smx west 2010 - conversion optimization tips
DESCRIPTION
How-To Tips on how to approach improving the conversion of your website with tips on how to identify issues that interfere with conversion, how to find out what people are doing on your site, how to find out why people are doing what they are doing on your site, top 10 usability principles, setting SMART goals, and a brief case study and top 50 tips on testing your website.TRANSCRIPT
90 DAY SEM FITNESS PLAN:CONVERSION SMX West 2010
Kayden KellyCEO & Managing Director
Improving conversion is easy if you let the right people do it!
Let your USERS design your site
Marketing
Management AgencyXWho?
Let’s assessYOUR CONVERSIONFITNESS
Are you at the
front?
Is your site a lean & mean…user focused, goal oriented, conversion machine?
Or are you pulling up the
Rear?
In fact many sites
BLOWING IT
Buy Now!
Today there are plenty of Conversion Best Practices
This is BASIC – Much more to it!
Yes, many sites still not following best practices, such as
obvious buttons
Top 50 Testing Tips to improve your Conversion1. Put the best info and calls to action Above the
FOLD (avoid false bottoms that make users think there isn’t any more content)
2. Repeat your Call to Action throughout a long page
3. Add a Form to the page to generate leads or even order your product
4. Make Calls to Action contextual and specific to content of page versus generalized calls to action
5. Call to Action Button Design (shape, style, size, color, whitespace, grouping, etc)
6. Customer Centric copy with benefits not just features (We We Calculator)
7. Remove Clutter (Dense well organized and separated content is not clutter)
8. 1 versus 2 versus 3 column layout9. Move content around on page 10. From Right-side to Left-side11. Change paragraph/content order (Make sure you
use the funnel style of writing for the web with most important point at top to fine points at the bottom (i.e. details)
12. Test Variations of Navigation and on some landing pages it might even be best to remove some or all navigation
13. Add categories/sub-categories to your home page - order and weight by popularity/importance
14. Emphasize Important Content (Bold, Larger/Colored Font, etc)
15. Large Headlines with clear user benefits1. ‘Top 5 Reasons to stop ____’2. ‘Why you need ___’3. ‘3 Things you may not know that could
kill you’ 16. Make your content scannable 17. Add Sense of Urgency messaging like ‘Sale Ends
Today’ or ‘Only 5 Left’16. Different Fonts (Sizes, Colors/Contrast, Styles)17. Tagline/USP in header that provides distinct
positioning/differentiation18. Increase body copy (just enough) to overcome all
common objections
19. Answer who, what, when, where, why and how20. Summarize/bulletize benefits at bottom of page21. Add Testimonials (with photo, name, company,
logo, title)22. Add Media Logos (if featured in news) or other
logos of things that will add credibility23. Larger/Wider Search Box25. Remove Instructions since it should be easy to
use and not require any explanation (of course you may need to improve your page first)
26. Test Images 1. Show your product/service in use to
demonstrate benefits and so user can better imagine what it would be like to own it and how would improve their life
2. Show happy customers (with product if applicable or after using product, etc)
3. Tell a story with product images4. More than one image (especially
different views from side, back, top, bottom)
5. Larger versus smaller versus no images (no images has surprised many as the best result in some cases)
6. Add Ability to Zoom7. Add Captions under your image8. Add Call-outs to draw attention to parts
of a photo/image and add info to point out most important aspects
27. Offer other ways to order by phone and fax (in cart)
28. Removal or de-emphasis of coupon/promo field in cart/checkout
29. Ajax/DHTML to hide optional form elements unless needed
30. Remove unnecessary fields or change order of fields
31. Visually Group and separate related fields32. # of checkout steps (1 vs 2 vs 3 vs 4) 33. Repeat main offer and benefits in cart
33. Upsell on add to cart action or in cart34. Add Guarantees, Return Policies, Privacy
Protection (if ask for personal email/info)35. Credit Card and other payment logos when
asking for payment info36. Add Reassurance Logos like Verisign, BBB
online, McAfee Secure, Trust, and etc.37. Increase/Decrease Prices (your pricing can cause
concern by being lower than someone expects especially compared to your competitors)
38. Odd Pricing ending in 9’s and 7’s39. Different Offers
1. Free Shipping2. Save 20%3. Buy 1, Get 1 Free4. Buy now, pay later5. Pay in installments6. Free trial7. Longer/shorter commitment
40. More/less Product Copy41. Tabbed content versus long page of content 42. Add reviews43. In Stock Messaging (above or below add to cart)44. Rich media like Video and Flash Animation45. Click to Call, Live Chat, and other widgets46. Ability to sort, filter, rank, and search product
category and sub-categories47. Proximity of content elements
1. Add vertical/horizontal space2. Move closer or farther away from certain
content on the page to see if proximity helps or hurts
48. Phone Numbers - where they are placed, how obvious, and know that different phone numbers may actually impact conversion
49. Faster loading pages (Optimized Images, etc) as load time can be a big impact
50. What is clickable - users expect almost everything to be clickable (www.CrazyEgg.com)
Landing Page/Conversion Best Practices are Critical…(link to testing tips at end of presentation)
…BUT today’s focus is to EXPAND your ANALYSIS techniques
BUT BROKEN
Many sites now using obvious
buttons
WORKOUT #1FIX WHAT’S BROKENSite Errors, Flash Version Issue, Broken Links, Poor Performance
Identify Glaring Site Problems
Users are getting
404 Errors
Flash Version 9 has major issues…
75-93% Bounce Rate
Use Analytics to Discover Compatibility Issues
Use XENU to Identify Broken Links
Lots ofBroken LinksStill find toomany clients that are sending traffic via paid and organic search to broken links
Use YSLOW to find Performance Issues
Before: 6mb
After: 289k
WORKOUT #2MEASUREMENT
WhatPeople Do
Where Users Click
Form Analytics
Record & Watch Users
How do you find out what people are doing?
