Learn how to turn website visitors into paying customers with our 5 step-by-step recommendations; including tests to identify necessary changes, strategies for capturing visitors, and optimizing your website to stand out from the crowd.
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To capture and convert online visitors, it is crucial that your website stands out in the crowd. According to Benjamin Marston, a UI/UX Specialist and marketing strategist with TOMIS a digital marketing agency, your website should reflect your company's unique branding and create a specific vibe. This makes it easier for visitors to make informed decisions and book through your website. As 83% of US adults prefer booking their trips online, it is imperative to make your website visually appealing and user-friendly.
Table of Contents"Your website's main goal is to guide visitors toward making a purchase decision."
- Ben Marston
1. Begin with a "Tab Test"
To gain an edge over your competitors, Marston recommends implementing a tactic where you open multiple tabs on a browser, each representing one of your primary competitors. The goal is to evaluate where you stand in comparison to them and then differentiate yourself accordingly. He incorporates this as an essential component of implementing new website strategies for clients.
Marston recommends looking for the following details:
- Messaging
- First Impression
- Top promoted item
- Photos and Brand (look and feel)
The Tab Test is just a start when it comes to doing a competitor analysis. Keep in mind the focus is to find ways you can differentiate yourself and so although there are other details you can search for when researching, like pricing, SEO, promotions, etc. this test has you focusing on high-level details.
2. Customer Personas
To effectively make changes based on the insights gained from the Tab Test, it's essential to shift your perspective and view your website through the eyes of your customers. This means adopting their viewpoint and understanding how they perceive your website.
To truly understand your customers and what they need from your website you start by taking a journey through your website with their eyes, experiencing every touchpoint and interaction as they would. By doing so, you can identify pain points, areas of confusion, and opportunities to improve their experience.
Developing customer personas is a crucial step in understanding this buying journey of your audience.
Watch the recent TOMIS Interview for more specific details about the Buyers Journey Test. This process is similar to the Tab Test and can help you identify the necessary changes to improve your website's performance.
Creating a true customer persona requires gathering data on who your customers actually are. By creating detailed profiles of your customers, you can gain insights into their behaviors, preferences, and motivations, and tailor your website to meet their needs and expectations.
Ultimately, the goal is to create an experience that is seamless, intuitive, and enjoyable, so that visitors are more likely to convert into paying customers.
Below are some ways you can begin to review or collect data about who your customers are:
- Digging into your reservation software
- Website analytics
- Interviews with staff
- Brief customer surveys
Trying to understand who your customers actually are may seem daunting. To start, it is ok to guess, think about who you assume is a primary visitor and use their perspective as you move through the next steps.
Unsure? Connect with TOMIS to understand who your primary customer is and how to sell to them.
3. Defining the Problems You Can Fix
Once you have a clear understanding of your customer, it's time to analyze your website and identify areas where you can stand out from the competition and capture your specific customers. This is where the Buyer's Journey Test comes in handy. During this process, you'll want to pay attention to the following factors:
- Does your website create a strong first impression?
- Are your photos and imagery of high quality?
- Are you providing enough information to your visitors?
- Are you overwhelming them with too much unnecessary information?
According to Marston, based on his experience working with companies in the outdoor industry, many operators struggle with maintaining a high standard of quality photography and cohesive branding. This presents an opportunity for you to stand out and distinguish yourself from the competition.
4. Featured Tour Section
In order to guide visitors towards making a purchase decision, it's important to feature a limited number of options (3-4) that are noticeably distinct. This allows visitors to access additional information and explore their options more deeply while still giving eager visitors an option to purchase. Remember, the primary goal of your website is to encourage visitors to become paying customers.
Most clients that Marston has worked with receive 80% of their business from 20% of their offerings. This makes it easy to know what you can and should be featuring.
While having a featured tour section is important, it does not mean ignoring your other offerings.
According to Marston, many clients are hesitant to promote only specific tours. However, overwhelming customers with too many options can lead to decision fatigue.
To avoid this, it is crucial to highlight a featured tour section while strategizing on how to upsell other offerings that you want to promote.
The goal of a featured tour section is to provide an immediate purchasing option (book now button) while also providing a way to dig deeper (learn more button).
5. Optimizing Your Technology
It's important to keep in mind that whether your customer is booking on a phone or desktop, their experience matters. According to research, in 2022, 64% of online bookings were made on a desktop, while 44% were made on a mobile device. Additionally, 72% of mobile bookings occur within 48 hours of a Google search including the words "tonight" or "today."
This highlights the need to optimize your website for all devices and provide an easy and quick booking process for your potential customers.
In today's society, online booking options are expected, and with 83% of US adults preferring to book their trips online, it's crucial to provide a seamless experience. Failure to do so can lead to losing customers to your competitors.
Technology is essential for providing a seamless online booking experience, whether it's through a chatbot, reservation software, or a marketing agency to streamline branding and analytics.
In Summary
With the right approach, turning website visitors into paying customers can be a seamless process. By following the 5 recommended steps outlined here and by conducting the 2 tests shared to assess your website's performance, you can enhance your chances of turning visitors into loyal customers.
Additional Resources:
2022 Travel Booking Statistics
Online Travel Booking Statistics and Trends
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