What should I test?” It’s the most common conversion question I’m asked by my clients – particularly after they’ve exhausted the most common things like a change in headlines, photos and layout.
While it’s best to let tests “settle” for anywhere from 5-7 days or 2-3 weeks after you’ve made changes and gauge the results accordingly, testing the following changes could yield a surprising boost in your conversion rate.
Keep in mind that when testing changes – SAMPLE SIZE MATTERS. At first glance, a 3% conversion rate for every 10 visitors doesn’t sound nearly as good as a 20% conversion rate for every 100 visitors. But it turns out to be worth substantially more over time.
In addition to keeping the sample size in mind, you also have to understand that just because something worked for a competitor or a huge corporation – doesn’t mean it will work for you.
You may find that a huge, earth-shattering change on your website didn’t bring nearly the increase in sales that you thought it would. But something as simple as increasing the font size upped conversions by 3%.
Who knew?
Beyond cosmetic changes to the design of a site, you can (and should) also test other factors for on page optimization. Here are seven ideas to add to your split testing campaigns:
Changing Form Field Order
If you’re using the standard email newsletter subscription form that calls for Name and Email Address, try a simpler version asking for JUST the email address.
Yes, this cuts back on your ability to personalize the email at first. However, people are much more willing to give an email address up online instead of their name AND email address.
If you build subscriber relationships right, you could introduce a reader survey down the road and your satisfied readers will be all too happy to provide more details if you just ask.
Make Your Call to Action More Noticeable
Go ahead and make it a large red button; marketing studies have proven that this gets more attention than buttons that blend in more. Also try changing the wording.
Instead of just “Subscribe” try “Send Me ____ Now!” or instead of “Checkout” try “Click Here to Place Your Order Securely Online”. Buttons that spell out exactly what they’ll do or where they’ll take the visitor are much more likely to be clicked than more vague, single-word versions.
Stock Photos versus Personal Photos
Being “real” with people helps increase trust – and we all know your office doesn’t look like that high rise in the sky anyway. That picture of your “team” – the one with the diverse group of models with stunningly white teeth that could blind someone? That’s not fooling anybody. Show off the real you split tested with that beloved stock photo.
Increasing Font Size
Reading on a computer is a pain. Try increasing the font size and the spacing between lines for better “scanability”. Limit paragraphs to no more than 3-4 lines. These smaller “chunks” encourage visitors to keep reading, and they’re much easier on the eyes.
However, keep in mind that you need a quality offer or message to go along with that easier reading. All the font and spacing tweaks in the world won’t save a poorly written landing page.
Changing Payment and Order Options
Can you offer a payment plan or a discount if the entire amount is paid up front? Also, if you sell a single product or a digital product, try placing the call to action button above the “fold” – meaning in the first third of the user’s computer screen.
Many people will only impulsively read a headline or summary and decide to scroll to the bottom of the page to find the price. Why not give them the option of ordering up front without all the reading?
Announcement Timing
Whether you’re having a sale or sending a newsletter, knowing the best time for your customers to receive it is crucial to how many people will open and read it, let alone click it.
Test and track announcements to find out the best day of the week to let them know, and even the best time of day. Just because some marketing guru tells you it’s Tuesday at 1 o’clock in the afternoon doesn’t mean anything if EVERYBODY is blindly following that same advice and sending out their stuff on Tuesday afternoon!
How Much Information You Ask For
This goes in line with test idea #1, in that asking for certain things immediately throws up a red flag for your prospect. Asking for a phone number up front is perhaps the biggest mistake many forms make, because it forces the person to stop their order progress and ask themselves “What do you want it for?” This is exactly why I let people know on my contact form that their phone number is ONLY used in case I can’t reach them via email.
Related Resources:
Split Testing Increases Homeless Man’s Results by over 100% within Days – Check out the great way this homeless man was able to earn money while helping others.
Which Test Won? Surprising results in 50+ split tests spanning a variety of industries and websites.
AB Split Tests – See featured split testing results and submit your own.
A/B Ideafox – Sorted split tests by the item tested, including Adwords, social media, downloads and website type.
What are some split testing ideas you’ve tried on your own pages? What sort of results did you get? Were you surprised?
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