How to Increase Website Conversion: A Step-by-Step Guide

Most companies spend money attracting traffic but lose customers on their website. A low conversion rate means users come, look around and leave without submitting a request or making a purchase. In this article, we'll look at how to increase website conversion systematically, which mistakes hurt sales and which tools really work in 2024.

What website conversion is and how to calculate it correctly

Website conversion is the percentage of users who complete a target action: submit a request, place an order, subscribe to a newsletter or sign up for a service. Without understanding your current conversion rate and how it breaks down, you cannot manage sales through your website.

The basic conversion formula:

Conversion rate (%) = (Number of target actions / Number of visitors) × 100

It is important to measure not only the overall conversion rate but also conversion at each funnel stage:

• Viewing a key page (a product page, a service page)
• Moving on to checkout / filling out a form
• Submitting the form / completing payment

This way you will see exactly where users "leak out" and which areas deserve your conversion efforts.

Why conversion is low: typical problems

Before improving anything, you need to take an honest look at the starting point. In 90% of cases, low conversion is caused not by a single problem but by a combination of them:

• A vague or weak offer (users don't understand what you offer and why you are better)
• A complicated site structure and confusing navigation
• Slow page loading, especially on mobile devices
• Lack of trust: no reviews, case studies, guarantees or legal information
• Complicated lead forms: too many fields, unclear error messages, no hints
• A design that distracts from the target action and does not drive conversion

Our studio always starts conversion work with analysis: a usability audit, heatmaps, user journey analysis, and an assessment of loading speed and the mobile version. This lets us make precise decisions instead of "shooting in the dark".

Step 1. Sharpen your value proposition and key offer

Conversion depends directly on how quickly and clearly users understand what they will get and why it pays to get it from you. The first screen (hero section) is the critical zone.

Check that the first screen has:

• A clear headline: who you are and what you do
• A subheadline: the key benefit or differentiator
• A clear call to action (CTA): a "Submit a request", "Get a quote" or "Order" button
• Visuals that support the offer (case studies, product, interface, an example of results)

Example: instead of the abstract "We build modern websites" — "We'll increase your website's conversion rate by 30–70% in 2–3 months through a UX audit, A/B tests and improvements, without losing traffic".

At our studio, we often see that replacing vague wording with specific benefits increases conversion by 10–25% without any technical changes.

Step 2. Simplify the user journey and site structure

Users shouldn't have to figure out your logic. The structure and navigation must be intuitive: no more than 2–3 clicks to the target action.

What to look at:

• Menu: logical groups, clear labels, priority sections in plain sight
• Breadcrumbs and clear page titles: users always know where they are
• A minimum of distractions on key conversion pages (landing page, cart, lead form)
• A clear scenario: from the traffic source to the target action with no unnecessary steps

A case study from our practice: a client had an online store with good traffic but a low order conversion rate. We shortened the path from product page to payment from 5 steps to 3 and removed unnecessary fields and secondary blocks. Checkout conversion grew by 41% in the first month, with no additional ad spend.

Step 3. Build trust: social proof and transparency

Trust is a key factor, especially in highly competitive niches. Even perfectly targeted traffic will not convert if the site looks unreliable.

What builds trust and affects conversion:

• Real customer reviews with names, job titles and company logos
• Case studies with numbers: "increased conversion from 1.2% to 3.4% in 2 months"
• Certificates, awards, rankings
• Full contact details: address, phone, company details, a map
• Transparent terms: prices, timelines, warranty obligations

At our studio, we always include trust blocks in prototypes: case studies, portfolio, client logos, answers to objections. In B2B, this often increases the number of leads 1.5–2 times.

Step 4. Optimize forms and the cart: less friction, more leads

Forms and the cart are the most sensitive points. Any friction (an extra field, an unclear error, mandatory registration) hurts conversion.

Optimization tips:

• Keep only the fields you really need to process the request
• Add hints and input examples, and highlight errors clearly
• Let customers check out without mandatory registration
• Show progress (step 1 of 3) if the process has several steps
• Make it clear what happens after the form is submitted: "A manager will contact you within 15 minutes"

A form redesign example: we removed the required "Company", "Website" and "City" fields from a lead form, leaving only name, phone and email. The remaining questions were moved to the conversation with a manager. Form submissions increased by 62%.

