How to Increase Website Conversion Rates: A Guide for Software Providers

1. Understand your customers’ needs

Understand your target audience’s needs and preferences before launching any marketing campaign. Focus on their pain points and identify what motivates or deters them from buying your product or service. You can do this by defining and then understanding your ideal customer profile (ICP).

For example, if you sell software that helps automate accounting processes, then focus on how the product will benefit buyers and highlight the features that directly address their needs. According to the Gartner Digital Markets' 2024 Software Buying Behavior Survey, businesses purchase customized software 59% of the time, on average, compared to off-the-shelf solutions.

Knowing how visitors use your website, where they get frustrated and why they leave without converting can help you identify issues and troubleshoot them. It’ll also help you deliver the right messages at the right time to help convert website traffic.

Understand software buyer behavior with our on-demand webinar: 2024 Software Buying Trends: Actionable Insights to Engage Today’s Buyers

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3. Gather feedback and use it to adapt your offering

Knowing what your customers think of your product or service is important. Collect feedback from existing and potential customers, and use that data to identify and fix the gaps in your offering. Customers are more likely to convert when they feel their needs are being met and their requests considered. 

For instance, if your existing customers are asking for a particular feature, consider adding it to your product. Similarly, if a potential customer has expressed interest in a certain type of service, check if you can offer it. Doing so will prove to customers that you’re constantly striving to improve based on their feedback.

Make your customers feel heard and valued, and turn them into your greatest advocate: 6 Review Response Templates for Effectively Responding to Customer Reviews

4. Test different strategies for converting leads

Testing is a key step to understanding what works best for your target audience and potentially increasing conversion rates.

Use A/B testing — i.e., a split testing method wherein two versions are tested against each other to identify which one works better — to compare the performance of different versions of your website and marketing campaigns. Consider running localized A/B tests to see which regions yield the most conversions. 

By testing different versions of your web pages and campaigns tailored to the language and culture of target customers in a specific region, you can find out which approach works best for each audience and then use those insights to tweak your offerings and optimize performance.

Explore localization tips to personalize the buyer experience and increase conversions.

5. Optimize your pricing and payment options

Nearly half (49%) of software buyers consider price a top consideration when searching for software. In fact, 50% of buyers would drop a software provider from consideration if pricing doesn’t align with their expectations.

Your prices should align with your potential customer’s needs and preferences. Analyze how different customer segments respond to different prices and optimize your pricing strategy accordingly. Consider offering discounts and running loyalty programs to incentivize customers and make them feel valued. 

Additionally, try implementing a wide range of payment options and an easy checkout process to make it easier for customers to purchase from you. 

Convert a higher number of free trial users into paying customers with a free-to-paid conversion strategy.

6. Refine product profiles and landing pages

Product profiles on software comparison sites like Capterra, GetApp, and Software Advice are critical touchpoints in the customer journey. Ensure your product content is explicit, accurate, and up-to-date and includes all relevant details to help customers make informed decisions.

Additionally, create engaging landing pages to direct visitors toward specific actions so they can easily find what they’re looking for. This will help ensure they have a positive user experience and increase their chances of making a purchase.

Make a lasting impression on your ideal customers: Use Your Product Profile and Product Landing Pages to Drive Conversions

7. Calculate conversion rate optimization (CRO)

Conversion optimization is improving the percentage of visitors who take a desired action, such as making a purchase, signing up for an email list or filling out a form. 

Calculate CRO to understand the success of your website marketing efforts. By analyzing this data, you can identify improvement areas and ensure that your website and marketing campaigns are geared toward achieving desired outcomes.

Measure your campaign success by tracking the right demand generation metrics.

Bonus tip: Increase your marketing budget to boost conversions 

Higher marketing investment can yield higher conversion rates. Gartner's Technology Marketing Benchmark Survey^[2] demonstrates that increased marketing investment levels lead to improved conversion rates throughout the funnel. 

But make sure you're using the budget wisely (such as leveraging the right channels and techniques) instead of randomly throwing money at a bunch of tools.

Higher conversions lead to improved ROI and customer satisfaction

A well-executed marketing strategy will always result in higher website traffic, more leads, better conversion rates and improved ROI. Additionally, customers will appreciate a more personalized and tailored experience, leading to higher customer satisfaction levels. Just remember to measure the results and adjust your strategy as needed.

Shubham Gupta

Shubham Gupta is a Content Writer at Gartner Digital Markets who ideates and creates purpose-driven content to help modern technology businesses achieve their goals. Outside of work, he enjoys reading thriller novels and Urdu poetry, as well as spending time with his dog. Connect with Shubham on LinkedIn.

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Survey Methodology

Gartner Digital Markets’ 2024 Software Buying Behavior Survey was conducted to understand the makeup, triggers, budgets, and challenges of software buying teams at global businesses across industries and sizes. We sought to uncover the software types these buyers are adopting, their evaluation methods, and what factors convince them to make a purchase, from vendor reputation and sales team interactions to content materials and user reviews.

The survey was conducted online in August and September 2023 among 2,499 respondents from the U.S., U.K., Canada, Australia, France, India, Germany, Brazil, and Japan, with businesses across industries, employing between 5-10,000 or more workers, and reporting up to $1 billion in annual revenue. Respondents were screened to ensure involvement in software purchasing decisions.

Sources

1. Best Practices for Facilitating Product Discovery via Site Search & Guided Selling Tools, Gartner
2. Marketing Investment: Benchmarks, Allocation and Funnel Conversion Rates for Tech CEOs, Gartner