Business owners and marketers across all industries want better website conversion. Conversions are one of the very few factors that determine the success of your online store. You could have 10,000 visitors, but if none of those visitors become customers, you’re in the same position you were when you started.

But if 500 people visit your website and half of them sign up or buy something, it could change the trajectory of your business forever. This one small example demonstrates the importance of conversions, but knowing that you need sales and engagement is not enough to succeed.

You have to position your website and marketing channels in a way that helps you reach more potential customers and grow your brand. Today, I’m going to share six core elements you can use to meet your website conversion goals and build rapport with first-time visitors.

Let’s get started!

1. Prioritize speed and performance

The speed and performance of your website can have a massive impact on your conversions. If your website takes too long to load or doesn’t work the way it’s supposed to, most people will leave before they ever get a chance to engage with your brand.

According to Google, the best page load time is 2 seconds or less. For context, research shows that a one-second delay beyond that point results in a 7% loss in conversions. In other words, if your WordPress website takes 5-6 seconds to load, more than half of your visitors will likely leave before the page finally loads.

Obviously, this isn’t an ideal situation. There are a few quick and easy ways to optimize loading times and improve the performance of your website.

Common strategies include:

• Use an image optimizer to compress images and reduce bandwidth
• Install a caching plugin so your site will run faster for return visitors
• Choose a minimalistic theme and design
• Split comments and long blog posts into multiple pages
• Upload your videos off-site (YouTube is a great option)

2. Optimize for mobile users

Did you know that by the end of the year, it’s estimated that 6.5 billion people will own smartphones? This startling statistic shows the power of optimizing your site for mobile. On average, people spend close to four hours on their smartphones every day. Often, these people look at products to buy or engage with brands.

If your online store isn’t ready for mobile users, most users will bounce from your website before they get a chance to convert. In some cases, you could be missing out on over 50% of all conversions!

Optimizing your site for mobile is quick, easy, and certainly worth your time. You can use Google’s free Mobile-Friendly Test to check the status of your site. This tool can help you identify opportunities to improve and create a better experience for mobile users.

I also suggest choosing WordPress themes and plugins that work well with mobile. Some plugins are great, but they only help with desktop users. If you want to improve your mobile website conversion rate, you need tools catered to these visitors.

You’ll also want to test your site on a range of mobile devices when you make an update or introduce a new feature. Real devices work best here because you can see how your site looks on your customers’ devices.

3. Publish helpful content

Publishing blog content is one of the best ways to improve your website conversion rate. Most of the people who make it to your site are there because they want to read about a specific topic or learn about one of your products.

You can anticipate these needs by creating content based on your target audience’s goals and pain points. The more you know about your visitors’ interests, the better. I like to find clever ways to bridge the gap between our blog posts and our product.

For instance, the product I sell is lead generation software. So, a lot of our content is about growing email lists, engaging with subscribers, and sending valuable content. These various topics come back to one premise: you should work to get more email leads.

The content you create for your blog will vary based on your industry and product selection. Ask your existing visitors for feedback if you’re unsure where to begin. Find out what type of content they would like to see in the future and publish it on your website.

Surveys show that blogs are the 5th most trusted source of information online. So if you’re looking to keep on-site visitors engaged and turn them into customers, a top-notch content marketing strategy is the way to go.

Speaking of user engagement, let’s talk about social media and your website. Social platforms like Twitter, Tik Tok, YouTube, and Instagram are more popular than ever before. Research shows that over 4.5 billion people use these platforms, and that number is growing.

There are a few smart ways to tie your social media and website together.

From your site, include social share buttons on your blog posts and landing pages. You want to make it as easy as possible for people to share your work with their friends, family, and peers. You may also want to consider the benefits of adding a social wall plugin to your site.

A social wall will allow site visitors to see what’s happening on your social media in real-time. This strategy is an excellent way to convince first-time visitors to follow your social channels and engage with your brand. You can show your wall as a small feed on the sidebar of your website or on a standalone page. For example:

On the flip side, you should share all of the helpful content you’re writing across your social media accounts. When it comes to visual content, turn to platforms like YouTube and Instagram, which are based on visual media. It’s also worth asking your audience to share their thoughts. I like to pose industry-specific questions and then read and respond to the responses throughout the day.

