Why 37signals is winning! – Conversion Optimization

I’ve spent the last two years studying how people react on various websites depending on the content or the task that the business owner wants the visitors to complete. I’ve also read countless case studies done by major organizations to improve conversion rate numbers. I’ll share my thoughts with you below.  

Copy

  The basic information architecture layout of a website is supposed to make the life of the user easier. They’re supposed to find what they want quickly and get convinced that your product is hands down “the best for what I want”.   Assuming you don’t want to change the design (which is a huge factor with conversion numbers), you need to consider changing how your copy is presented. Like I’ve mentioned before, people scan when they are browsing.

“Eye tracking visualizations show that users often read Web pages in an F-shaped pattern: two horizontal stripes followed by a vertical stripe.” - Jakob Nielson

  They might miss important information if you have blobs of text that is hard to read. And please be aware of the color you are using to present your content. If I can’t read it, I’m not going to waste my time on your website.   On the homepage you might want to consider this layout:

• 1.       Headline
• 2.       Value preposition
• 3.       Benefit list
• 4.       And call to action

  Let’s take a look at http://37signals.com/ and you’ll see that the headline is “Making collaboration productive and enjoyable for people everyday”, which is a perfect headline that includes what the company and mission is about.   The value preposition is “Frustration-free web based apps for collaboration, sharing information, and making decisions

  They have a clear call to action(s) as you hover over the 3 web based apps. And each one has a different headline and value preposition to fully capture the appropriate audience   Here’s the headline and value preposition when you hover over Campfire. (with an arrow so users know which app they are hovering over – another plus)  

    The key facts to take to away from this is that a headline for a website can make or break what you want your website to accomplish. It is crucial for your business to have a clear headline and also a unique value preposition.  

Benefit List

  37signals does a great job presenting the benefits of using their products. They do not just talk about features. Features really only is talking about you as a company – it’s a checklist of what you have to offer. What users want to know is what’s in it for them.       Again, 37signals does a great job of showing the user what the benefits of using their services and apps will be. They use words like; useful, easy, no hidden fees or secret prices, basic. These words will be reassuring to all users in letting them know they won’t be wasting their time figuring out how to use the products.  

Call-to-action

  Your call to action should purposely connect to your goal, and reinforced by all aspects of your page, from your headline to your copy and everything else in between, this call-to-action will be your end goal for the user.

  In the case of 37Signals each apps call-to-action is “Find out more”. In this situation this CTA is sufficient enough to let the user know what exactly they will be getting once they click on the button – each button leads the user to the respective site of each app where they can get further detailed information about the product.   Take into consideration that this might for 37Signals but it might not work for you. You might have to be more detailed with your CTA, which all depends on the product or service you are selling.   Don’t be afraid to test your CTA’s. Testing over and over will give you in-depth knowledge of what works best for your product.  

Here’s a list again of what you need to have on a page to increase your conversions.

• Headline
• Add a sub headline as your value preposition
• Create a benefit list of why you’re better than the next website
• Clear call to action telling people exactly what they will be getting after they click           on the button
• Format the text so that is easy to read and easy to scan

  Don’t let your visitors search around the website for the above information. The user should not search for why you’re better!  You’ve lost them if they have to spend time doing your job.

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