How to Encourage Users to Take Action

Hello Indiana, The last time I wrote to you I focused on improving the experience of users. However, noble though that goal is, it is ultimately about improving the conversion rate of our sites. After all, every website wants users to do something, whether that is buying a product, making a donation or signing up for a newsletter. ​ However, before we dive into that, I wanted to share another little extra. ​ Returning the Favour I have noticed that many of my subscribers recommend my emails to others. That is appreciated and certainly the kind of thing I want to encourage :) ​ So to say thank you, and to encourage others to do the same, I have a rewards program for those who nudge others to subscribe. ​ ​ ​ That includes rewards such as: A chance to win free stuff every month. Exclusive access to free content. Massive discounts on my products and courses. ​Free first impressions videos of your site. ​One-to-one coaching with me via zoom. And much more. ​ For more information on this month's prize draw and other rewards, visit your personalised rewards page. You can also track how many referrals you have made here. ​ Finally, to start sharing, you can send friends and colleagues to this page: ​ https://boagworld.com/subscribe/?rh_ref=14fd3254 ​ But how do we encourage people to take action without alienating them? How do we provide a great experience and still improve conversion? ​ An Encouraging Clicks Masterclass Improving the conversion rate of your website is a vast topic and crucial to business success, not to mention justifying your site's existence! That is why I have put together a four and half hour video masterclass you should consider enrolling on. ​VIEW THE MASTERCLASS​ ​ If you are interested in this course, you can be notified when it is next available by simply clicking the button below. ​ Notify me ​ That said, hopefully, the posts I share in this email will be enough to get you started. ​ How Not to Encourage Action I can tell you one thing; the answer does not lie in dark patterns. These manipulative techniques might work in the short term, but they are dangerous to the long-term health of a business, as I explain in this post. ​DARK PATTERNS AND AGGRESSIVE PERSUASION – 3 REASONS TO AVOID!​ ​ Encourage Action Done Right If dark patterns are not the answer, then what is? The answer lies in understanding what people need and making sure you deliver. That is the topic of my comprehensive how-to guide. ​CONVERSION RATE OPTIMISATION: A HOW-TO GUIDE FOR BETTER RESULTS​ ​ The Indispensable Role of Testing However, even my comprehensive guide is not going to be enough without an ongoing program of testing. Testing lies at the heart of any conversion rate optimisation strategy. In particular, you need to be adopting A/B and multivariate testing. ​A BEGINNERS GUIDE TO TO A/B AND MULTIVARIATE TESTING​ ​ Even More From Me! At this point, in past emails, I pointed you at some posts from other writers. But conversion optimisation is a pet subject of mine, and I have a lot more to say on the subject! ​ Encourage Action by Reducing Cognitive Load One of the most significant barriers to conversion is a user's cognitive load. Users are overwhelmed with too much information and distractions. The result is that they give up. Fortunately, some considered design will mitigate this problem. ​HOW TO FIX THE DEVASTATING IMPACT OF COGNITIVE LOAD ON YOUR SITE​ ​ Encourage Action by Overcoming Choice Paralysis Another common reason for users abandoning a site is being overwhelmed with choice. Faced with too many options users tend to hesitate and can in some circumstances not decide at all. That is called analysis paralysis. ​HOW TO OVERCOME ANALYSIS PARALYSIS IN WEB DESIGN​ ​ Improve Your Calls to Action Whatever it is you want users to do the moment comes when you have to ask them to act. That moment is a call to action, and the design of this action is crucial to the success of your website. This post will help you get it right. ​CALL TO ACTION: THE 10 MOST EFFECTIVE TECHNIQUES​ ​ Improving Newsletter Signup Encouraging people to sign up for newsletters like this one is a particularly tricky challenge, as people are reluctant to open themselves up to spam. If you are interested to see how I got you to sign up to this one, check this out. ​HOW TO SUCCESSFULLY ENCOURAGE NEWSLETTER SIGNUP WITH GOOD DESIGN​ ​ In the next email, I turn my attention to designing better user interfaces and I have that little gift I promised you. So make sure you keep an eye out for that. ​ ​ ​ If you no longer want to hear from me, I completely understand and you can unsubscribe from all emails here. Alternatively, if you need to update any of the information about yourself you can edit your profile here.