It’s easy to think that every website is like a patient, and all you need to do is give it the right diagnosis before finding out what could be wrong with it. But no – not in the world of conversion optimization! Some ‘optimizers’ believe they can instantly spot issues but honestly? Your opinion doesn’t mean much compared to carefull examination and testing- just as you wouldn’t want your doctor basing their treatment on opinions would ya?! So if you’re serious about getting things fixed up, start off by doing some thorough research into conversions so at least when someone asks “what did I break”, there’ll actually be an answer!
Tired of guessing when it comes to your marketing efforts? Conversion research can be the answer, breaking down into three easy-to-follow steps: Experience based assessment for a quick hit on what works; Qualitative research delving deeper with focus groups and interviews; and finally Quantitative Research crunching numbers so you don’t have too. So chuck in the crystal ball – conversion research is here!
Are visitors bouncing off your website faster than a trampoline? If so, you might need to take it for an expert walkabout! A site walkthrough is basically like having a team of modern-day Lewis & Clarks check out every nook and cranny on your digital path in order to give guidance about potential issues that could be holding back those conversions. From UI/UX design nuances; functionality conundrums; up-to date compatibility requirements with browsers and devices – this exploration by experts such as designers, developers, or CRO specialists can uncover any misgivings stopping people from taking the plunge into conversion success. So don’t let precious conversions leap away.
Have you ever heard of Heuristic Analysis? Put simply, it is an expert-based analysis that employs experience-backed techniques to find solutions, learn new concepts and discover unknowns. Although the results are not guaranteed to be precise every time, this method has been known to provide near optimal outcomes.
While data-driven decisions are vital in this line of work, there is no replacement for manually assessing a website. Oftentimes we can detect issues with just our eyesight – but it’s essential that we don’t jump to any premature conclusions. Anything discovered must be backed up by the numbers. Everyone has their own biases and preconceived notions, so do not give into the temptation of feeling like your opinion is unassailable truth.
Prioritizing heuristic analysis is an essential initial step you can take to truly understand your website. By mapping and analyzing specific problem areas, you have the opportunity to validate or disprove any findings based on data collected – which will help direct future research efforts. With this knowledge in hand, it’s much easier for you to determine where more data gathering may be needed.
There is no such thing as a completely unbiased standpoint. It’s important to be aware of potential biases when forming opinions or making decisions.
We are all susceptible to the phenomenon of a bias blind spot, which is misguidedly thinking that we personally have fewer biases than other people. To make matters worse, most of us display confirmation bias – preferring information that reinforces our existing beliefs.
Consequently, when performing heuristic analysis and creating hypotheses based on it, we must strive to uncover data that confirms rather than disproves these ideas.
Taking an unstructured approach when analyzing a website and making assumptions like “I think this is bad” or “that needs to change” will not get you the results that you are looking for. To really see value, it’s important to have a structured process in place when evaluating websites. Simply guessing what might be hindering conversions isn’t enough-you need to know exactly where and how to look for any potential issues so that your efforts yield meaningful outcomes.
There is no one-size-fits all approach to success, yet there are some tried and tested frameworks that can be utilized as a foundation for curating your own process.
Web Arts has developed a revolutionary 7-step plan that’ll help you take your customers from “I’m intrigued” to “Sold!” From the initial awareness of their product all the way through purchase, this framework can ensure maximum conversion and happy customers. So get ready for some serious success!
Businesses can finally figure out where to direct their marketing efforts with this amazing framework. It not only helps understand the ups and downs of a customer’s journey, but also pinpoints exactly what needs improvement so they don’t waste time on pointless optimizations!
WiderFunnel has created the LIFT(Landing Page Influence Framework) framework, an innovative way to help businesses see which elements on their landing page are soaring and which ones need a little lift! With this tried-and-tested method of conversion optimization, companies can identify where changes will create more take offs and increase conversions. Get ready for your business’ launch with WiderFunnel’s amazing LIFT solution!
With the LIFT framework, businesses can go beyond analyzing and take tangible steps to optimize their landing pages for conversions. Like a total makeover, you’ll dramatically reduce worry-inducing friction points plus boost your value proposition – all with one easy process!
Invesp’s Conversion Framework is built on 8 core principles that underpin their process.
Marketing Experiments has created this conversion formula – it’s not a physics lesson!
