Boost your profits without spending more on web advertising

Bernard MayPresident

Matt Vandewouvwer Creative Director

AgendaWhat could conversion optimization do for your site?The importance of web page goal settingWhat are funnels and why do they matter?Introduction to the psychology of optimizationWhich website elements should you tune?How to developing your optimization plan Mistakes to avoidBest practices and action plan

What is a Conversion?Completing a lead formBuying a productTaking an actionClicking through to a category pageClicking through to a product detail pageDownloading a white paperMoving to the next stage in the checkout processEtc.

What could conversion optimization do for your site?

Why Conversion?

Scenario 1:Spend: $2000 per month on Internet AdvertisingGenerate 5000 visitorsConversion: 1%Total 50 conversionsAcquisition cost: $40 dollars

Why Conversion?

Scenario 2:Spend: $2000 per month on Internet AdvertisingGenerate 5000 visitorsConversion: 2%Total 100 conversionsAcquisition cost: $20 dollars

Boost your profits without spending more on web advertising

The importance of web page goals

Page Goals

Page Goals

Understanding funnels

Understanding Funnels

Understanding FunnelsThe pathways people take to goals you have set. For example, a typical page flow for an online marketer trying to sell a single product might look like this:

Psychology of optimization

Understanding Your Audience

Why People Buy

The buying process is based on needs and psychologyResearchers know that people buy for

rational and emotional reasonsCustomers want to build confidence,

credibility and trustBuyers care most about benefitsVisitors care about their needs and not

yours

Elements to Tune

Conversion FactorsCompelling headlinesCopy to persuade and build trustAppropriate graphics and colorsCalls to actionAction assurances to build trustEasy ways to contact youQuick load timesProduct offer(s) (Product, Pricing, Positioning)Web 2.0 (video, interactive forms)

Testing Page Factors

Golden Triangle

Study conducted by Gord HotchkissFrom Enquiro

Example Includes:HeadlineKey Selling PointHero ShotCall to Action

HeadlinesStudies show that 80% of visitors read the headlineChanging a single word can improve conversion by 40-50%Characteristics of a good headlineBe briefUse emotionAsk a questionFocus on a problemPique curiosity

Want To Shock The Others In Your Foursome By Blasting The Ball 300 Yards Off The Tee?

Website CopyGrab visitor’s attention with a hard-hitting headlineGuide visitors through the sales processAnticipate objectionsMotivate visitors to take actionMake it easy for visitors to take actionFocus on applied benefitsFormatting textUse bulletsAllow scanning and skimming

Content

Amazon

Before…

After…

Amazon Cont.

Focus on the BenefitsHow will your product improve the lives of the prospect?How will it solve their problem?Use the words You and Yours and not I and mine

Using Emotive Language

Website GraphicsThe right graphics increase conversionPictures not only attract the eye, but they also can keep the pagesimpleMake graphics clickablePut graphics near almost any clickable thing to increase click throughsColors combinations can have a significant impact on conversion

Confidence Builders

Testimonials Security images/icons Phone numbers for your business Live help (sales booster)

The Power of Testimonials

Web 2.0 Conversion FactorsCreate InteractivityAudio (Testimonials, directions)Video (Testimonials and Product Walk Throughs)Interactive Forms (include calculators, survey etc.)

Confusing Navigation (before)

Confusing Navigation (after)

Clear Call to Action

Colors and Contrast

Clutter Free

How to develop your optimization plan

Implementation StrategyAnalytics reviewTest page selectionTest methodologyGoogle website optimizer integrationReview resultsRefine

Typical Pages to OptimizeWhat pages will we testTop 3 bounce pagesTop 3 exit pagesTop 3 key pages

Opt-in pagesLead Generation PagesSales PagesThank You PagesHome PagesEcommerce Pages

Google Optimizer

Besides being a free toolDoes not affect rankingsTightly integrated with Google AdwordsNo complicated software or databases to installWorks with static and dynamic pages (htm, html, php, cfm, asp, aspx and more)Traffic can be easily split for multivariate and a/b split tests. Each possible combination gets roughly equal exposure It is a very powerful statistical tool for people who are not statisticians

Avoiding common mistakes

Testing MistakesTesting too much at onceTesting what doesn’t matterTesting not enough differenceIgnore NoiseNot testing long enoughStarting with the home pageCollecting insufficient dataSeasonalityNot considering the effect of pricing

Best practices

SEO and Conversion OptimizationOptimize your landing pages to convert well for your most important keywordsChoose the profile of target audience based on keyword trafficWrite copy around the major keywords

Action Plan

Your action planReview your analyticsIdentify the 3 pages you would like to start testingSelect 3 factors that you would like to testMake mockups first your first test pageImplement Google Website OptimizerBegin your first test

ConclusionBoosting conversion can: Increase sales without increasing you advertising spendRequires understanding of where issues existTakes a methodical ongoing testing approachCan make a significant impact on your businessCan be the single biggest return on your investment

Free Site AnalysisContact Adam 818.532.3665Adam@nationalpositions.com

Q & A