Close the Deal - Get an instant boost in conversions by ending your pages with a clear Call to action (or next step...but for real - do a call to action)

A new user comes to your site - eager to have their problem solved by your business. They aren't 100% sold from your value proposition at the top of the page. 

As they begin to move down the page:

Benefit 1 = YES

Benefit 2 = that would make my life so much easier!

They gain more excitement that YOUR business can solve their problem. What is this.... raving testimonials! People just like me who have the results I want...YES!

Stop it - another free add-on. They are salivating at your product and reaching for their wallet.

They arrive at the bottom of the page to the footer..... and leave the site.

"WHAT HAPPENED!" You scream as you view your luckyorange video.

I can tell you what happened. You did 99% of everything right...

accept....

Asking them to take action. Reintroducing a the call to action for a user to buy / contact / sign up / etc for your product.

One of the most valuable strategies I always propose to my clients are to make sure that there is a clear and concise call to action at the bottom of the page. 

Just one line of copy and a button. That's it.

Take a look at these 2 wireframes. 

The one on the left is the EXACT same layout (and same copy writing) but leaves the user hanging and not knowing exactly what they need to do next. As soon as this "I don't know what to do next" enters the user's mind they are more likely to leave - even if the product or service is perfect for them.

The one on the right introduces the Call to Action Section at the bottom of the page. This layout guides the user down the page and then gracefully prompts them to take action (or the next step). 

It is 100% clear what the user needs to do next (both visually and by the location on the page)

Taking it to the next level

For an extra impact, implement your Call to Action Section at the bottom of every page.

Why?

Odds are your users are coming to a blog post, an interior page, or other pages rather then your main landing pages. To ensure all users know what to do, place the Call to Action Section right above your footer on all pages.

Never lose another conversion to users who don't know what to do next. 

Instantly get more conversions right from your top navigation

Ahhh, yes. The nav bar (navigation bar at the top of your page). The eyebrow of your website.

Ok no one call is that but it is a critical area to focus on for conversions.

When looking at your nav bar your main focus is 2 fold:

1. The name of your business
2. Directing users/customers to do what you want them to do

That is it.

Everything else is just in support of those 2 objectives.

This would be the wrong way to go about it:

When you first look at this, I'm sure you see the business name first and then for a moment lock up because everything else has the same visual weight.

Though it is clean there is WAY to much going on:

1. logo with business name
2. social media links
3. numerous links to who knows where
4. a call to action
5. social media links
6. phone number
7. fax number

7 elements in total may not seem like a big number however that is 7 different elements that a user has to mentally process before moving on or taking an action. The more mental energy your users/customers use the more fatigued they will get which will result in a poor user experience. I'm sure all of these are important to some degree in your business, however you don't need ALL of them in your header to have users convert or take a step towards converting.

Instead of that do this:

Notice the difference.

Distraction free and focused on a goal :)

You know EXACTLY where to go - the CTA

How do you do this...Easy

1 - From your business goals - what is the main action you want a user to do on your site (sign up, buy, register, download, etc)

That is your Call to action for your site

2 - Your navigation should help drive users to that call to action. That could be providing additional features or benefits, pricing, etc. Your navigation should be as minimal as possible to reduce clutter and distractions.

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What are some of your hang ups on creating conversion focused navigation on your site?