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Answer Upon - Increase Your Web Page (and Landing Page) Conversion with Conversion Rate Optimization
Sorry, But I'm Not Buying From You!
Former General Electric CEO and legendary manager, Jack Welch, nailed the problem recently when he said there’s just too much beating around the bush and indirectness in corporate communications. People are more interested in not hurting each others’ feelings than in improving productivity, and we simply need more frankness, says Welch.In my own small way I’m trying to remedy this situation, especially when I deal with salespeople. For example, I put out a request for a proposal and about ten companies responded. Quickly, I boiled the list down to five, called the references of the three in which I had genuine interest, and then I selected the contract winner.Within minutes of making my decision, I phoned the other
isitors. The number one reason the people indicated why they wouldn't buy from a web site was because it had an unprofessional "look and feel" that lacked credibility and did not "feel" trustworthy. Having a professional look, and trust building tools (such as VeriSign and BBBOnline certifications) help convert significantly more of your web site's qualified visitors into new customers. Former General Electric CEO and legendary manager, Jack Welch, nailed the problem recently when he said there’s just too much beating around the bush and indirectness in corporate communications. People are more interested in not hurting each others’ feelings than in improving productivity, and we simply need more frankness, says Welch.In my own small way I’m trying to remedy this situation, especially when I deal with salespeople. For example, I put out a request for a proposal and about ten companies responded. Quickly, I boiled the list down to five, called the references of the three in which I had genuine interest, and then I selected the contract winner.Within minutes of making my decision, I phoned the other
Other Important Conversion Elements to test:
- Buttons – Button text, color, look, etc.
- Pricing
- Formatting and placement of page elements, images and copy
- Navigation links versus no navigation links
- Press Quotes
- Testimonials
Other Conversion Best Practices and Tips:
- Reduce your “bail out” rate by optimizing your web pages to download within 5 seconds on a 56k modem – Test your pages on Andy King’s "Web Page Analyzer" websiteoptimization.com/services/analyze/
- Add a 1-800-Number and Call to Act
Blog Marketing Articles: Why They Are So Effective
There is no doubt that blogs, and with them blog marketing articles have within a very short taken the World Wide Web by storm.Generally speaking blog marketing articles tend to receive a much higher audience than marketing articles posted at web sites or anywhere else. In fact there are many web sites that rely very heavily indeed on blogs to generate traffic for them. What happens is that blogs and blog marketing articles are used to direct targeted traffic to the main site.There are many reasons for this. The most important is probably the fact that search engines love blogs mainly due to the constant updating and introduction of fresh content. The result is that blogs tend to receive a much higher traffic from
If you’re looking for an easy and low risk way to increase your landing page conversion rates, then use the conversion rate optimization strategies outlined in this online guide.There is no doubt that blogs, and with them blog marketing articles have within a very short taken the World Wide Web by storm.Generally speaking blog marketing articles tend to receive a much higher audience than marketing articles posted at web sites or anywhere else. In fact there are many web sites that rely very heavily indeed on blogs to generate traffic for them. What happens is that blogs and blog marketing articles are used to direct targeted traffic to the main site.There are many reasons for this. The most important is probably the fact that search engines love blogs mainly due to the constant updating and introduction of fresh content. The result is that blogs tend to receive a much higher traffic from
About Conversion Rate Optimization:
Conversion Rate Optimization is the continual process of making your Web Site and landing pages generate better results from your visitor traffic. For example, more leads, opt-ins, and more sales.
Conversion Rate Optimization is also the fastest and easiest strategy to increase your sales without spending more money on increasing your traffic.
In fact, the most successful companies test everything. For example, GoToMyPC.com increased their conversion rates by 400% by testing the following…
- Headlines
- Call to Action
- Copy
- Images
- Graphics
- Button Look
- Button Text
- Button Location
- No Links
- Press Quotes
- Testimonials
- Pricing
- Flow Through Process
- And more
Optimizing Your Landing Page’s "Conversion Funnel"
If you review your web site statistics (called “log files”) you’ll notice the following 4 things are happening on your landing pages…
The largest percentage of your visitors are bailing within 0-8 seconds after briefly viewing your landing page.
