A Conversion By Any Other Name...

What's your conversion rate? In my last blog post, I discussed the importance of having a form on your site to collect data from your visitors. When a visitor "converts" to an inquirer by completing your inquiry form, your site has generated a "conversion." If you divide the number of people who convert by the number of people who visit, you'll have your conversion rate.

But conversion rate means different things to different people. Depending on your business model, you may be tracking several different conversion rates. For example, you may have a progression of conversions - from visitor to inquirer, from inquirer to purchaser, from purchaser to brand evangelist (someone who will promote your product for free because they love what you do). So, the first step in determining the conversion rate of your website is to determine a) what action constitutes a conversion for you, and b) how you will measure that action.

Once you've determined that, you can put tracking in place to find out which traffic from which source(s) converts at the highest rate. Ah ha! Now, you can make more informed online marketing decisions! If you find that pay-per-click traffic out-performs banner ad traffic, then you can readjust your budget and spend your money more effectively to increase your conversion rate and reduce your cost per conversion. And in the long run, that means more business for your business!

In my next post, I'll discuss HOW to track traffic and conversions on your site...

Do you need a form on your website?

Yes.

Why? There are a couple of answers to this question. I always prefer the "because it's the right thing to do" answer, so here it is:

Not everyone who visits your website has outlook express or some other e-mail program configured, so if you just list an e-mail address, these people click your link and end up with outlook express taking 8 years to load up just so that they can then close the whole thing down again. It's a pain, and it's putting up a barrier between you and your visitors. Make it easy for them. A built-in dynamic form allows people to send you their questions, subscribe to your e-newsletter, or send you their contact information without having to go through the hassle of messing with their default mail provider.

Why else? Forms give you a measure of control over how the conversation with your visitors evolves. You can specify which information will be required and which information will be optional. For example, you may require first name and e-mail, but make last name and phone number optional. People see too many required fields as a barrier to completing your form, but if you just ask them for the info you need to help them solve their problem, then they'll be willing to share it with you. As your relationship with your visitors evolves and you offer greater value to them, they will slowly share more of their information with you. More info = greater personalization = better service = more business for your business.

You want ANOTHER reason? Oh ok. Information tracking. Typically, you can either have the info that the form collects sent to you in an e-mail, or, even better, you can have the information collected in a database that is connected to your website. There are even *free* web tools like http://www.wufoo.com/, that will generate and manage forms and submissions for you - no expertise required! Now, your form is working for you - building a database of potential customers/clients. Additionally, when someone converts from a visitor to an inquirer via your form, you can now calculate your "conversion rate." This is a key metric on any website. Among web nerds, you'll often hear "what's your conversion rate" bandied about. Do you know your website's conversion rate? If not, a form can help you find out what it is. Then you can start worrying about whether it's good or not. But that's a conversation for a future blog post!...