A conversion or usability consultant can suggest hundreds of changes to a single screen. Testing will let you know which of these changes will work. Testing a few changes on a page is a good starting point; testing thousands of changes can be overwhelming. In most of our projects, we limit the number of scenarios we test to fewer than 100. Of course, in some instances we’ve tested more variations of a single page, but these are the exception. You should also consider the limitations of the testing software you use, and how many conversions it requires for the test to conclude in a four-week period. As a rough estimate, Google Website Optimizer requires 100 conversions for each scenario you test.
Follow-up experiments are at the heart of the last element of the Conversion Framework. In early 2008, we worked with a client who started with a conversion rate of around 3%. After we did the initial redesign and testing, we were able to increase their conversion rate to 9.8%. The client was so pleased with the results they decided to suspend the campaign they already paid for. Two months later, our team convinced the client that they should continue testing and that they had the potential to increase their conversion rate further. By learning from the lessons of the first test and designing follow-up experiments, we increased their conversion rate to 14.9% with just two more months of testing.
Ultimately, everything about your sales and marketing efforts begins and ends with research. We begin the process by understanding your visitors and learning what they like and dislike about your website. We look at your analytics to understand how your website is performing and what areas can generate the highest impact on your bottom line. We then move to testing and modifications. The testing completed for one page will be the basis for the research for the next one. However, there really is not an end to the process; it is a cyclical, agile approach that is built on the premise of constant and consistent improvement. What is learned from one page becomes the basis for the next; and so it goes, in an upward spiral of ever-increasing results.
This book outlined guidelines and elements that will help you create a successful website, but there is no set formula that anyone can say will absolutely maximize your results. Some of the elements on your page might be performing at their best prior to starting any optimization effort. Other elements can stand to improve greatly from optimization.
People always ask what conversion rate they should be targeting. There is no magic number. The real answer is that you should always be improving your conversion rate.