The second largest percentage of visitors bail when they decide your landing page does not prove compelling.
A small percentage of visitors attempt to convert (buy or use a contact form to become a lead) but fail. Many of these people will call.
A small percentage of visitors convert.
Conversion rate optimization is the process of optimizing your landing pages to minimize your "bail out rate" and maximize your "conversion rate" (CR).
The Top 6 Landing Page Components
To Optimize for Maximizing Your Conversions
The following are the top 6 conversion components that should be tested and improved to boost your conversion rates…
Headline - Since your headline is the first line that your visitors will read, the headline of your web page offers the biggest opportunity (about 80% of the opportunity) for improvements in conversion rate. Use headlines that clearly state the biggest benefit(s) that your product offers.
Offer - Since your offer is the “call to action” that asks your visitors to act (purchase, sign up, opt-in), your offer accounts for the second the biggest opportunity for improvements in conversion rate.
Lead - The “lead” or first paragraph is the third biggest opportunity for improvements in your conversion rate. Leads must be written with strong benefits that capture your visitor’s attention and make them want to read more.
Benefits - The “benefit bullets” (bullet-point format) are the forth biggest opportunity for improvements in conversion rate. List your benefits in the order of your product’s “value hierarchy” to your target market. In other words, state your product’s strongest benefit first, and its weakest benefit last.
Images - The images you use have a big impact on your conversion rates. The best practice is to use images that clearly portray the biggest benefit your product offers your customer (rather than generic "feel good" stuff like unknown logos and clip art). Studies show that product images work best when placed to the left of your product description (or lead paragraph) since it makes it easier to read your copy from left to right. Plus, people like to reads “captions” under your images almost as much as they read your headlines. So, add powerful captions and make your images clickable to the order/sign up page.
"Look & Feel" - According to a recent study by Stanford University, 46% of Web sales are lost on web sites that lack the critical elements that build value and trust with website visitors. The number one reason the people indicated why they wouldn't buy from a web site was because it had an unprofessional "look and feel" that lacked credibility and did not "feel" trustworthy. Having a professional look, and trust building tools (such as VeriSign and BBBOnline certifications) help convert significantly more of your web site's qualified visitors into new customers.
Other Important Conversion Elements to test:
- Buttons – Button text, color, look, etc.
- Pricing
- Formatting and placement of page elements, images and copy
- Navigation links versus no navigation links
- Press Quotes
- Testimonials
Other Conversion Best Practices and Tips:
- Reduce your “bail out” rate by optimizing your web pages to download within 5 seconds on a 56k modem – Test your pages on Andy King’s "Web Page Analyzer" websiteoptimization.com/services/analyze/
- Add a 1-800-Number and Call to Acti
China Business Negotiation - Understanding the Culture
Business negotiation in China can be very a frustrating exercise for western business executives. The Chinese business culture and deliberate style of negotiation is vastly different from the more direct western approach.It is easy to lose perspective and patience and ultimately fail in reaching the desired agreement.European and American business men and women are accustomed to a straight-forward style of negotiation. Both parties generally agree on the objectives and attempt to take a direct path to reach those goals in the shortest time possible.Business negotiations in China require a much more patient approach. The Chinese culture makes the people suspicious of strangers, both Chinese and foreign, but especial
hrough Process Business negotiation in China can be very a frustrating exercise for western business executives. The Chinese business culture and deliberate style of negotiation is vastly different from the more direct western approach.It is easy to lose perspective and patience and ultimately fail in reaching the desired agreement.European and American business men and women are accustomed to a straight-forward style of negotiation. Both parties generally agree on the objectives and attempt to take a direct path to reach those goals in the shortest time possible.Business negotiations in China require a much more patient approach. The Chinese culture makes the people suspicious of strangers, both Chinese and foreign, but especial
- And more
Optimizing Your Landing Page’s "Conversion Funnel"
If you review your web site statistics (called “log files”) you’ll notice the following 4 things are happening on your landing pages…
The largest percentage of your visitors are bailing within 0-8 seconds after briefly viewing your landing page.
