Conversions in Mobile Era - Web Forms have had their Day!

Web Form Conversions are declining. That is the news which you either experienced or heard from your online marketing staff. Business Leads doesn't come the way it used to. Most people before contacting you have surely checked your web presence on at least two devices. So, mobile targeting is something you need to focus on. Here I must clarify mobile targeting doesn't simply mean ads on mobile. Even if someone is on desktop, if you don't have something for his mobile you are missing something.

Web Tracking and Conversion Figures are partially correct

The way businesses used to happen have changed considerably. First it changed in favor of online. That is why we considered everything online trackable. It laid the foundation of analytics and conversion tracking tools. Measurable ROI became the benchmark of online investment. Things changed with proliferation of different kinds of devices accessing web more conveniently. Desktops still rules the roost among all devices and we still consider it first deciding upon the layout of a webpage. However, a large part of decision making is influenced by mobile and other handheld devices which can serve you a webpage on the fly. No matter whether travelling, running, cooking or watching TV. If suggestion comes for spending a holiday somewhere, someone in the family is quick to look into details then and there and make an influence. Same is true with in an office. People are changing devices back and forth before coming to any conclusion & major part of it are not tracked!

Google claims, it extrapolates mobile data into All Conversion column, which you must take with a pinch of salt, but dismissing it altogether may too not be a wise idea given the fact Google owns Android platform which is used by a very big percentage of mobile users. So, we may assume Google knows which PC connects with which mobile and perhaps is capable of mapping and pairing them with clusters of devices used in decision making. Perhaps! Google too insists it is good for you if you believe this data. Its a Grey area and for those who are bogged into conversion data on dashboard its a bad news. Whole thing is too fuzzy.

You rather need to analyse things in larger perspective now. Just analyze it like other advertising program where you don't track outcome directly. To judge the success of ads you must look into the impact it generated on your overall business, ignoring what dashboard figure says.

Web form vs Mobile Forms

Forms served on mobile devices should be brief, intuitive and one which requires less typing, only then you can ensure they are not ignored. Also, make it limited to 3-4 fields max.

Form fill ups are still the most important part of conversions and gives you valuable insight about your prospects.

So, pull up your socks and give your mobile website a little bit more attention, everyday.

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Good Cop Google leans left leaving Right hang out and dry

What is Left?

You do Adwords Marketing, Right way or Wrong Way. Right way is strictly following all the guidelines in letter and spirit. Google adwords was created in such a way as to reward the honesty and punish the wrong no matter how sneaky they are. It was true in the initial phases of adwords marketing. Google has broken the mold it was cast in, long back. Right Wing practitioners of adwords marketing who bought into the idea of radical honesty on internet marketing should be alarmed or be ready to get edged out by ones who are not right but fits into Google's scheme of doing the semblance of legality, hence not wrong either. Prod at Google for quality check falls flat.

Free Voucher Economy Thriving

In fact good number of agencies have made fortune out of free voucher program. A little gaming with the system allows them rake in huge profit by quoting to advertisers at the fraction of Click cost & running adwords at zero cost. Another trick employed is using $100 coupon(meant for US account only) in new account and then request to turn it into Rupee account after which about Rs7000 becomes the free credit value. Some claim Google automatically turns them into rupee account detecting Indian mobile number during SMS verification. This loophole is deliberately created to benefit to whom it is communicated. You should know Indian new accounts are eligible for Rs3000/- max. free credit Only. Google's benefit is, they help push the click cost in auction upward and make some honest advertiser pay higher. Google has altered TOS for applying these vouchers to pander to these bad boys of PPC. When I last checked Terms & Condition, I could find this poorly written document with a conspicuous grammatical mistake, promising credit in your account after "an minimum" spent. It tells on them, how much analysis has been done and how many people actually care about reading it. Clearly, Google didn't even check it back after posting.

Tech Support ads still run

Its an industry created by Google. You know Microsoft Bing pulled itself out of this murky business by categorically declaring Third Party Tech Support won't be allowed on Bing Platform. It is in black & white and talking to Bing support I felt they are in no mood to cut you some slack. In contrast, Google has no cut and dried version on this business. It continues to play fast and loose on this front. Most of its sales partners, SMB, Google authorized, blah blah.... were heavily dependent on this industry and may not like to be saddled with other kind. So, you still find some ads in this category running on Google, terms of which are not above board.

Double Serving is an art

Google in 2008, relaxed double serving rules. It has four points out of which at least two should not be breached. 1) Two websites should not be owned by same person. 2) Brands & Logo should be different. 3) Pricing difference should be more than 25%. 4) It should not lead to same customer support experience. If co. X & Y, points you to same customer support after buying then they are one and same breaching the fair use policy of ad network.

