1. EAN Conversion Best Practices
Jason Dickson, Head of Site Optimization
Martin Cook, Sr. Web Analytics Manager
December 7, 2011

2. Best Practices
1

3. Improve Speed &
Stability
• Reduce stability issues and
downtime
• Reduce page load time (<3
seconds)
• Reduce status code errors (5xx,
4xx, etc.)
• Develop helpful error pages

4. Build Trust and
Assurance
• Website appearance
• Trust symbols
• Point-of-action assurances
• Peer validation
• Awards

5. Provide Clear Call to
Action
• Clear and
obvious buttons
• Lead customer
toward
conversion goal
• Use persuasive
and descriptive
text
•Don’t make
customers have
to think
• Avoid “hidden”
links

6. Clear Price Displays
• Bigger is better
• Highlight promotional rates
• Remain consistent through funnel
• Create transparency
• Allow customers to change currency

7. Helpful Search Forms
• Use predictive text for
destination
• Request number of adults /
children per room
• Request ages of each child
• Retain all search details
throughout session

8. Return Relevant
Results
• Default to EAN
recommended sort order
• Increase number of
results per page
• Sort by proximity for
landmark/address
• Don’t forget the map
• Suggest alternate
properties

9. Encourage use
of filters
• Filter use = higher conversion
• Make filters dynamic
• Use sliders when possible
• Retain all filters and sorts
• Add option to clear selected filters

10. Streamline
Checkout
• Remove
unnecessary fields
and steps
• Test one page flow
• Remove links from
checkout header
• Provide phone
number
• Remind customer
what they are buying

11. Create Urgency
• Highlight 5
or less rooms
• Number of
times booked
• Number of
users viewing
• Time of last
booking

12. Helpful
Error Messages
• Speak like a person
• In-line with form field
• Anchor page to error field
• Display all errors at once
• Retain customer entered data
• Prevent dead ends

13. Easy to find
content
• Limit tabs
• Don’t make
customers
search
• Show
thumbnails on
main page
• Include guest
reviews

14. Next Steps
13

15. Understanding your
site
• Define site purpose and
KPI’s
• Implement tools to
monitor performance
• Benchmark
• Identify areas of
improvement

16. Test and fine tune
• Implement testing solution
• Identify problem areas
• Create hypothesis
• Test variations
• Monitor results and
implement winner
• Wash, rinse, repeat!