If your company has separate departments for marketing and web design, who is responsible for ensuring the website leads to a conversion? You may assume that the optimisation of conversions is part of the web designer’s role; however, as marketing managers delve more into the world of online marketing, conversion optimisation becomes much more of a collaborative effort between departments.

Marketers have a unique understanding of the needs and wants of their customers. They use this specialist knowledge to drive potential customers to the website. But can they use these skills to turn potential customers into conversions? Many marketers may not realise how important their customer knowledge is to conversion optimisation.

In a recent article, Dave Chaffey (Smartinsights.com, 2012) talks about landing page success factors. Our SEO specialists believe many of the points he has made can easily be applied to improve website conversions. Here we have summarised the key points that both marketers and web designers can use: 

1. Delivery Relevance – clear headlines and suitable images reassure potential customers they are on the right page to find the information they need
2. Integration – as a marketer you work hard to entice customers to visit the website. Keeping your message consistent from offline to online will improve conversions
3. Details – whilst short sharp points will attract attention, visitors are also likely to be looking for informative text which helps them to make buying decisions
4. User Journey – this is where the web design department really becomes a part of the optimisation process. Every page should be designed to take users on a journey, whilst minimising the number of clicks to reach their destination
5. Page Length – part of conversion optimisation is about testing out which approach is most effective. Longer pages with lots of information or shorter, more impactful pages. Try both and test which is the most effective at converting
6. Graphics – through experience with offline brochures and advertisements, marketers will have gained useful insight into the images that illicit the strongest response from the target market. These should be incorporated into your web design to improve conversions
7. Menu Options – reducing the number of menu options on a page also reduces the number of possible clicks, often resulting in improved conversions 
8. Call to Action – marketers should be adept at writing persuasive copy, and strategically placed calls to action could be the difference between a conversion and a lost customer

Whilst the web department will have an expert understanding of what looks the most appealing, website design should be guided by the expertise of marketers. By working together and analysing the data, conversion optimisation becomes a lot easier. There is no single solution to website conversion optimisation. Only testing and in-house knowledge and expertise can help to provide your customers with the ultimate online experience.