The last element of the Conversion Framework focuses on how you should run a conversion optimization project: in an iterative manner. Conversion optimization is a long-term commitment. You will see incremental improvements in your conversion rate as you start deploying the methods outlined in this book. However, you should focus on a holistic approach to conversion. Large increases in conversion rates are always welcome, but realistically, the goal is to deliver small and consistent improvements in conversion rates from month to month.
Conversion optimization is successful when:
There are typically hundreds of possible areas of optimization in any website. It’s important to data-mine the pages and select key areas that will have an impact on your bottom line. This is best done through software.
Use the first six elements of the Conversion Framework (personas, trust, buying stages, FUDs, incentives, and engagement) to examine pages you want to optimize. Create different hypotheses for which changes should be made on each page.
Testing will let you know whether the changes you made work for your visitors. We are looking for small, consistent wins when we conduct tests.
Analyze the results of each test. Hypotheses that generate increases or decreases in conversion rates are great. Hypotheses that do not move the needle in any direction are the enemy of conversion optimization.
Conversion optimization is a long-term commitment. If you plan to conduct conversion optimization for a couple of months, it might not be worth the investment. You should plan on a minimum of four to six months of conversion optimization.
An Invesp informal survey of nearly 200 ecommerce companies that tried conversion optimization in 2009 reveals that more than 60% of them did not see significant improvement from their conversion optimization projects. This data should concern anyone who is considering conversion rate optimization, as well as companies considering offering it to their clients. The following are some of the reasons conversion optimization projects do not succeed.
A critical component to the success of conversion optimization projects is the ability by technical staff and designers to make required changes on the website. Some clients do not have the technical staff to implement the required modifications. In some instances, the technical staff has a large list of responsibilities already, and conversion optimization projects are added to the end of the list and are given a lower priority. Both of these issues can kill any conversion optimization effort. We handle this in our practice by doing the following:
Working closely with clients to ensure that they have the staffing levels ready to implement our recommendations
Asking client teams how much they can dedicate to implementing our conversion recommendations
Keeping the amount of time required to implement recommendations to fewer than 60 hours per month
The technology used in particular websites can complicate your ability to make changes to the site. Conversion optimization requires some integration between the website technologies and the testing software used to determine which design converts better. There are also certain platforms where making any changes is either too expensive or simply not possible. We have worked with an ecommerce client in the past that used hosted ecommerce solutions. The hosted solutions, although fast to deploy, offered very little flexibility in terms of making any changes to the site. As a result, our client was not able to implement most of our recommendations. Examining the technology used in the site will minimize any issues that can come up later during testing deployment.
Some clients expect large improvements in conversion rates every time they run a test. This is not sustainable. Achieving small, consistent improvements month to month is a better approach. Although our teams delivered an average of 65% uplifts in conversion rates in 2009, we did this by delivering 4% to 8% uplift in sales month to month. Since the increases in conversion rates are cumulative, 5% uplift in monthly conversion rates translates to 80% uplift on an annual basis.
Starting conversion optimization on the right page will have a direct impact on the ROI you see from your efforts. There is a trend among industry consultants to emphasize the need to start testing, yet little focus on where you should start. As a result, clients pay for the consultant’s time, they pay for technical resources to implement the modifications to their site, and they do not see any significant improvements in conversions. Picking the right place to start conversion optimization requires:
Quantitative analysis to examine the data analytics provides
Qualitative analysis through usability and persona analysis to understand what areas of the website can stand the most improvements