However, when I am doing affiliate campaigns (selling products on behalf of other people), I always go for REALLY simple designs. Why? Because they normally convert better. I have some theories on why they convert at a higher rate, and the top of the list is that there are less flashy elements to distract them from taking action.

Don’t Make Assumptions – Split Test & Try Things

Long story short – if you are serious about maximizing conversions on your website then you can’t assume that one web design is superior to another one. The only way to tell for sure is to split test. If you want to try doing some of this split testing stuff yourself then checkout google’s free split testing tool: Google Website Optimizer.

Here Are Some Things to Split Test

Headlines and call-to-action links or buttons are probably the most important place to start when you are improving the conversion of your web page.

Headlines

A strong emotive headline with a lazer targeted appeal to your ideal customer is going to pull a lot better than a generic low key headline not targeted to anyone in particular. I was running a campaign once where I changed the headline and my conversions shot up by 500% (I couldn’t believe the difference, and wouldn’t have believed it if it hadn’t happened to me).

Call to Action Buttons

I always try to use orange call-to-action buttons. Split testing results time and again confirm orange buttons as the most clickable by visitors to your websites. I honestly have no why orange buttons typically out-perform blue, green, or grey buttons – but they usually do.

If you don’t believe me then just head on over to Amazon and take a look at their add-to-cart buttons. There is so much money at stake, do you think they would choose an orange button by random chance?

Warning: you can’t assume that orange call-to-action buttons will always work best for you, you actually have to split test this stuff to know for sure.

Colors

The most obvious color to test besides your call to action buttons is the background color of your website. It does make a difference, and it depends on your target audience and the industry / market that you are in.

Text

Test the font, font-size, and paragraph layout & spacing on your pages. The bigger the better in my opinion (hmmm, it’s dangerous having opinions!). Anyway, I always go for a minimum of 16 pt font, and try to aim for 12 words per line as a general rule (give or take a couple words).

Images

If you are a builder then test using images of construction sites, builders in action, builder’s tools,  or try using no images at all. The point that I am driving home is that you just don’t know for sure unless you’ve properly tested things.

Anchor Text Color

One thing that you should really try not to do is change the color of anchor text . Anchor text is a word or phrase that is typically blue and underlined, and when you click on it it takes you to another page on the internet. People have gotten used to blue underlined links and changing the color could confuse them.

People Don’t Like Surprises

Contrary to popular opinion people REALLY don’t like surprises when surfing the web. They are there to solve a problem, watch YouTube videos, read the news, or whatever. What they are not there to do is spend 5 minutes trying to figure out how to navigate your site. Any surprises will drastically hurt your conversions.

And If It is All Too Much for You…

Then go and have a coffee.  Just Kidding. If it is all too much then I recommend doing the following:

• Simplify your web page as much as possible, reduce clutter and confusing elements on the page
• make the call to action stick out like a sore thumb and have one call-to-action
• use a compelling headline aimed at a specific segment of your market (ideally the segment with the most buyers

Once you’ve done that, then you are in a good position to start split testing things with Google Website Optimizer, or alternatively hire someone who knows what they are doing to do it for you.

For starters, SEOs should feel comfortable using a FTP program like FileZilla to pull down or copy website files.  For a designer or programmer it may seem like something that is overlooked, but to a marketer who has never had to worry about connecting to an FTP site, it is a foreign experience.

Adding Meta Tags

For websites that use a CMS, it should be a relatively easy process to update title and meta tags in the backend.  Usually there is a section in the CMS for this, and does not require any type of HTML coding.  However for websites where you have to edit the tags in the backend code, you will need to feel comfortable looking at the code and making very minor changes.  After you make the edits you should save and push the file from the local to the live site.

Adding Alt Attributes

Adding alt attributes to images is pretty straightforward, but it should not be overlooked.  No only should you be able to add alt attributes, but also using keyword rich file naming conventions and assuring the image is pulling from your server will help with load time.

Adding NoFollow & NoIndex Attibutes

Being able to control what is indexed by the search engines is something that all SEOs should be able to control.  Of course you can do it from the robots.txt file, but you should also be able to write a noindex, no follow tag depending on the type of page it is.

