In a matter of weeks, the world as we know it changed. Whether you were already an exclusively online business or you’ve jumped into e-commerce because your storefront was temporarily closed, you want your conversion rate as high as possible. You may be getting more traffic than before the social distancing recommendations came into play.
The number of people utilizing consumer packaged goods (CPG) shopping was already on an upward tick. With travel and local shopping limitations, even more people have shopped online in the last few weeks. According to Nielsen, the two weeks ending on March 21, 2020, saw an increase of $8.5 billion, about 15 times the usual sales.
Increased traffic is one reason to improve your site during the COVID-19 pandemic. You likely have more time than when your brick-and-mortar stores keep regular hours. Here are eight different upgrades that would benefit your site during this time.
1. Review Navigational Hierarchy
Navigation is what site visitors use to orient themselves to a new website. No matter where a person lands on your site, they can use the navbar to figure out how to move around your pages and get where they want to go. Over time, it’s easy for the navigational structure of a site to become a bit cluttered and off-kilter. Could you figure out what your main categories are and what subcategories fall under them and rework your directional cues throughout the site?
The Rocks has a left vertical navigation bar. This bar works particularly well for the site structure because it limits the main categories to only four selections. There are some subcategories/links under those main categories, but it is clear from the bolder and larger typography that these four are the primary focus of the site.
2. Get Faster
As internet connection speeds increase, people expect websites to load at lightning speed. You can do several things to increase the speed of your site, such as paying for a virtual private network and compressing images. If you aren’t sure what else to do to decrease load times, hire a professional to review your site and make improvements. You can focus on sales and running your business and let a site manager make backend changes.
3. Cut the Clutter
Each page of your website should have a specific goal. The objective might be to convert a visitor into a newsletter subscriber or collect information from new leads. Whatever your goal, could you look at your page and cut out anything unrelated to moving the buyer toward the target?
Korem Geospatial has a beautiful minimalist look with flat, modern design elements. Notice plenty of negative space so the user’s eye is drawn to the most pertinent areas. The overall look is clean, with limited colors and typefaces, and pleasing to the eye.
4. Upgrade Images
Please take a look at the images on your website. If you’re using stock photos instead of unique pictures unique to your business, it’s time to upgrade. Hire a professional photographer to take product shots and replace generic graphics with more specific ones.
5. Improve Your CTAs
Your calls to action (CTAs) can make or break your closing rate. They should use actionable words, be in a contrasting color, and guide the user to the activity you want them to complete. You should always test your CTAs with A/B testing to see what changes your users prefer.
Knapsack used the action word “meet” and offered site visitors the opportunity to chat with a designer. Note how the button color contrasts sharply with the white background and pops on the page. The eye goes immediately to the CTA button.
6. Check Responsiveness
Statista projects that between 2017 and 2022, mobile data traffic will increase sevenfold. More people will visit websites from their smartphones. If your site doesn’t present in a usable way to those browsers, you risk them bouncing away. Access your site through a mobile device and see how it looks and functions. If you have a signup form, how difficult is it for mobile users to fill in fields? Check for both usability and aesthetics.
7. Engage Users
The average person has limitless distractions, and with COVID-19 worries and kids being home for e-learning, the interruptions may be more than usual. You can assess your site to see how well it engages users. From the moment they land on your page, they should be highly entertained and interested in what you’re saying. Get them moving, click things, and check out what you offer. Help them focus on only the most essential elements.
Cellular Agricultural Society (CAS) has a highly interactive site that grabs the user from the minute they land on the page. First, you move your mouse to morph the screen from a simple circle into an image of cows looking at the city and leaves blowing in the wind. A slideshow starts offering various information about CAS. You can add elements such as animation.
8. Add Content
No matter what type of business you run, you likely have employees whose roles changed a bit with the stay-at-home orders. You can tap into your talent pool and task them with creating exciting content for the website. Great photos, infographics, and videos give you something to share on social media, hopefully driving more traffic to your pages.
Tap Into User Emotions
Please think about what your typical customer is experiencing now. People feel fear, anger, and frustration. If you can offer something that alleviates their worry a bit, they will remember that you cared about them during a difficult period. Look for ways to tap into an emerging online market. Be fair with pricing and shipping policies, and do your part to make the new situation we face a bit more palatable.