Many marketers agree microsites, in general, are an effective approach to connect prospects with a specific offer or product line. However, the process of designing a microsite uncovers many questions as it relates to ensuring an ROI: • How many different audiences can I really serve? • What is the optimal number of products/offers I can show? • Is it possible to have too much design or copy? • How should the microsite connect to the overall sales funnel? In this Web clinic, Flint McGlaughlin, Managing Director, MECLABS, will uncover recent research revealing two often overlooked design decisions that have a significant impact on a microsite’s conversion rate potential.

1. Microsites Tested:
Two common mistakes in the microsite design process that
can kill conversion rates at launch
#webclinic

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TODAY’S TEAM
@jonpowell31
Jon Powell
Senior Manager
Research and Strategy
MECLABS
Market research practitioner with 6+ years of hands-on discovery gained
through managing hundreds of A/B and multivariate tests for ecommerce,
healthcare, financial, and education Research Partners.

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JOIN THE CONVERSATION ON TWITTER
#webclinic

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MICROSITE EFFECTIVENESS STUDIED
When compared, microsites
generally rated at least
somewhat effective for
achieving overall marketing
objectives
Why do marketers find the
performance of microsites so
adequate?
Is there something marketers
are doing wrong?

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Today, we are going to walk through two
experiments that reveal two common mistakes
made with microsite design.
TODAY’S FOCUS

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Experiment #1:
B2C Golf Community Microsite

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EXPERIMENT #1: BACKGROUND
Background: A national land and home sales organization for consumers
Goal: To increase the number of leads for community microsites
Research Question: Which specific section of content will result in the largest
lead rate?
Test Design: A/B Split test
Experiment ID: TP1431
Record Location: MECLABS Research Library
Research Partner: [Protected]
Research Notes:

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EXPERIMENT #1: BACKGROUND
In this test, we focused
on the messaging
surrounding the call-
to-action.

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EXPERIMENT #1: VERSION A
• In Version A, the call-to-action offered a PDF download of a hole-by-hole
description of the course.

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EXPERIMENT #1: VERSION B
• In Version B, the call-to-action offered a PDF download of a scorecard
designed specifically for the course.

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EXPERIMENT #1: SIDE-BY-SIDE
Version BVersion A

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EXPERIMENT #1: RESULTS
Design Conversion Rate
Version A 8.92%
Version B 2.73%
Relative Difference -69.4%
69% Decrease in Conversions
Version B’s content decreased the rate of conversion by 69.4%
 What you need to understand: The substance change of a single,
important section of content resulted in a disproportionate decrease in
leads

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What was wrong with Version B?
EXPERIMENT #1: RESULTS

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FKey Principles
1. One of the most common mistakes with microsites is the tendency of
marketers to ask for too much too soon.
2. As we have taught elsewhere1, CTA’s should be value-positive. However, this is
not enough. CTA’s must be synchronized to the prospect’s thought sequence.
3. Our research findings suggest that most microsites should focus on progressing
prospects with “process level value”, specifically as it relates to:
1. The next, most immediate unanswered question in their mind
2. Something they believe will help them address that
MISTAKE #1: MACRO DISTORTION
1. Flint McGlaughlin: Quick Win Clinic: 5 Simple Ways to improve your webpage copy right now. May 2013

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Losing Variation
• The losing call-to-action
performs poorly because it
assumes the visitor is
convinced that they want to
play on this course, and so
offers them a scorecard.
MISTAKE #1: MACRO DISTORTION

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• The winning treatment, however,
does not assume the visitor
wants to play and so offers a
“hole-by-hole” description of the
course itself.
• The “hole-by-hole” description
maintains an emphasis on the
value proposition created by the
course’s direct connection to the
community of interest.
Winning Variation
MISTAKE #1: MACRO DISTORTION

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MISTAKE #1: MACRO DISTORTION
To This
64%in conversions
Extends a general invitation with
added explanation
Adds a connection to customers
further in the decision process
Protocol ID: TP1636
From This

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MISTAKE #1: MACRO DISTORTION
From This To This
326%in conversions
Offers a guide that focuses solely
on the surrounding community
Offers a guide that includes more
detail and is also formatted in a
way that’s easy to scan and
compare to other information
sources
Protocol ID: TP1432

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Experiment #2:
B2B Medical Research Microsite

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EXPERIMENT #2: BACKGROUND
Background: A physician-only social network that allows medical product
companies to conduct first-hand research on potential purchasers.
Goal: To increase the number of product company leads from the microsite
Research Question: Which microsite content approach will result in the
largest lead rate?
Test Design: A/B Split test
Experiment ID: TP1483
Record Location: MECLABS Research Library
Research Partner: [Protected]
Research Notes:

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EXPERIMENT #2: VERSION A
• The original page is
designed to connect
the visitor with all the
information that they
might need to make a
decision.
• However, it does
require the visitor to
take multiple steps to
get the information.