I also suggest you incentivize users to go to your WordPress site from your social media. You can do this by announcing limited-time promotions or events that require users to sign up on-site. If you’re persistent, you will get more sales from this strategy. We found that 59% of people turn to social media sites when they want to buy something online but need a little inspiration first.

Ask for email signups

Another element that can help you create a website that converts is email marketing. When a user completes your signup form and joins your list, they are showing interest in your product or service. The thing is, 96% of people who make it to your website are not quite ready to make a purchase.

Email gives you a chance to build rapport with new visitors and show them why your product and brand are superior to the competition. You can send newsletters featuring your top posts, personalized discounts on future orders, questionnaires, and more.

These engagement opportunities will help you learn about your customers and build robust buyer personas, which makes connecting with your audience across all platforms easier.

The key to growing your lead list is actively asking customers to subscribe. For instance, you could use an opt-in pop-up to ask users to join your list before they leave your site. You can also create promotional pop-ups where visitors can get an exclusive discount or gift with their purchase. These incentives are an excellent way to get visitors to become subscribers and, eventually, customers.

Use multi-channel customer support

Did you know that 63% of online shoppers say they are more willing to return to a website if it features live chat? This startling statistic shows why investing in a strong, multi-channel customer support system is crucial.

If someone has a question on our site, they can talk to a live agent or our self-help portal. Our social media team is always available to help users with industry-specific problems. If users prefer to drop us a line through email, they can do that too.

I believe that giving consumers these options means we have a style of customer support for everyone. Including these additional options means we are more likely to connect with visitors who would otherwise have forgotten about our brand without a second thought.

The best way to maximize conversions through your customer service channel is to anticipate what kind of problems or questions might arise for your visitors. If your team is ready to tackle these issues and guide users down the right path, many will decide to buy a product from your website.

Final thoughts

There you have it! The following core elements will help you improve website conversions on your site and build a stronger brand. It’s worth mentioning that significant changes do not occur overnight. You have to work hard and track the progress of your changes. With plenty of time, energy, and patience, you, too, can create a perfect website that converts.

For more on this topic, check out our articles on converting leads into paying clients and making a killer home page that converts.

To celebrate women everywhere on International Women’s Day, we gave 20 female entrepreneurs a free domain, hosting, and tools to build their websites as part of our Powered by Namecheap program.

We wanted to feature some of our fabulous winners in more detail, so we reached out to see who would like to tell us more. Presenting: Memorable Meals, Foodathlon, and The CanSurvivor’s Network. We especially loved these businesses, what they stood for, and what they do on a daily basis.

Here, the owners share, in their own words, what makes their business so special to inspire other female entrepreneurs out there to attempt a business close to their hearts.

Memorable Meals

Memorable Meals was started by Mem Davis. Mem is predominantly a writer and editor, but is a university-qualified naturopath, nutritionist, and massage therapist. During the lockdowns of the COVID-19 pandemic, she realized her varied skillset could be combined in the form of a new business idea.

Memorable Meals offers a chance for friends to come together around the preparation and sharing of a meal. It was borne out of the lockdowns that came about due to COVID-19. ‘I really missed socializing and sharing meals with others. I also noticed that most health regulations were focused on external protections rather than internal ones. As a nutritionist, I know that diet is one of the best ways to boost your health and immune system… so, why not assist people with that through an enjoyable learning experience?’

A culmination of skills

While Memorable Meals is a fledgling start-up, it is not Mem’s primary occupation — yet. ‘I love each of my roles for different reasons, and Memorable Meals is an enjoyable way to bring some of those skills together.’ Creating something positive and new out of her existing skills is, rightly, something Mem is proud of in her business.

Even before Memorable Meals, she had a unique and diverse journey. ‘I went from being a naturopath and store manager to being a writer and editor. Somewhere along the way I trained as a doula and got an extra qualification in marketing and communications. None of these roles exclude the others — they all come with skills that can be appropriated for a different purpose. Yes, it’s scary, but you learn to be flexible.’

Getting over that ‘out of place’ feeling

Starting something new isn’t easy for anyone, and it was no different for Mem. ‘Every single time I start something new I feel out of place. I think it’s natural to be unsure of yourself — the trick was to do it anyway!’

As with all entrepreneurs, we were curious as to the advice she would give others who are planning on doing the same. She replied: ‘Do something you love – not just for the sake of doing it. You’re going to spend a lot of time working on your business, so make sure it’s something that serves you and others.’

