Low retention and conversion rates on independent sites, why not try these tips

Promotion and traffic generation determine the upper limit of an independent website, while user experience and retention set its lower limit. If the lower limit is not well-established, no amount of promotion will lead to effective conversions and repeat purchases. In this article, we’ll share four tips to improve conversion rates and repeat purchase rates for independent websites, which we hope will be helpful for our readers.
 
Common Traits of Excellent Pages
As visual creatures, people are more easily attracted to clean and aesthetically pleasing designs. Therefore, for an independent website to grab customers' attention, it must adhere to these characteristics. For example, when you open a page and see various floating bars, such as coupon offers, prompts to download an app, and special offers, you might feel overwhelmed by the information and not know where to click first, resulting in you possibly closing the page altogether.
 


While each element on the page may seem important, the lack of focus leads to user confusion.
 
Let’s look at an example of an excellent page:
 


The model blends well with the background, the layout is clear, the content is straightforward, and there are three buttons guiding the user to click. A good page doesn’t need to convey too much information; it should highlight advantages and guide users to take action.
 
Harmonious Visual Hierarchy
The visual hierarchy determines the order in which users view the page. Therefore, during the design process, it's essential to ensure that users click through the page in the intended order. How can we achieve a visual hierarchy through design?
 
Size: Buttons or elements of different sizes can draw varying levels of attention. Adjusting size effectively guides user focus.
Color: Darker colors tend to attract more attention.
Contrast: Using color contrast is an excellent way to entice users to click.
Arrangement: Grouping buttons or elements in a specific pattern can create a visual guide.
Whitespace: Whitespace helps highlight key areas and reduce visual distractions.
 
By using these methods to "control" user click behavior, you can reduce bounce rates and increase retention and conversion rates.
 
F-shaped Layout
By analyzing the page heatmap using Baidu Analytics, you'll notice that click patterns often form an F-shape, which aligns with users' reading habits.
 
Typically, users first browse the top part of a page and then scan left to right. The longer the page, the more evident the F-shape becomes. We can design independent website pages based on this pattern.
 
Many brand homepages already use this layout, like in the example below:
 


After entering the page, users first focus on the main headline, followed by reading the smaller subheading. If interested, they click the CTA button, navigating further within the site. This serves as a filtering process for users, and if they haven’t bounced after visiting two or three pages, it indicates a stronger interest.
 
Z-shaped Layout
If the F-shaped layout feels too uniform, you can try the Z-shaped layout. This structure mimics the reading pattern of users: scanning left to right, moving diagonally to the lower left, and then back to the right.
 
In practice, it’s not necessary to strictly follow the Z-shape when arranging elements. A page can have more than one Z-shape structure, but the top should feature key content, and the bottom should highlight the CTA (Call to Action) button.


 
The example below uses the Z-shape layout effectively: users first notice the brand and seasonal theme, then the visual focus shifts to the model’s shoes, and finally, it lands on the CTA button, prompting the next action from the customer.
 
Optimizing an independent website is a long-term process. It’s recommended to frequently refer to the leading companies in your industry, learn from their page layouts and keyword settings, and continuously improve your website to enhance conversion and repeat purchase rates.