The document discusses 'hidden friction' in conversion processes, identifying factors that hinder customer engagement and lead generation on landing pages. It highlights experiments that demonstrated how minimizing friction, such as reducing form fields and improving visual pathways, led to significant increases in lead rates. Key principles underscore that friction is not just about page design but is also rooted in the prospect's psychological experience.

1. Join the conversation on Twitter
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2. Hidden Friction:
The 6 silent killers of conversion

3. Join the conversation on Twitter
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4. Today’s team
Dr. Flint McGlaughlin Taylor Kennedy
Managing Director Research Manager
Chris Rochester
Research Analyst
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5. Marketers can easily identify Friction
Top 5 impactful page elements*
Friction is the most
common element that
marketers optimize on
their landing pages
*From the MarketingSherpa 2011 Landing Page
Optimization Benchmark Report:
• MECLABS.com/LPOExcerpt
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6. Identifying Friction
Audience-submitted page
Can you identify the
? Friction on this page?
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7. Identifying Friction
Audience-submitted page
2
1
Can you identify the
? Friction in this process? 3
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8. Experiment: Background and design

Experiment ID: (protected)
Location: MarketingExperiments Research Library
Test Protocol Number: TP1546
Research Notes:
Background: A luxury home builder seeking to sell homes to families with a
higher-than-average income level.
Goal: To increase the number of leads
Primary Research Question: Which treatment will generate the highest lead
rate?
Approach: A/B multifactor split test
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9. Experiment: Control
Logo Control
Community Name
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10. Experiment: Control Step 2
Community Name
Logo Step 1
Community Name
Phone
Legal
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11. Experiment: Treatment
Logo
Community Name Treatment
Community
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12. Experiment: Side-by-side
Control Treatment
Community
Community
Common Instances of Friction Reduced:
1. A step in the conversion process
2. A form field (comments or questions)
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13. Experiment: Results
166% increase in lead rate
The new form design improved the lead generation rate by 166%
CR Relative Difference Statistical Confidence
Control 0.9% - -
Treatment 2.3% 166.5% 99.4%
 What Youthe number of steps and fields, the treatmentthrough
reducing
Need to Understand: By minimizing Friction
outperformed
the control by 166%.
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14. What we need to know about Friction
F Key Principles
1. Friction does not occur on a page, it occurs in the mind of the
prospect.
2. Friction is more complex than simple issues of page length, form
amount, or number of steps.
3. Most Friction goes undetected by marketers
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15. Experiment #2: Background and design

