From Portent's Webinar Series. Strap in for a rapid-fire run through of 47 actionable tips to get your site's conversions improving ASAP!

1. Portent Webinar Series
101 47 Conversion
Rate Optimization
Tips
PRESENTATION PREPARED BY: Josh Patrice

2. 101 CRO TIPS
#portentu
http://portent.co/CRO-Tips
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3. WHO IS THIS GUY?
Josh Patrice
Director of SEO, Portent
• Over 10 years in the search industry
• User Experience, Info Architecture
background
• Agency experience
• Passion for CRO
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4. 101 CRO TIPS
Psychology
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5. PSYCHOLOGY
#1
Fear v. Greed
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The basis of all our users’ online interactions.
Origins in market trading.
Users default to fear, more conversions come from trust
Greed is good.
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Free whitepaper & site evaluation
20 minute consultation
Analysis of 5 competitors
Send your website address to info@domain.com
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6. PSYCHOLOGY
#2
Familiarity leads to Conversions
Familiarity builds trust.
Trust builds greed.
Greed leads to conversions.
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7. PSYCHOLOGY
#3
Habit Forming Leads to Success
Restaurant receipts are habitual.
User form fields:
Subtotal, Tip, Total, Signature
True worldwide. Meaning there is no barrier
to success regardless of the language
barrier.
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8. PSYCHOLOGY
#4
Loss Aversion
Practiced by Living Social, Groupon, Amazon Local, Touch of Modern, etc.
Messages like:
• Only 10 left!
• 3 days remaining
• Limited time offer
Think …infomercial 
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9. PSYCHOLOGY
#5
Social Proof
Trust factors through social resources.
Your friend Tommy likes this and so do 9,000 other people
• Facebook Likes
• Tweets
• Shares
• +1
If you don’t have social presence, leave these off your site!
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10. PSYCHOLOGY
10
#6
Call to Action
Users need to be told what to do.
Craft a message that will not only resonate with their wants, but also
compel them to take action
Sign Up Now!
Give us Your Email
NOW
Get Your Quote
Order Now
Buy
Login

11. PSYCHOLOGY
#7
Color Psychology
People relate to colors differently
84.7% buy because of a color
52% customers didn’t return to a store due to aesthetics
http://www.webpagefx.com/blog/web-design/psychology-of-color-infographic/
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12. PSYCHOLOGY
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#8
Button Color
Orange may be the new black, but it's
not the only answer.
Contrast is king due to the Von Restorff
effect. Blue is common on the Web,
orange stands out.
Some studies are skewed by poor testing
scenarios.
http://dmu.cdmginc.us/testing-corner-do-bigger-buttons-work-better/
http://blog.kissmetrics.com/color-psychology/?wide=1
Orange Facts:
• SAP saw 32.5% uptick with a big
orange button
• Wider Funnel calls the big orange
button BOB
• Is the opposite of blue

