In a recent post, I boldly proclaimed that people not doing multi-variate testing on their websites are lazy. To prove that we drink our own kool-aid, I wanted to share the results of some tests we have been running on Linkpatch.com, a web application we built.

Through the use of Google analytics and website optimizer (both are free tools to use), we were able to increase account signups by 74% over a four-month period. Here are the three tests we ran:

1. Re-design the Tour Page

I learned pretty early on that the tour page was not helping us like it should. Early feedback from customers and friends that tested the software proved that the copy was wrong. We needed to explain exactly why we did not create a website crawler or link checker, and clearly outline the unique benefits of Linkpatch over every other available solution.

Some key metrics I was watching in analytics when testing the old tour page versus the new one were "Time on Site", "Bounce Rate" and "Exit Percentage". Here are the results:

Time on Site went up 35% as a result of this change, which is a great improvement in my opinion. Bounces went down 14%, and the Exit Percentage stayed about the same. There is still more to improve on there, but most importantly, the conversion rate for people that viewed this page went from 3.3% to 4.5%.

2. Test Headlines

Next was the main home page headline. A great headline is everything in my opinion, because an effective one will qualify our target audience and explain exactly how the app makes their life easier. Here are the three variations we tried:

Original- "Linkpatch reports broken links and images on your site, and provides all the information you need to fix them quickly."

Alt 1- "Linkpatch monitors your website for 404 errors, and provides all the information you need to fix them quickly."

Alt 2- "Linkpatch monitors your website for errors, so that you can be the first to know when users run into a problem."

As you can see, the differences in copy are subtle. Here's how they did over about a month of testing:

Alt 2 was the variation that proved to be the best headline for us to use. It resulted in a conversion rate of 5.28%, which was 11.6% better than the original we launched with.

3. Test Call to Action Button

The final test we worked on proved to be the most important, because it had the widest margin of difference between variations. Many people have debated the "right" language to use in a CTA button for a web app, and "Plans and Pricing" somehow became the de facto standard for most. However, the reason testing is important is because EVERY site is different. The same rules don't apply 99% of the time, so we decided to test the buttons for ourselves to see what converted best. Here are the buttons we used:

Of the four combinations, the "See our plans and pricing (free trial included)" button won:

As you can see, the winning button had a slight edge over the original one after testing for about a month. What is most important to note though, is the estimated conversion rate by the time the second test was over, compared to the estimated conversion rate in the first test. From beginning to end over those 4 months of testing, that's where we saw a 75% increase in conversions according to analytics:

How Long?

Although these 3 tests spanned about 4 months, it was all in my spare time. All in all it only took about 10-15 hours of work and study.

What's Next?

Keep at it! Re-work and re-test some other variations to see what works. As the site evolves and things change, there will always be plenty of things you can test on the site in search of a higher conversion rate.

Takeaway

The biggest takeaway for me is to quit fretting about small design and copy decisions prior to launching the site. Give it your best, then create multi-variate tests for anything you feel may impact conversions. There is no way to be right 100% of the time about this stuff, so take the pressure off and your users will tell you what works best.

One final note to keep in mind is that you can't test your website or get great quality feedback until it's launched. We see projects get delayed all the time while internal decision-makers contemplate what they think is best for the website. It should never be up to them if you are in the business of maximizing conversions. Just make an educated guess so you can launch and start testing! That's the only way you can find the most accurate answer.

After nearly two months without a post on this blog, I'm pleased to come out of hibernation this week. One of the reasons I was unable to make time for blogging recently is because my spare time has been dedicated to a side project that we launched about 3 weeks ago.

Our team is never short on inspiration or ideas for the web, and our outlet is a little software company called Brightwurks. Linkpatch is the name of our second web application, and it is our way of solving a problem we deal with every day at Project83.

One of the more frustrating things a user can run into on the web is a broken link. Often times, it leaves the user stuck, forcing them to wander the site aimlessly looking for what they need, or become frustrated and go elsewhere.

