A part of your SEO plan should be to rework your site so that your conversion rate increases. Search engine optimisation is a form of internet marketing, after all, and if you’re a retail site, conversions are your ultimate goal. A way that optimisation can really help your conversions is in laying down the right paths for your site’s user groups.
This part of SEO involves a fair amount of psychology. You need to get into the mind of your site users in order to find the best paths for them. You can talk to our consultants at SEO Consult Australia about user psychology. In order to lead the user from initial contact to transaction, you need to know the answers to certain questions:
- Where is your user coming from? Obviously, if you’ve done your search engine optimization work right, you’re hoping for users to come from the search pages. However, you need to know what they’re looking for in more general terms. Someone typing in ‘rhinestone necklace’ might be looking for one as a present, or they might be researching it for a non-transactional purpose.
- What sort of experience are they looking for? This may sound like a strange question. It’s important to realise, however, that people react badly to surprises. If an internet user is expecting a professional-looking site, and they land on a page full of bright colours and bold text, they’re likely to be put off. You need to determine the sort of environment your target user group is used to, and, more importantly, what they are looking for. This last point is what will give you the edge over your competitors.
- How much time do they have? If an internet user is on your site to do some research about a product, it’s best to take things slowly, introducing the information and gradually leading them to the sale point. If, however, a user is on your site to make a purchase, it’s likely that they want things to be quick. Getting the two mixed up can lower your conversion rate.
It’s a fair enough question to ask, ‘Why bother laying down these numerous paths?’ Figuring out more than one path takes up valuable time.
In the real world, shops rarely dedicate much time to refining sales methods for different customer groups. The difference is that on the net, people expect their needs to be served very specifically. A site that cuts to the chase, so to speak, looks poorly in comparison. The only way to keep up is to offer information, and this opens you up to different user groups.
Appealing to more than one user group gives both SEO and business advantages. The SEO advantage is that successful pages can be used to support each other. Optimising for a range of keywords is a strategy most search engine optimisation experts recommend. In terms of business advantage, the broader coverage afforded by attracting a number of groups increases your likelihood of sales. Every time you cut out one of these user groups, you’re losing business. Keep your horizons broad for SEO and business success.