What her new website means

As a winner of our competition, Memorable Meals got an online presence. Mem finds this new visibility crucial to her business, especially because of the good SEO. ‘A website is also the most efficient way for me to book classes and create a customer database, as well as share all the exciting events and happy testimonials.’

The business in a line…

For Mem, Memorable Meals in a line is ‘… a social experience that combines good food and cheer!’ — and we couldn’t agree more.

Foodathlon

Also successful in multiple disciplines is Georgia Demertzi. She was originally a nurse, but after relocating from Greece to the Netherlands, it was difficult to pursue nursing. ‘I’m a foodie by nature,’ she says, ‘and I started writing down my family recipes ever since I was a child.’

After being diagnosed as gluten intolerant in 2018, but growing up with Greek food and cooking, things had to change. She set up Foodathlon when she had some spare time during the COVID-19 pandemic, to share her family’s Mediterranean recipes and stories — often with a twist. ‘My family’s recipes are the traditional ones, and mine are usually twisted to be gluten-free and naturally sweetened. Twisting my favorite recipes allowed me to enjoy them once again. I created Foodathlon to share my recipes with the world – to show that even after allergies and intolerances, we can keep eating healthy and very tasty food.’

What her new website means

Social media platforms can be a blessing when it comes to the reach of small businesses, and Georgia uses them too, however, they also have their limitations. A personal homepage means I can keep my website independent from social media platforms. I can connect with as many platforms as I want, without the fear of my content being removed or banned. I can have my own portfolio, set up an e-shop, host advertising, podcasts, and much more.’

Existing solely on Social Media means you are never really in control of your accounts, so many entrepreneurs do feel this way. There are also levels of customization Georgia enjoys. I can display the content the way I like, using my favorite colors, fonts, styles, and display options. I don’t rely on external platforms and their algorithms and updates.’

Growing Foodathlon

With any business, an important element is being able to look to the future and set realistic goals. As well as steering the business towards profitability, Georgia wants to write a cookbook of all her favorite recipes. She adds: ‘I also like educating people about the health benefits of Mediterranean food and diet. Creating recipes for brands and magazines and photographing them is also something that I’m very interested in.’

The CanSurvivor’s Network

The CanSurvivor’s Network (TCSN) was set up by Kelsey K. Smith after her own battle with cancer. It is a limited liability corporation based out of Detroit, Michigan, that offers e-commerce consulting services to small and medium-sized businesses in the cancer community and beyond. TCSN utilizes a blog and podcasts (among other things) to share stories. ‘Writing is a deep passion of mine, so anytime a potential client needs a website written, I gladly oblige! My own blog is perfect for showing others my capabilities, while the podcast is an excellent marketing tool for showcasing clients and affiliates. Bringing concepts and ideas to life shows others they can do it, too!’

More than just the chance to share stories and support, TCSN is a network of organizations and initiatives that offer products, services, or educational tools that are created by cancer patients or survivors.

Where it began

TCSN started as a video blog. ‘I was 29 at the time of diagnosis, living across the country from my hometown, so the initial goal of TCSN was to give loved ones from far a real, raw perspective on going through a stage two breast cancer diagnosis and treatment,’ Kelsey says. As she did so, she found others facing similar difficulties. It became clear my story was not unique. What was missing was a cohesive network of vetted initiatives started by individuals in various stages of cancer and treatment. With my background in sales and marketing, it has become my life’s work to close these gaps while showing the world that a harrowing diagnosis can be turned into something purposeful.’

What her new website means

As well as the blog and media platforms, TCSN offers organizational development services in the e-commerce space, including consulting, web design, logo, and brand management. The website helps provide a hub for all the elements of TCSN, as well as somewhere to direct potential clients to. ‘Having Namecheap in my corner allows TCSN to employ a lean-startup methodology when onboarding clients. Marketing is notoriously expensive, and so are medical expenses; therefore, we have to save as much as possible in case an unexpected surgery or economic downturn is lurking around the corner. It is critical to provide a tangible website to attract clients and keep others updated through the blog.’

To all our (Em)powered by Namecheap winners…

Congratulations to these three winners, and all the other 20 who are currently building, or improving their websites thanks to Powered by Namecheap. We love to see our products and services being put to great use and having a positive impact on both their owners and communities at large.

Ready to take your new website for your business live? You’ll want to create a custom email address while you’re at it. Having a professional email address for your business proves to your customers that you’re serious about your venture.