Experiment ID: (protected)
Location: MarketingExperiments Research Library
Test Protocol Number: TP1297
Research Notes:
Background: A survey company seeking consumer opinions in exchange for a
chance to win a trip to an exotic location.
Goal: To increase the number of applications
Primary Research Question: Which destination page will result in higher
conversions to panelist sign-up?
Approach: A/B multifactor split test
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16. Experiment #2: Control
Control
Logo
Company
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17. Experiment #2: Treatment
Treatment
Logo
Company
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18. Experiment #2: Side-by-side
Control
Logo Treatment
Company
Logo
Company
Though we did not reduce the number of form fields or steps in the
process or length of the page, the treatment significantly reduces Friction.
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19. Experiment #2: Results
19.6% increase in lead rate
The new page design improved the lead generation rate by 19.67%
CR Relative Difference Statistical Confidence
Control 26.54% - -
Treatment 31.76% 19.67% 95%
 What You Needpage, the treatmentminimizing hidden difficultyby
Friction on the
to Understand: By
out-performed the control
19.67%.
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20. Were you able to identify the hidden Friction?
Logo
Company
• Tone (city vs. destination)
• Discordant colors
• Distorted eye-path
• Multimedia (mediocre image)
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21. The key heuristic for Friction
F Key Principles
FSC = LT + DT ©
Wherein:
“FSC ” = Friction of sales conversion
“LT” = Length
“DT” = Difficulty
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22. The key heuristic for Friction
F Key Principles
FSC = LT + DT ©
Today, we are going to walk through the six most pervasive
forms of difficulty-oriented Friction (Hidden Friction).
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23. HIDDEN FRICTION #1:
DISTORTED EYE-PATH
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24. HIDDEN FRICTION #1
Distorted eye-path example
Not this… …but this
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25. HIDDEN FRICTION #1
Distorted eye-path example
Not this… …but this
47%
IN CONVERSION
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26. HIDDEN FRICTION #1
Distorted eye-path example
Not this… …but this
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27. HIDDEN FRICTION #1
Distorted eye-path example
Not this… …but this
-53%
IN CONVERSION
16%
IN CONVERSION
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28. HIDDEN FRICTION #1
Distorted eye-path live optimization
Target Audience:
Consumers interested in
checking accounts
Page Objective:
Clickthrough to a page
with more info
www.susquehanna.net/compare
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29. HIDDEN FRICTION #2:
DIVERGENT OBJECTIVES
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30. HIDDEN FRICTION #2
Divergent objectives example
Not this… …but this
LOGO LOGO
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31. HIDDEN FRICTION #2
Divergent objectives example
Not this… …but this
LOGO LOGO
78%
IN CONVERSION
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32. HIDDEN FRICTION #2
Divergent objectives example
Not this… …but this
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33. HIDDEN FRICTION #2
Divergent objectives example
Not this… …but this
357%
IN MONTHLY CLIENTS
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34. HIDDEN FRICTION #2
Divergent objectives Live Optimization
Channel:
Organic search, ads with
URL and banner ads
Target Audience: CTAs
Automotive industry -
OEM, dealers, auto
lenders, interested in
data and information
Page Objective:
Clickthrough to a page
with more info
www.experian.com/automotive
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35. HIDDEN FRICTION #3:
DISSONANT TONE
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36. HIDDEN FRICTION #3
Dissonant tone example
Not this…
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37. HIDDEN FRICTION #3
Dissonant tone example
…but this
Dear Reader,
The Electronic Edition is an exact digital
replica of the printed paper. It’s not a website,
but a digital reproduction of the New York
Times – The only newspaper in America to win
over 90 Pulitzer Prizes.
Every article, color photograph and
advertisement is automatically delivered to
your computer. And once it’s on your computer
you can read it offline, anytime, anywhere.
Past issues can be stored and you can search
and navigate though the paper with the same
ease as a website. And The Electronic Edition
can dramatically improve your productivity.
#webclinic