• Key Steps in your Funnel
• External & Internal Search
• Top Entry & Exit• Bounce Rate• Segmentation
Are people taking the desired actions?
One Goal is not enough
Lead Generation Goals
Funnel Activity Goals
Engagement Goals
Where are people abandoning in the process?
Weakest Link in Checkout Funnel
What are your users looking for?
Complete Arkangel Shakespeare
Searches 119Sales 0
Setup “Site Search” Tracking in Google Analytics
Are they finding it and buying?
Losing 2 of 3
users on Popular Pages
There is a FIRE!!!!
“Segmentation is the key to finding insights. You segment, or you die!” - Avinash Kaushik, Google
Segment for Actionable Insight
Non-Segmented, Averaged User Data is Worthless
Identify Potential Segments
(Advanced) Customer Segments
Pageviews >9( OR ) Catalog Request =1( OR )Newsletter Subscribe =1
Transaction =1( OR ) Login =1
Site Visits >2Transactions >1
Site Visits >5Transaction >2Twitter Follow =1( OR )Newsletter Subscribe =1
Transaction >0Shares >2Comments >2( OR )Reviews >2
(Advanced) Customer Segments
By PersonaInvestor, Press, Customer, Etc
Based on:• Link Clicked• Form Selection• Page Viewed• and/or Keyword
By Stage of Buying CycleResearch, Interest, Evaluation, Decide, Buy
Based on:• Keyword• Goal/Action Taken• Landing Page• Etc.
WhyPeople Do What They Do
4Q Surveys (Another Free Tool)
Usability Tests Can Be Cheap & Eye Opening!
Watch & Listen to Identify Obstacles
• Where, How, Why
Top 10 Web Usability Principles
1. Motivate (by Segment) Design your site to meet specific user needs and goals. Use motivators to draw different user "personae" into specific parts of your site.
2. User task flow Who are your users? What are their tasks and online environment? For a site to be usable, page flow must match workflow.
3. Architecture – it's 80% of usability Build an efficient navigational structure. Remember – if they can't find it in 3 clicks, they're gone.
4. (Affordance) Make obvious how to interact with page Make controls understandable. Avoid confusion between emblems, banners, and buttons.
5. Replicate Why reinvent the wheel? Use best practices (80%) and fine-tune to your specific site the last (20%). Use ergonomically designed templates for the most common 8-12 pages.
© 1996 - 2009 Human Factors International Inc.
6. Usability test along the way Test early in design using low-fidelity prototypes. Don't wait until the end when it's too late. Know the technology limitations Identify and optimize for target browsers and user hardware. Test HTML, JavaScript, etc. for compatibility.
7. Know the technology limitations (iPhone Popularity Skyrocketing!)Identify and optimize for target browsers and user hardware. Test HTML, JavaScript, etc for compatibility. Most websites have huge problems here!
8. Know user tolerances (Fast! Big Factor in Enterprise SEO)Users are impatient. Design for a 2-10 second maximum download. Reuse header graphics so they can load from cache. Avoid excessive scrolling.
9. Multimedia – be discriminating Good animation attracts attention to specific information, then stops. Too much movement or static visual noise distracts, slowing reading and comprehension.
10. Use analytics Monitor traffic through your site. Which pages pique user interest? Which pages make users leave? Adjust your site accordingly.
© 1996 - 2009 Human Factors International Inc.
