The SaaS market is expected to generate $76 billion by the end of 2020. For you as a SaaS business owner in such a competitive ecosystem, putting yourself in front of the right customers and maximizing conversion rates may be extremely challenging.
When building a solid CRO strategy, you need to start from your website. Here are a few tried and tested website optimization practices every SaaS business should apply.
Build a Unique Value Proposition
Online users are overwhelmed with numerous SaaS products. When making a purchase, they want to know what makes your brand different than your competitors. And, this is exactly why you need to add a unique selling proposition (USP) to your website.
A unique value proposition, or a unique selling proposition, describes the benefits of your SaaS product. It highlights how your services solve your customers’ problems and how different you are from your competitors.
A USP is more than a creative slogan. A USP should instantly inform a new visitor about who you are, what your SaaS product is, and why it beats competitors’ products. This is why it needs to be clear, simple, and easy to remember.
For example, look at Freshbooks and their “All-in-one small business invoicing and accounting solution” or Salesforce’s “Connect to your customers in a whole new way with the world’s #1 CRM platform.” Their USPs straightforwardly emphasize what their products are and why customers should choose them. When you visit those SaaS companies’ websites, you will also notice that their unique value propositions are prominent on their homepages. The idea of a USP is to grab users’ attention and build trust with them, so always make it easy-to-find and place it above the fold.
Provide Social Proof
In psychology, social proof is a theory that an individual conforms to the opinions of the group. In marketing, social proof plays a fundamental role, especially in the competitive SaaS landscape. Bombarded with branded content, online consumers turn to the opinions and reviews of customers.
BrightLocal says that 88% of consumers trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations. Given that, it is not surprising at all that social proof marketing will build trust with your prospective customers and encourage them to convert faster.
Now, there are many ways to insert social proof to your SaaS website and here are some of them:
Provide real-time website data
Many SaaS businesses are using social proof software on their websites to evoke fear of missing out and build trust with website visitors. Namely, using a CRO tool that shows website data, you can tell your visitors how many people have created a trial account on your website or how many visitors are seeing your page. This data is shown in a tiny, catchy popup you can customize according to your SaaS website’s specific needs.
Show customer testimonials
Your audiences will want to learn more about the people they are already buying from you. And, this is where you should ask your existing customers to write testimonials. When inserting testimonials to your website, you should also include a client’s photo and their role at the company to make them more relatable. You could even consider posting testimonial videos to boost user engagement, humanize your brand, and convert leads faster.
Write case studies
Case studies are also an immensely powerful social poof technique. Unlike testimonials that provide only snapshots of your customers’ experiences with your SaaS brand, case studies are more informative and detailed. They explain what problems a customer faced, how your SaaS product helped them, and what results they achieved.
Always back your case studies up with relevant statistics, facts, and customer testimonials. Write them in a simple language, visualize your data, and add persuasive call-to-action buttons to boost conversions.
Alternatively, you could also use the following social proof tactics:
- User ratings and reviews
- Influencer endorsements
- Brand logos of your customers
- Lists of popular apps that integrate with your SaaS product
- Media coverage
- Ratings from other credible sites
- Trust seals
Make your Pricing Landing Pages Value-Oriented
Like I have already mentioned above, when searching for SaaS products, customers have a plethora of options. Logically, they will compare your services against your competitors’ ones to make the right decisions.
Precisely because of that, your pricing page should go far beyond your pricing plans and lists of product features. Optimizing a pricing page is especially significant in highly competitive niches and when your products are at a higher price point. To convince people to choose you over your rivals, you should connect with them on a more personal level and focus on your major values and missions.
Start by inserting an FAQ section to your pricing landing pages. Your prospective customers will probably have numerous questions about your SaaS product. Remember that most of them prefer self-service over chatting with your bots or customer service representatives. Create a detailed FAQ section, where you would answer the most common questions your customers ask.
You could also use the abovementioned social proof, especially product reviews and testimonials. If there are any prominent companies or individuals using your services, let your visitors know that. Inform visitors that buying from you is safe by adding trust badges, such as safe checkout seals, accepted payment methods, anti-malware badges, etc.
Finally, add clear, unique, and persuasive CTA buttons that will tell prospective customers how they can benefit from your product and encourage them to click and convert.
Basecamp is a perfect example of how to create a spotless pricing landing page. The first thing you will see once you land on their pricing page is the number of users that signed up for Basecamp last week. Next, there is a simple list of Basecamp features, as well as a large CTA button that directly tells a customer what it is in for them once they sign up (30-day free trial, no credit card information required, cancel any time). Most importantly, the company compares their product to their major rivals and provides a comprehensive FAQ section.
Invest in PPC
While organic search engine optimization is the backbone of any SaaS website, remember that it doesn’t deliver overnight results. This is exactly why you should combine it with paid ads. The benefits of PPC are multiple – they boost your online exposure in the overcrowded Google’s SERPs, as well as maximize your traffic and conversions.
Research says that 41% of clicks go to the top three places on Google that are reserved for paid ads. Most importantly, 65% of people clicking on ads have high commercial intent. Therefore, it is not surprising that PPC visitors are 50% more likely to buy from you than people coming to your website through organic search channels.
When investing in paid ads, always make them high-quality. Create and A/B test multiple ad copies, apply different messaging to see what works for your target audience, and design powerful calls-to-action that will entice users to convert.
Keep Testing and Tweaking Everything You Do
Remember that this is not an ultimate guide to CRO for SaaS websites. Those are just some of the numerous CRO tactics that may serve as your solid starting point.
Most importantly, when optimizing your SaaS site for conversions, keep in mind that there is no set and forget strategy. Your success dwells in continuous website performance assessments. You will need to monitor your website performance 24/7, as well as perform A/B tests continuously to see what works for you the best.
I hope this helps!
