One of my favorite topics to discuss on this blog is conversion. I’ve written several posts detailing tips for increasing your conversion rate. But it’s been a while since I’ve last published a post about getting more conversions, so I think it’s time for another one.

I’m sure this list is incomplete, so please add your best conversion-increasing tips in the replies.

• Extend the length of your guarantee—In the past, I’ve talked about how offering a money back guarantee can help customers feel at ease when purchasing your products. Of course, guarantees come in all different lengths. Some companies offer 30 day money back guarantees; others allow customers to return items for a full 365 days after their purchase. Zappos is an excellent example of a company that’s been incredibly successful with the one year money back guarantee model. Try increasing the length of your guarantee to make customers feel like they aren’t risking anything buying your products.
• Tailor the style and tone of your copy to your audience—Understanding your target audience is essential to writing copy that gets results. Learn everything you can about your target audience, including information about the way they communicate. This covers everything from the words they use to the tone of content they respond to. Here’s a tip: Check out the magazines your target audience reads. Pay attention to the style and tone of the articles in the magazine as they’re written specifically for engaging your audience.
• Include pictures of your products—It sounds like common sense, but I’ve seen more than a few companies get this wrong on their landing pages. Your customers need to see pictures of your products before they’ll hand over their money.
• Deliver important information at the beginning of paragraphs—If we’ve discussed it once, we’ve discussed it a million times, people tend to scan content online rather than read it word for word. One thing you can do to combat this is to place the most important information at the beginning of your paragraphs. This makes it more visible, and it also helps you keep your copy focused on the most important messages.
• Offer information about your privacy policy—Whether you’re just asking for an email address or you’re closing a sale that requires credit card information, your website visitors will probably be a little wary of offering up their information. Providing information about your privacy policy can help put their minds at ease, and it could be the difference between losing and making a conversion.

What have you done to increase your web conversion rates? Leave a comment with your best tip.

Multiple case studies have shown that using video on landing pages can increase conversion rate and keep visitors on your website longer. However, there are some guidelines to leveraging online video properly. What follows is a list of 5 easy tips for using video on your website.
• Don’t use auto play—Call me grumpy, but when I land on a website that automatically starts playing a video (or audio for that matter), I instantly leave the page. It’s annoying, and it’s terrible for usability. Give your website visitors the choice of whether or not the video plays. Support the video with copy so that playing the video isn’t essential to getting the conversion.
• Keep the video short and to the point—I don’t know about you, but I’m not going to watch somebody ramble on for 15 minutes telling me why I need to buy their products or services. Keep your videos short and to the point. Eliminate unnecessary fluff. Remember, your website visitors are in a hurry. If you can’t deliver your message quickly and effectively, they’ll go elsewhere to do their business.
• Tie the video into your main message—Using video on your website is all about context. For example, if the ultimate goal of your landing page is to get the visitor to buy a pair of pants, the video shouldn’t be focused on the sweaters you offer. The video should always support the main conversion goal of the page.
• Embed the video on the page—The main purposes of using video on your website are to keep visitors on your website and to improve the chances of converting them. With this in mind, the last thing you want to do is to make your visitors visit another site to watch your video. Worse yet, don’t make them download the video just to watch it. Embed it in a flash player on your website so they can watch it right there, allowing them to easily take the next step toward conversion.
• Only use video when it makes sense—Here are some examples of when it makes sense to use video on your website: product demonstrations, testimonials, and upsells on your thank you page. Now, here are a few examples of when it doesn’t make sense to use video on your website: top 10 lists, meaningless greetings, and longwinded monologues that repeat exactly what you say in your copy without demonstrating anything.

Do you use video on your website? How has it helped? Share your experiences in the replies.