Are your requests scaring customers away?

When we’re developing a website, we work hard to make sure that every single page has a goal. The call-to-action (CTA) might be to sign up for a newsletter, reach out with more questions, or to simply continue on to another article for more information, but you have to have something there. Too often I find web pages that get to the end of the content and then… nothing.

However, if you go in too aggressively with your CTA, you might just scare people away instead. Much like the idea of not proposing on a first date, easing people toward a commitment is usually the right way to go.

An easy place to start is by asking for less information. If you have an email sign-up form on your site, asking fewer questions will generally result in a much higher conversion rate. While I’d love to know the zip code and annual income of everyone on our list, reducing the questions and only asking for their email address is a much easier commitment for a user to take.

Why is someone here?

As you’re working to figure out the goal for each page, taking the time to understand why someone might be reading a particular page can help you understand how far into the journey they are.

• If they’re browsing your “about” page, they’re likely pretty new.