Conversion Mythbusting

Conversion Mythbusting:Misconceptions that are killing your online business

Tim Ash - CEO

Las Vegas – January 18, 2015

Foreword:Where Am I Coming From

About SiteTuners

• San Diego based conversion rate optimization agency

• Large and small company clients worldwide

• Serving B2C, B2B, and eCommerce

Practice areas:

– Conversion-focused website blueprints (full redesigns & quick facelifts)

– Landing page test plans & testing strategy development

– Conversion management, internal team mentoring & training

M O R E T H A N

s i n c e 2 0 0 2

1200CLIENTS

For Your Consideration:The Popular Myths

We Need A “Responsive” Website

Yesterday - a handful of incompatible browsers

Today - an explosion of diverse devices

The answer is to draw pretty boxes…

…and code them into responsive one-page sites

“[Most responsive websites] are infinitely scrolling pieces of crap.”

- Richard Banfield, CEO of Fresh Tilled Soil

We need to be responsive to the context

We live in a multi-screen world

Why it is a problem

• Breaks the hypertext paradigm – nothing to optimize except the order of the linear presentation

• Ignores visitor context, intra-day usage patterns, and multi-screen use –simply resizes within a column, and reflows multiple columns.

• Distorts spatial relationships & undermines usability (proximity, ordering, containment, grouping, accessibility)

• Requires massively increased QA costs and results in much heavier code

What you should think about

• Consider dedicated smartphone, tablet, and desktop experiences - don’t just reformat the same info

• Radically rethink the context and mindset of mobile users – tasks and calls-to-action will probably be different

• Design for transitions between experiences (including online and offline) and for multiple simultaneous screens

Tactical Testing Is The Answer To Everything

More & faster testing is the best measure of CRO progress!

Climbing in the blizzard – making progress…

… The next morning – you can’t get there from here

You wanted to be here

You ended up here

You started here

The Valleys of Tears

Why it is a problem

• Testing velocity becomes an end onto itself

• Testing trivial stuff is a crutch – reduced to settling bar bets

• Diminishing results as page improves and game-changing ideas are scarcer

• Undervalues & often preempts or compromises large-scale redesigns

• Is largely incompatible with major improvements via redesigns, business model changes, or major technology platform implementations

• Pick flexible testing tools that allow you to test non-trivial ideas

• Understand when testing is not appropriate

• Focus on profit improvements and not testing velocity (effectiveness vs efficiency)

• Have a tactical and strategic testing tracks going side by side

• Stop testing during major projects to gain the best long-term outcomes

Designers Should Create Your Pages

Design is best left to the pros

Not sure what you do…

…but you sure look great doing it!

“In our company, the wireframes are

a rough point of departure for the visual designers”

- Anonymous Fortune-500 SiteTuners client

After we had worked for months on developing user scenarios and detailed wireframes, gotten sign-off on them, and then saw the completely unrelated mockups that their visual designers had created

Currently doing a major remodel…

…what color should I paint my bathroom?

Still have not chosen the bathroom paint color…

Overview of Conversion Focused Redesign

• Begin with an understanding of the business

• Diagnose the current state of it from the perspective of the user

• Create a solid user experience for all major tasks

• Define visual layer to support that experience

• Make sure nothing gets distorted or hijacked during development

Understand The Business Goals & History

Kick-off Meeting – During the course of an comprehensive kick-off meeting review an extensive list of questionnaire designed to ensure that we understand the client’s business background to the level that we need for a successful project. Gather additional “homework” and supporting materials.

Develop User Scenarios & Grade The CX

Problem Identification – From the perspective of the visitors, create several scenarios that represent common tasks performed by important classes of website visitors. Create narrative user experiences and score the customer experience using grades.

Create Wireframes & Information Architecture

Information Architecture & Wireframes – Present the proposed new information architecture or page flow, along with wireframes for important pages.

Create rough visual designs

Rough Visual Designs – Create rough visual designs of the previously developed wireframes. The main purpose is to indicate the appropriate visual emphasis and relative importance of page elements in order to support the conversion goals.

Hand over Photoshop files

Photoshop Files – Mockup designs are delivered in layered Photoshop file format to developers.

Keep a short leash during development

Implementation Reviews –Frequently touch base during development to ensure that the design is properly interpreted and to address any questions that arise during implementation. Do not allow significant deviations from original plans.

Why it is a problem

• Visual embellishments often destroy the business purpose and usability of the web experience

• Brand is considered sacrosanct and is not used to support business goals

• The underlying user experience is often very weak

• Only aesthetic of designer is considered – not needs of your visitors

• No formal process exists to improve (or even consider) conversion

• Understand the psychological predisposition of creative visual designers

• Insist on evidence or objective standards for visual embellishments – must be intended to improve conversion rates

• Often, boring and simple (a.k.a. clear and effective) is best

• Resist groupthink and visual fads

• Spend a lot more time on the stuff that you can’t see

• Have a formal process for improving conversion in major redesigns – with the visual design step as last

Final Thoughts

Everything is not “awesome”

Be brutally honest & look for problems

Stay flexible and adapt

Get a seat at the grown-up tableby climbing out of your silo

Focus first on your audience – not your business

Sorry if you don’t like my conclusions…

… feel free to get some of your owndirect experience.

SAVE $400• increase your revenue and profit

• generate more leads

• land more customers

• boost sales and paid memberships

• maximize your marketing ROI

Rio All-suites Hotel & Casino

Las Vegas - May 13-14, 2015

Get a Free 15-minute Conversion Review

• Interactive review of your key conversion paths

• Conducted by SiteTuners conversion staff

• Identify key segments and opportunities for customization

• Video transcript recorded via GoToMeeting

• Offer good only for companies generating at least $1 million annually in online revenue. New customers only please.

Limited Availability – first 5 to sign up

To take advantage of this FREE offeryou must schedule by Jan 23, 2015

Bit.ly/CROreview

Q&Atim@sitetuners.com

(619) 990-9062 mobile

(800) 521-5066 work PST

twitter @tim_ash

www.linkedin.com/in/timash

facebook.com/tim.ash1

skype tim_ash1

Conversion Mythbusting

Business

Transcript of Conversion Mythbusting

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