Landing Page Optimization

Picture this: You’re sitting in the conference room working out the last details of your landing page content. The web designer wants the call-to-action link to be “Get started now!” and the chief copywriter thinks it should be “Contact Sales.” Everyone has an opinion, but nobody has any evidence to back it up. Landing page optimization can give you some real data on which to base these decisions. The most common types of page optimization testing are A/B testing and multivariate testing. These are jargon for two very simple ideas: A/B testing (also called an A/B split) compares the performance of two page designs, and multivariate testing compares the performance of a larger number of page designs by swapping out content in several sections of the page at once.

Even if you have strong convictions about what you think your page content should be, we recommend letting a page optimization test provide more clues. Many website owners report being shocked by what their tests ultimately show to be the most effective content.

Both multivariate testing and A/B testing are available via a tool within the Google AdWords management interface called Website Optimizer. You will need a Google AdWords account to access Website Optimizer, but it does not need to be actively running ads. Other companies offering multivariate testing tools (for a fee) include Offermatica, Optimost, and Memetrics. You might as well start with the free Google option. You can always move up to the paid services after you’ve fallen in love with page optimization testing.

Today, we’re going to get you started on a page test of your own.

Your Multivariate Test

Ready to get started? We recommend performing multivariate testing rather than an A/B split for the simple reason that we think it’s more fun. Here’s how multivariate testing works:

• You designate a few sections of your web page that you would like to test. For example, you might specify the headline, the first paragraph of text, and an accompanying photograph as your three sections.

• For each section, you create two or more versions of its content.

• The multivariate testing system plays mix-and-match with your variations, showing a random combination to each of your website visitors.

• After the test has run for some time, the combination with the highest conversion rate wins! The most sophisticated testing systems can find the best combinations based on statistics, even when those exact combinations haven’t been tested.

Website Optimizer will walk you through the steps to creating your own test. You will need the ability to add JavaScript to your HTML pages, so if you’re not the person who edits the site, walk over to his or her cubicle and see if you can get a few minutes of assistance today. Here are a few tips to keep in mind, in addition to Google’s instructions:

• If you have a low-traffic site (say, under 200 visitors per day), you can speed up your results by testing your most trafficked pages and using a high-volume conversion definition. For example, rather than defining a conversion as an actual online purchase, you can define it as a visit to a product page. With more conversions, you’ll have more data to compare your different page designs.

• Keep in mind that all of your page variations are going to be on display to your site audience and your visitors have no idea that they’re in the middle of a page optimization test. Use the preview feature to be sure that the content makes sense in all of the assembled combinations.

• Landing page testing is not just for paid search, nor is it only for e-commerce sites. You can apply these tests to any of your pages, and any type of online conversion goal.

• Take a chance and test some content that goes outside your comfort zone. We’re not saying you should make statements that aren’t accurate, but what about some zippier language or brighter colors? A true test needs to include some farout options to be sure you’re capturing the entire spectrum of possibilities.

If you’ve got JavaScript expertise, you can stray from the standard instructions, and the system will still work. For example, putting the conversion tag on multiple pages will make them all count as conversions; similarly, you can copy your test content sections onto multiple pages or multiple spots on a page, and Website Optimizer will swap them all out. Find more details at prusak.com.

Alternatives to Landing Page Optimization

Maybe there are forces beyond your control that make it impossible for you to pursue a landing page optimization test. We’ve seen it before: tech departments that won’t abide new JavaScript tags or marketing teams that aren’t open to wild text experiments. Here are some workarounds that you can use to incorporate at least a bit of content testing into Your SEO Plan:

• If you’re using one of the major PPC providers, A/B testing for PPC ads is easy! Just write one or two additional ads for each of your ad groups. As clicks come in, your PPC service automatically judges which ad is more effective and will increase its prominence for you automatically.

• Run a time-based test, in which you display one page version for a week or month, and then switch to another page version. Though seriously unscientific (was it really the page design change that caused traffic to rise, or was it the holiday season?), this approach is still better than nothing.

• If your organization performs usability testing, ask to have content variations incorporated into the tests.

Does page optimization have its limitations? Of course it does. You may figure out that one page is doing better than another, but unless you interview your target audience, you’ll never know exactly why. Plus, your tests are limited to your ideas for edits, so unless you’re a master at thinking outside the box, there may be big improvements that you miss. Nevertheless, landing page testing is one of the few ways of getting real data on the persuasiveness of your site’s message.