These 10 must-have features for a high-converting website are essential for any business that wants to turn visitors into loyal customers. But simply having a pretty website won’t cut it. To boost conversions, you need specific features that encourage users to take action, like making a purchase, booking a service, or signing up for an email list. In this post, we’ll go over 10 must-have website features that will help you optimize your site for better results, backed by data and real-world examples.
A clear call to action (CTA) is the heart of your conversion strategy. It’s what guides your visitors to take the next step—whether it’s to sign up, book a service, or make a purchase. Without a prominent and easy-to-understand CTA, visitors might leave your site without doing anything.
A great example of an effective CTA comes from Shopify, which uses bright, noticeable buttons that say “Start your free trial”, making it clear what users should do next. This direct approach helps move the visitor seamlessly toward conversion.
Make your CTA buttons stand out by using contrasting colors that grab attention, and position them in multiple places—at the top, middle, and bottom of each page—so users can act no matter where they are.
According to Unbounce, landing pages with a clear CTA increase conversions by up to 25%. This statistic highlights how important a well-positioned, easy-to-understand CTA is for driving action on your site.
A well-placed and eye-catching CTA can significantly boost your website’s conversion rate. Don’t leave this feature to chance—optimize it to lead visitors to take the action you want them to.
With over 59.5% of global web traffic coming from mobile devices (Statista), having a mobile-optimized website is a must. Your website might look great on desktop, but if it’s not responsive or user-friendly on mobile, you could be losing potential customers.
Nike does an excellent job of optimizing their website for mobile. They offer a seamless shopping experience on mobile devices, ensuring that users can easily browse products, make purchases, and navigate the site without issues. This mobile optimization leads to better customer retention and higher conversion rates.
Use responsive design to ensure your website automatically adapts to various screen sizes, whether your visitors are using smartphones, tablets, or desktops. This way, no matter the device, your site will look and function flawlessly.
Google reports that mobile-friendly websites have a 15% better chance of ranking higher in search results, giving you an SEO advantage if you prioritize mobile optimization.
A mobile-optimized website isn’t just a nice-to-have—it’s essential for reaching the growing number of mobile users. Prioritize responsive design to ensure your site performs well on any device.
Website speed is crucial to both user experience and SEO. Studies have shown that if your website takes too long to load, visitors will likely bounce before they see what you offer. Fast load times ensure that your visitors stay engaged, which can lead to more conversions.
Amazon is a great example of a fast-loading website. Their pages load quickly, which helps keep users engaged and ready to make purchases. By prioritizing speed, they can maintain a seamless shopping experience even with high volumes of traffic.
To speed up your website, compress images using tools like TinyPNG or WebP format. These tools reduce the file size of images without sacrificing quality, which helps your website load faster.
Google found that 53% of mobile users will abandon a website if it takes more than 3 seconds to load. This statistic highlights the urgency of improving site speed to keep visitors from leaving.
A slow website can drastically affect your conversions and SEO ranking. Speed up your site to improve user experience, keep visitors engaged, and boost your website’s performance.
Trust signals are elements on your website that help visitors feel secure when interacting with your site. These include SSL certificates, customer reviews, and security badges. By adding these trust signals, you’re showing visitors that your website is secure and credible, which is key to making them feel comfortable enough to take action.
Amazon prominently displays customer reviews, ratings, and trust badges, which make it clear to visitors that their purchases are safe. This increases consumer confidence and encourages purchases, knowing they can trust the site.
Display trust signals like SSL certificates and security badges prominently on your site, especially on the checkout page or forms, to reassure customers that their personal data is safe.
88% of consumers trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations, according to BrightLocal(2023). This shows how powerful reviews and trust signals are in boosting conversion rates.
Trust signals play a critical role in converting visitors into customers. Be sure to include security badges, customer testimonials, and reviews to create a safe and trustworthy browsing experience.
Forms are often the final step before conversion, so it’s essential that they are simple and easy to complete. The more fields you ask users to fill out, the more likely they are to abandon the form. A short, simple form can increase your conversion rates significantly.
