? If it’s a difficulty in finding your desired item, then you are not alone. A large portion of consumers can certainly relate. We know you’ve been there before…pacing from one aisle to the next searching for that one specific thing.

Online visitors go through the same experience when they land on a website they find hard to navigate. However, unlike a retail store designed to keep foot traffic surfing the aisles for as long as possible, a good digital shopping experience is one that makes searching for an item easy and then suggests new items to discover.

Something as simple as a navigation bar that is not set up in a coherent manner is enough to frustrate a potential customer. Frustrated visitors might stick around if what you offer is scarce. But in most cases, they are likely to leave and find an easier solution.

Navigation menus that act as helpful guides and resource points on your website assist your customers in finding exactly what they are looking for. Less frustration means happier visitors, visitors grateful that their experience on your website is intuitive and enjoyable. This ultimately helps in driving more conversions, which in turn leads to greater revenue for your site.

Live Chat Can Help Drive Up Your Conversions

Though providing contact information and forms can help, nothing can show how much you care for your customers more than having an actual staff member online to help them out. That is one of the reasons why live chat has become a popular way to boost user engagement. Instead of having to wait for hours to get an answer to their email, potential customers can chat with a knowledgeable representative of your business to get their questions resolved in real time.

Reducing the friction required to have a meaningful interaction between a customer and your business can have a significant impact on their happiness and, ultimately, your conversion rate. Using live chat also has the benefit of increasing customer happiness after the purchase, as customers will have more confidence in you and your brand if you support their needs and answer their questions post-sale. As such, these same customers would be more likely to purchase more products and service from you directly.

Live chat boxes also provides you with the opportunity to reach out to your customers for more potential sales. Not every website needs a live chat system. That said, if you are processing a high quantity of eCommerce transactions and/or offering high-value items then exploring chat functionality is a must. Giving your on-site visitors the best possible experience is paramount to getting the highest possible conversion rate AND increasing repeat customer satisfaction.

Needless to say, these factors increase your chances for conversions and lead you to greater revenue generation.

Information Can Be Valuable Enough to Warrant a Conversion

By adding knowledge base articles, answers to FAQs, and updating your blog posts on a regular basis, you can captivate your site visitors’ interest. You also let them know what your business is about. This lets folks see and understand not just your website, but your mission and vision. Are you trustworthy? Are you knowledgeable? Do you have a purpose higher than simply booking the next sale? Providing content and information to visitors is an excellent way to create a strong connection and show who you are.

Managing a blog is one of the most effective ways to create a connection with your website’s visitors. You can more easily maintain their attention on a long-term and regular basis. By following best practices such as linking to other posts and pages and implementing calls-to-action, you can ensure that you are doing your best to turn these visitors into potential customers.

Updated Customer Reviews Can Go a Long Way

Did you know that 63 percent of potential customers are more likely to purchase from a site with customer reviews? This can increase overall revenue by 18 percent!

Having a place to gather and post customer reviews is something you should consider. It isn’t enough to have reviews on your Facebook page, Yelp, or Google My Business page. Having reviews on your website, even in the form of testimonials develops and establishes trust in your brand by people who visit your website.

Reviews will not only generate more business from new customers but also reinforce your high standards of service for both new and existing customers. People trust the recommendations of their friends 70 percent of the time. That’s too much credibility for you to simply leave to chance, especially when it’s so easy to take control of the conversation.

Referrals derived from verified customer reviews certainly increase your chance of generating more business and revenue from both new and old customers.

An Updated Website Helps Increase Conversions

From new blog posts, to feature-providing plugins, to customer reviews, an updated website can help you drive more revenue. Any updates you can make provide an advantage over a site that has been left unchanged for a long period.

Whether you provide location-based services or operate an eCommerce store of any kind, all of these factors can be useful. With the digital landscape so competitive, finding even the slightest edge can make a huge difference.

Whether you recognize that small gains can be a big deal or you need to completely refresh your web presence, the team at Pixel Jar can help. We’ve spent years helping businesses tune and tweak their digital strategies in a search for higher conversions.