Landing page optimization, or conversion rate optimization or CRO as it is sometimes known, is an integral part of internet marketing, and more specifically search engine optimization. Essentially, it is the practice of testing variations of a webpage or variations of elements on a section of a webpage in order to see which combination generates the most conversions.
Due to the ever-changing nature of the searchable web ecosystem, and the constantly evolving trends in user behaviour, landing page optimization is a process that is fundamentally bespoke for each different project an SEO will undertake. A landing page that achieves high levels of optimization for one website will not necessarily translate to success for another website, no matter if the businesses offer a similar service. For agencies offering a range of SEO services, this means that unique testing is constantly required in order to tweak the minutiae of the web page layout to generate the highest number of conversions. It can be quite a complicated process, so here is a bit of background information on conversion rate optimization.
A/B Testing
One form of landing page optimization is known as A/B testing. This is the practice of creating multiple versions of a page, then splitting the traffic between the pages and monitoring user behaviour on each one to determine which will be the most successful. Perhaps the most complex part of the process is splitting the traffic between the two web pages, fortunately, there is software out there designed to ease this procedure, including the Google Website Optimizer tool. It is imperative that sufficient data is collected, as this will obviously be beneficial in making the most informed decisions about the changes to make to the landing page.
The variations you might experiment with when conducting A/B Testing include page copy, headings, subheadings and perhaps most importantly page layout. This can range from testing the location of a link on a page to the placement of an advert. A user may find that an advert distracts them from completing the conversion; they will generally not hesitate to leave the page. Subtle changes such as moving an advert from one side of the page to the other can potentially make the difference between a successful conversion and a lost customer. In essence, A/B Testing can achieve faster results than Multivariate testing and it requires less JavaScript coding. However, as it is testing combinations of a page as opposed to the elements on that page, then the resulting data may lack specificity.
Multivariate Testing
Multivariate testing has the same principles as A/B Testing, but the testing is conducted on variations of elements within a single webpage, so obviously, there is no need to create separate URLs and split the traffic between them. To implement this form of testing, several variations of each element are created (such as images, headlines, buttons etc.). When a visitor arrives at your site they will be shown a combination of the different elements and this will be recorded using cookies to ensure when they return they are shown the same page version.
Multivariate testing is designed to help the website owner analyse specific elements of a page, therefore the data harvested by the testing will allow them to determine specifically which on-page elements are working well. Also, no redirects are required because the variations occur on a singular URL, and this also minimises the potential for issues relating to duplicate content occurring.
Testing is part of SEO
Website testing and landing page optimization is a valuable part of SEO. These tests need to be conducted in order to deliver the highest levels of conversions, be it signing up for a newsletter or purchasing a product. There are occasionally myths perpetuated by the SEO community that websites conducting tests are getting penalised for producing duplicate content, or even content cloaking. While I intend to delve further into these perpetuated SEO myths in a separate blog, I shall just make it clear that the search engines are now advanced enough to differentiate between testing and cloaking. Keep an eye on the blog for upcoming posts detailing the finer points of each form of landing page optimization testing.
As one of the best SEO agencies in London, we actively conduct testing every day, so if you have any queries about the necessary processes or practices, just leave a comment and we’ll get back to you.