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EXPERIMENT #2: VERSION A
Product InfoFree Reports
News Releases About Info

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EXPERIMENT #2: VERSION B
• An alternative design
of the microsite was
tested that integrated
the majority of the
information into a
single page.

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EXPERIMENT #2: VERSION B
• Key Product Info
• Key Company Info
• The entry page took a long-copy
approach and integrated the following
information:
• The remaining information was
consolidated to one additional page

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EXPERIMENT #2: SIDE-BY-SIDE
Version A
Version B

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EXPERIMENT #2: RESULTS
Design Conversion Rate
Version A 3.52%
Version B 8.97%
Relative Difference 154.7%
155% Increase in Conversions
Version B’s content increased the rate of conversion by 154.7%
 What you need to understand: The change in the amount and sequence of
microsite content resulted in an increase in leads without negatively
affecting SEO

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What was wrong with Version A?
EXPERIMENT #2: RESULTS

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FKey Principles
1. People do not buy from microsites, people buy from people.
2. One of the most common mistakes with microsites is the tendency of marketers
to design an aesthetic site that provides little-to-no sustainable conversation.
3. For microsites, our findings suggest the most effective amount of content is the
balance necessary for ideal prospects to perceive enough:
1. Clarity on the offer and its ask
2. Credibility of its claims and its provider
MISTAKE #2: CONVERSATIONAL VOID

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MISTAKE #2: CONVERSATIONAL VOID
• There is little-to-no
conversation on this
page.
• It is as if the visitor
is bombarded with a
plethora of different
voices at once.

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MISTAKE #2: CONVERSATIONAL VOID
• The conversation in this
design is sequenced
and directed vertically.
• Subsequent
information is provided
in sequence so as not
to compete with the
overall conversation.

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So is less content better?
MISTAKE #2: CONVERSATIONAL VOID

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EXPERIMENT: ON MICROSITE CONTENT
Background: An online, low-cost DIY platform for small and medium sized
businesses to distribute content to thousands of websites
Goal: To significantly increase product engagement and orders
Research Question: Which front-end microsite content configuration will
result in the largest amount of orders?
Test Design: A/B Multi-factorial Sequential test
Experiment ID: TP1901
Record Location: MECLABS Research Library
Research Partner: iReach (by PRNewswire)
Research Notes:

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EXPERIMENT: ORIGINAL CONTENT AMOUNT
According to
individual test and
nature based data,
the lack of content
left many visitors
with unanswered
questions, mostly on
topics necessary to
foster conclusions
Cart Pages (5)Entry Page

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EXPERIMENT: TREATMENT CONTENT AMOUNT
Entry Page Cart Pages (5)
Prospect Page Selection PageProduct Details 1 Product Details 2
Alternatively, content was added
before cart pages to help
customers answer those questions
of value, concern and credibility
that the original microsite could
not.

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EXPERIMENT: MICROSITE CONTENT RESULTS
Microsite Content Order Conv. Rate
Original 8.0%**
Treatment 10.5%**
Relative Difference 31%
31% Increase in Order Conversion Rate
The treatment microsite increased total order conversion rate by 31%
 What you need to understand: The addition of the right amount of content
increased total order conversions by 31% and total product revenue by 38%
**Conversion rates anonymized for the partner’s protection

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Summary

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Mistake #1: Macro Distortion
One of the most common mistakes with microsites is the tendency of marketers
to ask for too much too soon. CTA’s must be synchronized to the prospect’s
thought sequence.
Mistake #2: Conversational Void
People do not buy from microsites, people buy from people. One of the most
common mistakes with microsites is the tendency of marketers to design an
aesthetic site that provides little-to-no sustainable conversation.
SUMMARY: COMMON MICROSITE DESIGN MISTAKES

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Live Optimization

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Live Optimization
Primary objective(s):
To get engineers and
designers to download the
white paper
Primary audience:
Engineers/IT designers
URL:
http://bit.ly/16D3aNU
OpenText Global

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Live Optimization
Primary objective(s):
Email capture
Primary audience:
Drivers in recent auto
accidents
URL:
http://bit.ly/1cK8vHx
Carranza

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Live Optimization
Primary objective(s):
Prompt visitors to watch a
video
Primary audience:
Distribution center
managers
URL:
http://bit.ly/14p8K5u
Intermec

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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
Opportunities on the post-
webinar survey
• Contact us directly
info@MECLABS.com
1-877-635-0565
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