Step 5. Speed up your website and make it mobile-friendly

Loading speed and the mobile version are not only SEO factors but also direct conversion drivers. According to industry data, a delay of just 1 second can reduce conversion by 7–10%.

Key actions:

• Compress images and use modern formats (WebP, AVIF)
• Optimize scripts and styles, remove unnecessary widgets
• Use caching and a CDN where relevant
• Responsive design, large buttons and convenient input fields on mobile

When we optimize clients' websites technically, we see that speeding them up and improving the mobile version often lifts conversion by 15–30%, especially in e-commerce and services with a lot of mobile traffic.

Step 6. Use strong calls to action (CTAs) and a logical layout

Even when the offer is strong, users need to know exactly what to do next. A CTA should be visible, specific and logical in its context.

Experience shows that these CTAs work better:

• "Get a price quote" instead of "Submit"
• "Book a consultation" instead of "Send a request"
• "Download the proposal" instead of "Learn more"

Place your key CTAs:

• On the first screen
• After the benefits block
• After case studies / reviews
• At the end of the page

When developing landing pages and corporate websites, our studio always works out a CTA map: where the buttons go, which ones, and in what order they lead users through the funnel. This delivers predictable conversion growth without "aggressive" tactics.

Step 7. A/B tests and analytics: test, don't guess

Intuition and "I think" are dangerous when working on conversion. Every change should be verified with A/B tests and end-to-end analytics.

What is worth testing:

• Headlines and subheadlines on the first screen
• CTA wording and the number of form fields
• The order of blocks (about the company, benefits, case studies, pricing)
• How case studies are presented (numbers vs. stories)

Example: for one client, our studio tested two versions of the first screen: a general marketing slogan vs. a specific offer with numbers. The version with numbers brought +34% more leads. Without the A/B test, we would never have known and would have kept the less effective version.

Step 8. Content that sells: copy, benefits, answers to objections

Conversion is not only about design and UX but also about content. Strong copy helps users make a decision, removes doubts and leads them to action.

The structure of selling content on a page:

• The customer's problem and its consequences (why change anything at all)
• Your solution: what exactly you do and how it helps
• Advantages over competitors (experience, timelines, technology, guarantees)
• Social proof: reviews, case studies, numbers
• Answers to common objections (too expensive, too slow, not sure about the result)
• A clear next step (CTA)

At our studio, UX writers and marketers work on this kind of copy: we don't write filler but focus on the customer's pain points, benefits and a clear structure. This significantly increases conversion even with the same design.

Step 9. How our studio helps increase website conversion systematically

Increasing conversion is not a one-time "copy edit" and not just a redesign. It is systematic work at the intersection of marketing, analytics, design and development.

Our studio's typical approach to increasing conversion:

• Comprehensive audit: analysis of current conversion, funnels, usability, technical condition and SEO
• Hypotheses and prioritization: we compile a list of improvements with the expected impact and effort
• Prototyping and UX design: we design pages, forms and scenarios around the target action
• Development and implementation: careful improvements without losing search rankings or traffic
• Testing and analytics: A/B tests, fine-tuning goals, tracking the real effect

Benefits of working with our studio:

• Experience across different niches: from small landing pages to complex online stores and web services
• Focus on business results: we care about growth in leads and sales, not just a "pretty website"
• Transparent analytics: you see which changes increased conversion and by how much
• Preserving and growing organic traffic: we take SEO requirements into account in every improvement

Conclusion: where to start improving conversion today

Increasing your website's conversion rate means earning more from the same traffic. It is one of the most cost-effective growth tools, especially if you are already investing in SEO and advertising.

A short action plan:

• Measure your current conversion rate and bottlenecks (forms, cart, first screen)
• Refine your value proposition and rewrite key blocks of copy
• Simplify the user journey and the lead form, remove unnecessary fields
• Add trust blocks: case studies, reviews, guarantees, contacts
• Speed up the site and check the mobile version
• Run A/B tests on at least one critical element (headline, CTA)

If you need predictable growth in conversions and leads rather than "cosmetic" fixes, our studio team can take on the full cycle: from audit and prototypes to implementation and analytics setup.

Request a conversion audit of your website right now — we will show you, free of charge, where you are losing customers and which changes will have the fastest effect.