Adding a htaccess File

Uploading a htaccess file is reletively easy, but knowing how to program a redirect for SEO purposes is another story.  To fix the www vs non-www canonical issue on a php site, you will need to control it in an htaccess file.  I think the best way for an SEO to do this, is to have a programmer create a template file that you can simply change depending on the site you are adding the file to.  So all the SEO has to do it change the domain.  Be careful, that the site doesn’t already have an htaccess on it, or you can break the entire site (I learned the hard way).

Adding a Robots.txt File

A robots.txt file will allow you to control what pages and directories get indexed.  For an SEO they should be able to identify which directories should be indexed by the search engines and what should be blocked.  Creating a robots.txt is pretty easy and should be done by an SEO.

I am interested to hear from everyone else to see what other technical aspects you feel a SEOs should be able to accomplish.  Please let me know what you think.

So why are Infographics such great link bait?  Let’s examine why…

Infographics Tell a Thousand Words

One of the great things about infographics is the ability to use graphics to tell a story.  There are no limits to the type of information you can pack into a well designed infographic.  Perfect for displaying figures, showing timelines, showing event details, showing screenshots, or place emphasis on certain aspects of the infographic.

Fun & Engaging

Unlike plain ole text, Infographics are appealing to the eye and attracts the user. Naturally your eyes gravitate towards images and graphics, so it is just instinct to want to look at the infographic before any of the text that may surround it.  With infographics you can illustrate things like emotion, depth, importance, complexities, concepts, processes and more.

Its Better Than Reading

A web user has the attention span of a hyperactive child chugging redbull.  By using Infographics to get your story across, it means less time the user has to spend to understand what you are saying.  Pictures and images have been a universal language for as long as time, that everyone can understand and relate to.

Graphical representation renders itself far more accessible and understandable by people; whether they understand the language of the designer or not.  The reason why people accept so much information via infographics compared to text is explained by how our brains have formed over time.

Quote by InspiredMag

Informational (obviously)

The foundation for a infographic is to visually explain a topic, theme, company or figures/data threw the use of graphics.  What is so appealing to the user is that they can learn something in a fun and engaging way. Of course you could use an excel sheet or powerpoint, however these communication tools have been overused and have the stereotype of being boring.

Increase Search Volume for “Infographic”

As you can see from data provided by Google Insights, the number of people searching for Infographics has been on the steady increase over the last 12 months.  I would assume that the search volume will stay on the rise.

Premium Theme Options

• Layout Options
• Custom Homepage
• Integrated Lightbox/Image Gallery
• jQuery Sliders and Plugins
• Custom Widgets
• Customized Color Scheme
• Navigation Menu Control
• Auto-Sizing Thumbnails
• Integrated Blog
• Cross Browser Compatibility
• Stable Framework/Clean Code
  

Places to Download Premium Themes

• WooThemes
• Elegant Themes
• ThemeLayouts
• ModThemes
• ThemeForest
  

Plugins

From a functionality standpoint, there is probably a plug-in already developed for what you need your site to do.  WordPress plugins are usually as simple as downloading the plugin, moving the files to the plugin folder and activating it.  There may be some additional styling, but the bulk of the work is already done for you.

Type of Plugins Available:

• SEO
• Social Media Sharing
• RSS Feeds
• XML Sitemaps
• Comment Management
• Google Analytics
• Sidebar Features
• Images
• Page Load Time
• e-Commerce
• Advertisement Management
• Contact Form Integration
• and much more…
  

SEO Best Practices

WordPress out of the box is for the most part, SEO friendly.  There are of course tweaks you can make to further improve the SEO, but the foundation of WordPress is search friendly.  You can easily add keyword-rich title/meta tags, optimized url and directory structure, and clean html/css code.

WP Hacks

If you are unable to find a plugin to do exactly what you want, there are lots of WP blogs that focus on hacks, tips and tricks to assist you. There are lots of developers out there that love to share cool functionality that they have coded in WordPress.

Here are examples of awesome WordPress Hacks:

• How to Display Author Photo and Bio in WordPress
• Create a Tweetmeme “Retweet” Shortcode
• Adding a Community Link Feed
• Nice and Simple Toolbar For your Website with CSS3 and JQuery
• Creating Helpful and Effective WordPress Archives
• How to Allow Users to Submit News

As you can see, this is just the tip of the iceberg of neat hacks you can do within WordPress.  Why spend potentially thousands of dollars to have a web development company create functionality from scratch, when there is probably something out there that has already been built.