C = 4m + 3V + 2 (i-f) – 2a
Avoid the need to decode the equation mentioned above by printing it out and keeping it close at hand – like your cubicle wall. To simplify comprehension, here’s what each of its symbols stand for:
C = Probability of conversion
m = Motivation of user (when)
v = Clarity of the value proposition (why)
i = Incentive to take action
f = Friction elements of process
a = Anxiety about entering information
Translation: Deciphering the prospect of a successful conversion rests upon how well your offer aligns with visitor motivation, as well as how clearly you communicate its value. Additionally, incentives to take action now (minus any friction) and anxiety must be taken into consideration – numbers assigned to each character represent just how vital these components are in achieving desired outcomes.
Friction: Friction in the sales or sign-up process is an overarching psychological opposition to a specific element.
Anxiety can be a major obstacle in the sales process. To ensure success, reduce any sources of stress and provide incentives to your customers that will increase their motivation. Make sure they understand the value of what you are offering by providing clear information on the product or service’s benefits.
Don’t let your website’s usability be the reason you lose a sale! After all, it only takes one easy click to make or break a conversion. Good usability should go beyond just being intuitive; visitors should feel like they are having an enjoyable experience while accomplishing their goals on your site – whether that goal is finding information, making a purchase, filling out forms…or anything else!
According to usability guru Jakob Nielsen, if you want the best user experience possible then it’s important to ensure your design satisfies his five “pillars of perfect usability”; these are essential for a truly enjoyable and easy-to-use product!
Learnability: How effortless it is for users to accomplish primary objectives the first time they interact with the design.
Efficiency: How quickly can users complete their tasks with the new design after learning how to use it?
Memorability or recallability: How quickly can users regain their familiarity with the design after a period of not using it?
Errors: It is essential to identify the number of mistakes a user might make, how destructive they are, and whether they can recuperate from these missteps.
Satisfaction: How pleasurable is the user experience with this design?
Paying attention to usability can drastically enhance website performance, conversion rates, and the overall user experience. Finding problems in a website’s usability is an effortless way of optimizing conversions since it could have substantial impacts on its performance. Don’t worry if you don’t understand what usability entails.
With these guidelines, ‘useful’ will no longer be just another word for you.
Survey design is the process of creating and organizing questions and elements of a survey in order to effectively gather the desired information. Dr. Rob Balon’s survey design theory provides guidance on how to design effective customer surveys that yield valuable insights.
According to Dr. Balon, survey design should follow best practices such as:
Gathering customer insights is like a high stakes job interview: ask the wrong questions and you could be missing out on valuable information. Fortunately, Dr. Rob Balon’s survey design theory offers guidance to ensure businesses don’t get knocked out of the running when asking their customers for insight! With best practices in mind and common mistakes avoided, surveys can become an accurate way to mine meaningful data – so choose your survey words wisely!
Customer surveys via email are a popular method for gathering feedback from customers. They can be used to gather feedback on a variety of topics such as product satisfaction, customer service, and website usability. Surveys can be sent out to customers at different stages of the customer journey, such as post-purchase, after a customer service interaction, or after a website visit.
When conducting surveys via email, it is important to keep the following in mind:
Once the survey responses have been collected, it’s important to analyze them in order to identify patterns and trends. This can be done using various tools such as Excel, Google Sheets, or specialized survey analysis software. The data can be segmented by different demographic groups and by survey question in order to identify patterns and trends. The data can also be visualized using graphs and charts to make it easier to understand.
It’s also important to take into account the survey response rate, as it can affect the validity of the results. A low response rate can indicate that the survey was not well-targeted or that it was not well-timed.
By conducting customer surveys via email and analyzing the responses, businesses can gain valuable insights into customer needs and preferences, and use this information to improve their products, services, and marketing efforts.
Mouse tracking tools are a type of website analytics tool that tracks the movement and clicks of a visitor’s mouse cursor on a website. These tools can provide valuable insights into user behavior on a website, such as which areas of a website are being clicked on the most and which areas are being ignored.
Some of the key features of mouse tracking tools include:
Mouse tracking tools can provide valuable insights into user behavior on a website, which can help businesses to improve the website’s design, user experience and ultimately increase the conversion rate. They can be used in combination with other analytics tools such as Google Analytics to provide a more comprehensive understanding of user behavior on a website.
Web & exit surveys are a type of survey that are typically triggered by certain visitor actions or conditions on a website. They are designed to gather feedback from visitors in real-time as they are navigating the website.
Web & exit surveys can be triggered by a variety of rules such as:
Web & exit surveys are a great way for businesses to gather feedback from visitors in real-time as they are navigating the website. This allows businesses to identify issues and make improvements in real time, which can lead to increased conversions and a better user experience.