Despite all said about it. It is considered an art by many and Google turns blind eye towards them. In fact some agencies, close to Google, are considered specialist in this area. Talking to some advertisers, it was revealed, Google recommends them or rather they are "Authorized".

Abuse of Invoicing Account

Google extends direct invoicing privilege to some advertisers with good credentials fulfilling both regular account spent and legal norms. However, it has been brought to my notice that several advertisers get this privilege even if they fall short of requirement. In fact these accounts are abused to run Free PPC by many agencies who are in cahoots with some Google India Reps. Higher Threshold is set for payment which are never reached actually and so they are never billed. They also keep on creating New invoicing accounts using fictitious credentials to run Free PPC at regular interval in collaboration with Google! One guy confided some "Mr. V" is so smart and have such great inside track that every detail of click and cost is reset or wiped off after some time, looking like the account had never run in the past. Having myself seen a disapproved ad mysteriously turning into approved, I can't doubt this claim either.

It is the common observation of PPC guys around the globe, if your ads run 24x7 and you are willing to pay a decent amount to Google then Google seems more than willing to cut you some slack. They only pick on small advertisers.

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10 Surefire Tips for Landing Page Optimization to Maximize Conversion

A big part of Conversion maximization is dependent on the Landing Page. You can see great results by getting rid of elements which triggers Intimidation, and create feel which help the visitors lose Inhibition.

Following are some of the observations I have made managing Adwords Campaign that might help you optimize the landing page to make it more converting. Some of them provide result almost instantly.

1. More the Noise on the landing Page, worse is the response it generates. If your Page has Too many Bold, Caps, written in every nook and corner, it is noisy. You may check the page for noise and crumple. They all reduce conversion, because they are intimidating. Get rid of them!

2. If your Form Submit Button Color matches the skin color of the page/Box. It enhances the response manifold, because it helps visitors lose inhibition. Go and Try it!

3. If You increase the White Space (Blank Space on the Page), it enhances the conversion rate, because it makes your presentation less intimidating, You’ll feel it!  (Please note, I don’t mean simply leaving huge gaps)

4. Lighter Text and Darker Background combination is the most intimidating theme. Visitors try to avoid it as they would avoid mad dogs in a street.

5. Placing Query Form or Buttons in places which are straightforward irritating, like top of the page, reduces Good Query.  Please note, there is no thumb rule for the ideal position, the correct position is the most noticeable and  when the visitor is persuaded enough. So you need to make a balance, and create a feel where it is both noticeable and less intimidating.

6. Asking for unnecessary details intimidates Your Potential Customers, they fear you will Follow him back. Visitors get intimidated to find too many fields in the contact form. Lesser the field, better the conversion. Reduce, merge, condense the number of fields!

7. Shift the Fields related to very personal information like age, house no., mobile no., etc., which are unique to an individual’s identity to another step. Better avoid them, if necessary, hide them before collecting some important stuffs.

8. Use of less intimidating Button Texts will boost conversion.  Click, Go, Enquire, Ask, Send are better than Submit, Register… If it  generates lesser consciousness of leaving a trail, which may be used to track him back, one is more likely to go for it.

9. Use the Page background to increase the Heat near query form. Use of background bubble, sketches, and pointing graphics, helps to increase the attention towards query form and hence increase the response.

10. Increase the size of Submit Button up to the size of your Thumb, If it is more reduce it.

Please Also Read: 10 Blog Post Layout Tips, for Better Reading and Engagement!

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Failed Ad Diagnosis - Why Some Ads Fail !

Ads that do not produce conversion has Failed. It has failed to acquire attention. It has failed to acquire attention of the desired audience. There are several reasons of this failure. Some you can figure out after failing many times. Some are not so obvious and we cannot theorize on them. We can only eliminate the ads that fail and learn not to write the ads we know will fail.

My experience tells, some ads will fail even before they start running and some successful ones have common characteristics. It is through this sense that I create ads which I think will serve better than previous ones. While writing ads for Google Adwords, we all rely on this sense, which develops through experience alone. Key to develop this sense is to study the ads and just try to figure out why one is success and other is failure.

Let us talk about the ads that fail, and learn to avoid them.

Again from my experience I would share some characteristics of ads that push your conversion rate downward.

Ad aesthetics

it is an area, which is ignored due to laziness. A failed ad often has poor aesthetics. Not only image ads, Text ads too has to be written keeping this in mind. A question mark in wrong place, Exclamation and lack of punctuation at proper place adds to the poor aesthetics. Avoid it to get better results.