The second largest percentage of visitors bail when they decide your landing page does not prove compelling.
A small percentage of visitors attempt to convert (buy or use a contact form to become a lead) but fail. Many of these people will call.
A small percentage of visitors convert.
Conversion rate optimization is the process of optimizing your landing pages to minimize your "bail out rate" and maximize your "conversion rate" (CR).
The Top 6 Landing Page Components
To Optimize for Maximizing Your Conversions
The following are the top 6 conversion components that should be tested and improved to boost your conversion rates…
Headline - Since your headline is the first line that your visitors will read, the headline of your web page offers the biggest opportunity (about 80% of the opportunity) for improvements in conversion rate. Use headlines that clearly state the biggest benefit(s) that your product offers.
Offer - Since your offer is the “call to action” that asks your visitors to act (purchase, sign up, opt-in), your offer accounts for the second the biggest opportunity for improvements in conversion rate.
Lead - The “lead” or first paragraph is the third biggest opportunity for improvements in your conversion rate. Leads must be written with strong benefits that capture your visitor’s attention and make them want to read more.
Benefits - The “benefit bullets” (bullet-point format) are the forth biggest opportunity for improvements in conversion rate. List your benefits in the order of your product’s “value hierarchy” to your target market. In other words, state your product’s strongest benefit first, and its weakest benefit last.
Images - The images you use have a big impact on your conversion rates. The best practice is to use images that clearly portray the biggest benefit your product offers your customer (rather than generic "feel good" stuff like unknown logos and clip art). Studies show that product images work best when placed to the left of your product description (or lead paragraph) since it makes it easier to read your copy from left to right. Plus, people like to reads “captions” under your images almost as much as they read your headlines. So, add powerful captions and make your images clickable to the order/sign up page.
"Look & Feel" - According to a recent study by Stanford University, 46% of Web sales are lost on web sites that lack the critical elements that build value and trust with website visitors. The number one reason the people indicated why they wouldn't buy from a web site was because it had an unprofessional "look and feel" that lacked credibility and did not "feel" trustworthy. Having a professional look, and trust building tools (such as VeriSign and BBBOnline certifications) help convert significantly more of your web site's qualified visitors into new customers.
Other Important Conversion Elements to test:
- Buttons – Button text, color, look, etc.
- Pricing
- Formatting and placement of page elements, images and copy
- Navigation links versus no navigation links
- Press Quotes
- Testimonials
Other Conversion Best Practices and Tips:
- Reduce your “bail out” rate by optimizing your web pages to download within 5 seconds on a 56k modem – Test your pages on Andy King’s "Web Page Analyzer" websiteoptimization.com/services/analyze/
- Add a 1-800-Number and Call to Act
Measure Your Success with Direct Mail Fundraising Letters with Just Four Numbers
A while back I realized that measuring the effectiveness of direct mail fundraising campaigns is a lot easier than I’d thought.I was confused by all the formulas and ratios, and was never sure which numbers were more important than the others. Cost Per Piece, Cost to Raise a Dollar, Return On Investment, Average Gift, all of these and at least six other metrics kept me in a state of anxious ignorance. I was never sure where I needed to start my calculations.Now I know, and I thought I’d pass on to you what I discovered in what I suppose I could call an epiphany.I discovered that, to track the effectiveness of any direct mail campaign, all you need to start with are four numbers. Once you know what these four
omponents that should be tested and improved to boost your conversion rates…A while back I realized that measuring the effectiveness of direct mail fundraising campaigns is a lot easier than I’d thought.I was confused by all the formulas and ratios, and was never sure which numbers were more important than the others. Cost Per Piece, Cost to Raise a Dollar, Return On Investment, Average Gift, all of these and at least six other metrics kept me in a state of anxious ignorance. I was never sure where I needed to start my calculations.Now I know, and I thought I’d pass on to you what I discovered in what I suppose I could call an epiphany.I discovered that, to track the effectiveness of any direct mail campaign, all you need to start with are four numbers. Once you know what these four
Headline - Since your headline is the first line that your visitors will read, the headline of your web page offers the biggest opportunity (about 80% of the opportunity) for improvements in conversion rate. Use headlines that clearly state the biggest benefit(s) that your product offers.
