Nick Stocks of Internet-dept., Regularly presents for Business Link on e-marketing topics. Here he presents on improving conversions rates and the role of CMS

1. Improving Conversion Rates &
the Role of CMS
Spring 2006
Nick Stocks – Director

2. Overview
Generating better conversion rates
Examples
CMS Overview
The role of CMS
Questions

3. Question
How many members of the audience are content with their
website’s conversion rates?

4. Why don’t websites work?
Contributing Factors
•Poor content •Poor Usability
•Lack of required information / detail •Disorganised content
•Badly written •Too Passive
•Difficult navigation •Lacking compelling calls to action
•Confusing / misleading titles •Weak contact information
•Too many items •Can’t be found
•Lack of secondary / tertiary navigation •Poorly optimised
• Bad design •Ineffective offline marketing
•Homepage / internal page layout
•Bad use of colour / images / graphics

5. Why don’t websites work?
Poor objective setting
What is the primary objective of your website?
•Generate leads?
•Build brand?
•Deliver information?
•Sales support?
•Direct sales?
•Customer support?
•Forum?
•Resource?
Are there any secondary objectives? What are they?

6. Why don’t websites work?
Poor market segmentation
Who are my main target markets?
•Prospects
•How are they segmented? By product, by need?
•Are they buyers / researchers?
•Regional variations?
•Customers
•Existing / New?
•Feedback? Support?
•Resources?
•Researching / Purchasing?

7. Why don’t websites work?
An exercise
1 - Write down your websites primary objective.
2 - Now review your website from the perspective of it’s different user groups –
•Is the objective of the company / website immediately clear?
•Are you clearly directed towards fulfilling the primary objective? (is it quick & easy?)
•Are you given the information / guidance required?
•Are there clear benefit statements / calls to action? (What’s in it for me?)
•Can I easily make contact / communicate at any stage, and am I encouraged
to do so?
•Am I engaged?

8. Improving Website Results
The Importance of Usability
We know what the website’s objectives are
We know who our visitors are, and what they are looking for.
The 3rd main obstacle to conversion is – USABILITY
•Microsoft now has a large team of usability professionals with user experience
‘embedded in multi-disciplinary teams’.
•On average, user experience components account for 8-12% of budget on typical
larger projects these days.

9. Improving Website Results
An Example of poor Usability
The top 20 e-commerce websites were reviewed from a usability perspective.
Mothercare Site
Product: Baby car seat
home>>Safety - This has no car seats.
home>>Travel - This, however, has 39 different car seats.
Insights: A single cross-link from safety to travel could prevent potential loss
of sales.

10. Improving Website Results
The Importance of Usability
Online surveys can be used to understand online customer experience and
performance in terms of factors such as:
• Download speed
• Navigation
• Quality of content
• Barriers to action
• Areas of confusion
• Design / Architecture feedback
Online surveys can be good for targeting problem areas.

15. Usability
Most important
requirements
Pre – expanded
navigation
Calls to action
Main content
within visible
window

16. Target Markets
Tourists
Business people
Businesses
Weddings

17. Target Markets
Tourists
Business
people
Businesses
Weddings

18. Target Markets
Tourists
Business people
Businesses
Weddings

19. Target Markets
Tourists
Business people
Businesses
Weddings

20. Usability
User
Requirements
catered for
Key items
pushed
Clear calls to
action
Clear information

22. Usability
Target markets
catered for
Specific calls to
action
Clear information
Varied options

23. Usability
Clear instruction
Use of graphics to
highlight required
fields
Use of dropdown
menu to save
time
Privacy
information

24. Usability
Quick selection
via radio buttons
Ability to add
further comment
Newsletter
subscription

25. Target Markets
Startups
Growing
businesses
Businesses
requiring support

26. Target Markets
Startups
Growing
businesses
Businesses
requiring support

27. Target Markets
Startups
Growing
businesses
Businesses
requiring
support

31. Usability
Existing
user login
Visitor
interest
Prospect
info
Signup
News

32. Usability
Easy
navigation
Ordered in
logical
steps
Clear calls
to action
User
Feedback
Main nav

34. Actions
Visible
process
Bite sized
chunks
User
guidance
Clear layout
Clear call to
action

35. Actions
Simple information
Immediate data
capture
Easy to complete
Links to secondary
services /
objectives

36. Improving Website Results
Usability Tips
Writing text for websites – Jakob Nieilsen
http://www.useit.com/alertbox/9710a.html
Eye tracking study of web readers
http://www.useit.com/alertbox/20000514.htm

37. Improving Website Results
In a nutshell…
- Clearly understand the objectives of the website
- Monitor and track results / performance
- Ascertain KPI’s (key performance indicators)
- Ensure all results are tracked (including offline)
-Regularly review results and contemplate improvements
-Improve usability
-Improve action / feedback options

38. Question
How many members of the audience currently utilise a CMS?

39. Question
What are the benefits?
-To your business?
-To your website visitors?

40. CMS Overview
What are the benefits of a CMS?
-To your business? -For your website visitors?
-Control of site -More up-to-date content
-Admin delegation -(generally) more content
-Immediacy -Stronger consistency
-Makes site management easier
-Control of MetaData
-Implementation of new technologies

41. CMS Overview
Pain Major
Barrier Website
Broken Investment
Site Delight Factor
Disdain Peaks
Declining Company /
Site product
Reference or market change

42. CMS – Improving Conversions
Regularly Changing Content
- Special offers
- Product / service information
- Addition of downloadable documentation
- News updates
- Image library
- Recruitment
- PR area
- Event information
- RSS Feed management

43. CMS – Improving Conversions
Joomla CMS
Adding content
Easy options
WYSWYG text box
Tabbed page options

44. CMS
Intergage CMS
Adding content
Easy options
WYSWYG text box

45. CMS
4T2 4ORCE CMS
Publish & Remove dates
*Also note meta tag control

46. CMS
4t2 4ORCE CMS
RSS feed

47. CMS
4t2 4ORCE CMS
RSS feed viewed in
the Sage RSS
reader

48. CMS
4t2 4ORCE CMS
RSS feed
administration
* Note – control to
allow viewers to
add comments

49. What is RSS?

50. RSS – Where can I find it?
Syndic8.com
Newsisfree.com

56. CMS Costs?
How Much Should I Spend?
- There are many options available
SME Average Expenditure
(development of full CMS
Website)
2k 10k 50k+
Simple solutions (e.g. macromedia contribute / CMS modules)
- Enterprise CMS systems can manage workflow / deliver multilingual sites
etc.

57. Summary
CMS can greatly improve companies website management / presence
Results are dependent upon clearly understanding website objectives & target markets
Review website architecture / navigation / content from a usability perspective
Design the site to draw visitors towards required actions
Break down data capture / processes into easy chunks
Give clear guidance

58. Thanks For Listening
Any Questions?
Nick Stocks
Internet-dept Ltd Download this seminar from :
Office: 08707 513 915
www.businesslinkwessex.co.uk/ict
www.internet-dept.com www.internet-dept.com/resources
Email: nick@internet-dept.com