The document emphasizes applying dating principles to web design, advocating for practices like optimizing page load times, minimizing distractions, and understanding visitor needs to enhance conversion rates. It encourages a subtle approach to engagement, promoting the importance of asking relevant questions to improve user experience and satisfaction. By focusing on what visitors value and reducing clutter, the document aims to create a more efficient and effective online presence.

1. Don’t Do Anything On Your Website
You Wouldn’t Do On a First Date
Karl Gilis
@agconsult

2. The dating principle
Karl Gilis
@agconsult

3. Karl Gilis - @AGConsult
Since
2001

4. Some of our clients

5. 1. Be on time
Nobody likes to be kept waiting
@agconsult

6. 1 second slower 7% decrease in conversion

7. 2,2 seconds faster
15,5% more downloads

8. From 4 to 1,2 seconds
12% more revenue
25% more pageviews

9. Fast loading times are important
Technical stuff:
Hosting – Image size – Limited number of scripts – Caching – Compression
But most importantly: nu fluffy stuff, only show things that matter.
@agconsult

10. "Web design isn't about adding stuff.
It's about keeping only those elements
that add to the bottom line."
Karl Gilis - @agconsult

11. 2. Be patient
Don't start with a French kiss. Build some kind of relationship first.
@agconsult

20. It will probably work on short term.
But is this the kind of relationship you want?
Karl Gilis - @agconsult

21. Don't start with a modal overlay.
Use delayed or exit overlays instead.
Yes, most marketing people and designers hate overlays.
But they do work. Especially if you use them in a smart way.
@agconsult

22. • 300% increase in monthly sales leads.
• 48.54% lift in sales.

23. 8% of our blog readers download a pdf-version
or pdf-upgrade of our articles

24. Start testing with delayed overlays
Even if you hate them.
Yes: even if you really, really hate them.
@agconsult

29. Be subtle
Don't force your visitor. Your time will come.
@agconsult

30. 3. Don't tell your life story in the 1st minute
You don't need to fill every silence.
@agconsult

33. "Limit the number of elements
and your message will be clearer."
Jason Gross

35. 55% more clicks in the same screen real estate,
after reducing the number of messages from 4 to 2.

36. Don't overwhelm your visitors
Less is more.
@agconsult

37. White space has never killed a visitor.
Karl Gilis - @agconsult

40. 78% more clicks from
this landing page to a
product page.

41. Use bullet lists
Especially above the fold on product and landing pages.
@agconsult

42. 4. Don't shout for attention. Give attention.
You're already on a date. They already showed some interest in you.
@agconsult

45. 28% more clicks

46. Sliders suck. Always.
Except when they are just image slides. Without separate messages.
@agconsult

47. "I really believe in less is more.
But as a brand we want to push things on our
homepage.
And, as you know, an image says so much more
than 1.000 words."
Every marketeer in the world

48. Question:
You just bought an apartment and you
want to get insurance for it.

51. Only 3% clicks on the banner.
38% clicks on the direct link, much lower
on the page.
A big banner isn't the solution
• 41% direct succes
• 18% indirect succes
• 42% fails
10% clicks on the general product
category.

52. This variation performed best on all questions.
• 61% direct succes
• 19% indirect succes
• 20% fails

53. Forget banners and other cries for
attention
The visitor is already on your website or your landing page.
Pay attention to their needs.
@agconsult

54. "Offline marketing is about
getting attention.
Online marketing is about
paying attention."
Gerry McGovern

55. 5. Make sure you get the attention you deserve
Minimize the risk of distraction.
@agconsult

56. @agconsult

57. @agconsult

59. On this landing page, we deleted the
floating main navigation.
This resulted in an uplift of over 24,2%.

61. Removing the main navigation, resulted in a
significant lift in bookings.

62. Remove navigation, especially for
visitors coming from specific search
queries
When navigation turns into a distraction, remove or hide it.
@agconsult

64. 11,4% more sales
Heb je een kortingscode?

65. Remove clutter
Consider everything that doesn't result in more conversion as clutter.
@agconsult

66. "For every element on a web page
there should be a
clear justification why it's there."
Karl Gilis - @agconsult

67. 6. Show interest in your date
Don't make it all about you.
@agconsult

68. Question
Why would you visit the website of a petrol station brand such as BP, Shell,
Total, Opet or Kadoil?
What is your goal?

