Are conversions on your website falling short of your expectations? There's an art to creating a high converting homepage, and many small businesses simply don't pay enough attention to the content and look of their website. The good news is that there are some very simple things you can do to increase your conversion rate without having to invest a lot of time and money.

1. The first thing you need to pay attention to is the quality of the images on your homepage. A page that is densely filled with text will not appeal to most internet users. A page that mixes text with effective images, on the other hand, is much more likely to convert. A good image is one that accurately reflects your product or industry. If you can afford it, it's best to hire a photographer to take pictures of your company and employees. However, if you're on a tight budget, you can use stock photos as long as they're unique and not cheesy. Stay away from anything that is obviously a stock photo and opt for images that are eye-catching and appealing. You should also consider using images with faces, as these will attract customers' attention.
2. Use powerful marketing copy that focuses on the things that are most important to your customers. When people search for a keyword, they're actually asking a question - and more often than not, it's about a problem they want to solve. Using language on your homepage that appeals to your visitors' emotions can trigger a strong response - one that is very effective when it comes to increasing conversion rates. There's an old advertising adage that says using fear, uncertainty and doubt (FUD) drives sales. The most effective homepages don't overtly market with fear. Instead, they focus on the user's problem (which may trigger one of these three emotions), empathise with them and then offer a concrete solution.
3. Make sure your value proposition is clear. What are you offering and why should people be interested? It's not enough to have a well-written text. You need a compelling headline that immediately puts your website visitor in the right frame of mind.
4. Don't make empty promises about your product. You're offering a product or service that you want visitors to buy, and that should be clear on your homepage. It's one thing to focus on selling the sizzle and not the steak - but remember that there is no sizzle without the steak. Your homepage shouldn't leave your website visitors in the dark about what you sell or what service you offer. You don't have to give all the details on the home page, but you do need to show visitors what you sell. If you don't, visitors may very well leave.
5. Collect leads with a simple opt-in form. Marketing wisdom says that most users need to come into contact with a brand or product between seven and ten times before they make an online purchase. In practice, this means that the vast majority of visitors to your website will not make a purchase on their first visit. One way to mitigate this effect is to have a simple opt-in form that allows you to collect users' email addresses and follow up with them to increase your brand awareness. Your opt-in form should be extremely short and ask for no more than an email address and a name.
6. Create an engaging and valuable lead magnet to convince people to sign up to your list. Many companies use the promise of a free offer to get potential prospects to give out their email addresses. For example, a short eBook, email series or course can be a great way to entice users to join your list. Not only can you collect email addresses, but giving away a valuable item also creates something called reciprocity - a cognitive bias that makes customers much more likely to buy from you. The free item creates a sense of obligation, just like doing someone a favour in person.
7. Make sure you send a compelling and effective email series to your customers after they sign up. Every email you send is an opportunity to add value and increase your authority and brand recognition.
8. Use testimonials and social proof. 80 % of all internet users say they read reviews before making a purchase. If you don't include testimonials and social proof in the form of trust icons, you could be missing out on conversions. Remember that a first-time visitor to your website knows very little about your business. Enthusiastic testimonials and reviews, as well as other trust symbols, can very effectively reinforce your authority and allay a user's concerns about signing up or making a purchase.
9. Consider adding a video to your homepage. Videos are very popular - in fact, they're the most popular type of online content. Adding an interesting and relevant video to your homepage will encourage visitors to stay, listen and watch. If your product or service lends itself to a demonstration, a video is a great way to show what you're selling. Even highly technical products can benefit from certain types of video, such as a whiteboard video. The best way to incorporate a video is to let users decide whether or not to play the video. Videos that play automatically can be off-putting and distracting.
10. Add social networking buttons to your homepage. New users to your website may not make a purchase on their first visit and may not even give you their email address. However, following you on social media is a no-risk way to learn more about your company and products. Why not make it as easy as possible for them to do so?
11. Test everything on your homepage to fully optimise it. Every element of your website needs to shine if you want to maximise your conversions. Split testing, also known as A-B testing, is the best way to do this. With split testing software like Optimizely you can test each element of your website individually. The software splits your traffic and sends one half to your original page and the other half to the page with the new element you're testing, such as a headline or call to action. After the test has run long enough to produce a statistically significant result, you can switch to the new option if it leads to better conversions and then move on to testing the next option.

Increasing the conversion rate on your website doesn't have to be difficult. The most important thing you can do is to look at it from the point of view of your ideal customer. What problem do they want solved and what do they want to see on your website? If you tailor your website to these needs, the conversions will follow.

