From the SMX West Conference in San Jose, California, March 21-23, 2017. SESSION: Conversion Rates & The Law of Diminishing Astonishment. PRESENTATION: Principles of Optimization and Growth - Given by Jeremy Epperson, @Jeremy3Q_CRO - 3Q Digital, Director of Conversion Optimization. #SMX #21C

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How to Scale Your Conversion Rate Optimization
Principles of
Optimization and
Growth

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How to Scale Your Conversion Rate Optimization
Principles of
Optimization and
Growth

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1. You have already captured the “low hanging fruit”
2. You built some momentum with testing based on your wins
3. You are looking to take it to the next level
Where do you stand today?

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The 6 Principles of Optimization and Growth
Growth
1. Strategic
Business
Alignment
2. Culture of
Optimization
3. Customer
Focused
Approach
4. Data
Driven
Research
5. Scientific
Testing
Process
6. High
Velocity
Testing
You must master all these
principles to maximize your
growth potential

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Company A Company B
Embraced the 6 principles of optimization
and worked for continual improvement:
• 57 Tests in first year of CRO
• Took a data driven, customer focused
approach
• RESULT: 112% Growth in Revenue
A Tale of Two Companies
Struggled with alignment, silos, and failure
to implement:
• 4 Tests in first year of CRO
• Used opinions and stalled due to
disagreements and perfectionism
• RESULT: Filed for Bankruptcy

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1. Improve your inputs to testing with a structured process for
research
2. Use iterative testing to transform “losses” into lifts in conversion
3. Accelerate your testing velocity
What are the most actionable ways to scale?

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Data Driven Research Methodology

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Data Driven Research Methodology
Step 1: Heuristic Analysis
Find initial high level issues to guide research
Step 2: Quantitative Research
Use analytics to pinpoint segments and behaviors
Step 3: Qualitative Research
Understand motivation and ”why” of the UX
Step 4: Hypothesis Development
Create data driven hypotheses for prioritizing
Qualitative
Quantitative
Attitudinal
Behavioral
Motivation Profiles
A/B Testing
Session Recordings
Cross Device
Exit Intent Polls
User Path/Fallout
Analysis
Interviews
Remote Unmoderated
Usability
Form Analytics
Card Sorting/Tree Testing
Intercept
Polls/Surveys
Heat Maps
Moderated Usability
True Intent Study
Email Surveys
Peer Review
Sessions

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1. Put the tools in place to quickly and easily capture data that can
be turned into hypotheses
2. Focus on moving fast, NOT being a perfectionist
3. Crowdsource your data points and insights from across the
company
Tips to scale your research process

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Scientific Testing Process

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A common mistake is giving up on your hypothesis or changing
focus before you get to the big wins:
“You can have an accurate data point and the proper hypothesis,
but still be slightly off on the implementation”
The Power of Iterative Testing

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Test Strategy Test Results
Iteration 1: Reduced confusion with
process level copy to clarify messaging
Iteration 2: Localized experience to
remove confusion about offices
Iteration 3: Removed all content
distractions for a “stripped down
version”
Iterative Testing Case Study
Results: 18.2% drop in conversions
Results: 4.5% drop in conversions
Results: 38% increase in conversions

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High Velocity Testing

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1. Focus on Minimum Viable Product (MVP)
2. Remove ALL wasted effort, time, and resources from the process
3. Outcomes Focus: Results vs. Research Insights
4. Prioritization Framework and Roadmap Management
The Keys to High Velocity Testing

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Voice of Customer Data Actionable Insights
Case Study: Research
The value proposition and messaging did
not align with user motivation:
• Misunderstanding about free
subscription
• No messaging about trial period
• Lack of perceived value about video
content
We captured exit intent polling data to
pinpoint why users were abandoning
without converting.

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Test Strategy New Variation
Focused on minimum viable product (MVP)
to test the hypothesis based on research:
• Changed headline to highlight “free” to
alleviate subscription anxiety
• Included “30 days” trial terms to reduce
confusion
• Displayed popular documentaries above
the fold to display content instead of
describing it
Case Study: Implementation

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Case Study: Results
Control WinningVariation +31%
Lift

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Analytics Data Actionable Insights
Case Study: Research
High drop off rate of users that click
through to one specific page:
• Users were getting lost in the site
architecture
• Too many options were overwhelming
users
• No clear path to conversion

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Test Strategy
• Remove page leaks that pull users away
from the conversion path
• Remove usability issues causing
distraction from converting
Case Study: Implementation

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Hypothesis Results
If we remove the page leaks and
distractions that pull users away from the
conversion path, then we could reduce
abandonment.
Case Study: Results
Increased download
conversions by 42%
+42%
Lift

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Free Whitepaper on 6 Principles of
Optimization
https://3QDigital.com/jeremysmx/

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THANK YOU!
SEE YOU AT THE NEXT #SMX