Top 10 Web Usability Principles
WORKOUT #3FOCUS ON USER
USER GROUP A
ConversionRate 1%
RIGHT AUDIENCE INCREASES CONVERSION
USER GROUP B
ConversionRate 3%
USER GROUP B &
Optimized Site
ConversionRate 6%
Customer Focused Content
Identify and clearly speak to how you understand the customer’s challenge, needs or questions.
Action
Customer’s Challenge
Solution
Results/Proven Success
Demonstrate past successes and establish expectations. Provide examples of clear results for similar size companies in their industry (especially respected industry leaders)
How you can solve the customer’s challenge and fulfill their needs
Now, that you have engaged the user, persuade the user to take a compelling action that is aligned with where they are at in the buying cycle
Stop Weeing We We Calculator
You/Your
We/Our
I AM AN ORANGE
I AM AN APPLE
CONTEMPORARY
Be Who You AreAPPLE ORANGE
How Does the User Think of You
Google Search TermsAt the end of the usability test session participants were asked to tell us what words they’d put into Google or other search engine to find K-LOVE if they had forgotten the station name. Their responses included the following words and strings of words:
•Local Christian Music Stations•Christian Radio Station Sacramento•Christian, Sacramento, Christian Stations•Christian Radio, Local Christian Music•Christian Radio, Positive Encouraging•Christian Music Station•Christian Music Station, Positive Encouraging•Sacramento Christian Radio
Tallies:
Christian 10Station(s) 5 Radio 4Music 3
Local 2Sacramento 2Positive 2Encouraging 2
Understand and Map content and actions to user’s Buying Cycle
Interaction
Create Interest – Learning Ctr, Whitepaper
Edu-Sell Communications - Case Studies
Purchase & Validate – Proof of Concept, References, Promos
1
3-X
X+
Consider Solutions - Webinars & Demo2Search for Solutions
Evaluate Solutions
Recognize Need
Justify Solution
Purchase
Evaluate Decision
Buying Cycle
Credit: Lauren McDonald, SilverPop
What people think they want to find
How people describe this to search engine (machine like)
How people refine when filtering search results
What brands need to communicate in search results
How branded content needs to relate to search language & intent
People are more pre-disposed to respond to sites that use language reflecting their original language of intent, rather than the more mechanical, colder search language.
Create relevant content that aligns with buying cycle
Original Intent (What is always important to them)= best mattress for back problems
• RESEARCH: Initial Search = mattress for bad backs• RESEARCH: Refine Search = best foam mattress for back
problems• INTEREST: Tempurpedic mattress • INTEREST: Posturepedic mattress• EVALUATION: Tempurpedic posturepedic mattress comparison• DECIDE: Tempurpedic deluxebed king prices• BUY: Tempurpedic mattress stores in sacramento
Screenshot showing how search matches site (per stage of buying cycle)
WARNING: Not what user expects… this content is more for building credibility and is one step ahead
Make sure you align your content to what the user expects
Again, not what user asked for…the user wanted to get back to residency appointments
WORKOUT #4S.M.A.R.T. GOALS
SpecificMeasurableAttainableRealisticTimely
Plan, Execute & Measure Successfully
Business Goal
WORKOUT #5TESTING
Start Testing with GWO (It’s FREE!)
minimum2-4 Weeks
~100 conversions per combination
TrafficWebsiteyou have this right?
Test Plan
What are we testing?
What is a conversion?– Action want to test
Hypothesis?– State Question– Predicted Outcome
Top 5 Website Optimizer Beginner Tips
Best Practices are starting point, they are not rules, you must Test!
1.Keep it Simple & Bold (major changes, fewer variations - A/B)
2.Conversion within 1-click
3.Test Pages with Most Potential Impact1. Top of Funnel2. Higher Traffic3. Key Process Step
•It’s just an Experiment right?(Carry out tests just to see what happens)
•Be Patient(Don’t Get Frustrated and Don’t Rush to conclusions)
What you can Expect from Testing
• Decrease Cost Per Acquisition• Decrease Bounce Rates• Increase Time on Site• Eliminate Guesswork - Use Facts
• Increase User Satisfaction“How easy it was to navigate; it was not so easy last time I tried it about 3 months ago! Thanks for the improvement!”
“Very nice website, easy to use, which is nice!”
Simple Changes Provide Huge Impact
BeforeAfter
Conversion Rate 3% 19%
Increased Conversion 591%
Key Funnel Step & Top
Landing Page
17 Destination Pages on site
Continuous Improvement is the key!
Monthly Revenues up
70%+
over record sales
Now, your site is on the way to becoming a lean & mean… user focused, goal oriented, conversion machine!
Twitter@blastam
Top 50 Tips for What to Testhttp://bit.ly/top50sessj
Thank you...Please go make some simple changes and make some big profits!