We do a number of things when launching a website to minimize dead ends like that. We always check the site for broken links between internal pages, and setup redirects (when applicable) from any old URLs to the appropriate location on the new site.

While most geeks stop there, I don't believe that's enough. There aren't any tools that are constantly watching, monitoring when and why people run into a broken link on your site. If another website is linking to your website, but the URL is broken or out-of-date, you have no way of knowing ... until Linkpatch.

The idea behind Linkpatch is simple. It is a small script that is always watching your website's error pages. If a user ends up on an error page as the result of a broken link, the script records all kinds of information about what happened, and sends an email to the webmaster so it can be fixed.

Linkpatch has been an incredible resource, as we have been using it internally for quite some time. We have it installed on many of our websites, and if a user or customer runs into an issue, we're able to diagnose and fix it very quickly. If we make a mistake in building the site, Linkpatch usually lets us know before the client does.

Here are just a few of the uses we have had for Linkpatch recently:

• One of the URLs in a recent client newsletter had a typo. We were able to add in a redirect from the misspelled URL to the correct one.
• The shopping cart page on a client site was broken after a recent update, and Linkpatch found it very quickly.
• Links from blogs, twitter, search engines and affiliate websites that were all wrong or out-of-date were able to be caught and corrected within minutes after the first sign of an error.

Linkpatch has definitely been a big help to us in keeping our client websites error-free. We think other webmasters and web design shops will enjoy it too. Feel free to check out the site if it sounds appealing, and we always welcome any feedback. For the next 2 days, you can get a free 5-site Linkpatch account for mentioning the app on twitter. Check out this page for more info.

"What's a feed?"

I hear this question at least a few times per week. In short, feeds are the future. A feed is a document that keeps track of updated content on a website. Blogs and news sites are the most common places to find feeds since the content is updated pretty often.

When you subscribe to a feed, you can be notified when the content is updated without having to visit the website. Geeks use feed readers, like the one google has. I personally follow about 60 different feeds from my reader. It is much more convenient to have all the new content from those sites on-demand rather than visiting the sites individually.

Since experts say that only 3% of people use feed readers, we need a way to bridge the gap and help people figure it out. Feed My Inbox is our solution. When a feed you have subscribed to is updated, we will send you an email with the new post(s).

About Feed My Inbox

The concept is designed to be as easy as possible for the 97% out there that is figuring out the feed scene. All you have to do is enter a website, and enter your email on the home page. The application will go to the website, find any available feeds there and subscribe you. Simply click the link we email you to confirm the subscription, and it's all set.

It literally takes 30 seconds or less to add a feed. No new software or learning is required.

Each time the feed is updated, you will be notified through email. However, if a feed is updated more than once in a 24-hour period, you receive one email with all the updates. This is designed to keep your inbox tidy, as no one wants more email than they already get.

How Long Did it Take?

I talked about this a lot on my twitter feed, but we tried to create this entire application in 1 day. All in all it took a little over 2 full days, but all the design and front-end stuff was done within the first day. We just wanted to make sure the technical side and emails were done right, so that part took a little longer.

Building something this way is great for a number of reasons:

• We built ONLY features that were absolutely necessary to launch, then added the rest to a list for "someday maybe".
• All working together, 100% focused on the goal for an entire day, was a great source of momentum. We all pushed each other, and as a result, things happened quicker.
• After only a couple full days of work, we have an extraordinary sense of accomplishment! You can't beat that with a stick.

I Thought You Built Websites, not Software

We DO build websites, and thoroughly enjoy it! However, we like to work with our own ideas too. It keeps us sharp, motivated and always learning new things. So to make these ideas a reality, I partnered with the same two guys to create a software company called Brightwurks. I will make Brightwurks announcements on this blog from time-to-time.

Feed My Inbox is the first of many web-based software applications Brightwurks is building. We have 3 more in the works. We would love to hear what you think of this one.