Conversion Rate Optimisation is becoming increasingly important to online marketeers. But why? And where do you start? Presentation given at the Content Marketing Association's Digital Breakfast conference on 14 May 2014.

1. @gemmamacnaught
A brief history of optimisation
(and why you should be doing it)

2. @gemmamacnaught
Gemma MacNaught
Head of UX and Conversion Rate Optimisation

3. @gemmamacnaught
1. Conversion Rate Optimisation today
2. A brief history of optimisation
3. Getting started
4. What could you be missing out on?

4. @gemmamacnaught
Conversion rate optimisation
today
1.

5. @gemmamacnaught
Psychology
Perception
Usability
Imagery
Colour
Behaviour
Target Audience
Data
Analytics
Research
Testing
Multivariate
A/B
Marketing
Goals
Heatmap
Clickmap
Persuasion
Layout
Navigation
Feedback
Competitors
Competitors
Design
Conversion Rate Optimisation (CRO)
Content

6. @gemmamacnaught
Psychology
Perception
Usability
Imagery
Colour
Behaviour
Target Audience
Data
Analytics
Research
Testing
Multivariate
A/B
Marketing
Goals
Heatmap
Clickmap
Persuasion
Layout
Navigation
Feedback
Competitors
Competitors
Design
Conversion Rate Optimisation (CRO) User Experience (UX)
Content

7. @gemmamacnaught
Where does it apply to?
SEO
Social
PPC
Leave
Forever
Complete
Goal
Come
Back Later
Your
Content

8. @gemmamacnaught
SEO
Social
PPC
Leave
Forever
Complete
Goal
Come
Back Later
Conversion Rate Optimisation (CRO) User Experience (UX)
Your
Content

9. @gemmamacnaught
Your
Content
SEO
Social
PPC
Leave
Forever
Complete
Goal
Come
Back Later
Your New
Content
Testing Software
Conversion Rate Optimisation (CRO)

10. @gemmamacnaught
Content
User Experience (UX)
Psychology
Perception
Usability
Imagery
Colour
Behaviour
Target Audience
Data
Analytics
Research
Testing
Multivariate
A/B
Marketing
Goals
Heatmap
Clickmap
Persuasion
Layout
Navigation
Feedback
Competitors
Competitors
Design
Conversion Rate Optimisation (CRO)
Do your research
AND
test your solutions

11. @gemmamacnaught
A brief history of optimisation
(learning from mistakes)
2.

12. @gemmamacnaught
AwesomeAwful
Scale of optimisation
Pretty Good
Key Takeaway
ü Do your research on your target audience.

13. @gemmamacnaught
Key Takeaway
AwesomeAwful
Scale of optimisation
Pretty Good
ü Target Market: Low
cost solution to combat
jaundice in developing
countries
ü Ensure your content and the platform it sits on is
straightforward. Don’t leave your users guessing!

14. @gemmamacnaught
AwesomeAwful
Scale of optimisation
Pretty Good
ü Communicate persuasively to your audience or your
content may fall at the last hurdle and be lost in translation
Key Takeaway
ü Usability: Known,
trusted, quality
ü Target Market: Car
owners with specific
needs
Rolls Royce Silver Mist Toyota MR2

15. @gemmamacnaught
Key Takeaway
AwesomeAwful
Scale of optimisation
Pretty Good
ü Optimisation is not a new concept – age old practices still
apply across print and online marketing
1923

16. @gemmamacnaught
ü Research your target audience
ü Make sure it’s user friendly
ü Communicate clearly and persuasively
ü Fix it, change it, rework it – most importantly test it!
Tick all the boxes

17. @gemmamacnaught
Getting started3.

18. @gemmamacnaught
Essentials:
ü Set up your Goals
ü Map out your funnel
ü Check devices
ü New vs returning visitor rates
ü Demographics
ü Top traffic sources
ü Top landing pages
ü Top exit pages
ü Your goal conversion rate
Analytics Data
Goal Completions
Unique Visitors
Your Conversion Rate100X

19. @gemmamacnaught
Essentials:
ü Follow the path you would expect users
to take before asking them to test your
site
ü Set the scene
ü Keep your questions and tasks open to
allow for natural user behaviour (i.e.
‘what elements do you find persuasive’
rather than ‘what do you think of the
headline’)
ü Use simple language
ü Target the test to your customer base
ü Ask users to compare you to a
competitor
User Testing

20. @gemmamacnaught
Essentials:
ü Where are your users clicking?
ü What is visible when they land on the
page?
ü How far are they scrolling?
ü What elements are attracting their
attention?
ü Is the next step obvious?
ü Is there anything they are confused by
or that they would like to change?
Page Analysis

21. @gemmamacnaught
Essentials:
ü Surveying your existing customers
builds a stronger understanding of
where you need to improve
ü Your customer services or sales staff
can give valuable insights on common
customer queries and problems
ü Guerrilla user testing is very beneficial
when you are researching mobile users
ü Offer an incentive to users who
participate in your research
Off-Site Methods

22. @gemmamacnaught
Thinking of skimping on your
research?
7 TIMES
more likely to achieve a positive result
Research driven tests are

23. @gemmamacnaught
Essentials:
ü Prioritise your testing
ü Even the smallest change can generate
a result
ü Check the estimated test duration
ü On low traffic pages – direct a higher
percentage of users to the new version
for a faster result
ü Segment by device
ü Segment by target user
Testing

24. @gemmamacnaught
Testing
59%
Not Testing
41%
1 out of 5 businesses
surveyed last year said that CRO was in their top 3 list of priorities
The main reasons given for businesses who
are not currently optimising or who have only
achieved small ‘wins’ are:
ü Lack of resources
ü Lack of expertise
ü No concrete strategy for testing

25. @gemmamacnaught
Your Goals
The benefits
Your Marketing
Spending
Your Market
Share
Your Customer
Base
Have an increased
completion rate
Becomes more
valuable
grab customers away
from your competitors
Grows as you…

26. @gemmamacnaught
Here’s some examples of
what you could be missing
out on
4.
And if you’re still not convinced…

27. @gemmamacnaught
Navigation
Category icons replacing the navigation links
increased clicks on categories by 90.2%
Original New Variation

28. @gemmamacnaught
Pop-Ups
A few changes to this pop-up lifted newsletter
sign-ups by 565%
Original New Variation

29. @gemmamacnaught
Simplification
Simplifying this homepage led to a subscriptions
increase of 225%
Original New Variation

30. @gemmamacnaught
Prominent CTAs
Increasing the prominence/persuasiveness of the
CTA improved conversions by 591%
Original New Variation

31. @gemmamacnaught
Colour
These red CTAs increased clicks by 21%
(test everything!)
Original New Variation

32. @gemmamacnaught
In Summary
ü Optimisation is not new – but it is increasingly important
ü Make content understandable, easily accessed and
user friendly
ü Do your research and let it guide you
ü Test everything!
ü Can you really afford not to?

33. @gemmamacnaught
Gemma MacNaught
Head of UX and Conversion Rate Optimisation