Young entrepreneurs often make the common mistake of using a generic email address that has little to do with their business. And an address like “SomeName@gmail.com” won’t go a long way toward convincing your customers that you’re taking yourself seriously. Since creating a business email is one of the most crucial steps an entrepreneur can take when it comes to direct marketing and long-term success, it’s worthwhile to showcase your brand’s image as professionally as possible.

Fortunately, creating a custom address for your business is pretty straightforward. This article will quickly cover how you can register a custom name for your business domain, acquire a hosting plan for your custom email address, and connect your email address with your email platform of choice.

Defining a custom email address

Before we go through the steps of setting up an email address for your business, let’s first define what a custom email address is. In short, instead of using a generic domain name, a custom address is tied to a custom domain name. It connects your email address with your brand and makes it stand out.

Rather than looking like our previous “SomeName@gmail.com” example, a custom email address may instead look something like “SomeName”@NameOfYourBusiness.com.” If you’re blasting out emails to your customers during ideal hours, it’s much easier to grab their attention if you contact them from a custom address rather than a generic one. Plus, you get to choose what words appear before and after your “@,” which isn’t always a choice you get if you’re using a generic email address.

Steps to set up a custom email address

Now that we’ve defined what a custom email address is, let’s cover the steps you need to take to set one up for yourself!

1. Purchase a domain name

First, you’ll need to get yourself a domain name, preferably by purchasing a top-level domain like .org, .com, or .net. Getting yourself a domain name is easy, and you have multiple ways of doing it.

Your first option is to visit a domain name registrar and buy a custom domain directly from there. For example, you can purchase an annual plan to host your domain with Namecheap. There are multiple benefits you can enjoy from purchasing a domain from a registrar, including:

• Server management
• Access to security standards
• Complete root access and operating system selection

You can also purchase a domain name from email hosting providers; most hosts grant you access to an automatic connection between your email host and custom domain name.

Alternatively, you can buy a web hosting package, often including a domain at no extra cost. You may also consider working with a website-building service, many of which include free domain registrations in their service packages.

2. Link your domain to an email host

You’ll need to connect your custom domain to your chosen email host. If your email host doesn’t provide ways to connect your domain automatically, you’ll need to apply some elbow grease and DIY.

Most often, you’ll need to consult your email host’s how-to guide (provided you bought a domain included in a hosting package) to get your new custom address set up. Most email hosts have dashboards from which you can find step-by-step processes to connect your domain to your host, although these steps can differ based on the host you’re working with.

3. Consider connecting your custom address to a third-party host

This is technically an optional step, but it’s basically mandatory for entrepreneurs who want to connect their new custom email address to a third-party host like Gmail, Apple Mail, or Microsoft Outlook.

The process of connecting an email address to a third-party host varies based on the email platform you choose, so, similar to what we discussed in our previous step, you’ll need to consult your email host’s how-to guide. You typically need to set up an account on your third-party host’s platform, import your custom address, and complete your host’s verification process.

Other reasons it’s a good idea to use a custom email address

There are additional benefits to using a custom email address aside from letting your customers know you’re taking your business seriously.

For one, using a custom address is simply, well, simple: custom email addresses offer simplicity since they’re easy to remember and, by extension, make it simpler for new prospects and recurring clients to reach out to you. If your customers remember your domain name by heart (which they should, assuming you’ve done your branding right), then they’ll have no trouble remembering your custom email address.

Custom email addresses simplify customer and prospect outreach and establish greater consistency and credibility for your business. It’s easier to spread brand awareness if people see your business as a well-established one and a leader in its industry. The greater your credibility and consistency, the easier it becomes to convince others that your business is a market expert.

Having a custom email address also streamlines your business’s internal operations. Want to create an email address for your sales department to make it easier for them to manage your sales pipeline and make more sales? Simply give that department a custom email address using your domain name. You can apply this same tactic to other departments such as your payroll, customer support, and HR to make things much more convenient for them.

Creating your business email address

If you’re an entrepreneur who plans on taking your business to the next level, setting up a custom email address is a can’t-miss step on the path toward long-term success. It’s important to set up a professional email address to sweep your competition and make it easier for customers and potential prospects to take you more seriously.

Setting up a custom address isn’t hard, and if you follow the simple steps we’ve outlined above, you’ll have a business email address up and running in no time. Simply choose a reliable hosting provider and start going further with a customized email address for your business.