How do you unlock growth for your business? By starting with a deep understanding of your current users.

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How Most People Think About Growth

• Get more people to my website

• Low conversion rate so send even more people

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But Some Getting Smarter

• A/B test to improve conversions

Test 10 things and 1 will be better than other 9

• Random testing is time consuming and rarely makes meaningful improvements

Twitter @SeanEllis

Better Approach:Start With Two Questions

What do visitors want?

What’s stopping them from getting it?

Figuring Out What Visitors Want

• Referring keyword data (getting harder)

• Path analysis (what links are they actually clicking?)

• Ask them…

Twitter @SeanEllis

Asking Visitors What They Want

During visit via site survey

After visit via follow up conversation or survey

• Can only ask those who actually convert

• Ask “What were you originally looking for?” and “why?”

• Worth having lots of conversations about this

Twitter @SeanEllis

• You don’t have what they want

• Bad job communicating that you have what they want

• Something about your solution is scary

• Something about the website is confusing

• Something on the website is broken

What’s Stopping Conversions?

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How to Identify Conversion Issues

• Path analysis in analyticsWhere do they abandon?

Study that spot

• Ask them via exit survey“Is something preventing you from checking out?”

Example: Why we had 97% drop off at download

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Conversion Issues Through Usability Tests

When are people confused, nervous, skeptical, frustrated?Example of frustration (video motivated developers)

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Might Lack Need/Solution Fit

• Unqualified visitorsBest if “must have” solution for critical need

• May completely lack product/market fit

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If Need/Solution Fit, Then…

Build Desire, Reduce Friction

Desire – Friction = Conversion Rate

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How Do You Build Desire?

A/B test landing pages

Highlight product benefit in context to what visitor wants.

Twitter @SeanEllis

Twitter @SeanEllis

Be Sure to Maintain Desire

• Attention spans are short, front load AHA moments until key benefit delivered

• How do you identify AHA moments?

Think out loud testing

Plan Your Initial Tests

• Recommend starting with 10 tests

4 messaging tests to optimize need/solution match

4 tests to address points of confusion, fear, breakage, etc.

2 tests that front load AHA moments

Twitter @SeanEllis

Twitter @SeanEllis

Double Down

• Focus early testing in the area that yielded biggest improvements in actual sales.

Helps drive organizational support for process

Quickly reduces wasted bounces

Continuous Process Accelerates Growth

• Optimization is a never-ending process.• Every improvement makes marketing easier.

Twitter @SeanEllis

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