If a business has a customer support department or dedicated support people, it can be beneficial for a conversion optimization specialist to get in touch with them. They are often the first point of contact for customers and have a wealth of knowledge about the most frequent questions and problems that people have with the website or product. This information can be valuable in identifying areas of the website that are causing friction and in turn affecting the conversion rate.
By talking to the support team, a conversion optimization specialist can gain a deeper understanding of customer pain points and the reasons why they may be leaving the website without completing a desired action. This information can then be used to make improvements to the website or product, increasing conversions and customer satisfaction.
In addition to talking to the support team, it’s also useful to review support transcripts or call logs to understand the type of questions and concerns that customers have. This can provide a wealth of information about customer needs and pain points, which can be used to improve the user experience and increase conversions.
In summary, talking to the customer support team can be a valuable way for a conversion optimization specialist to gain insights into customer pain points and identify areas for improvement on a website. It should be done in addition to reviewing support transcripts and call logs to provide a more comprehensive understanding of customer needs and concerns.
Internal site search is an important aspect of conversion optimization as it can have a significant impact on the user experience and the ability of visitors to find the information they are looking for on a website.
Internal site search can improve the user experience by providing visitors with a quick and efficient way to find the information they need. When a visitor can easily find the information they are looking for, they are more likely to stay on the website longer and complete a desired action such as making a purchase or signing up for a service.
Internal site search can also help businesses understand what their visitors are looking for on their website. By analyzing the search terms used, businesses can gain insights into customer needs and preferences, and use this information to optimize the website’s content and layout.
Additionally, internal site search can also improve the website’s visibility and ranking in search engines by providing additional pages for search engines to crawl and index.
In summary, internal site search is an important aspect of conversion optimization as it can have a significant impact on the user experience by providing visitors with a quick and efficient way to find the information they need. Additionally, it can help businesses understand customer needs and preferences, and improve the website’s visibility and ranking in search engines.
Live chat is a customer service tool that allows businesses to communicate with website visitors in real-time, often through a chat box interface on the website. Live chat can be a valuable tool for conversion optimization, as it can provide reassurance and support to visitors during the purchasing process, which can help to reduce friction and increase conversions.
One of the benefits of live chat is that it allows businesses to respond to customer questions and concerns in real-time, which can provide a sense of immediacy and personalization. This can help to build trust and increase the likelihood that a visitor will complete a desired action.
Another benefit of live chat is that it allows businesses to proactively reach out to visitors and offer assistance, which can be particularly effective for visitors who may be experiencing difficulty navigating the website or making a purchase.
Additionally, live chat can also be cost-effective, as it typically requires fewer resources than other customer service channels, such as phone or email support.
In summary, live chat is a valuable tool for conversion optimization as it can provide reassurance and support to visitors during the purchasing process, which can help to reduce friction and increase conversions. It is cost-effective and can be easily implemented on websites, so it is worth experimenting with for businesses looking to improve their conversion rates.
Monitor the funnel stages by browser/device to gain better insight into user behavior. Analyze various dimensions such as browsers, devices or screen resolution for any cross-browser issues that may be hindering users from completing their goal. Make sure your report includes key behavioral metrics like bounce rate and page depth in order to uncover where potential problems exist within each step of the conversion funnel; don’t solely concentrate on abandonment rates between steps.
Are you curious about the relative conversion rates for each device category? Take a look at our breakdown of conversions per device category to see which categories perform best.
When analyzing website performance, it’s important to consider the different browsers, screen resolutions, and devices that visitors are using to access the website. Understanding how these factors impact website performance can help businesses identify and resolve compatibility issues, and optimize the user experience for different devices and browsers.
It’s essential to determine whether your target audience is accessing your site through Mac or Windows.
Additionally, what are the most prevalent screen resolutions that dictate where “the fold” should be and how much of the page they can view immediately? Moreover, have you looked into observed conversion rate disparities between different resolutions? By establishing these answers, you will gain more knowledge about user engagement with your website which could enhance performance in the long run.
If you notice a decrease in performance with certain resolutions, take the time to walkthrough your website using that resolution and look for potential UX issues. Additionally, create an advanced segment as well so you can easily pinpoint where drop-offs are occurring.
Key audience insights are a valuable tool for conversion optimization, as they provide a deeper understanding of the target audience and their behavior on a website. These insights can be used to optimize the user experience and increase conversions.
Google Analytics provides several reports that can be used to gather key audience insights, including:
Audience: Country, Region, City: These reports provide information on the geographic location of website visitors. This information can be used to understand where the majority of website visitors are located, and to optimize the website’s content and layout for different regions.
