Businesses invest a lot of time and money into creating a working website to promote their business online. But after all that time and energy is put in and the website fails to meet expectations, there are small tweaks that can be implemented to improve performance dramatically.
A website should be seen as something that is always evolving. Throw out the notion that you can design and launch a website, then leave it out there on the world wide web and expect miracles. The best websites are always in a state of change, constantly testing new ways to earn customers.
Sometimes the smallest tweaks like changing the color of a button, a word in a headline or an image can have a dramatic impact on your clicks and conversions. Testing landing page elements and call to actions throughout your website can ensure that you are using the option that best appeals to your customer base.
Running A/B testing on your website can help you identify which elements help and which ones hurt your design. Marketers can test a variety of elements, including entire home pages, landing pages, forms, website copy andcall-to-action buttons.
A/B testing provides measurable results including click-through rates and conversions that you can use to gauge the effectiveness of your design and website elements. Small changes can have a dramatic impact on conversion rates, and without testing there is no way to tell if the elements on your website are helping or hurting.
You don?t need to be a master marketer or wordsmith to optimize your website. Utilize the data from your A/B testing and make logical decisions. Use trial and error until you find the solution that provides the best results.
As marketers, we can spend hours trying to decide which copy to use for headlines, call-to-action buttons, body copy and even menu titles. Then there?s the other problem?determining how much copy is too much.
Generally speaking, less is more. Designs with less text and more images are preferred and result in higher conversions. It is important to include all the essential information without bogging down your design or boring your visitors. Use A/B testing to test drive your copy and different configurations for displaying that copy. If it?s a complex topic, break it down into bite-sized chunks.
Changing call-to-action copy can result in increased click-throughs and greater conversions. The most important thing is to make sure the visitor knows exactly what clicking the link will do?will it take them to a page to download a free report, or to a form where they can sign-up for a free trial of your services? Identify exactly what they will get, and be clear about what information they need to provide to get whatever it is you are offering. Avoid generic terms like ?click here? or ?submit.?
When considering the design of your website, it?s important first to identify exactly what it is you want your website to do. After you?ve identified your goals, you can implement small changes that will help you achieve your goals.
If you want to increase the number of leads you are gathering on your website, for example, evaluate your lead-gathering tools. Test different colors for call-to-action buttons, consider the placement and length of forms, and evaluate the overall design of the webpage. Don?t be afraid to try something that may seem radical, as that may be just the boost you need.
Landing page designs are an important element, as the landing page is most often the first page someone will see when visiting your website from an outside link. Compare how long and short designs perform, test the placement of forms, and maybe even consider testing to see how a one-page form performs over a multi-page progressive form.
Never be afraid to try something new, as the results may surprise you. Your website visitors are unique to your website, and they may not always behave as expected. The good news is that with A/B testing we can stop guessing and identify what really works.
If you are new to A/B testing, start small. Begin by changing the copy or color of a call-to-action button. After you are comfortable implementing A/B testing and interpreting the results, you can move onto larger-scale tests.