Offer - Since your offer is the “call to action” that asks your visitors to act (purchase, sign up, opt-in), your offer accounts for the second the biggest opportunity for improvements in conversion rate.
Lead - The “lead” or first paragraph is the third biggest opportunity for improvements in your conversion rate. Leads must be written with strong benefits that capture your visitor’s attention and make them want to read more.
Benefits - The “benefit bullets” (bullet-point format) are the forth biggest opportunity for improvements in conversion rate. List your benefits in the order of your product’s “value hierarchy” to your target market. In other words, state your product’s strongest benefit first, and its weakest benefit last.
Images - The images you use have a big impact on your conversion rates. The best practice is to use images that clearly portray the biggest benefit your product offers your customer (rather than generic "feel good" stuff like unknown logos and clip art). Studies show that product images work best when placed to the left of your product description (or lead paragraph) since it makes it easier to read your copy from left to right. Plus, people like to reads “captions” under your images almost as much as they read your headlines. So, add powerful captions and make your images clickable to the order/sign up page.
"Look & Feel" - According to a recent study by Stanford University, 46% of Web sales are lost on web sites that lack the critical elements that build value and trust with website visitors. The number one reason the people indicated why they wouldn't buy from a web site was because it had an unprofessional "look and feel" that lacked credibility and did not "feel" trustworthy. Having a professional look, and trust building tools (such as VeriSign and BBBOnline certifications) help convert significantly more of your web site's qualified visitors into new customers.
Other Important Conversion Elements to test:
- Buttons – Button text, color, look, etc.
- Pricing
- Formatting and placement of page elements, images and copy
- Navigation links versus no navigation links
- Press Quotes
- Testimonials
Other Conversion Best Practices and Tips:
- Reduce your “bail out” rate by optimizing your web pages to download within 5 seconds on a 56k modem – Test your pages on Andy King’s "Web Page Analyzer" websiteoptimization.com/services/analyze/
- Add a 1-800-Number and Call to Act
Cross-Selling Training
Most companies train their customer service representatives to ask questions to solve problems. Cross-selling is extending those existing skills since selling is really nothing more than good problem-solving. At the same time, cross-selling skills can be unique and can be as foreign to customer service reps as another language.In order to effectively cross-sell through the service channel, start with an assessment of current abilities and comparing them to cross-selling competenciesAn employee skilled at cross-selling:• Views cross-selling as an extension of customer service and a way to solve customer problems.• While addressing the reason for the customer call, listens and identifies clues to addi
benefits in the order of your product’s “value hierarchy” to your target market. In other words, state your product’s strongest benefit first, and its weakest benefit last.Most companies train their customer service representatives to ask questions to solve problems. Cross-selling is extending those existing skills since selling is really nothing more than good problem-solving. At the same time, cross-selling skills can be unique and can be as foreign to customer service reps as another language.In order to effectively cross-sell through the service channel, start with an assessment of current abilities and comparing them to cross-selling competenciesAn employee skilled at cross-selling:• Views cross-selling as an extension of customer service and a way to solve customer problems.• While addressing the reason for the customer call, listens and identifies clues to addi
Images - The images you use have a big impact on your conversion rates. The best practice is to use images that clearly portray the biggest benefit your product offers your customer (rather than generic "feel good" stuff like unknown logos and clip art). Studies show that product images work best when placed to the left of your product description (or lead paragraph) since it makes it easier to read your copy from left to right. Plus, people like to reads “captions” under your images almost as much as they read your headlines. So, add powerful captions and make your images clickable to the order/sign up page.