Message clutter

it confuses the reader. Don’t try to say too many things. Give a single clear-cut message. Best Ad is one which does not tense the mind of the reader, and invokes some involuntary action, an urge to take the next step. Avoid the clutter. If you are trying to say too many things, there is little chance audience would get attracted to any. Your buyer buys from you because you are unique to her in some way. Try to understand that and pitch accordingly.

Unjustifiable Call to action.

If you say Try it, You must give a solid reason before saying it. Present your “Try it” with a Punch. If the ad lacks that punch behind it, your call to action is useless.

Lack of scent.

A good ad conceals a hinted Wow on landing page. If it promises too much, traffic will call it a gimmick after arriving on landing page. Creating scent is an art which comes with practice and persistence. Try to drop this scent after analyzing the traffic and landing page carefully. This is not an easy craft, and you would hit the dot after many trials.

Lack of Phrases & Words from Landing Page.

You must not create an ad without going through landing page thoroughly. Users must be able to find what you are promising with ordinary diligence. If she fails to discover it soon after landing, she would call you a cheater.

Saying something which encourage rubbernecking.

Ads written with intent to create humor falls into this category. People will visit you to have fun, it won’t draw the attention of people who are serious buyer. Always try to talk about your products and services, if you say something humorous it would get the attention of wrong people.

Also See:

1. 1+9Bold Ideas for Writing Google Adwords Ad Text/Ad Copy that ...

2. User Behavior Anatomy: How You should Write your Ad Copy

3. Google Display Ad Templates Vs. Custom Uploaded Image Ad - A ...

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10 Ways to Quickly reduce the Bounce Rate on Landing Page

When bounce rate is too high, you need to reduce it as soon as possible. There are some tested methods which brings down the bounce rate without any need to scratch your head.

1. Increase the font size of text.

If it was 10, make it 11 or 12 or even 13. Higher font size surely reduces the bounce rate. You can increase them till it start looking odd. This technique works like a magic. Try it!

2. Paste a beautiful picture in the header

Paste a beautiful picture in the header.Preferably a smiling woman or a child.

3. Post with a picture

Post with a picture generally have lower bounce rate. Grab something relevant and if not possible post something beautiful.

4. Post a video on the page

A demonstration video would be great, but if you are doing a crisis management of bounce rate, choose anything from youtube.

5. Rotate a message near header

A marquee tagged message relevant to the page announcing something would serve the purpose.

6. Increase the size of tabs

Tabs with suitable size and bordering are great in increasing pageviews. Increasing the size does reduce the bounce rate.

7. Hyperlinked Picture Thumbnails Row

Arrange a row of thumbnails of pictures with caption and hyperlink to some interesting pages.

8. Use hyperlinks

Use hyperlinks as much as possible, and route them within your website. For External links be careful to force it open in a New Window.

9. Increase the length of the post

Add something more, to let the visitor feel there is still something there. It helps him to stay longer and reduce the likelihood of bounce.

10. Bullets and Numbers

Convert paragraphs into bullet-ed or numbered ones with suitable headings.

Recommended Reading

1. How to Create Custom Loading Animations to Decrease Bounce Rates

Also See:

1. 10 important things to do immediately after starting a BlogSpot blog
   
2. 10 Surefire Tips for Landing Page Optimization to Maximize Google ...
   
3. Google Display Ad Templates Vs. Custom Uploaded Image Ad - A ...

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Red Signal to Green on Landing Page

Green color produces highest level of contrast and strain in human eyes. Try to recollect objects in green light which appears smaller in size, compared to normal. This is not due to any illusion, it actually happens but within your eyeballs. Green color strains the muscle of your eyes to contract resulting in smaller size of objects which it lights up. It is this feature of green which causes the eyes to work more to better comprehend the details. However, excessive usage would cause the user to instant repulsion.

Most web sites I have seen with conversion problems are those who have actually High Contrast on their Landing page. High Contrast is unbearable to the human eyes, we have a natural tendency to avoid it. Major contributor to this High Contrast is the color which lies in the middle of Light Spectrum, the Green. Green Color has inherent quality to produce high contrast. Just try to experiment with different shades of light on a canvass. Green Produces the Highest level of contrast. it is okay to use it when you want to draw the attention to certain part of your page, Google search results shows URLs in green and its an excellent idea. Any other color, won't make the small fonts so distinctly visible and readable. However, straining users eyes without any details underneath it, like green as borders, would definitely worsen the user experience.

Recommended Reading:

1. 10 Easy Ways to Quickly reduce the Bounce Rate on Landing Page
2. 10 Surefire Tips for Landing Page Optimization to Maximize Google ...

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