How to Design Your

Blog for Optimal

Conversion Rates?

Throughout time the purpose of art has evolved depending on the intent

of the artist and could include anything from recording history, to

vanity portraits, or even ways to communicate scientific progress

between medical or research laboratories. One of the earliest uses for art was in advertising,

something many consider to be quite modern.

A lot of people would be surprised to know that advertising dates back

to as early as 4000 B.C. when natives used rock art to communicate

information to others.

In today’s world of computers and various mobile devices that humans use to connect to the internet, advertising is more than just the writing on the wall. Marketers advertise through the use of email, banners on web pages, popups

that open ads in a whole new webpage, word-of-mouth through social

networking sites like Facebook and Twitter, video games, and even through

blogging.

The degree of success for many of the ways that an online marketer chooses to advertise is called the conversion

rate.

Conversion rates are a type of modern-day marketing statistic used

to gauge the success of a website. How successful a conversion rate is

could be interpreted differently depending on the point of view of the

person looking at it.

Conversion Rates Explained

A marketer would see it differently than a consumer. In order to get an accurate conversion rate, one must

consider the amount of visitors to the site and the number of goal

achievements. For instance, if a webpage has 100 visitors but only 2

of those people contribute to the number of goal achievements, then the page has a 2% conversion rate.

However, if a webpage has 200 visitors and 20 of those people

contribute to the number of goal achievements, then the webpage has

a 10% conversion rate.

When I first heard about conversion rates, I was like fellow blogger Tammy Morales. In an online interview with James Martell, an affiliate marketing guru who hosts the longest running

podcast dedicated to the topic,

Tammy talked about some of the things she’d done wrong and as I

listened, it was hearing her describe some of my own blogging blunders.

Here are a few useful tips she had for other bloggers looking to boost their

own conversion rates.

Follow through on instructions, tips, and hints for raising your conversion rate before looking at results. Trust

me when I say that otherwise, you’re just asking for disappointment. From

what Tammy had to say in the interview, I think she’d agree.

Know exactly what you’re supposed to do

Strip away those extras! When Tammy did this, her conversion rates

soared from 1% to 10% within the first 48 hours and have been as high

as 20% depending on the date.

Don’t overwhelm visitors with things you have to offer

One of the best pieces of advice James received was from Mark Schoenrock who said, “If you only want them to

do one thing, only give them one thing to do.”

Tell your audience what to do to move forward

Distracting them with unnecessary elements at this point only draws your

audience’s attention away from the purpose of your site.

Imagine being there for the first time. Tammy’s new website offered two

things – sign up for the newsletter, or click the link saying “I’ve already

signed up” before taking users to the landing page.

Finally, look at your landing page through the eyes of your audience

Arranging the Elements on

Your Webpage

The late architect and furniture designer Charles Eames once said, “Design is a plan for arranging the elements in such a way as best to accomplish a particular purpose.” Graphics can add to a website, but when used incorrectly can detract

from what it has to offer.

For instance, borders, headers, and even background graphics can help lead the viewer’s eye to the most important copy on the page and

create a sales pitch that’s so cleverly designed that the viewer won’t

immediately think, “I need to exit out before they trap me into

spending money!”

Effectively used, graphics can be as powerful as the text on your

webpage if not more influential when it comes to raising conversion

rates. I’ve found it helpful when designing the aesthetics of a site to

outsource the work through a company such as Elance,

where freelance artists and students from game design

schools often produce work that rivals big-name design companies for a fraction of the cost. However, without effective sales copy to go with them, the pretty graphics are

just that…something nice to look at online.

Freelance author Ashley Monroe loves writing and during her career has covered about a

broad range of topics, from pediatric dentistry to distance learning for video game designers

and writing for www.animationarena.com. The parents of two young girls, she and her husband

enjoy spending time together as a family, whether it’s visiting the local playground or taking off for a weekend of camping. When

she’s not working, Ashley enjoys knitting, yoga, and taking brisk strolls around the block with

her walking buddy, the family’s golden retriever.