So is it still worth it to pay 3x – 5x the cost for a custom site, when you could leverage what has already been built and designed?

Essentially, the question to ask yourself constantly is “How can I make my website attractive” without destroying the familiarity that customers have with the existing design?

Most often, simple, subtle and basic changes should do the trick for you. For instance, you could change the colors of the buttons and links on your website, without changing their location. That way, your customers will continue to click where they always did, and yet find that the same experience has become a little more colorful!!

You can also consider increasing the number of pages of your website by adding additional content to it, rather than redesigning and repackaging what you already have. Additional content is what will pull more and more customers as well as the search engines towards your website.

With cheap reliable hosting commonly on offer, this should not be a problem for you at all, since increasing the overall number of pages would not push up your total web space requirement much, in light of the ample space that these hosting service providers offer.

Additional pages make particular sense for any time bound or seasonal promotional activity that you might be undertaking. These could even be designed in a novel and attractive way which will keep your creative instincts happy and at the same time, attract more and more customers.

Thus, as you can clearly see, simple changes alone can work wonders for your website. Simply make sure that you plan ahead very well, and apply sufficient doses of common sense, while going about or even considering redesigning your website.

About The Authors

Lena Morrish & Dima Nikolayenko, founders and developers of InternetBusinessBTS.com Co.
In their FREE e-mail course “7 Vital Facts You Should Know Before Starting an Internet Business” you will find a comprehensive guide on how to start your internet business, find cheap reliable hosting for your website, how to use such features like follow up autoresponder to effectively build and take care of your customer base, and much more.

May 2008 Results

Websites Analyzed: 6
Total Visits: 185,637
Date Range: January, 2008 – May, 2008

January 2010 Results

Websites Analyzed: 4
Total Visits: 167,096
Date Range: October 2009 – December 2009

Updated browser information from W3Schools

As we can see, computer screens are getting bigger and bigger.  The 800×600 resolution is almost non-existent now compared to 5-10 years ago when it was the dominant resolution. For web designers this is important data to analyze since it will effect how sites are being built.  The sites that we design are created for at least a 1024 x 768 browser, and actually 1280 x 800 and bigger are starting to become the norm.

With all of these measures Google has taken to promote site performance, leads me to the question:

…will site speed and load time become an important ranking factor in Google’s algorithm.

My thoughts are that in the near future Google will start testing site performance in the search results.  It probably will not have a huge impact on rankings at first, however as time goes on, and Google stresses load time, it will gradually become a significant factor.  Users are developing less patience’s and want real-time content, so it is only natural that websites cater to their needs by serving content quickly and effectively.

Here is a great interview with Mike McDonald and Matt Cutts that discuss Google’s thoughts on if page speed should be a ranking factor in their algorithm.  Matt explains that many people at Google think the web should be fast and that page speed is an important part to having a good user experience.

Watch The Entire Video:

Google has already started to provide the tools necessary to analyze a sites performance and how load pages much faster.

Webmaster Tools: Site Performance

Google launched a new tool within Google Webmaster Tools that will allow you to see your sites performance and load time.  Not only will Google tell you how many seconds each page takes to load, but they will also give you detailed reporting on why your page is loading so slow and how to improve it.

As you can see in the image below, Google will show you the number of server requests and DNS lookups that are made when loading each of the pages.  You can also drill down into each bullet point to see how you can improve each factor that makes up the loading time of each page.

PageSpeed Firefox Extension

In order for this tool to work you need to install a few firefox extensions first.

• Download Firebug Extension
• Download PageSpeed Extension

From Google on Page Speed:

Page Speed evaluates performance from the client point of view, typically measured as the page load time. This is the lapsed time between the moment a user requests a new page and the moment the page is fully rendered by the browser.  The best practices cover many of the steps involved in page load time, including resolving DNS names, setting up TCP connections, transmitting HTTP requests, downloading resources, fetching resources from cache, parsing and executing scripts, and rendering objects on the page.

Yahoo! YSlow is another firefox extension that is similar to PageSpeed that will measure your site’s performance and load time.

