This is the second post in a 3 part CRO guide series.
Strategy vs. Tactics
Today thanks to responsive design & data generated by large user bases, design best practices are built-in to the templated architecture of your eCommerce site. You benefit from cutting edge knowledge by-default. You are in a much better position than someone only 10 years ago attempting to do it all from scratch.
Unfortunately, all this data can also add to the noise & provide tempation to divert from your strategic course.
There are thousands of apps & add-ons, features & widgets all promising claims of conversion increases. The Bells & Whistles. Plus the blogs touting conversion hacks, & of course the gurus & their screenshots…
These are all tactics, not strategy. Individually they may benefit, but cumulatively they distract & clutter. Every element on the page competes for your user's attention.
Direction vs. Distraction:
A simple Call-to-Action is much more effective than one surrounded by every latest add-on or trendy piece of expert advice all enticing you to click. The poor users simply don’t know where to look:
There will inevitably be exceptions & your site may be one of them, but it is in your best interest to start strategically from a place of implemented best practices then test tactics individually & adjust from there.
Remember the adage about the man who needs a hole, not a shovel? This exercise is about employing best practices strategically to focus on the hole, later on, we can turn our focus to tactical shovels.
Many design ‘rules’ or expert advice is phrased as such:
Red = Bad/Error text, Green = Good/Purchase
Sans serif fonts are better than serif fonts on websites.
Emojis work on buttons.
Adding urgency raises conversion.
This advice is well-intentioned but misguided. It has focused on tactics, not strategy.
Individual colours are not the issue, clarity & contrast are. Individual fonts do not matter, legibility does. Urgency can raise conversion if added in the appropriate place in the right user’s journey, but if misplaced it can distract & deter.
Remember part 1: we have only three questions to answer. Let's cover the basics before considering possible additions. While looking at your site, we will be strategic before we are tactical.