38. HIDDEN FRICTION #3
Dissonant tone example
…but this
Dear Reader,
The Electronic Edition is an exact digital
replica of the printed paper. It’s not a website,
but a digital reproduction of the New York
Times – The only newspaper in America to win
over 90 Pulitzer Prizes.
Every article, color photograph and
advertisement is automatically delivered to
your computer. And once it’s on your computer
you can read it offline, anytime, anywhere.
Past issues can be stored and you can search
and navigate though the paper with the same
88%
ease as a website. And The Electronic Edition
can dramatically improve your productivity.
IN CONVERSION
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39. HIDDEN FRICTION #3
Dissonant tone Live Optimization
Channel:
AdWords >> Homepage >>
G Sedan landing page
Target Audience:
Luxury car buyers
Page Objective:
Clickthrough to a page with more
http://bit.ly/GSedan info
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40. HIDDEN FRICTION #4:
DISTRACTING MULTIMEDIA
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41. HIDDEN FRICTION #4
Distracting multimedia example
Not this… …but this
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42. HIDDEN FRICTION #4
Distracting multimedia example
Not this… …but this
93%
IN CONVERSION
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43. HIDDEN FRICTION #4
Distracting multimedia Live Optimization
Flash Banner
Channel:
Search marketing in Google
Target Audience:
Accredited real estate investors in
Canada
Page Objective:
Download a piece of content
http://www.ptrust.ca/
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44. HIDDEN FRICTION #5:
DISCORDANT COLORS
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45. HIDDEN FRICTION #5
Discordant colors example
Not this…
Logo …but this
Logo
Company
Company
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46. HIDDEN FRICTION #5
Discordant colors example
Not this…
Logo …but this
Logo
Company
Company
20%
IN CONVERSION
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47. HIDDEN FRICTION #5
Discordant colors Live Optimization
Channel:
AdWords
Target Audience:
B2B
Page Objective:
Clickthrough to a
page with more
info
http://www.tsomobile.com/
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48. HIDDEN FRICTION #6:
DISORGANIZED CONTENT
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49. HIDDEN FRICTION #6
Disorganized content example
…but this
Not this…
Classified and
organized into
different types of
barstools. (e.g.,
metal, wood,
upholstered, etc.)
150+ products,
uncategorized, listed on
a single page
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50. HIDDEN FRICTION #6
Disorganized content example
…but this
Not this…
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51. HIDDEN FRICTION #6
Disorganized content example
…but this
Not this…
81%
IN CONVERSION
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52. HIDDEN FRICTION #6
Disorganized content Live Optimization
Channel:
PPC, direct
Target Audience:
iPad owners
Page Objective:
Click “add to cart” and
buy.
http://www.zagg.com/accessories/zaggfolio-ipad-2-keyboard-case
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53. Summary: Putting it all together
F Key Principles
1. Friction does not occur on a page, it occurs in the mind of the
prospect.
2. Friction is more complex than simple issues of page length, form
amount, or number of steps.
3. Most Friction goes undetected by marketers:
• DISTORTED EYE-PATH • DISTRACTING MULTIMEDIA
• DIVERGENT OBJECTIVES • DISCORDANT COLORS
• DISSONANT TONE • DISORGANIZED CONTENT
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54. Tune in for our next Web clinic…
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55. Experiment: Background
 Experiment ID: NAS Content Approach
Location: MarketingExperiments Research Library
Test Protocol Number: TP4067
Research Notes:
Background: North American Spine is a medical provider specializing in
treating chronic back pain. They are the sole providers of a minimally
invasive, innovative pain management procedure.
Goal: To determine which content approach is most appealing to visitors
making condition-based searches
Primary Research Question: Which content approach will achieve a higher
click-through rate?
Approach: A/B multifactor split test
55
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56. Experiment: Treatments
Treatment Design:
T1: Back Pain Resources
• Template test in 6 condition-
[Condition] Sufferer?
based ad groups Free access to back pain resources
• Headline specific to ad group from the experts in spine health.
NorthAmericanSpine.com/[condition]
• Variable is description line one
• Value is the content
approach
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57. Experiment: Treatments
Treatment Design:
T2: Treatment Options
• Template test in 6 condition-
[Condition] Sufferer?
based ad groups Compare available treatments,
• Headline specific to ad group from the experts in spine health.
NorthAmericanSpine.com/[condition]
• Variable is description line one
• Value is the content
approach
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58. Experiment: Treatments
Treatment Design:
T3: Causes and Solutions
• Template test in 6 condition-
[Condition] Sufferer?
based ad groups Learn about the causes & solutions,
• Headline specific to ad group from the experts in spine health.
NorthAmericanSpine.com/[condition]
• Variable is description line one
• Value is the content
approach
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59. Experiment: Treatments
Treatment Design:
T4: Recognize Symptoms
• Template test in 6 condition-
[Condition] Sufferer?
based ad groups How to recognize the symptoms,
• Headline specific to ad group from the experts in spine health.
NorthAmericanSpine.com/[condition]
• Variable is description line one
• Value is the content
approach
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60. Experiment: Side-by-side
T1: Back Pain Resources T2: Treatment Options
[Condition] Sufferer? [Condition] Sufferer?
Free access to back pain resources Compare available treatments,
from the experts in spine health. from the experts in spine health.
NorthAmericanSpine.com/[condition] NorthAmericanSpine.com/[condition]
T3: Causes and Solutions T4: Recognize Symptoms
[Condition] Sufferer? [Condition] Sufferer?
Learn about the causes & solutions, How to recognize the symptoms,
from the experts in spine health. from the experts in spine health.
NorthAmericanSpine.com/[condition] NorthAmericanSpine.com/[condition]
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61. Experiment: Results
See the results in our next Web clinic…
Wednesday, March 28, 2012
4:00 – 5:00pm EDT
Learn more here:
MarketingExperiments.com/CustomerTheory
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62. MECLABS Research Partnership Opportunities
MECLABS conducts rigorous experiments in the new science of optimization.
We apply our discoveries to help leaders optimize the financial performance
of their sales and marketing programs.
Learn more about how you may
be a fit for a MECLABS research
partnership:
• Select Research Partnership
x
Opportunities on the post-
webinar survey
• Contact us directly
info@MECLABS.com
1-877-635-0565
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