Hitting your head against a brick wall - Is your site optimised

May 28th, 2008

I have read a number of very good articles recently, not least Michael Gray aka GreyWolfs post “Does you site have a squeezy top”. I’m pleased someone as high profile as Michael has tackled this issue, as I think all too often conversion and usability are lost in the quest for keyword density, internal linkage and other on-page factors.

As Michael mentions in his post, most websites are built around a core function, whether that be completing a purchase, downloading a thought leadership piece or merely signing up for further information. It is therefore unfortunate that many website conversion funnels therefore suffer, in order to appease egos, wild theories or a desperate quest for user information with little regard of target audience or the product in question.

I recently watched a presentation by Omniture regarding conversion funneling and multivariate testing, two key areas when it comes to maximising any online advertising whether search or display. This can take many forms, however the main ones tend to be

• Landing Page Optimisation
• Creative Optimisation
• Flow and Form Optimisation - one of the more important here I think)
• Segment Optimisation
• Optimise with the general public in mind

However moving on from this, when optimising your conversion funnel, you really need to do your homework.

• Make your conversion mechanism fit for purpose- I was involved recently in a campaign, where we had little control over the landing area for the campaign. The product centered round a very niche offering, and something whilst fairly close to a mainstream service, did not directly relate to it, and indeed, the type of people who would buy this product/service differed significantly. Added to this the product was not one you would directly type into Google. It is therefore essential that any conversion mechanism whether primary site or microsite is fit for purpose, and provides your customers with the details they need in order to make a decision and complete the sale. As you may have guessed, this initial was not the case, something that came back to bite them quite significantly (we did raise this with them), however it did highlight the requirement to provide potential customers with information, such as coverage, usage, and cost, as well as comparisons with similar products
• Don’t ask for too much information - THe amount of sites you go to where you have to sign up, and are subsequently asked for everything bar your National Insurance/Social Security number (and sometimes even that) - just to get something like a whitepaper is astounding, and fortunately one of the easiest to fix. At one of my first jobs at Tiny.com (sorry), this was something we addressed quite well, turning what was originally a lengthy sales process, to something that was much more streamlined and had the customers requirements at heart, rather than the marketing department. As a result, sales increased by over 300%.

  My rule of thumb for this however is, the more valuable/desirable the product/service/information - the more likely you are to be able to ask for more information. Using the information above, the desire is to complete that computer sale as quickly as possible, however something like a Key bit of research may carry considerably more business value, and as a result you may get away with a greater volume of customer information requirements. Ask for too much - and you will scare people away, ask for too little, and you may not be able to close the deal. Getting the balance right takes time and effort.

• Profile and Monitor - Like everything else - getting your site optimised from a conversion perspective takes time, effort and sometimes money. However I would suggest in many cases, this is money well spent, and will provide you with a streamlined, effective solution, that will return that cost over and over and over again.

  Get the tools in place, whether they be

  • Analytics - Such as Google Analytics, Clicktracks, WebTrends etc
  • Behavioural Analysis - such as BunnyFoot or other eye tracking software
  • User/Focus Groups - Speak to people  - at the end of the day surely its better getting it straight from the horses mouth.

I would suggest you take some time to read Michael’s article, and spend sometime researching the area round conversion. Myself and John Hill here at E-Gain have spent a lot of time over the last couple of years (and yes our website is not testament to this - Cobblers shoes and all that) and much of this changes, as behaviour and technologies improve. However at the end of the day, you are aiming at the majority of the time at people, and its worth remembering that.

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