What’s better than racking up thousands of blog pageviews?
Converting those pageviews into leads, or even better, a sale.
But sadly, if you’ve been neglecting to implement a conversion rate optimization strategy for your blog, then the chances of that happening for your business are probably pretty slim.
The numbers speak for themselves:
- With the right strategy, your business blog can get you three times more leads than paid search advertising.
- Businesses that blog generate an average of 67% more leads than those that don’t.
- 57% of marketers say they’ve earned customers specifically through blogging.
In addition, Econsultancy reports that 50% of companies say conversion rate optimization is a crucial part of their digital marketing strategy and 74% of conversion rate optimization programs have been observed to increase sales.
Whatever your conversion goal for your blog may be (newsletter subscription, quote request, or drive to store, you want to design blog posts in a way that meets that goal. Here are 26 conversion rate optimization statistics that can help you shape your blog strategy for success.
A good conversion rate optimization strategy will ultimately depend on your industry. Any digital marketing agency worth their salt will tell you that no one solution fits all issues. These figures and insights are meant to give you new ideas to explore or inspire you to experiment and find the right blend of conversion rate optimization tactics for your business.
Let’s dive in.
Anchor Text CTAs can boost conversion rates by up to 121%
In-text CTAs, specifically, anchor text CTAs are proven to be responsible for 93% of leads from HubSpot’s blog posts. When you consider banner blindness, the statistic makes more sense. Banner blindness is an actual phenomenon you’ve most likely experienced but just not noticed. It’s a result of becoming accustomed to banner images on websites, so the brain eventually tunes it out and ignores them.
Additionally, a HubSpot experiment, found that end-of-post banner CTAs only contributed an average of 6% of leads that the blog posts generated. That’s your cue to experiment with text-based CTAs within blog posts and be sure to track and document the results for your future reference.
CTAs with the search keywords increased conversion rate by 87%
Time and time again, you have seen how targeting the right keywords is critical for SEO. Even more notable, a HubSpot survey found that solid keyword research can benefit your blog beyond SEO. When they optimized 12 high-ranking posts with CTAs containing the search keywords that their visitors were looking for, conversion rates shot up by 87% from those blog posts.
Take advantage of tools like Google Analytics and Ahrefs to find out what search terms you’re ranking for and can incorporate those into your CTAs. Take a hard look at your data. What keywords did your top-performing content rank for? Take that information and optimize your high-ranking posts with CTAs that contain your target keywords.
Slide-in box earned a 192% higher click-through rate
If you’re still skeptical about pop-up CTAs, then these figures should solidify that they belong in your blog strategy. According to HubSpot, slide-in boxes generated 27% more submissions than their regular CTA at the bottom of a blog post. Light-box forms, specifically, the slide-in box, earned an impressive subscription rate of 5.5%. The sidebar form, which only converted 0.4%, pales in comparison.
Using a slide-in box generated approximately 1,375% more subscribers for HubSpot. Consider introducing these high-converting pop-ups to attract attention and offer value to your visitors.
A feature box opt-in can increase signups by up to 51%
Another proven lead-capture form you can explore is the feature box. This full-width email opt-in box is a lead magnet you can place at the top of your website below the header navigation. A feature box opt-in has been observed to increase signups by up to 51%. Another survey reports 30% of their opt-ins come from the feature box.
Admittedly, the feature box can take up considerable space above your blogpost. Instead of letting that faze you, ensure that your lead magnet (AKA, the content you’re offering in exchange for contact information) is worthy of taking up such prime real estate. Additionally, you may want to experiment with feature box opt-ins and slide-in pop-ups to see what is more effective in capturing leads for your business.
Blog posts that offer templates increase conversion by 240%
Speaking of lead magnets, templates are an excellent one. A survey found that blog post conversions increased by 240% when it included a template offer. Entice your visitors to convert by offering irresistible value-loaded templates at zero cost.
Explore template ideas and remember that this tactic will only be as good as the template you’re offering. So, researching what your target audience will find invaluable is a prerequisite.
Website visitors who are retargeted are more likely to convert by 43%
When a prospect sees a retargeting ad, there’s a 70% chance that they’ll avail of your product over your competitor’s. But take note that retargeting isn’t just for ads these days. You can maximize this nifty digital tool to offer your visitors with relevant content after they leave your site.
Your target audience will usually browse several websites as part of their research. You want to stay top of mind as they consume several pieces of content to help them make a decision. Of course, there’s a thin line between being pushy and being helpful, and that midpoint is personalization. Retargeting allows you to personalize and push the right content in front of the right people. For starters, retarget people who visited your highest-converting blog articles.
80% of readers don’t make it past the headline
Your headline is the first make-or-break moment of your blog post. However, crafting a catchy headline will only get you so far. Eight out of 10 visitors will read headline copy, and only two out of 10 will continue reading. Thus, you are faced with two challenges. The first hurdle is to get them to click-through; the ultimate goal is to get them to convert.
This is where headline-writing best practices will come in handy. On top of those time-proven ways, numerous surveys are shedding light on what types of headlines are effective when it comes to grabbing and holding readers’ attention. For instance, Moz and Conductor’s analyses show that headlines that have numbers outperform other content, with 36% of readers preferring that. Headlines that address readers coming in at a close second. Additionally, you don’t want to go overboard with superlatives (Ei. best, smartest, hottest, etc.) as 51% of readers click headlines with zero to one superlative.
Keep those in mind as you craft your headlines. To further entice your target readers to click-through AND keep reading your blog post, leverage intrigue, and offer information that matters to your target audience.
Video marketers report 66% more qualified leads per year
The demand for video continues to rise, with 54% of consumers wanting more video content. More notably, video marketers earn 66% more qualified leads per year. While producing video content may take more resources than an average blog post, 88% of marketers believe the ROI is well worth it.
Consider inserting videos on your next blog post to engage your visitors and increase your chances at converting. You can also explore other ways of raising the ante with conversion-friendly videos. For instance, embedding a Lead Capture Form in your video. Wistia analyzed over 15,000 videos with turnstiles lead capture form and found that turnstiles placed in the first 10-20% of the video have the highest conversion rates, ranging from 38 – 43%.
On average, across all industries, UGC increased conversion rates by 161%
Utilizing user-generated content is an excellent way to show social proof. Across all industries, UGC has been shown to boost conversions by an average of 161%. Another factor to consider is how images of real people can help to increase the conversion rate by 35%.
Instead of using stock images, why not start using photos collected from your users? Either by asking for submissions or permission, you can curate images from your existing customer base and use them accordingly in your blog posts. This way, you can cement your credibility and bolster collaboration.
Convert Your Blog Traffic into Leads
Indeed, getting more out of your existing traffic will take more than merely publishing blog posts. Aside from understanding your target audience and using buyer personas to drive your content marketing, optimizing your blog posts for conversion should be up there in your list of priorities, so you can get a leg up on the competition.
Only 22% of businesses are satisfied with their conversion rates. Are you one of them?
With the right mix of CRO tactics, you can propel your business towards sustainable growth and long-term success. Contact the CRO experts at Spiralytics today!