HubSpot uses short forms that ask only for basic information like name, email, and phone number, which makes it easier for visitors to sign up for their services. This streamlined approach leads to higher form submission rates.
Keep your forms as short as possible. Only ask for the essential information—like name, email, and phone number—so visitors are more likely to complete the form.
HubSpot reports that forms with less than 5 fields can increase conversion rates by 25%. This shows how simplifying your forms can directly lead to better results.
Short and simple forms lead to more conversions. Focus on gathering only the essential information to make it easier for visitors to complete the form.
Website navigation is key to keeping users on your site and helping them find the information they need quickly. Poor navigation can frustrate visitors and lead them to leave your site. A simple, well-organized menu allows visitors to find what they’re looking for without any hassle.
Apple uses a minimalistic approach to navigation, keeping their main menu short and easy to follow. This makes it easy for users to quickly find products, services, and support without feeling overwhelmed.
Keep your navigation simple, with no more than 7 items in the main menu. This will help users find what they need faster and improve their overall experience.
67% of users say they would leave a website with poor navigation (Nielsen Norman Group). This statistic highlights the importance of making your navigation user-friendly.
A clear and simple navigation structure helps visitors stay engaged and ensures they can easily find the information they need. Simplify your site’s navigation to keep users happy and on track.
When offering services, visitors need to know exactly what you’re providing and how it can benefit them. If your service descriptions are vague or hard to understand, visitors might leave without contacting you.
LegalZoom offers clear and concise service descriptions for each of their offerings, like “LLC Formation”and “Trademark Registration”, making it easy for visitors to understand what they will receive.
Use bullet points to break down each service’s features, benefits, and pricing. This makes the information easy to digest and helps visitors quickly understand what they’ll get.
Websites with clear service descriptions see a 38% increase in trust and engagement from visitors (ContentVerve). This can directly impact your conversion rates.
Clear service descriptions ensure visitors understand what you offer and how it can help them. Be transparent and concise to improve trust and drive conversions.
Your website’s design should not only look attractive but also align with your branding and message. Good design keeps visitors engaged and helps them trust your website more.
Airbnb uses high-quality images of vacation homes to create an emotional connection with visitors, inspiring them to book. This visual appeal encourages users to stay on the site longer and take action.
Ensure your design is consistent with your brand identity, using the same colors, fonts, and imagery throughout the site. This creates a cohesive and professional look.
94% of a user’s first impression of a website is design-related (Forbes, 2022). A well-designed website can help build trust and keep visitors engaged.
A visually appealing website will attract visitors and keep them engaged. Ensure your design is clean, professional, and consistent with your brand.
Optimizing your website’s content for search engines will help it show up in search results and attract more traffic. SEO is key to making sure visitors can find your website in the first place.
Moz consistently ranks highly on Google because they focus on publishing high-quality, SEO-optimized content. Their blog posts answer common search queries and are rich with the right keywords.
Use long-tail keywords and structure your content with headings (H1, H2, H3) to make it easy for search engines to index and rank your pages.
75% of users never scroll past the first page of search results, making it crucial to optimize your website for SEO (HubSpot, 2023).
SEO-friendly content increases your visibility and helps attract more organic traffic. Focus on creating valuable content that answers what your audience is searching for.
Interactive elements keep visitors engaged and make their experience more enjoyable. Features like quizzes, calculators, and sliders can encourage users to spend more time on your site, which can lead to higher conversions.
Buzzfeed uses quizzes to engage users and increase time spent on their site. Visitors love to take part in interactive content, which boosts engagement and can lead to viral sharing.
Keep interactive features simple and relevant. Overcomplicating things with too many pop-ups or complex features can drive users away.
Interactive content generates 2x higher engagement than static content (Content Marketing Institute, 2023).
Interactive elements add value and keep users engaged, which can ultimately lead to higher conversion rates. Use them wisely to boost user interaction and make your website more fun.
These 10 must-have features for a high-converting website focus on features like clear CTAs, mobile optimization, and fast loading speeds. These elements, along with clear service descriptions and engaging content, will help guide your visitors toward taking action. Start implementing these essential features today to create a website that not only attracts visitors but also turns them into loyal customers.