Which Conversion Path is Optimal for Your Web Site?

Once you have decided what type of conversion-oriented web site you are, you will know exactly what you want visitors to do. Now it’s time to define a clear path you want them to take to accomplish these things. The fantastic usability book, Don’t Make Me Think, espouses the idea that it’s not how many clicks someone has to go through; it’s how easy it is to make the click decision. If clicking is easy and provides value then there is a great chance the user will click closer and closer to becoming a customer.

The key to understanding what your customers are thinking is to understand what path they will take through your site. Based upon the conversion type of your web site, here are three different paths to conversions.. after the jump.

e-Commerce Path to Conversion

The following flowchart shows the process of e-commerce path to conversion:

Lead Generation Path to Conversion

The following flowchart shows the process of lead generation path to conversion:

Ad-Driven Path to Conversion

The following flowchart shows the process of ad-driven path to conversion:

Using your analytics, write the percentage of people that take each action next to the decision points illustrated in each flowchart. Then, start working on the pages that have the worst results. Once you know the effectiveness of your site and have improved the worst pages, you will need to strengthen your calls to action. But that is a subject for another post.

I always love hearing from you. Let me know if these flowcharts were helpful to your understanding of the conversions process in a comment below.
 Or, if I missed or rushed something, please add your experience in a quick story.