Getting users to register for your product or service is one of the most fundamental parts of business. Whether you are trying to get potential customers to create an account, sign up for emails, or register for your app, registration is a key part of the customer journey. Here are our top tips on how to get as many people to register for your offering as possible.

1. Assess your current registration process

Figuring out where you are going wrong is the best way to make things right. There are lots of tools out there, such as Hotjar, to help you figure out where customers are dropping off during the registration process. If you can pinpoint exactly where you are losing people, then you know what needs to change. 

Have a look at your website or app. Where are you prompting people to register? Do you have a designated landing page? Is your website mobile friendly? Is it obvious where people should register? These are all good questions to ask yourself when analyzing your registration process.

The speed of your app or website is also extremely important. If it takes too long to load, potential customers are likely to give up. 

Design is also a key part of prompting people to register. In most cases, a simplified design is not only more visually pleasing, but also more likely to convert visitors to your site.

If you notice users tend to visit one or two pages more than others, put a noticeable registration prompt there. Visual cues are important as you want to place information where people are looking. We recommend the following:

• Put your call to action button in a container to make it pop
• Look into color theory and how color affects users. How do you want to make them feel?
• Use directional cues, like arrows or gaze
• Design a good layout using visual hierarchy
• Make use of whitespace; it’s often the ideal place for your call to action button

2. Eliminate as many fields as possible

The shorter you can make your registration process, the better. We’ve all started filling out an online form and given up halfway through because it is taking too much time. Collect only the information that is necessary and users will thank you. You can always ask for more data later if you need it.

We recommend you collect an email first, as that way you can contact the person even if they drop off through the process. You can send prompts via email (or SMS) to remind someone to finish their registration process, and the benefits of doing so.

Using dropdowns can actually help you streamline your registration process. Instead of asking someone to type in their information (such as country, gender, area code), utilize a drop down menu instead. 

3. Show progress to the user

If your registration process takes three steps, why not show it to the user? This offers clarity as people know exactly how much is left of the registration process and are more likely to convert as a result. 

When someone knows that they have to answer ten questions, they are more likely to complete the process instead of dropping off. Be clear about what you need and how long it will take potential customers. You’ll end up with more sign-ups!

4. Allow social sign-in

Most people have multiple passwords to remember, and a good number of people forget their password a lot. Allowing users to log-in with Facebook, Google, or Twitter means you can collect their information while saving them time.

This process is called single sign-on, and it allows someone to register with one click. It can be a tricky design aspect to add to your website or app, but we think it is worth the extra effort. Keep in mind that most people trust major social media sites, so adding their log-in options to your page also adds a level of credibility.

5. Make it mobile friendly

Just over half of all internet traffic now comes from mobile phones, so your website has to be mobile-friendly to compete. Remember, your potential users could want to register anywhere during the day. They might be on the train, at work, in a café, in bed, or watching tv, and it’s vital that they can register in any of those situations.

Keep your design consistent between mobile and desktop pages so that people still know that it’s you. A good practice is to make your mobile page more vertically oriented so that it is more pleasant to look at on a phone. 

You need to test your website and all landing pages on desktop, mobile, and tablet to see what it looks like. Customers want to have the same experience no matter what type of device they use, and they want it to be easy.

6. Make password requirements and recovery easy

Asking for too many password requirements (e.g. number of characters, unique characters, numbers, and upper and lowercase letters) can be a big turn off for many people. Obviously, you want your users to have secure accounts but consider carefully how reasonable your password expectations are. Whatever your requirements are, we recommend adding a visual cue in order for your potential customers to know what is needed for their password.

It is also extremely important to make password recovery a simple process. Almost 20% of users will abandon an account if there are problems with password resets. Sending a temporary password by SMS or email can make things easier for your users. Make sure you test out the process yourself to see how long it takes.

7. Use trust symbols

The more people trust you, the more likely they are to convert. If you belong to any third party review service, such as Trustpilot, put your rating on your website or app. Using a third party tool is important here because potential users are more likely to trust outside opinions of you.

If that is not an option, testimonials and in-house reviews are better than nothing. If you’re using testimonials, it’s useful to include a photo of your client and a few personal details to make them more personable and believable. This is especially important in business to business (B2B) companies. Remember, trust means people will be more likely to register for your product or service.

People also want to know if your website or app is secure and safe. Here you can include third party verification, such as the Better Business Bureau and TRUSTe, ensuring users that your site is secure.

8. Make security and privacy obvious

Today more Americans are worried about their data privacy than they are about their income. Instead of just posting links to your privacy policy, and terms and conditions, you can go one step further. Post a short summary in simple terms covering important points such as if you will share data, who can access data, and so on.

Studies show that people are becoming more and more concerned about data privacy. By outlining what you do and don’t share, your potential customers are more likely to trust you and will appreciate the extra effort. 

9. Build value

Why should people want to register for your product or service? There are a couple of things you can do to remind them. If you are able to offer some kind of discount or special offer for people who register, that is an extra incentive that helps you to convert visitors into users. People love free things and discounts, so it’s an easy way to get potential customers to sign up. 

It’s also important to remind people why they should register – what value is added for them? Include a short list of what makes your product or service so great at the beginning of the registration process. Keep it short and to the point.

Ideally, your website should have a low bounce rate. You want visitors to stay on your website as long as possible, and the easiest way to do this is to build value. It’s vital to identify why a potential customer should stay on your website, and make that clear wherever possible.

Bonus tip: Send an email after registration

Getting customers to register is already a big step, but it’s even more important to retain the customers you gain. Engage with them immediately after they have registered with a welcome email and it will increase the chances of them sticking around. 

Nearly 75% of people expect to receive a welcome email once they have registered, and these emails are far more likely to be opened than your newsletter. Take advantage of this and create value for your new customer.

Conclusion

Getting potential customers to register for your product or service can often be a process of trial and error for any business. It’s important to remember to view your website or app and registration process as a potential customer. You can have a great service but if no one is using it, that is a big problem.

Trust, value, and simplicity are the ingredients for a successful registration recipe. By following the above steps, we hope you will see more people registering on your website or app. And don’t forget you can now easily and conveniently pay your team in KEY and other ERC20 tokens.