13. PSYCHOLOGY
#9
Personalized Button Message
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/
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14. PSYCHOLOGY
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#10
Study Your User
Your audience isn’t a set of
keywords. Build online user
personas and find their habits,
action paths, etc.
Interviews
Card Sorting
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15. 101 CRO TIPS
Testing
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16. TESTING
#11
A/B Testing
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Test your message
Test your colors
Test your pictures
Test everything
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Test one thing at a time
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17. TESTING
#12
B/C Testing
Don’t stop with the winner of A/B tests. Keep going! Maybe C will be better
than both A & B
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18. TESTING
#13
Do not throw B away
A/B testing can lead you astray.
31% choose B. Why? Don't
ignore the "failing" message… it
has a 31% success rate.
Go back to your personas, see if
there’s a message that works for
the “B” users that could improve
that conversion rate.
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19. 101 CRO TIPS
User Experience
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20. USER EXPERIENCE
#14
ABCD
Layout your site with
regard to the ABCD grid as
seen in the landing page at
right
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21. USER EXPERIENCE
#15
A&D
Users’ eyes gravitate
naturally from A to D
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22. USER EXPERIENCE
#16
Take out the B & C
Avoid putting important
information in quadrants B
& C, as users will often
miss the information.
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23. USER EXPERIENCE
#17
A&D
By arranging your primary
actions in quadrant D, you
can expect a higher level of
user engagement.
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24. USER EXPERIENCE
#18
Avoid Templates
We’ve all seen the same
landing page before, it
looks a lot like the one at
the right
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25. USER EXPERIENCE
#19
Get Creative
This is much cooler, while still
following the ABCD format.
Essentially the same thing, with
a little design for good measure
and a better user experience
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26. USER EXPERIENCE
#20
Avoid Too Many Calls to Action
Stick to 1, maybe go upto 3, but 8 is more than enough.
Where should the user begin on the page below?
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27. USER EXPERIENCE
#21
Do not Forget New Customers
You have 2 types of visitors: customers and potential customers.
Remember to write content for both users. Your potential customers won’t
react to the same content as your current customers and vice versa.
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28. USER EXPERIENCE
#22
Ditch the Drop-Down Navigation
Drop-down navigation can be hit or miss. While it helps users dig deeper
into your site, it can also be a major distraction. When it’s overwhelmingly
huge, it can cover up the entire window when on a small screen.
If you can ditch it, go for it. If not,
then focus on your main user paths.
There’s no reason for a direct link to
your miscellaneous accessories
page from the main navigation.
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29. USER EXPERIENCE
#23
Ditch the Distractions
Sometimes, design elements distract the user from completing their goal.
Site elements like banners, rotating offers, and intrusive pop-ups should
be avoided.
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30. 101 CRO TIPS
Landing Page Optimization
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31. LANDING PAGE OPTIMIZATION
#24
Construct the AIDA Flow
Take your users through a journey on
your landing pages.
awareness
interest
desire
action
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32. LANDING PAGE OPTIMIZATION
#25
Awareness
Get folks to your site.
How?
SEO, PPC, Social Media, etc.
Then what?
Keep them there.
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33. LANDING PAGE OPTIMIZATION
#26
Attraction
Resonate with your users’ pain.
What problem are visitors trying to
solve? Your site is about THEM not
you.
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34. LANDING PAGE OPTIMIZATION
#27
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?
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35. LANDING PAGE OPTIMIZATION
#28
Action
Reason to believe you.
Users need to trust more than they need to be sold.
Examples:
• icons for the halo effect
• testimonials
• etc.
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36. LANDING PAGE OPTIMIZATION
#29
Match Your Keyword to Your Ad
Seeing the search query appear in the ad helps create familiarity.
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37. LANDING PAGE OPTIMIZATION
#30
Match Your Ad to Your Landing Page
Carrying that familiarity to the landing page, continues the bond.
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38. LANDING PAGE OPTIMIZATION
#31
Match Your Landing Page to Your User
Designing your landing page for your specific users, will lead to more
frequent conversions, and stronger sentiment.
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39. LANDING PAGE OPTIMIZATION
#32
Match Your Socks to Your Pants
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40. LANDING PAGE OPTIMIZATION
#33
Avoid Instructions
Instructions won’t resonate with their pain, rather compound it. Do what
you can intuitively.
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41. LANDING PAGE OPTIMIZATION
#34
Avoid Options
Keep it simple. Options create confusion and roadblocks in the conversion process.
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42. LANDING PAGE OPTIMIZATION
#35
Avoid Solutions Address Problems
I have a problem. I don’t know the solution.
Stop offering blanketed solutions to your users.
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43. LANDING PAGE OPTIMIZATION
#36
Avoid Statements
“I don’t know you. Don’t claim you make the best pie.”
-Josh Patrice
This time, try to forget infomercials, as bold superlative statements can be
very polarizing to users. You only get a few seconds, avoid overtly selling
to them.
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44. LANDING PAGE OPTIMIZATION
#37
Avoid Commitment
Think of your users as male characters from 90s movies & sitcoms: they’re
terrified of commitment
Sometimes it’s too much to ask for an email address. If there’s another
way, use it. Keep forms to a minimum.
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45. LANDING PAGE OPTIMIZATION
#38
Embrace Instinct & Affordances
Since we’re avoiding instructions, we have to
embrace the instincts of our users. Landing
pages should be created such that users
instinctually know what to do.
A door with a handle should always pull
open, one with a flat bar should always push
open.
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46. LANDING PAGE OPTIMIZATION
#39
Embrace a Garden Path
Guide your users through your process, site, landing page, etc.
Your site should bridge the knowledge gap between their awareness and
your desired actions.
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47. LANDING PAGE OPTIMIZATION
#40
Embrace the Result
It’s not all about showing them that you know their needs, that you can
help.
It’s also about showing the outcome which should be recognizable to your
user.
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48. LANDING PAGE OPTIMIZATION
#41
Embrace Questions
The user doesn't need to have the answer, and
they can be open to suggestion because they
don't know the answer. Sometimes, it’s best to
initiate a conversation in order to get your users
to their desired outcome.
Find your 3 most common problems, and turn
them into questions.
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49. LANDING PAGE OPTIMIZATION
#42
Embrace Engagement
We’re detached online.
Create interaction without users submitting their info.
Have them create something of value for free, and then save
it through registration.
Use filters for user engagement.
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50. 101 CRO TIPS
eCommerce:
Product Pages & Shopping Carts
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51. ECOMMERCE
#43
Show me the Price
Don’t hide your price under copy or with a color that blends in. Make it
stand out!
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52. ECOMMERCE
#44
Show me the Shipping
Humans will rely on one trait or piece of info
when making a decision.
Free shipping is most important order factor:
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52 percent of abandoned online shopping carts in
2011 were due to a lack of free shipping deals*
Shoppers spend an average of 30% more when
free shipping is available*
*http://www.freeshipping.org/statistics/
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53. ECOMMERCE
#45
Common Product Page Info
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Customer reviews/ratings
Product videos
Unique product descriptions
Individual Q&A on the product page
Social sharing buttons
CTA
Trust signals: Certified Reseller, etc…
Stock & availability levels
Product options – Fewer options make for
easier decisions.
Image size – Large images can help sell.
Probably not a major concern if your product is
butter, we all know what butter looks like. If your
product is a dress with detailed print, then
bigger is better.
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54. ECOMMERCE
#46
Show me the Cart & make it Persistent
Put the cart in the top right and keep it there. Make
it easy to preview, show me what’s in it when I hover
over it.
And by all means, make it persistent. Save my order
for the next time I visit the site.
A National Mail Order Association study showed that
35% of shoppers took over 12 hours to complete
their purchase. Another 21% took more than 72
hours. Keeping their items in the cart for 7 days
could lead to significantly higher conversion rates.
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55. ECOMMERCE
#47
Progress Tracking Roadmap
Steps help users see the finish line, leading to less drop-off.
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56. 101 CRO TIPS
56
Q&A
#portentu
http://portent.co/CRO-Tips

57. Portent Webinar Series
Thank You!
PRESENTATION PREPARED BY: Josh Patrice @syzlak