Tunkelo - Ways To Convert More Online

Copyright (c) 2015 by Juho Tunkelo

All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced without prior written permission and express consent from the author.

Please note that this book is for entertainment purposes only. The views expressed are those of the author alone, and should not be taken as expert instruction or commands. The reader is responsible for his or her own actions.

In short, you are invited to use your common sense in applying the information in this book.

Free Gift

In my experience, the biggest hurdle to starting conversion testing for many appears to be a lack of ideas. Now, you could sit around and wait for inspiration to strike, or download a free report I prepared as a gift to all who buy this book. Simply go to this address and download yours:

50 Cool Conversion Test Ideas For Internet Marketers

http://www.juhotunkelo.com/testideas/

Do Universals Really Exist In Conversion Optimization?

What you can expect from this book and why

So. I've spent a good deal of time, years in fact, optimizing e-commerce storefronts and the operations that run them. And many, many other types of online businesses - there are SO many ways to run a business online it makes your head spin. It does my head in at times, which is a good thing. Keeps me on my toes and always learning and adapting, and helping my customers and my own businesses even more.

As a result of this ongoing work, I've gathered a good deal of practical insights into Conversion Rate Optimization as it relates to e-commerce, specifically. These principles apply to other kinds of online sales operations too, so dont you worry.

After having run hundreds of tests with tons of traffic on all kinds of sites...

...you'd expect me to rattle off a "best of" list you can use right away, correct? ;)

Well, I'm going to actually do that but perhaps in a way you werent expecting. This is because every commercial environment is so different, no particular test can be 100% reliable in ALL possible conditions.

However, I can give you a very handsome bunch of generally usable and valid principles that, when applied intelligently, work very, very well indeed. The proof is in the pudding, as well as on these pages.

Without further ado, here we go!

"The Intersection of Direct Response Copywriting, Web Site Usability and On-Page Salesmanship"

So. The test-first maxim still applies, of course. As in, you should test anything first before making definite conclusions and permanent changes to your web site.

However, the following are basically completely universal principles you can and should safely apply with abandon and then go test individually.

You get results when you combine universals, observations and proper application. And repeat it all to optimize results even further. Take this as your battle cry and youll end up with win after win!

Now, lets begin and see where you can begin if youre completely new to conversion optimisation.

These Are Not The Best Practices Youre Looking For

There is something important I wanted to bring up before we delve into the practicalities of these highly useful conversion optimization principles, strategies and tactics.

And that is, the simple fact that you should NOT consider these principles what others often refer to as best practices.

Best practices in web design and online business have become something akin to a red herring:

Oh, those guys used an orange order button and did well, so does everyone else now, hence its becoming a best practice, lets do that too.

That is not only a silly, lemming-like approach to optimizing your online business but actually quite dangerous because you can inadvertently shoot your business in the foot by copying and pasting a tactic without considering the ramifications to your existing business.

Or - permit the expression - such mindless copying can even lead to you shooting yourself in the face and ruining what once was a workable business. It happens.

And especially if you dont extensively TEST the efficiency of such new tactics in your own environment using solid A/B testing practices, you may do irreversible harm to your bottom line.

Now having said ALL that... if this upcoming list that comprises this entire book is NOT best practices, what exactly is it?

What follows in this book is a list of overarching principles, if you will, harvested through hundreds of solid, methodically and even scientifically set up and conducted conversion tests.

These are the things that repeatedly come up in hypothesis, and regularly produce results. I urge you to not implement any of them directly, but consider them in relation to your own web site and your entire business, and then adapt the principles as needed.

In other words: do not copy, MODEL instead.

These examples, case studies and stories youll see next are meant to give you an idea of the types of environments these principles occur in.

So you will have a specific new way to look at your own environment and create a conversion test hypothesis using that approach instead of trying on a test somebody else did in theirs.

Makes sense? Its no different to what generally applies in marketing; copying is a bad idea and often even plagiarism. But modelling on the other hand, works great in ever new environments and media.

This is a much more valuable way for you to move forward and get results with conversion optimization.

Best of luck!

Get your mind right before you begin

In addition to the rules above (or guidelines, rather), there are some general rules of thumb to remember when it comes to running conversion tests. How can you choose which tests are even worth doing? Here they come.

• If a test is likely to improves customer relationship, go ahead and do it (and if it doesn't, stop right there). Every business relies on relationships, and going against them is not worth the hassle. Of course this is not always easy to see beforehand, and youll just have to test it.

• Choose your testing targets being mindful of total profit - in the end it's all about the bottom line. Otherwise, what's the point? Its too easy to just run test after test on small, piddly targets and get seemingly great numbers that have little to no bearing on the bottom line. Think business first, conversion second.

• Not every test improves the bottom line directly, but may still improve engagement, stick rate and retention rate. So be careful not to throw away 'failed' tests before you've analyzed carefully just what happened.

• The meaning of a GREAT pre-sell... All double digit converting online stores have an above average pre-sell value. As in, the visitors are already predisposed to buy to some extent, due to some content or marketing process they got through before getting there. So not all conversion is created at POS (point of sale), this is extremely important to keep in mind! Advertising, banner ads, email, social media it all comes into play and affects the final results at that final point of conversion.

The practicalities of setting up conversion tests so theyll have a high chance of success is a whole big topic to itself. In fact, Im planning another book on this topic as I type this, so check your sources for that if such information is what you need to get your CRO process started right.