Conversion Mythbusting: Common Misconceptions That Are Killing Your Landing Pages

Conversion Mythbusting: Common Misconceptions
That Are Killing Your Landing Pages
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Tim Ash
C.E.O
SiteTuners
Lou Sturm
Customer Success Manager
Unbounce
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Lou Sturm
Customer Success Manager
Unbounce
@loutangclan
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Tim Ash
C,E.O
SiteTuners
@tim_ash

Conversion Mythbusting:
Misconceptions that are killing your landing pages
Tim Ash - CEO
Webinar October 22, 2014
Copyright © 2014, SiteTuners – All Rights Reserved. #unwebinar #CRO @unbounce @tim_ash

Foreword:
Where Am I Coming From
Copyright © 2013, SiteTuners - All Rights Reserved. @tim_ash

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
1200
CLIENTS
s i n c e 2 0 0 2

For Your Consideration:
The Popular Myths

1
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

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
2

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
3

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 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 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 table
by 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 own
direct experience.

• increase your revenue and profit SAVE $400
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• 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 offer
you must schedule by October 25, 2014
Bit.ly/CROreview

Q&A
tim@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

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Conversion Mythbusting: Common Misconceptions That Are Killing Your Landing Pages

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Conversion Mythbusting: Common Misconceptions That Are Killing Your Landing Pages