Open rates. Click-through rates. Impressions. Time on page. Bounce rates. Pages per session. Digital fundraising has opened a whole new set of metrics that we now use to measure, report, and improve program performance.

But there’s one metric that is often overlooked—donation page conversion rates. Low conversion rates are often the issue when email performance looks strong, but it’s not producing revenue. Or your website, user journey is solid and driving people to the donation page, but revenue is soft there too.

Ultimately, you want to test your donation pages, just like any other part of your direct response program. There are some things you can easily do right now, however, to troubleshoot low conversion rates. Here are five of them:

1. Load Time
   • Long load times cause high abandon rates. One second in slow load time can cost an 11% decrease in giving.
   • Faster load times mean that users can interact with pages sooner.
   • Things that cause slow page loads:
     1. Large, “heavy” images
     2. GIFs and videos
     3. Calls to external libraries
2. A Clear Call-to-Action (CTA)
   • A single, clear call-to-action tells users what you want them to do.
   • Number each of the donation process steps. Being clear about what you want from users makes the donation process more efficient, which helps users follow through and feel good about the experience.
   • Make sure your donate button says Donate, Give Now, etc. Change your CTA button if it says Submit, Enter, etc.
3. Minimize Distractions
   • Remove external links. Keeping the navigation bar, adding social icons, etc. give potential donors a quick way to hop off the page.
   • Some external links are required, such as a link back to the home page. These necessary links can be placed in the page header and footer, so that they are accessible without drawing the user’s eye away from the donation form itself.
   • Remove any fields. Do you really need the donor’s salutation? The gift designation? Every extra field reduces conversion rates.
4. Make it Easy
   • Design donation buttons that are easy to read and easy to press regardless of screen size.
   • Auto-fill as much as possible.
   • Can’t auto-fill? There are now plug-ins to auto-fill address form fields.
   • If your online donation audience primarily uses mobile devices, consider a mobile-first form design.
5. It’s All About Trust
   • Adding trust seals—Charity Navigator, Norton, etc.—near the payment information fields and submit button makes users feel more at ease.
   • Consider adding a lock icon next to your donate button. Reminding users that their information is secure while they submit it supports confidence in your organization and in the donation process.
   • Make sure your page is actually secure! You’ll know by looking at the navigation bar and seeing the lock icon.