Behavior: Visitor Type: This report provides information on the type of visitor, whether they are new or returning. This information can be used to understand the behavior of different types of visitors and to optimize the website’s content and layout for different visitor types.
Demographics: Age, Gender, and Interests: These reports provide information on the age, gender, and interests of website visitors. This information can be used to understand the characteristics of the target audience, and to optimize the website’s content and layout for different segments of the audience.
By analyzing these reports, businesses can gain a deeper understanding of their target audience and their behavior on the website, and use this information to optimize the user experience and increase conversions.
In summary, key audience insights provide valuable information about the target audience and their behavior on a website, which can be used to optimize the user experience and increase conversions. Google Analytics provides several reports that can be used to gather key audience insights, including Audience: Country, Region, City, Behavior: Visitor Type, Demographics: Age, Gender, and Interests.
Developed by Craig Sullivan, the Ring Model is a conversion optimization framework that presents an all-encompassing perspective of customer experience. It helps corporations recognize and plug their biggest shortcomings in the conversion funnel expeditiously.
The Ring Model is divided into 4 levels:
The Ring Model helps businesses understand the customer journey and identify the key loss steps. By focusing on depth of engagement instead of pages viewed, businesses can see the bigger picture and understand where they need to make improvements. It is a useful tool for businesses to identify areas of their website that are causing the most friction and to make the necessary changes to optimize the conversion rate.
Funnels are an important tool in conversion optimization, as they help businesses understand the customer journey and identify where the biggest leaks in the conversion process are. A funnel is a series of steps that a visitor goes through on a website, leading to a desired action such as a purchase or sign-up.
Funnels can be set up in Google Analytics and other analytics platforms, and they allow businesses to track the number of visitors who start at the top of the funnel and the number who complete the desired action at the bottom of the funnel. By measuring the drop-offs at each step of the funnel, businesses can identify where visitors are leaving the process and make changes to improve the user experience and increase conversions.
Goal Flows are similar to funnels, but they provide a more detailed view of the customer journey. Goal Flows show the different paths that visitors take to reach a specific goal, and the different steps they take along the way. This allows businesses to identify where visitors are getting stuck and make changes to improve the user experience and increase conversions.
Funnels and Goal Flows are a powerful tool for understanding customer behavior and identifying areas for improvement. By setting up funnels and measuring drop-offs, businesses can see where their website is leaking money and make changes to improve conversions and increase revenue.
A Google Analytics audit is the process of reviewing and analyzing the configuration, data, and reports within a Google Analytics account to ensure that it is set up correctly and that the data being collected is accurate and useful. An audit is an important step in getting a better understanding of a website’s performance and identifying areas for improvement.
An audit typically includes the following steps:
Conducting a Google Analytics audit is an important step in understanding website performance, identifying areas for improvement and ensure that the data being collected is accurate and useful. It also helps to identify any tracking issues that might lead to inaccurate data and thus inaccurate conclusions.
Conversion research is a process of gathering data and insights about a website’s performance and user behavior, in order to identify issues that may be impacting conversions and to identify opportunities for optimization. This research can be conducted using various methods such as user testing, surveys, analytics, and heuristic analysis.
A conversion research report typically includes the following elements:
Conversion research can be a valuable tool for businesses looking to improve their website’s performance and increase conversions. It can be conducted as a one-time project, or as an ongoing process to track the website’s performance over time.
You can use website analytics tools such as Google Analytics to track visitor behavior on your website and identify areas where they are dropping off. Heat maps and user recordings can also be used to understand where visitors are clicking and what elements they interact with.
ou can optimize images, reduce the number of requests made by the website, and use a content delivery network (CDN) to serve assets to visitors.
A/B testing involves creating a variation of a web page and testing it against the original version to see which version has a higher conversion rate. You can use tools like Optimizely or Google Optimize to create and run A/B tests.
Heat maps are visual representations of where visitors are clicking on a web page. Tools like Crazy Egg and Hotjar can be used to create heat maps for your website.
You can use surveys, customer interviews, and other forms of feedback to gather information about the user experience on your website. This information can then be used to make improvements to the website’s design and functionality.
Personalization can involve showing different offers or content to visitors based on their behavior or characteristics. This can help increase conversions by making the offer more relevant to the visitor.
David Žalec is an entrepreneurial force to be reckoned with! He reigns as the CEO of ADGY, making optimization look easy. His superpower? Helping any business reach its conversion rate goals quickly and efficiently - like a boss!