How One Word Or Even One Letter Can Boost Conversion Rates By Over 400%!

Recently I was reviewing the keyword specific conversion rate data of a consulting client of mine. I have been working with this client for a few months now, helping her improve the sales conversion rate of her website and we have had very good results, taking average conversion rates at her site from below 1% to just over 4.3%.

(Your sales conversion rate is simply the number of unique visitors your site receives vs. the number of sales you make. If you have 3 sales for every 100 visits your conversion rate is 3%.)

Now, one of the keys to improving conversion rates is to continually test and measure every detail of your website, marketing and traffic. While reviewing the data from one of her Google Adwords campaigns I stumbled across a few hard to explain results that perfectly illustrate the very large effect small differences can have on conversion rates.

The keyword "piano lessons" had a conversion rate over the last 30 days of 5.09%. The keyword "piano lesson" had a conversion rate of only 1.64%. Both of these keywords had the exact same Adwords title and description, the same average position in the search results and the exact same landing page on my clients website. The only variable is one letter in the keyword? an "s". Lesson vs. Lessons. That's it! Yet the plural version of the keyword (piano lessons) out sold the singular version (piano lesson) by over 300%!

Another key phrase that had an even larger variation was "how to play the piano" vs. "how to play a piano". Common sense would say that these two phrases would convert almost identically? Wrong.

Again, with identical titles, descriptions and landing pages, "How to play the piano" converted at 5.92%, while "How to play a piano" only converted at 1.42%. That is a whopping 417% difference between "a" and "the"!

Short-term variations and fluctuations in the conversion rates of individual keywords or landing pages are common. However, the data on both of these keyword pairs was measured over a full 30 days and several thousand clicks for each keyword. I don't have any easy answers why adding an "s" to a key phrase or changing an "a" to "the" caused such a difference in conversion rates.

Sure, you can guess at it and draw a few conclusions such as "plural keywords convert better than singular keywords" or "using 'the' in a key phrase is more specific and targeted than using 'a'". However, these conclusions are just guesses. The only real conclusion you can draw from this case study is that you have to test EVERYTHING!

If one word or one letter can have that big of an impact in an Adwords campaign, then a similar change in your main headline or guarantee can have an equally significant impact.

The lesson here is to test, test, test. What should you test?

  • Test headlines.

  • Test guarantees.

  • Test bonuses.

  • Test colors.

  • Test sub-headlines.

  • Test your copy.

  • Test different prices.

  • Test layouts.

  • Test autoresponder messages.

  • Test your USP (Unique Selling Proposition.)

  • Test ads.

  • Test keywords.

  • Test policies.

  • Test images and graphic design.

  • Test deadlines.

  • Test navigation.

  • Test your checkout process.

  • Test font sizes.

  • Test payment options.

  • Test EVERYTHING!

Now, when you are testing a change, only test one item at a time. This part is critical. Testing only one change will help keep your results as accurate as possible. If you change 4 items at once and see a 1% boost in conversion rate, it is possible 3 items are helping and 1 is hurting, so your conversion rate boost would have been greater with just the 3 changes.

The bottom line is this?

If you really want to take your website's sales conversion rate to the next level, you must absolutely commit to a focused and long-term campaign of testing and optimizing every aspect of your site. You never know when a small change is going to give you huge results!

Copyright 2004 Eric Graham

Want to improve your conversion rates? Eric Graham is the CEO of several successful online companies. A top authority on eCommerce & Internet Marketing, he's an in-demand speaker & consultant. Visit http://www.web-site-evaluations.com today for an in-depth evaluation to boost YOUR websites conversion rate!

About The Author

Eric Graham is the CEO of several successful online companies. A top authority on eCommerce & Internet Marketing, he's an in-demand speaker & consultant. Visit http://www.web-site-evaluations.com for a FREE subscription to his eCommerce Mastery newsletter.

Wood Dale Chicago prom limo .. Lockport Chicago limo O’Hare
In The News:

