When building a website, the idea is to create something that meets the needs of your customers. When you better serve your customers, you better serve your business. Testing let’s you listen to what they have to say. Over the final month of 2010, we will be looking at the importance of testing your site and tracking your results.
The success or failure of a website often boils down to conversion rates; that is, how many people complete the desired action you have for them once they arrive at your site. No matter how good you think your web design or web copy is, you won’t be certain if what you have is truly your highest converting option until you do an experiment, a process which involves testing, measuring, and optimizing.
When you test, you are comparing elements on your site, such as colors, images and links to name a few, to see which variation works best in terms of persuading your users to perform the action you want them to take. The sky is the limit in terms of what you can test and even the smallest tweaks in design or language can have dramatic effects on conversion rates. Measuring the results gives you a chance to see what visitors do when they get to your site. By monitoring user behavior, you can identify problem areas, which can then help to guide future testing. Once you get the results back, it’s time to optimize your site and improve your conversion rate.