31 Conversion Optimization Tips – and Counting
You may have noticed that I haven’t written a solid blog post in an abysmally long time. It’s not due to a lack of thinking and learning about Conversion Optimization on my part.
In fact, I’ve had so many outlets lately that the thought stream has simply been divided into more rivulets. I’ve been hosting webinars, speaking at events like IMC and PubCon, and doing a lot of Twitter tweeting.
My daily Conversion Optimization tip has been popular and has allowed me to share ideas quickly. I plan to flesh some of these out into blog posts and, in the mean time, here are 31 of the recent Conversion Optimization tips in under 140 characters each.
Keep in mind that tips and “Best Practices” only have limited value and should always be tested in your particular situation. With that said, here are…
31 Conversion Optimization Tips
- Have you tested your Call-to-Action on right vs. left side of the page?
- What are the top 3 components of your Value Proposition? Are they immediately obvious on your landing page?
- Have you tested adding credibility indicators to your website; testimonials, reviews, awards, stats
- Can your landing page be any more specific? Can you drive to a product page instead of category page?
- How can you reduce Distraction on your pages? How many links can you eliminate?
- Improve Clarity with larger product images on your category pages
- How many options does your product have? Can it be reduced to one or two?
- Increase Clarity with high contrast text on white background
- Is your privacy policy increasing Anxiety? Can it be shortened?
- Your customer buys emotionally and defends the purchase rationally. Get her excited.
- Your privacy policy link should not open a new page. Try a popup.
- You don’t sell features. You sell solutions to problems. Value Proposition is relative.
- Have you tested embedding lead generation forms on the page vs. new page vs. popup form?
- Have you tested swapping right column with left? Worked for BabyAge.com
- Do you have large blocks of white copy on dark background? Try black text on white
- Can you move optional form fields to the Thank You page with additional benefit for filling them?
- Try replacing rotating offer banners with static images and value proposition copy
- Do your images have “action captions”? Include your CTA link
- Do your category pages include relevant & easy filters?
- Have you tested a two-column vs. three-column layout?
- Have you tested removing the navigation bar from landing pages?
- How strong is your CTA scent trail? Your key terms through the funnel should match.
- Do your landing page headlines match the words in your PPC ads?
- Select testimonials to support each product page’s main value proposition points.
- Does your home page offer visitors self-segmentation to increase funnel Relevance?
- Category pages offer huge opportunities. Try list vs grid view.
- Test category images vs. subcategory images on store pages
- Have you tested animation vs. static content. Worked for Hair Club
- Have you tested a Big Orange Button? We call him BOB. He works hard.
- Test a “factual” approach vs. an “emotive”. Worked for Sytropin
- Test Calls to Action; Order Now vs. Get a Quote vs. Instant Quote, etc.
There are many more to come. Follow me on twitter to get them first.
Or, to get your own customized Conversion Optimization tips, you should hire WiderFunnel to optimize your conversion rate. I will personally be involved in improving your lead generation and sales. Contact us for more information and a no-obligation quote.
December 1st, 2009 at 1:54 am
[...] 31 Conversion-Optimierungs-Tricks [...]
December 1st, 2009 at 6:56 am
Nice post. I need to test several things.
thanks.
December 3rd, 2009 at 9:11 am
Great list Chris, perfect as a checklist before finalizing a landing page design.
#29 is my stand out favourite. Especially because you’ve branded it with a name.
I actually just mentioned BOB as the inspiration for a post this morning:
http://unbounce.com/conversion/the-future-of-marketing-call-to-action-buttons/
Cheers
Oli
December 3rd, 2009 at 10:51 am
Thanks Audio Bible & Oli.
I’m looking forward to seeing your tool launched, Oli. Great find on those glowing buttons. They would be interesting to test.
December 3rd, 2009 at 3:08 pm
Everybody loves list! Nice work Chris and thanks for sharing it.
January 10th, 2010 at 1:13 pm
[...] 31 Conversion Optimization Tips – and Counting [...]
March 5th, 2010 at 8:25 am
[...] 31 Conversion Optimization Tips [...]
March 17th, 2010 at 4:47 pm
[...] 31 Conversion Optimization Tips – and Counting [...]
April 16th, 2010 at 2:33 pm
[...] Aunque si te interesa el tema, aquí tienes 31 trucos [...]
May 27th, 2010 at 9:18 am
Excellent tips for conversion optimisation, I like #29 also, "BOB, he works hard" haha. Do you feel orange is significant, does this colour CTA convert at a higher rate in your experience than other colours?
May 27th, 2010 at 5:34 pm
I wouldn't say that orange always works better. It really does depend on the context.
And, quite frankly, button colour and other specific tips get too much attention. Focusing on the context and mind-frame of the visitor is more helpful. You'll find more info in my article about the LIFT Model: http://www.widerfunnel.com/conversion-rate-optimi…
June 8th, 2010 at 7:37 am
Wow thanks for all the tips, wish I had the time to try all of these tips!
October 18th, 2010 at 1:15 pm
[...] 31 Conversion Optimization Tips – and Counting [...]
December 3rd, 2010 at 3:59 pm
[...] Chris: Great question, Oli. I’m sure you’ve found, as we have, that the process is more important than tips for Conversion Optimization. [...]
December 8th, 2010 at 1:20 am
Good points – decreasing your bounce rate means that you can make more money from less people, who doesn't want that?
You said it best with "try to determine searcher intent" – if they're looking to buy a product or service and you've got the best product at the best price or the best value, you'd be doing them a disfavor by not using a killer call to action. That said, there's no reason a call to action has to be noisy or intrusive (not that you said it should be).
January 12th, 2011 at 10:47 pm
What are some top strategies for conversion optimization?…
A strong strategy for your is dependent on an analysis of your unique situation. I believe it’s dangerous to look for lists of strategies or tips. Copying what others have done is likely to produce poor results in most situations. Every site is uniqu…
January 17th, 2011 at 2:58 pm
[...] Aunque si te interesa el tema, aquí tienes 31 trucos [...]
February 18th, 2011 at 5:40 am
I am just a baby in the CRO world, while being a veteran in webdevelopment ; ). It feels like this post here gives me a good headstart of things. We will see what wonders your tips will do for http://dekbedovertrekshop.com!
Thanks for sharing.
April 4th, 2011 at 11:49 pm
[...] Converstion Rate Optimization Tips (Wider Funnel) [...]
April 12th, 2011 at 7:12 am
I will fill out your form for an estimate, I have a moving company and although the weight calculator works fine the conversion is terrible:
http://www.vincentmoving.com/long-distance-moving…
September 23rd, 2011 at 9:05 am
[...] I don’t advise paying much attention to Conversion Optimization tips because “best practices” and “tips” only have limited value — and should always [...]
September 28th, 2011 at 12:01 pm
Great article about conversion upgrades. This helps me a lot in writing my articles, thanks
September 28th, 2011 at 1:40 pm
Thanks Dennis!
October 18th, 2011 at 6:08 am
BOB? Thats an awesome name!
October 18th, 2011 at 8:14 am
Thanks, @nitianhao. We like him
November 1st, 2011 at 12:13 am
[...] “go” and blue as a familiar web standard link/action color. Wider Funnelsuggest trying a big orange [...]