Fueled by artificial intelligence, CyberDog the robotic dog is designed specifically locate fire ant nests, which are endangering ecosystems.
Stay up to date on the latest AI technology advancements and learn about the challenges and opportunities AI presents
Internet browsers are useful, but they can be dangerous. Clicking on malicious links can direct you to dangerous websites that steal information or infect your device.
Apple's latest iOS update introduces advanced artificial intelligence capabilities, which may be capturing and analyzing sensitive information.
Breach site confirmed 56,904,909 Hot Topic users' data leaked online. Tech expert Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson says the company's silence makes matters even worse.
Tech expert Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson discusses how an innovative Easy-Way kit turns standard strollers electric, simplifying navigation for parents.
Tech expert Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson talks about T-Mobile being hacked in broad cyberattack on global phone and internet companies.
Tech expert Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson shows you how to add, customize and manage widgets for quick access to apps and info from your iPhone home screen.
Wrong Google searches can not only compromise your device and personal data. They can also bring law enforcement to your doorstep. Hackers are targeting Google searches.
China's Shanghai Kepler Robotics has developed a new humanoid robot that can carry up to 35 pounds per hand for commercial applications across various industries
Checking your hearing has gotten easier with the new hearing test feature in AirPods Pro 2. You can take reliable hearing tests using your iPhone or iPad.
Stay up to date on the latest AI technology advancements and learn about the challenges and opportunities AI presents now and for the future.
Kurt "CyberGuy" Knutsson explains how a VPN — virtual private network — works and how running it can slow down the operation of your device.
The WalkON Suit F1, an exoskeleton developed to help people with disabilities, can actually walk over to a person in a wheelchair, solving a major problem.
ClickFix, a new scam targeting computer users, is on the rise in the U.S. The scam prompts its targets to click on a link to fix a problem.
Skydweller is the world's largest unmanned solar-powered aircraft that can stay airborne for weeks, and even months, without refueling.
The U.S. government said it is investigating after People's Republic of China hackers targeted commercial telecommunications service providers in the U.S.
Stay up to date on the latest AI technology advancements and learn about the challenges and opportunities AI presents now and for the future.
Scammers are using increasingly sophisticated ways to lure unsuspecting victims, and some are impersonating an email help desk or support team.
You can unsend or edit your iMessages with the latest iOS updates. Kurt the CyberGuy explains how you can save yourself some potential embarrassment.
Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson says there’s been a rise in cybercriminal services using hacked police and government emails to send subpoenas and data requests to U.S. companies.
Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson discusses how Axiom Space and luxury designer Prada are collaborating on NASA's Artemis III spacesuit design.
Voice assistants may cause confusion across devices. Tech expert Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson offers some solutions to fix it.
Shameless scammers trick veterans into giving personal info or cash. Tech expert Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson explores five common scams.

7 Golden Rules For Building Mini Sites

First, an eye opener. Making your fortune through affiliate programs... Read More

Better Web Site ROI: Efficient Online Business with SEO, PPC, Split Testing, and Forums

If you're looking for better web site ROI, chances are,... Read More

Top 5 Reasons to Track Your Website Traffic

#5 User Satisfaction: Learn what your visitors and site users... Read More

You Don?t Have to be Amazon.com to Achieve 12% Conversion Rates!

That's right. According to a recent study by Nielsen/NetRatings, Amazon.com... Read More

How to Handle Web Surfers Who Disabled JavaScript

There are hundreds of millions of Web surfers today. Each... Read More

Tips for Building a Great Business Website

A website is lifeline of internet home business. In order... Read More

Having a Domain Name And Web Site Gives Your Business The Key To The Door

Just like all things in life, the ways to run... Read More

Web Content Strategy 101

Your content is what gets you in search engines, speaks... Read More

Successful Commercial Sites

Do you make your website just to entertain yourself or... Read More

Website Success is Key

The popular search engine Google indexes over 8 billion websites.... Read More

Functions and Subroutines in ASP

Functions and Subroutines in ASP If you read... Read More

You Cant Just Build A Website And Hope It Works!

Like any area of business your website needs some effort... Read More

Duplication vs. Individualism

How can we add Word Rich Content to our Websites... Read More

Successful Web Development: 10 Key Elements

There are many elements that are key to successful web... Read More

Let Marketing Manage Your Website Content

The definition of the phrase "Content Management" depends on what... Read More

In Business? 10 Reasons Why You Need a Website -- Now!

1) Word of Mouth The single most powerful form of... Read More

Non-Profits: Successful Online Strategies

More and more non-profit organizations are developing websites to help... Read More

HTML Editors - How to Choose the Right One for Building Your Websites

There are lots of HTML editors on the market, however,... Read More

Email Addresses in Web Pages

You want to give your site's visitors a way to... Read More

Search Engines and Customers Want Focused Web Site Content

How do you decide on the content, products and or... Read More

Beware the Software Siren

I've heard several prominent web marketers mention in their classes... Read More

Ten Quick Tests To Check Your Website For Accessibility

The Disability Discrimination Act says that websites must be made... Read More

The Number 1 Reason Most Websites Fail

Failure, just like success, is measured differently by each and... Read More

Traffic for Webmasters

"If you build it, they will come"; is an age... Read More

Internet Marketing Website Promotion -The 7 Biggest Mistakes I See People Make With Websites!

1. Many people are not getting good or complete advice.... Read More

Antigo wedding limo ..