5 Tips For Pet Store Website Pages to Convert
We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again: your pet store website is one of the most important digital assets you can have as a pet store owner. Your website sells in your sleep by providing purchasing options, critical business information, updates, pet store SEO content, and more to interested pet parents.
In our time working with pet businesses across the country, we’ve seen many websites that are outdated or in need of a complete makeover. So here we’re coming out with 5 tips for pet store website pages to convert site visitors (pet parents) into customers (profit)!
If your pet store website is going to help you hit your goals, you’ve got to get it right - technical implementation, page promotion (pet store social media), and the design and branding of your pages.
5 Tips For Pet Store Website
Pages to Convert
Before we start, don’t forget to take a look at the Pet Store Websites Hub or other related resources in our Blog. We provide all sorts of information for store owners that want to take control of their pet store marketing strategy themselves and it’s all available for free on our website.
Okay! Let’s get into some of our best practices for pet store websites:
Branding
Branding is a big term that, when dumbed down, just means “everything is working together.” But there are obviously a lot of pieces that fall into “everything” when we want it all to work together the right way.
Think of it as a vehicle. Your branding is a vehicle and it carries your pet store’s messaging, value propositions, and offers as its passengers. If one part of your vehicle is broken or misfiring, the vehicle isn’t working optimally and the passengers are affected.
Your branding on your pet store website pages needs to be consistent for the best conversion. This means that they are an extension of your pet store’s personality, values, and services. They should follow your brand and graphic design style guidelines as much as possible.
A landing page that doesn’t have complete or consistent branding runs the risk of confusing visitors, decimating your conversions and results.
Want to know from a pet store marketing agency if we think your pet store website is up to scratch from a branding perspective? We provide a free marketing audit and consultation, no cost! Contact us to schedule a call today.
2. images and graphics serve two primary functions:
Your graphic content on your pet store’s website pages should do two primary functions with the goal of converting pet parents into customers: they should be relevant by supporting the text and they should appeal to your audience.
This might seem obvious, but it has to be said. There’s no sense in having dogs on a page about cat food and supplies. Images of a cat in pain don’t appeal to your audience even if the content is about cat supplements or preventing accidental injuries.
The vast majority of communication online and offline is done visually. Your brain makes judgments and assessments within a few milliseconds. Your pet store website pages can convert, or do the opposite, based solely on the images and graphics used on the page.
Our advice? Take time to think about what your audience is probably thinking, seeing, and feeling when they come to your pet store website. Find the right graphics and visuals that will give pet parents the right impressions and influence them to convert into customers.
By the way…this tip is important and applies to your pet store social media content as well! Check out our free resources for pet store social media managers in the Insider section.
3. Know your Page GOals
Almost every page on a pet store website (check out our resource on Must-Have Pages for Pet Store Websites) should have a clear goal or a call-to-action.
You need to know how you want visitors to convert. Here are a few different ways to convert:
Contact you (email, message, or call)
Like your social media page (pet store social media)
Buy a product (pet store eCommerce)
Sign up for pet store email marketing
Your call-to-action can make or break your pet store website pages’ conversion rates. Understanding what frame of mind your visitors are in can help you in guiding them to take the next step.
Here’s a tip: don’t settle for “click here.” When you write "Click Here" for a call-to-action a cute puppy gets sad for a little while — this is a fact. It should be supported with more text, defined more clearly, or in some way given further context.
4. Forms Need Your Attention
Most websites have a standard form that you can make. As a pet store owner, what you need to consider is if a standard form is going to help or hinder you in pursuit of your goals, and your pet store website page conversion goals.
What we mean by this is that some forms might be really short and simple, but that doesn’t provide you with enough information to assist the customer, creating more work for you and your team once the lead comes in.
Other forms could be too long and complex, dissuading pet parents from contacting you or filling out the form. Finding the appropriate balance often takes time and testing. Here are some factors to consider when building a form for your pet store website:
What information do I need? (Mandatory info)
What information would I like? (Optional info)
What would make this easier, better, or more appealing for a visitor?
If you give your forms the attention they need, you’ll not only learn about your pet store website visitors by sitting in their shoes momentarily, but you’ll be able to improve your page conversion rates by avoiding frustration and user fallout. You don’t want your visitors to take a tumble at the finish line right before they finish converting!
5. Testimonials and Social proof
Using testimonials and social proof can dramatically increase conversions. In fact, if you don’t use social proof, people might think it’s missing!
92% of people will trust a recommendation from a peer.
70% of people will trust a recommendation from someone they don’t even know.
(Source: Nielsen)
There are a handful of ways to utilize testimonials and social proof on your pet store website pages to increase conversion. Here are a few:
Testimonials of happy customers through Google or Facebook
Digital counters for products sold or real-time stats
Celebrity or influencer endorsements
Case studies or published content/data
Logos of partners
Testimonials and social proof are some of the most effective ways to improve conversions on your pet store website. They also help build credibility in your brand, can bring in further reviews from loyal customers, and influence new customers to add to your revenue.
5 Tips For Pet Store Website
Pages to Convert
Conclusion
Looking for other ways to improve your pet store website? We highly encourage the Blog to improve on almost anything related to pet store marketing strategies.
Want fast help, feedback, or inspiration? We have that too! Join our Facebook group: THE Group for Marketing Help for Pet Businesses. You can also subscribe to our newsletter and join our free community of pet business owners.
Next time you’re working on your pet store website, consider these 5 tips for pet store website pages to convert and increase your conversion rates to bring in more customers! It’s that simple.