Webpagetest.org is another resource you can use to help diagnose speed issues with your site.  Simply enter a url and the tool will analyze the entire site and show reports and recommendations.  This tool is ideal for a web master or developer.

Related Posts

• WebProNews: Google: Page Speed May Become a Ranking Factor in 2010
• Yahoo! Developer Network: Exceptional Performance
• WebProNews: Google Launches Site Performance Feature
• Google Webmaster Central Blog:  How Fast is your Site?
• GetElastic: The Importance of Site Performance

Here are the notes of the Meetup:…
Read more

Here are the notes of the Meetup:

Usability: On the Web & On Your Site

• Usability is “Task Oriented” and should enable momentum so users can complete tasks
• Allow search capabilities so a user can expand or refine their search
• Users need to understand where they are.  Use breadcrumbs, multi-tier navigation and good cross-linking.

Applicable Examples

• Show price: Don’t wait until it goes into a cart or make them call
• Use detailed descriptions:  Good for end-user and SEO
• Use simple language
• Have clear labels and links
• Unclutter your design, using goog images, clean font, etc…
• Consistent navigation that is easy to understand
• Easy shopping cart process (minimal steps)

Usability: Do I Really Need To Pay Attention To This?

• Yes, if you users can’t find it, it doesn’t exist
• Search engines will mimic what they think people want/like
• Use W3C standards (alt tags, logical headers, 1-click away)
• SEO vs Usability:  Good usability almost always will trump SEO
• Bad User Interface + Long Checkout Process = High Bounce Rate
• Understand who your site is targeting (Demographics)

Usability: How Do I Figure Out What Actually Works

Look at your Analytics:

• Where are people leaving?
• Are they getting to the important pages
• What content are they easily getting to?
• Goals – Where are they being abandoned
• Check site logs and errors

The 5 Second Test

This was my favorite part of the entire presentation. The idea is to find someone that has never seen your site before and have them look at it for 5 seconds.

Ask them:
Do they understand what the site is about?
What they sell?
What actions are you suppose to complete?
What demographic is the site targeting?

Because user have such a short attention span online, you have 5 seconds to capture your user.  Doing this test can give you feedback on certain design related issues you have to work on.

Usability: Show Me The Money!

• Don’t call your products “products, call them exactly what they are
• Great Usability = increased links, traffic, rankings, and conversions
• If better usability can increase conversions on your site from 1%-3%, then sales just went up 100%-300%

If you have attended a recent Meetup and would like your tips featured on StayOnSearch, let us know.

Related Sites

• Cre8pc Usability & Holistic SEO
• Cre8asiteForums
• Webcredible
• World Usability Day
• UPA: Usability Professionals Association
• Section 508 Standards
• W3C
• Usable Information Technology
• Usability News
• Standford Web Credibility Research

SEObook.com does a great job at creating easy to read content throughout his site. He breaks his content up by using bullet points, numbered lists, bold/italic headlines, color variations, and short descriptive sentences. Remember, people scan the web for information. If they see a headline that appeals to them the will read on. Create gripping headlines and make it easy to consume.

Using pull quotes can also help grab the attention of the reader. These are great if you have a testimonial or quote from someone who has tried your product or service.

Easy To Find “Contact Us” page

Make it painfully easy for someone to contact you. The last thing you want to do is get someone interested in your product or service and have them struggle to figure out how to contact you.

Have those “contact us” buttons lead to a well optimized contact form. Check out a post I did a few months ago on how to optimize contact forms for better conversions.

Good Use of Whitespace

Having whitespace will help break up your content and make things easier to read. If your website is cluttered with lots of text and other graphical elements, it can be overwhelming to a user. Use whitespace to help separate different sections of your site.

Flash Elements

People think that flash is bad just because it cannot be picked up by search engines. However using small elements of flash can be very useful and help keep the user engaged in your website. Search engines are also improving at being able to index flash. However, do not add flash just to have flash on your site; have a goal in mind. Use flash to help convey your marketing message, showcase a product/service, a special offer, or a promotion.

Target Different Market Segments

Segment your buyers by creating targeted landing pages geared towards each of your segment buyers. By having content that is unique towards a specific market, it will help keep the user on your site longer and lead to more conversions. The more targeted that your content can be towards your niche market, the more likely it will be to convert those users.

Notice in this flash element they are targeting different market segments that they cater to.