Are conversions on your website falling short of your expectations? There's an art to creating a high converting homepage, and many small businesses simply don't pay enough attention to the content and look of their website. The good news is that there are some very simple things you can do to increase your conversion rate without having to invest a lot of time and money.

1. The first thing you need to pay attention to is the quality of the images on your homepage. A page that is densely filled with text will not appeal to most internet users. A page that mixes text with effective images, on the other hand, is much more likely to convert. A good image is one that accurately reflects your product or industry. If you can afford it, it's best to hire a photographer to take pictures of your company and employees. However, if you're on a tight budget, you can use stock photos as long as they're unique and not cheesy. Stay away from anything that is obviously a stock photo and opt for images that are eye-catching and appealing. You should also consider using images with faces, as these will attract customers' attention.
2. Use powerful marketing copy that focuses on the things that are most important to your customers. When people search for a keyword, they're actually asking a question - and more often than not, it's about a problem they want to solve. Using language on your homepage that appeals to your visitors' emotions can trigger a strong response - one that is very effective when it comes to increasing conversion rates. There's an old advertising adage that says using fear, uncertainty and doubt (FUD) drives sales. The most effective homepages don't overtly market with fear. Instead, they focus on the user's problem (which may trigger one of these three emotions), empathise with them and then offer a concrete solution.
3. Make sure your value proposition is clear. What are you offering and why should people be interested? It's not enough to have a well-written text. You need a compelling headline that immediately puts your website visitor in the right frame of mind.
4. Don't make empty promises about your product. You're offering a product or service that you want visitors to buy, and that should be clear on your homepage. It's one thing to focus on selling the sizzle and not the steak - but remember that there is no sizzle without the steak. Your homepage shouldn't leave your website visitors in the dark about what you sell or what service you offer. You don't have to give all the details on the home page, but you do need to show visitors what you sell. If you don't, visitors may very well leave.
5. Collect leads with a simple opt-in form. Marketing wisdom says that most users need to come into contact with a brand or product between seven and ten times before they make an online purchase. In practice, this means that the vast majority of visitors to your website will not make a purchase on their first visit. One way to mitigate this effect is to have a simple opt-in form that allows you to collect users' email addresses and follow up with them to increase your brand awareness. Your opt-in form should be extremely short and ask for no more than an email address and a name.
6. Create an engaging and valuable lead magnet to convince people to sign up to your list. Many companies use the promise of a free offer to get potential prospects to give out their email addresses. For example, a short eBook, email series or course can be a great way to entice users to join your list. Not only can you collect email addresses, but giving away a valuable item also creates something called reciprocity - a cognitive bias that makes customers much more likely to buy from you. The free item creates a sense of obligation, just like doing someone a favour in person.
7. Make sure you send a compelling and effective email series to your customers after they sign up. Every email you send is an opportunity to add value and increase your authority and brand recognition.
8. Use testimonials and social proof. 80 % of all internet users say they read reviews before making a purchase. If you don't include testimonials and social proof in the form of trust icons, you could be missing out on conversions. Remember that a first-time visitor to your website knows very little about your business. Enthusiastic testimonials and reviews, as well as other trust symbols, can very effectively reinforce your authority and allay a user's concerns about signing up or making a purchase.
9. Consider adding a video to your homepage. Videos are very popular - in fact, they're the most popular type of online content. Adding an interesting and relevant video to your homepage will encourage visitors to stay, listen and watch. If your product or service lends itself to a demonstration, a video is a great way to show what you're selling. Even highly technical products can benefit from certain types of video, such as a whiteboard video. The best way to incorporate a video is to let users decide whether or not to play the video. Videos that play automatically can be off-putting and distracting.
10. Add social networking buttons to your homepage. New users to your website may not make a purchase on their first visit and may not even give you their email address. However, following you on social media is a no-risk way to learn more about your company and products. Why not make it as easy as possible for them to do so?
11. Test everything on your homepage to fully optimise it. Every element of your website needs to shine if you want to maximise your conversions. Split testing, also known as A-B testing, is the best way to do this. With split testing software like Optimizely you can test each element of your website individually. The software splits your traffic and sends one half to your original page and the other half to the page with the new element you're testing, such as a headline or call to action. After the test has run long enough to produce a statistically significant result, you can switch to the new option if it leads to better conversions and then move on to testing the next option.

Increasing the conversion rate on your website doesn't have to be difficult. The most important thing you can do is to look at it from the point of view of your ideal customer. What problem do they want solved and what do they want to see on your website? If you tailor your website to these needs, the conversions will follow.