70. @agconsult

72. @agconsult

74. @agconsult

78. @agconsult

81. @agconsult

82. #greatmarketingstartswithnotsucking
Avinash Kaushik

83. What's the goal of my website
What's the goal of my visitors
Karl Gilis - @agconsult

85. Ask your visitors & (potential) clients
the right questions
Targeted surveys and interviews are my favourite methods.
. @agconsult

86. Some of my favorite questions
• On website
• What is the purpose of your visit to our website today?
• What are the most important things when buying …?
• What’s keeping you from buying this product right now?
• What’s holding you back from completing your purchase today?
• What convinced you the most to decide to ask a quote?
• Was there something that made you hesitate? If so, what?
• Existing clients
• What convinced you the most to buy this product from us?
• What’s the one thing that nearly stopped you buying from us?
• What would you miss most if your X broke down / if we took away X
• What's the most important thing X helped you to achieve?

87. What is the purpose of your visit to our website today?

89. 23 x more people use the
dealer locator

90. Give people what they want
As long as it helps your business.
. @agconsult

91. What is the purpose of your visit to our website today?

92. 120,4% more dealer searches

93. Top tasks can be different from
device to device
Once again: do your research!
. @agconsult

94. What convinced you the most to decide to ask a
quote?
Was there something that made you hesitate?
If so, what?
77,1% more requests for quote

95. Know what your clients & visitors want
And get filthy rich 
. @agconsult

96. Stop selling the way you want to sell
Sell the way people want to buy
Karl Gilis - @agconsult

97. 7. Tell something interesting first
Don't bore your date to death. Make sure they want to know more about you.
@agconsult

98. Only 52,41% of visitors scrolled to this part

99. Original

100. Variation

101. 32,5% more people reach this point:
- Our version: 69,45%
- Original: 52,41%
44,1% more people reach this point
100% more visitors go to a product detail page
76,2% more requests for quote
57,8% more brochure downloads

102. Don't be afraid of long pages.
People do scroll.
Not everything needs to be above the fold.
But make sure visitors do scroll and convert.
@agconsult

103. Average fold
50% scroll mark
50% scroll mark

104. What’s above the fold really matters
Although designers keep saying the page fold is a myth, it really isn't.
@agconsult

105. 8. Your first date isn't a police interrogation
You've got plenty of time later on to really get to know eachother.
@agconsult

107. Be careful with graphs and numbers like these.
There is no such thing as the ideal number of fields.

109. @agconsult

110. You have to find out what works best for
your website
@agconsult

111. You have to find out what works best for
your audience
@agconsult

112. You have to find out what works best for
your product or service
@agconsult

113. 52,9% more requests for offer

114. Too many low quality leads

115. Formisimo reveals which fields caused most problems
Instead of gambling, do your research!

116. 43,7% more good requests for offer.

117. Make forms as good as possible
Tools like Formisimo reveal where the real problems are.
@agconsult

118. 9. Give compliments!
Make your date feel good. Don't focus on the small imperfections.
@agconsult

120. No difference at all.

121. 5,9% more sales on desktop and tablets

122. 61% more sales on smartphones

123. 0
10
20
30
40
50
60
Design changes Less friction Words & behaviour
Average impact on conversion per type of test

124. If you don't care about words,
you're a decorator.
Not a designer.
Karl Gilis - @agconsult

125. Of course I want to tell another story
about Suzuki.
But I'm not going to tell it.
Because I know you have 1 question.

126. Karl,
why is there so much Suzuki in your talk?
• I'm a Suzuki reseller
• I only have one client
• I want to illustrate you can do many things on 1 website.
• From 6 to 84 requests for offer per day.
That's a 1.300% increase.

127. @agconsult

128. Our job?
#makingvisitorshappy
Karl Gilis - @agconsult

129. Get my free ebook now
 10 conversion tips that work on every website
 15 cases from the real world
 6 best practices from leading websites
 www.agconsult.com/ebook.html
 www.slideshare.net/agconsult
Already more than 6.865 downloads

130. That's it!
Thx
@agconsult
karl@agconsult.com
www.agconsult.com