An introduction to Conversion Rate Optimization, how the psychology of your users plays a role, and how to get started. Learn tips & tricks used by successful CRO campaigns and get started with your own conversion rate improvements today.

1. Conversion Rate Optimization
JoshPatrice
DirectorofSEO
May22,2014

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First,
thankyou for having me!
What’s a “Portent?”
Portent Inc. is a leading integrated marketing
agency. Located in Seattle, WA., Portent is a
full-service agency with experts in paid
advertising, analytics, SEO, content
strategy/writing and social media. As well as in-
house design, creative, and development
teams.
Greetings from the
#smithtower

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Who’sthisguy?
Josh Patrice has spent his entire career in online marketing; starting in the summer of ’03
with the drudgery that was early day PPC & Paid Inclusion work.
In the years to come, he became king of the search-nerds through his work in UX design,
information architecture, CRO and SEO. Today, he educates clients and SEO experts
how to optimize websites so search engines & users want to shout their URLs from the
mountaintops.
When Josh isn't teaching everyone else how to be awesome, he is the epitome of a
modern renaissance man, playing music, cooking, and finding the perfect quip for any
situation.Josh Patrice
Director of SEO

4. What is Conversion
Rate Optimization?

5. The Basics Conversion Rate Optimization
Learningwhyyourvisitorsaren’ttakinga specificaction,andthen
workingtofixit.
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6. The Basics
Call to Action
ThefoundationofConversionRateOptimizationisthecall toaction.
WithoutCTAs,yourwebsite isabrochure.The powerofinfluenceis
attheheartofCRO.
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7. The Basics
Analytics
Toaddressyourconversion issue, you’ll need data.
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8. Psychology

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Fear v. Greed
The Psychology of the User
Getting Inside Your Users Mind
The basis of users’ online interactions comes down to fear v.
greed.
o Origins in market trading.
o Users default to fear, yet more conversions come from
trust
o Greed is good.
Fear Greed

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Trust
Trust builds Greed.
Privacy Paradox
Users risk their privacy (info, address, etc.) against the value
of your offering.
Value can be determined by more than just the object, it can
be determined by the aesthetics and the ease of the
process.
The more control your users have over their privacy, the
lower the perception of risk.

11. AIDA
An oldie, but a goodie
Awareness
Getting folks to your
site through marketing
your
product/service/etc.
Interest
Resonate with your
users’ pain. What
problem are visitors
trying to solve? Your
site needs to be about
THEM, not about you.
Desire
Your users have
outcomes in mind when
they visit your landing
page. Be sure to
address their outcomes.
This is where your
value proposition
comes into play.
Help them answer:
What’s in it for me?
Action
Reason to believe you.
Users need to trust you
more than they need to
be sold to.

12. It’s all UX
Awareness - Tagline
Managing user expectationsfromsearch, email,
etc.withappropriatemessaging, imagery,etc.
Interest - Benefits
Drawingyourusersintoyoursite, keeping them
frombouncing,investing in theengagement.
Investing in theirneeds.
Desire - Features
Simplifyingthe results.Details:shipping,size,
price, screenshots,etc.
Action - Things
Socialproof:testimonials,awards,call toaction
andbuttons.
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awareness
interest
desire
action

13. Really? AIDA?
The silent converter
Awareness
o Brand
o Facebook
o Twitter
o SEO
o PPC
o TV
o Radio
o Advertising!!!
Interest
o Content
o Word of Mouth
o Reviews
o Videos
Desire
o Aesthetics
o Ease of Process
o Design
o Trust
o CRO
Action
o Halo Effect
o Testimonials
o Social Proof
o Straightforward
Process

14. Why CRO?

15. Why?
There’s Always Room to Improve
Let’sbehonest,unlessyou’reat100%conversion rate,youcan always
improve.
More Traffic ≠ More Conversions
Youcangrow trafficvolume all day,butifyourvisitorsaren’tconverting,
what’sthe point?Using CROtoimprove yourconversion rateis ano-
brainer.
Test Products/Messages
Newproductsandnewmarketscanbedifficulttopredict.They alsooffer
aunique opportunityto testdifferentmessaging, landing pages,adcopy,
etc.
Yournew products/messagingmight appealtoa newuserthatyouhadn’t
previouslytargeted.WithCRO,you’llbeable tooptimizeforyournew
foundaudience.
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16. Why CRO?
The average shopping cart abandonment rate is 67%
63% of consumers need to hear company claims 3-5 times
before they trust it
73% of online consumers get frustrated with websites when
content is featured (e.g. offers, ads, promotions) that has
nothing to do with their interests
http://index.fireclick.com/fireindex.php
Edelman Trust Barometer, 2012
Janrain & Harris Interactive

17. When CRO?

18. Always

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Always
Long Term Benefits
Continuous Effort
CRO is akin to SEO, the benefits of today’s efforts will payoff
further down the line, and the benefits from tomorrow’s efforts
will be seen even later still.
Additionally, this allows for iterative learning as each tweak
and each test will result in new data to be analyzed and
improved upon

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Always
Changing
Different
Habits change. Design changes. The Web evolves.
Additionally, since CRO is tied to UX at a higher level, you
need to always be improving the user experience of your site
to help find and fix pathways that make the visitor's life easier
than before.