"Look & Feel" - According to a recent study by Stanford University, 46% of Web sales are lost on web sites that lack the critical elements that build value and trust with website visitors. The number one reason the people indicated why they wouldn't buy from a web site was because it had an unprofessional "look and feel" that lacked credibility and did not "feel" trustworthy. Having a professional look, and trust building tools (such as VeriSign and BBBOnline certifications) help convert significantly more of your web site's qualified visitors into new customers.
Other Important Conversion Elements to test:
- Buttons – Button text, color, look, etc.
- Pricing
- Formatting and placement of page elements, images and copy
- Navigation links versus no navigation links
- Press Quotes
- Testimonials
Other Conversion Best Practices and Tips:
- Reduce your “bail out” rate by optimizing your web pages to download within 5 seconds on a 56k modem – Test your pages on Andy King’s "Web Page Analyzer" websiteoptimization.com/services/analyze/
- Add a 1-800-Number and Call to Act
What is the Flavor of Your Website?
When I mention, “flavor”, I mean the appeal of the products or services, a company offers, to your basic senses, ( taste, touch, feel, sight, etc.). But, allow me to extend this even further and talk about company appeal as well, for example company “culture”. Let’s get less broad and bring this to you and me. What is our “appeal” to the public? Do we present a good image, (“flavor”) to the public? Are people impressed with the products and services we offer? Are they presented in a professional manner? This analysis could be applied to email, websites, ads, for that matter, anything the public “sees” with our name on it. In previous articles, we discussed BRANDING your company.
isitors. The number one reason the people indicated why they wouldn't buy from a web site was because it had an unprofessional "look and feel" that lacked credibility and did not "feel" trustworthy. Having a professional look, and trust building tools (such as VeriSign and BBBOnline certifications) help convert significantly more of your web site's qualified visitors into new customers. When I mention, “flavor”, I mean the appeal of the products or services, a company offers, to your basic senses, ( taste, touch, feel, sight, etc.). But, allow me to extend this even further and talk about company appeal as well, for example company “culture”. Let’s get less broad and bring this to you and me. What is our “appeal” to the public? Do we present a good image, (“flavor”) to the public? Are people impressed with the products and services we offer? Are they presented in a professional manner? This analysis could be applied to email, websites, ads, for that matter, anything the public “sees” with our name on it. In previous articles, we discussed BRANDING your company.
Other Important Conversion Elements to test:
- Buttons – Button text, color, look, etc.
- Pricing
- Formatting and placement of page elements, images and copy
- Navigation links versus no navigation links
- Press Quotes
- Testimonials
Other Conversion Best Practices and Tips:
- Reduce your “bail out” rate by optimizing your web pages to download within 5 seconds on a 56k modem – Test your pages on Andy King’s "Web Page Analyzer" websiteoptimization.com/services/analyze/
- Add a 1-800-Number and Call to Action above the fold (top of the page)
- Add a Logo and a powerful “Value Proposition” to the top left
- Instead of letting visitors click off your landing page, put all your information on one page (This tactic alone increased the conversions of a landing page by 55%)
- Use colors that fit your target customer’s personality
Conclusion:
When you use “Conversion Rate Optimization” to test and improve your web pages and landing pages you can double your sales (possibly even quadruple) when you add up all the performance improvements. Of course it takes time and work but it's well worth the effort.
If you’re truly serious about maximizing your results, continuously test, track and improve the important elements of your web site, landing pages (and your marketing materials).
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