The client, a leading higher education institution offering business courses to online students across South Africa, faced the significant challenge of declining website conversion rates. As their primary source of lead generation was digital marketing, it was crucial for them to improve conversion rates to unlock better growth and reduce wasted advertising expenditure. They approached us with the task of optimizing their website’s conversion rate and maximizing the effectiveness of their marketing efforts.
Our objective was clear: to significantly enhance the client’s website conversion rate, enabling them to achieve better returns on their digital marketing investments and drive substantial business growth.
Strategy/Approach
To accomplish our objective, we adopted a systematic approach, breaking the project down into several stages:
- Data Analysis – Research and data gathering
- User Experience (UX) Optimization – Improving overall design, navigation, and usability
- Content Optimization – Reviewing and improving the website’s content
- Landing Page Optimization – Focusing on specific landing pages that are critical for conversions
- Testing and Experimentation – Conducting A/B testing and other experiments to compare different variations of elements
- Verification – Making sure our results are statistically significant
This systematic approach allowed us to prioritize the most critical challenges and make significant improvements that yielded noticeable results quickly. We understood the urgency of reducing wastage and focused on a targeted approach to enhancing conversion rates.
Implementation
Data Analysis:
Through extensive analysis, we identified that the product landing pages were performing poorly, despite receiving a significant portion of paid and organic traffic. Recognizing the critical role of product content and pages in driving conversions, we prioritized optimizing this specific area of the website.
User Experience (UX) Optimization:
The website’s overall design and functionality were outdated, leading to a cumbersome user experience. To address this, we proposed a refreshed design, simplified menus, and structural improvements aligned with SEO best practices. Our goal was to enhance usability and ensure a seamless user journey.
Content Optimization:
Working closely with product/course managers, we optimized the product page content by leveraging key information, target market insights, and various conversion rate optimization techniques. This included incorporating testimonials, student survey results, emphasizing end-user benefits, showcasing pricing prominently, and presenting information in a more logical order.
Landing Page Optimization:
We redesigned the product landing pages, applying user heuristics to enhance understanding and user-friendliness. Our focus was on highlighting the value proposition, making pricing transparent, employing clean and simple designs, incorporating bright colors and whitespace for excitement, and ensuring full responsiveness. We also introduced sticky elements to facilitate easy navigation within information-rich sections and improved product images and descriptions. Additionally, we collaborated with the paid media agency to optimize their product ads for an enhanced overall user experience and conversion rate.
Testing and Experimentation:
Initially, the identified landing pages had an average conversion rate of 3.76%. After implementing the first set of optimizations, the conversion rate increased to 5.33%. To further refine our approach, we conducted an A/B split test, modifying a single element—the position of the call-to-action buttons. The second landing page variation achieved an impressive conversion rate of 6.35%.
Results
Our goal was to achieve a product landing page average conversion rate of 6%, a 60% improvement over the initial average. With this target in mind, we evaluated the impact of conversion rate improvements on the client’s cost-per-lead (CPL) in paid media campaigns. Ultimately, the results of the project were as follows:
- Initial conversion rate: 3.76%
- Conversion rate after the first set of optimized pages launched: 5.33%
- Conversion rate after the second set of optimized pages launched: 6.35%
The entire optimization project, from start to finish, was completed within 5 months, with the initial optimizations being implemented within just 3 months.
Overall website conversion rate metrics also demonstrated significant progress:
- Average total website conversion rate at the beginning of the project: 4.6%
- Average total website conversion rate at the end of the project: 6.48%
In conclusion, our conversion rate optimization efforts successfully addressed the client’s challenge of declining website conversion rates. By adopting a systematic approach and focusing on critical areas, we achieved remarkable results within a relatively short timeframe.
The optimized landing pages experienced a significant increase in conversion rates, ultimately contributing to healthy reduction in the client’s CPL. Moreover, the overall website conversion rate improved by 41%, unlocking greater growth potential. This case study exemplifies the effectiveness of our conversion rate optimization services.
By combining data analysis, UX optimization, content enhancements, and strategic testing, we were able to deliver exceptional results for our client. Our approach not only improved their website’s performance and user experience but also maximized their digital marketing investments. We stand ready to help other businesses unlock the power of conversion rate optimization and achieve their growth objectives.