Split Testing Landing Pages for a High Conversion Rate
If you want to increase the amount of money you make from your direct response sales letter, extra traffic is not always the answer. We have all heard of split testing in the internet marketing and affiliate marketing industry, however there are only a few people that can do it correctly and effectively.
What is split testing?
You may be thinking, “what is split testing?” and “why is it so important?”. Well, split testing is the process of testing different aspects of your sales page against similar variations of these aspects. For example, you might test different variations of your sales copy, or different colour headlines or different colour page background. You can also split test things such as order buttons, and if you read my last post about “high converting order buttons”, then you will know exactly what features of an order button convert the best. I discovered these features as a result of my own split testing.
Why is split testing important?
Split testing is important because it has the potential to increase the income generated from your site, simply by observing and analyzing the psychological behavior of your prospect. This may sound complicated but it really isn’t. It’s just a case of testing which element converts the best and going with the statistics.
How can split testing increase my income?
To find out how split testing can help you to make more money from your site without spending any extra money on advertising, here’s an example. Let’s say you are running a Google Adwords campaign and your landing page is converting at 1%. When I say converting I am referring to the conversion rate i.e. how many visitors to your site actually purchase your product. So you decide to split test this landing page with another version of the same, apart from this one has a red headline instead of a black headline. After rotating these two landing pages equally, you realize that the conversion rate on the page with a red headline converts at 2%. Now that may not seem a lot but this 1% increase will bring you 100% more money because you are getting twice the amount of sales. Now do you see the power of split testing?
How do I split test and what elements do I test?
So you have learnt about how split testing can increase the income and sales volume generated from your website. Now you just need to know how to put these teachings in to practice. Well there really is no right or wrong way, and there are hundreds of different elements of your web page that you can split test in order to boost your conversion rate. To keep this article short I am just going to mention a few of them to give you an idea. The only piece of advice I will give you that I feel will help you significantly is, to test each individual aspect separately and one at a time. You don’t want to change your whole landing page to something different, because although you might be able to discover which page converts the best, you won’t know specifically which of the elements of the page are making it convert the best.
So here’s a list of the main elements of your landing page that you should consider split testing.
Headline – As the headline is probably the first thing your prospect sees when they visit your website, it is of critical importance. Not having the right headline could cause your prospect to hit the back button on their browser in a heartbeat. You need to set the right first impression by having an attention grabbing headline which compels the reader to move down the page, not move away.
Sales copy – Split testing your sales copy can be very tedious and time consuming, however it needs to be done as this is the main element that helps to keep your prospect moving down your page. I would always advise you to test the first paragraph first as this is the main attention grabber and is the second thing your prospect reads after the headline.
Order button – Split testing your order button is also of critical importance because it is the last thing your prospect sees before they decide to purchase your product. If this doesn’t stand out then you can wave goodbye to your desired high conversion rate. If you read my last post about the “7 elements of a high converting order button”, you will know which elements of your order button can increase its conversion rate significantly.
One final thing I would like to talk about is Google Web Optimizer.
If you have never used Google Web Optimizer then now is the time to start. It is the mother of all split testing tools and it can have a massive impact on your profitability if used correctly. Setting up a simple split test using Google Web Optimizer could not be easier. They walk you through the whole process and you can be up and running with your first test within minutes. For more information click here.
If you feel that this post has helped you, please submit your comments below.
7 Elements of a High Converting Order Button
Take a look at the image below to see what a high converting order button looks like. Although the order button is not that nice to look at, the conversion rate received when using this button will be a lot better than the one your currently using. You have to make the decision of whether you want a nice pretty button or one that earns you money.
- High Converting Order Button
I will break down each element of the button (or buy area) shown above and explain which each element will contribute to an increase in your conversion and response rate when used.
1. Headline – A big, red and bold call to action headline draws attention and stands out more than any other colour, it’s a well know psychological fact that red does something to trigger the brain and draw attention to it more than any other colour.
2. Border – A dashed red border surrounding the order button also helps to increase the response rate because people are programmed into seeing this in printed media and automatically thinking coupon. It’s been proven time and time again to increase response.
3. Price Drop – A price drop will nearly always increase the conversion rate because it makes people thing that they are getting a good deal and a discounted price. Always drop down the price by around 65% or two thirds, as this has been tested to be the ideal dropdown ratio to use. Remember to always strikethrough the regular price to prevent any confusion.
4. Button – The orange button with the navy text has been tested by large companies such as PayPal and Amazon and has been proven to convert really well so it’s an obvious winner. Orange is the next best colour for drawing attention after red, however it doesn’t give out the danger trigger that red does, and therefore it converts a lot better than red, even though red draws more attention.
5. Button Text –The reason for button text being navy is because navy establishes trust. It is also a well known fact that blue an orange are contrasting colours, therefore, navy blue text combined with an orange button is a perfect match when it comes to drawing attention. The text “Add To Cart” is essential and can convert up to 100% better than other phrases such as “Order Now”, “Buy Now” and “Download Now”. All the e-commerce sites use the phrase “Add To Cart” which is why people are used to seeing it, and therefore trust it more than any other.
6. Hyperlink – The hyperlink underneath the button is also important because some people are just pre-programmed into clicking links rather than buttons. The hyperlink blue colour has been used along with the underlining on the text to make it look just like a hyperlink.
7. Credit Card Symbols – The credit card symbols help to establish trust and they also help to make the order button stand out. People are used to seeing these symbols at offline checkouts such as at their local department store, as well as at online checkouts, and therefore are a just another way of letting people know that this is where to pay.
If you use all 7 of these elements in your order button then you will notice a significant increase in your sales volume and conversion rate.
If you would like to use my killer high converting order button in the picture above you can download the PSD here: High Converting Order Button (PSD), and customise it with your own headline text and price points. Try not to change any of the colours or elements as this will be defeating the object and your conversion rates will suffer.
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