Conversion rate… the mantra of marketers and entrepreneurs worldwide. We would do anything to obtain a higher conversion rate (convert more of our visitors into customers).

So, there you have it: great design, which contains the right elements arranged in the right order on the page, drives more conversion than all the marketing tricks which you may pull out of your sleeve.

Today we will present and discuss the key web design elements and concepts which attract people and persuade them to follow through with the call to action. These five items are proven and tested by many companies, through many series of A/B testing, optimization and sheer trial and error. Now you can get the gist of their hard learned lessons, and implement efficient and effective design in your own website.

#1: Keep Relevant Information above the Fold

Give your visitors the strongest reasons to hit that “Buy Now” or “Get In Touch” button by placing core benefits and testimonials above the scroll line. Ideally, people should not have to scroll down at all on a sales or landing page. The best design is that which fits on a computer or smart-phone screen.

This obviously involves building the entire website on the core concept of responsive web design, but that is already a basic prerequisite for all websites. However, you should test your landing page on all types of computers and mobile devices which people currently use to browse the internet to make sure that your best bits of content are above the fold.

#2: Keep It Simple

Minimalist design is a big winner if you want to drive conversions. People are easily distracted online. It takes very little to divert people’s attention from your CTA (Call To Action) button and never go through with the purchase / contact form.

You should do everything to keep your visitors focused on what you want them to do: fill in a form, click on a button and complete a purchase. Use a lot of white space, 2-3 complementary colors and a bold and brightly colored call to action button.

#3: Display the Price Boldly (When Applicable)

In a traditional telemarketing or face-to-face sale process, the price is always kept for last. The theory is that once the salesperson has presented all the benefits of the product, people will want to buy it at any price. That is a debatable concept, but one thing is certain: this tactic does not work at all online.

You should display the price in the top half part of your web page, where people can see it and feel that they hold all the information they require and all the reasons they need to follow through with the purchase.

As a side tip: if you have a sale on your products or services, display both the original price and the discounted price on the sales page. Many people will base their purchase decision on the saving they make if they hurry to accept the discounted offer.

#4: Happy, Confident Faces

This is a simple rule: smiling faces build trust, boost confidence and increase the desire to reach the same happy state by purchasing the promoted products and services. Do not go overboard with groups of ecstatic looking people. A simple stock photo of a smiling face is sufficient to create the right emotion that smooths the path towards a sale.

#5: Be Consistent in Design

Your website, branding materials, and landing pages must have a consistent design in terms of fonts, colors, images and even words. People feel confident when they recognize the elements from the ad they clicked on in the web page. It gives them the basic human feeling of safety – the idea that they reached the right place, the one they expected to find.

As you can see, these design elements are not very complex and require little work to achieve. But the end result is tremendous in term of increased conversion rates.

What are some of your tips for increasing conversions?  Post below.