In theory, the conversion funnel is simple: It’s the series of steps that consumers take on their way to becoming your customer. In practice, the conversion funnel is the best way to figure out where you are losing customers, and how to fix that.

In this infographic, we’ll learn about the conversion funnel: what is it and how to improve it, so you can increase your conversion rate.

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(click to enlarge the infographic)

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<a href="http://prestigemarketing.ca/blog/dissecting-the-conversion-funnel-infographic"><img src="http://prestigemarketing.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/Dissecting-the-Conversion-Funnel.jpg" alt="" width="539" /></a>
<a href="http://prestigemarketing.ca/blog/dissecting-the-conversion-funnel-infographic">Dissecting The Conversion Funnel [Infographic] </a>

Website usability is something that should be at the forefront of your mind when you are planning your website.  Users are used to finding certain things in certain places, for example, you should make sure to keep all your links in the same place.  Design a template for your site and use that for all your pages, not just a select few.

Readability is also key so as well as wanting to include text that will help you be indexed by search engines (using just images will not help with that) you should make sure that your fonts are large enough that they can be read without causing eye strain, and stay away from light text on light backgrounds or dark-on-dark; contrast is the key as you do not want to be giving your readers a headache as they try and read your site.

Sticking to well-worn plans might seem old fashioned, but they are well-worn for a reason.  Let other people’s experiments teach you a valuable lesson.

Research has shown time and time again that websites that make it easy for people to find what they want are the ones that are the most popular, and those websites that overload on confusing graphics and move menus about on each page fall down the list when it comes to favorability. Websites users are creatures of habit; they like to know where they can find stuff and don’t want to have to waste their time searching your site for what should be easy to find.

Keep your text clear and crisp on a background that contrasts it and does not strain your readers’ eyes when they come to your site. Visiting your website should be an enjoyable experience not one that leaves them with a headache.

Study the most popular websites and see how they have been laid out. Take tips and get advice from how the industry leaders are doing it and then implement those tactics on your site.

1) Keep the logo in the top-left of the website and the navigation menu below this or to the right.  This is what people are used to and they will respond in a better way.

2) Put a search box in the upper right or left corner, which will allow people to get what they want quickly and easily.

3) Include your contact information and make it easy to find.  People online are skeptical of companies who they cannot get in contact with.

4) Keep your menus simple.  Do not over-complicate things.

5) Make sure links are highly visible and stand out so that people can tell which information is clickable.

6) Do not overuse graphics or animations.  While they might look great, sites that are image-heavy are slow to load and sites that take a long time to load will put visitors off from returning.

Usability testing is perhaps one of the most important and effective things you can do as far as your website is concerned.  One of the great things about website testing is that it helps to remove any of the bias that might have found its way into your site during the development stage and helps to make sure that your website meets the demands of your potential visitors.

Remarkably, many businesses do not undertake any sort of testing and leave their website usability up to chance.  They believe that they have neither the time nor the money, not realizing that failing to undergo a test during the early stages can lead to increased costs in both monetary and cash terms at a later date.

Spend one morning a month checking how user friendly your website is and ask some volunteers to help you out if you do not have the money to have professionals do the job for you.  Often people are eager to help if they can.

Spending this small amount of time on a regular basis will not only help to keep your customers happy but will also work to keep you ahead of your competition.