22. Where do I Start?

23. Benchmarks
Before/After
Use youranalyticsplatformtoget benchmarkdataforthe following:
o Site ConversionRate
o LandingPageConv.Rate
o FunnelData
o BounceRate
o Timeon Site
o Timeon Page
o PagesViewed per Visit
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AnalyticsThe Devilin theDetails
Bounce Rate
Filter your data to find the pages with the highest
bounce rates. These should be your primary
focus for optimization.
High bounce rates mean that users are visiting
your site, not finding what they need on the page,
and leaving.
Bounce Rates can be lowered sometimes by a
simple change to the site or additional
information.
This data gets skewed by landing pages.
Time on Site
Engaged users tend to stay on pages longer, if
your users are finding their way to conversions,
then you’ll have a higher time on site.
Landing Pages & Top Content
Find out where your users enter your site, and
what pages they visit.
o Is it the best path to converting?
o Are there CTAs on your top pages?
Pages Viewed per Visit
A tricky metric, usually higher pages viewed/visit
means higher engagement for your users, which
means they’re more likely to convert.
Why usually?
Once again, if your landing pages are working
well, then you’ll want to see fewer pages viewed
per visit.

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Funnel Visualization
Funnels help to identify where you’re losing conversions during the checkout or
signup process.
Analytics
The Devilin theDetails

26. A/B Testing
Figuring out what works
A/Btestsallowyoutofigure outwheretostartwith regardtoCRO.Best
testswill worktoimprove theexperience orprocessforthe user.
Thatbeing said…
Testyourmessage, colors,pictures,everything. Just testone thingata
time.

27. A/B Testing
Tools
It’ssoeasytodaytorunA/Bteststhatit’sfoolishnotto.

28. 95%
Statistical Significance
If youembarkon A/Btesting,statisticalsignificancewill bean
importantmeasurement.
In termsofchoosinga winner,hereareoursignificancepercentages:
o 95%= Donotleave home without
o 97%= You'regetting good
o 98%=Warmer
o 99%= Surething
o 100%= PresidentialLaunchCodes
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29. How can I do?

30. Audience
Research
Study Your User
Youraudienceisn’taset ofkeywords.Build online user personasand
findtheir habits,actionpaths,etc.
Interviews Card Sorting
Personas

31. Audience
Testing
Doing Your Research
How does yoursite function for youraudience?
Could yourmom use your site correctly?
Could yourson?
Conducting tests is easier than inthe past thanksto passive online tools.

32. Best Practices & Top
Tests

33. Page Design
ABCD
Layoutyoursite withregardtothe ABCDgrid asseen in thelanding
pagebelow.
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A to D
Usersflow naturallyfromA toD

34. Page Design
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B & C
Remove CTAs from B & C, move them to D instead. That’s
where users’ eyes wind up.

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Personalized Button Messages
Reach out to your audience, it’s a leap of faith for them to
buy online because there’s no human interaction.
By making a button more personalized, more direct, speak
to the user, you can see an increase in engagement.
http://contentverve.com/10-call-to-action-case-studies-examples-from-button-tests/

36. Page Design
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Avoid Too Many Calls to Action
Stick to 1, maybe go up to 3, but 8 is more than enough.
Where should the user begin on the page below?

37. Page Design
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Embrace Different User Paths
So, how do I speak to multiple audiences with minimal
CTAs?
It’s not easy to figure out what a new customer, current
customer, or potential partner want to see first when they
visit your site.
In this example, all 3 are catered to without experiencing
alienation in the design.

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Ditch Distractions
Keep it simple, and keep it easy for users to navigate, read,
process, etc.

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Avoid Options
Options create confusion and roadblocks in the conversion
process.

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Avoid “Solutions” Address Problems
I have a problem. I don’t know the solution.
Stop offering blanketed solutions to your users.

41. Page Design
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Resonate with your users
What problem are your visitors trying to solve? Your site is
about THEM, not you.

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Match Your Keyword to Your Ad
Seeing the search query appear in the ad helps create
familiarity

43. Page Design
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Match your ad to your landing page
Carrying that familiarity to the landing page continues the
bond.

44. Page Design
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Show me the Price!
Don’t hide your price under copy or with a color that blends
in. Make it stand out!

45. Page Design
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Show me Shipping!
Humans will rely on one trait or piece of info when making a
decision.
Free shipping is most important order factor:
o 52 percent of abandoned online shopping carts in 2011
were due to a lack of free shipping deals*
o Shoppers spend an average of 30% more when free
shipping is available*
*http://www.freeshipping.org/statistics/

46. InCRO,unlikejustabouteverywhereelse,failures
aren’treal.Youalwayslearn,regardless ofthe
outcome.
.Whathappens if we fail?
Did it Work?

47. Prepared by
Josh Patrice
Director of SEO
josh@portent.com
Thank
Portent, Inc. 5062nd Ave. Suite1700Seattle.WA 98104-2354 | Tel:206.576.3740
YOU.