Jonathan Matthey: Split Testing & Other Website Tips

For several years, Jon was our resident technical lead and conversion guy. In this presentation, he describes the fundamentals of split testing and how you can use it to improve your bottom line.

We use Visual Website Optimizer to improve the performance of our websites. It’s remarkably easy to set up and use, even if you have no web or technical skills. They offer a free 30-day trial. If you’re not doing any split testing on your sites now, I highly recommend you give this a try.

A/B Testing: You test more than 1 page to see which converts better

MVT Testing: Test different components on the same page. Can have several combinations and select the winner

A/B Testing is easier to understand:

• Determine what tests to use.
• Build the pages for the tests
• Use tool to test (Visual Web Optimizer)
• Decide which won (better by at least 30% with enough traffic) Takes up to 4 weeks
• Find something else to test
• Start again

8:25: He describes what a consultancy service would do

9:02: He shows a diagram of an Action Seminar Funnel that was tested. and 2 things that were tested (pre-order page vs directly to order page) using a pre-order page converted much better.

11:48 Things to testing headlines:

• Fractions or percentages to prove your claim
• Asking questions (make sure to answer the question right after the headline)
• Test using emotion-laden words
• Test different types of formatting: bolding, fonts, colors, capitalization, sizes
• Test the number of words used in the headline
• Test using exclamation points
• Test using text to convey the benefits vs the features of your product or service
• Test self-focused (we/I) avs customer-focused test (you).
• Test using quotations in teh headline
• Test the reading level of the headline

12:25 he shows an image showing a test of an image

Increasing Conversions

Problems that come up:

12:30 Too many choices (common issues and fixes)

12:58 Asking for too much info (common issues and fixes)

13:06 Lack of credibility and Trust (common issues and fixes)

13:45 Keep it simple (try ugly, too): he shows some examples

15:16: Demo of Google Website Optimizer (free)

He demonstrates how to set up a test and shows an example and he shows the restults of the test.

18:22 Visual Website Optimizer (Not free):

He demonstrates how to set it up

19:49 Analytics: Can be confusing You should focus on

• Unique visitors
• Page views
• Time spent on site
• Entry and exit points (if there is a big exit point there may be an issue there)
• Source of traffic
• Conversions
• ROI

Clicktale (Google heatmaps, crazy egg) tell you where people are concentrating on the sites

23:25 Additional recommended reading

1. Pick one element of a landing page, webpage, sales page, etc. to test. If you can’t pick one, pick a headline. That is usually the best place to start.
2. Sign up for Visual Website Optimizer.
3. Create an alternate, build the page, and start the test.
4. When you have good results, use the winner.
5. Rinse and repeat, either with the same element or another that needs help.

Not difficult. There is a bit of a learning curve at first but once you have done it once it gets easier.

6 things to check on your site

• Headlines and copy
• Images
• Too many choices?
• Asking for too much information?
• Credibility and Trust
• Keep it simple, try ugly

Visual Website Optimizer

Google Website Optimizer

Crazy Egg