Are Internet users becoming indifferent to testimonials? Is “testimonial blindness” becoming the new “banner blindness”?

Skepticism toward this marketing tactic, combined with the spread of Web 2.0 style user ratings, has raised the bar for marketers. As testimonials and other credibility indicators become increasingly prevalent on Web pages, marketers need to know how to use them most effectively to help increase conversions.

In our July 9 clinic on this topic, we looked at tests that showed how testimonials can help — and sometimes hurt — results and examined strategies for making credibility indicators more powerful.

Editor’s Note: As we mentioned in the clinic, the following multivariate tests also included changes to other page elements. Our goal in sharing this research was to show that credibility indicators play a significant role in conversions — both positive and negative — based on the context in which they are applied. These tests did not isolate the specific impact of testimonials; however, the results make a strong case for additional testing and support the best practices we have identified in past experiments, as outlined in more detail below.

Our June 25 Web Clinic looked beyond our various formulas and heuristics and focused on one vital principle: clarity trumps persuasion.

While we used case studies from three subscription sites to illustrate this deceptively simple principle, the truth is it applies equally to any type of website, email, or other marketing communication channels.

This brief examines the results of those three tests and explores how applying clarity to your site pages can increase conversion and revenue.

Editor’s Note: The clinic also featured a live optimization session. Pages were submitted in advance for a critical analysis conducted by MarketingExperiments Director, Dr. Flint McGlaughlin; Director of Optimization Research, Jimmy Ellis; and Director of Channels Research, Aaron Rosenthal.

Whether your market is B-to-B, B-to-C, or both, testing and optimizing even a few key aspects of your landing pages can provide major gains for your lead-gen efforts.

The principles of the MarketingExperiments Conversion Sequence serve as a guide to optimizing your pages and your sales or lead-gen process to improve conversion and ROI.

This Brief examines three tests we conducted with our research partner to demonstrate how you can use Incentives and Friction to generate more leads.

Research has shown a massive difference in conversion and return on investment between companies that test their online communications and those who don’t; so why doesn’t every online business have a regular testing program?

The fact is that many marketers are confused about where to begin, and how. Some that do test don’t do it often enough, or are not sure how to interpret the results.

With so many potential areas to test, including landing pages, pay-per-click ads, and emails, marketers need to know:

• Which tests provide the biggest potential return on investment,
• How to structure tests for consistency and accuracy, and
• How to continue improving test results and duplicate success.

We’ve developed a solid framework for basic online testing that’s enabled us to help many partners realize significant gains in conversion and revenue.

We hope this overview of the process helps marketers who have not yet implemented a formal program as well as those looking for such a framework to guide and improve their efforts.

For extensive training and professional certification in the fundamentals of online testing, we recommend interested marketers consider our Fundamentals of Online Testing course.

1. Hunters. They already know what they want and are looking for the quickest, easiest, and safest way to get it and go.
2. Browsers. They may have ideas about a purchase but need more convincing, or they’re simply “window shopping.”

The problem most online retail sites face today? Their homepages have been developed without a clear understanding of the motivations and sequences of thought in the minds of these visitors.

During our May 7, 2008, web clinic, our expert optimization team looked at homepages and Value Propositions from five eCommerce sites and made recommendations to improve those sites’ ability to stop, engage, and effectively communicate with both Hunters and Browsers.

Today, ROI is everything – especially in a slumping economy. Are your current metrics giving you the full story?

Probably not.

MarketingExperiments estimates that up to 75% of the data Web marketers collect are either misleading or inaccurate. And expertise with Web analytics is rare, according to our recent poll.

Most marketers remain uncertain about what to measure, whether the results are reliable, and what steps to take based on their data.

This brief covers the key steps to determining your essential metrics, with four critical elements to keep in mind. We’ve also provided a tool you can use right away to improve your marketing ROI.