A few lessons from this program
Download the full interview to hear more, but these are some of my notes from the conversation.
You know so much more than you realize
Olivier showed me that even if a user has never been to your web site, you can still predict what will appeal to her. You can tell, for example, if she uses a Mac or PC. If she uses a Mac, you might make your page look more cutting edge. If she uses a PC, you might make your landing page look more official.
Other things you can easy know include: time of day, where your user is, and what she did just before she came to your site. If you take each of those factors into account, you can deliver the perfect pitch to each user and increase your conversion rate.
Why should anyone do anything?
You need to give people a compelling reason to take the action you want, or they won’t do it. I asked Olivier to look at CauseCast.org and tell me what they could to increase conversions. After complimenting them on their use of celebrities and user testimonials, he noticed the registration process and wondered why anyone should register. He suggested they give a strong, clear reason to join and more people will register.
Check out how goodreads does that on their homepage.
You want people to tell you all that?!
Another way to increase conversions is to ask fewer questions. We looked at qtask.com. Olivier loved their use of images, but when he saw the registration form, he said it might overwhelm users. Also, the optional fields aren’t clearly marked “optional” so the form seems even longer.
Do you know any ways to increase conversions? Add them to the comments!
