Don't do anything on your website you wouldn't do on a first date

Don’t Do Anything On Your Website
You Wouldn’t Do On a First Date
Karl Gilis @agconsult

1. Be on time
Nobody likes to be kept waiting

1 second slower 7% decrease in conversion

2,2 seconds faster
15,5% more downloads

From 4 to 1,2 seconds
12% more revenue
25% more pageviews

Fast loading times are important
Technical stuff:
Hosting – Image size – Limited number of scripts – Caching – Compression
But most importantly: nu fluffy stuff, only show things that matter.
@agconsult

"Web design isn't about adding stuff.
It's about keeping only those elements
that add to the bottom line."
Karl Gilis - @agconsult

2. Be patient
Don't start with a French kiss. Build some kind of relationship first.

Don't do anything on your website you wouldn't do on a first date

Don't start with a modal overlay.
Use delayed or exit overlays instead.
Yes, most marketing people and designers hate overlays.
But they do work. Especially if you use them in a smart way.
@agconsult

• 300% increase in monthly sales leads.
• 48.54% lift in sales.

It took me 13 years to get 2.624
subscribers to my newsletter.

The last 18 months my list grew with 7.978 new
subscribers thanks to this beauty.

Start testing with delayed overlays
Even if you hate them.
Yes: even if you really, really hate them.
@agconsult

Be subtle
Don't force your visitor. Your time will come.
@agconsult

3. Don't tell your life story in the 1st minute
You don't need to fill every silence.

"Limit the number of elements
and your message will be clearer."
Jason Gross
Fat Free Web Design

55% more clicks in the same screen real estate,
after reducing the number of messages from 4 to 2.

Don't overwhelm your visitors
Less is more.
@agconsult

White space has never killed a visitor.

78% more clicks from
this landing page to a
product page.

Use bullet lists
Especially above the fold on product and landing pages.
@agconsult

4. Don't shout for attention. Give attention.
You're already on a date. They already showed some interest in you.

Sliders suck. Always.
Except when they are just image slides. Without separate messages.
@agconsult

"I really believe in less is more.
But as a brand we want to push things on our
homepage.
And, as you know, an image says so much more
than 1.000 words."
Every marketeer in the world

Question:
You just bought an apartment and you
want to get insurance for it.

Only 3% clicks on the banner.
38% clicks on the direct link, much lower
on the page.
A big banner isn't the solution
• 41% direct succes
• 18% indirect succes
• 42% fails
10% clicks on the general product
category.

The boring version performed best on all questions
• 61% direct succes
• 19% indirect succes
• 20% fails

Forget banners and other cries for
attention
The visitor is already on your website or your landing page.
Pay attention to their needs.
@agconsult

"Offline marketing is about
getting attention.
Online marketing is about
paying attention."
Gerry McGovern

5. Make sure you get the attention you deserve
Minimize the risk of distraction.

Removing the main navigation, resulted in a
significant lift in bookings.

On this landing page, we deleted the
floating main navigation.
This resulted in an uplift of over 24,2%.

Remove navigation, especially for
visitors coming from specific search
queries
When navigation turns into a distraction, remove or hide it.
@agconsult

11,4% more sales
Heb je een kortingscode?

Remove clutter
Consider everything that doesn't result in more conversion as clutter.
@agconsult

"For every element on a web page
there should be a
clear justification why it's there."

6. Show interest in your date
Don't make it all about you.

Question
Why would you visit the website of a petrol station brand such as Lukoil,
Rompetrol, Shell or Gazprom?
What is your goal?

Stop asking what the goal of your website is.
Find out the goals & needs of your visitors.

Ask your visitors & (potential) clients
the right questions
Targeted surveys and interviews are my favourite methods.
.
@agconsult

Some of my favorite questions
• On website
• What is the purpose of your visit to our website today?
• What are the most important things when buying …?
• What convinced you the most to decide to ask a quote?
• Was there something that made you hesitate? If so, what?
• Existing clients
• What would you miss most if your X broke down / if we took away X
• What do you like the most about X
• What's the most important thing X helped you to achieve?

What is the purpose of your visit to our website today?

23 x more people use the dealer locator

Give people what they want
As long as it helps your business.
.
@agconsult

What are the most important things when buying a
used car?

Put what's important for your
visitors on the left side of your page
This can sometimes make a difference. Sometimes it doesn't do sh*t.
.
@agconsult

What convinced you the most to decide to ask a
quote?
Was there something that made you hesitate?
If so, what?
77,1% more requests for quote

Know what your clients & visitors want
And get filthy rich 
.
@agconsult

Stop selling the way you want to sell
Sell the way people want to buy

7. Tell something interesting first
Don't bore your date to death. Make sure they want to know more about you.

Only 52,41% of visitors scrolled to this part

32,5% more people reach this point:
- Our version: 69,45%
- Original: 52,41%
44,1% more people reach this point
100% more visitors go to a product detail page
76,2% more requests for quote
57,8% more brochure downloads

Don't be afraid of long pages.
People do scroll.
Not everything needs to be above the fold.
But make sure visitors do scroll and convert.
@agconsult

What’s above the fold really matters
Although designers keep saying the page fold is a myth, it really isn't.
@agconsult

8. The fun factor
Make your date laugh and you'll win their heart.

Big bum case
Joanna Wiebe - Copyhackers

Stand out from the crowd
Be unique. Have your own voice.
Don't always try to blend in.
@agconsult

9. Your first date isn't a police interrogation
You've got plenty of time later on to really get to know eachother.

Be careful with graphs and numbers like these.
There is no such thing as the ideal number of fields.

You have to find out what works best for
your website
@agconsult

your audience
@agconsult

your product or service
@agconsult

• Angry CRM-people
• Too many low quality leads

Formisimo reveals which fields caused most problems
Instead of gambling, do your research!

43,7% more good requests for offer.

Make forms as easy as possible
Tools like Formisimo reveal where the real problems are.
Don't guess.
@agconsult

10. Initiate a next step (handshake, kiss, …)
Don’t leave your date standing there awkwardly at the end of the night.

Of course your page needs a
call-to-action
But there's more…

Use the same words your users do
Not the ones you use.
.
@agconsult

Repeat your CTA at the bottom of
your page
Believe me. This works. Always.
@agconsult

And then there's the exit overlay
That will probably work for your website too.
Remember: there should be an advantage for the visitor.
@agconsult

• 272% increase in mail addresses
• Big increase in requests for offer & test drives

Don't focus on one funnel.
Cold selling is hard.
@agconsult

CRO is also about creating other funnels

Get my free ebook now
 10 conversion tips that work on every website
 15 cases from the real world
 6 best practices from leading websites
 www.agconsult.com/ebook.html
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Don't do anything on your website you wouldn't do on a first date

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