Home and Garden Ecommerce Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO) and SEO Case Study
Key Performance Indicator (KPI):
Completed quote requests
Traffic Sources:
All traffic, including organic SEO, paid, direct, referral, social, or display on mobile, desktop, or tablet devices
Difference between versions:
Original Version — 3-Step Process
Cumbersome 3-step process in which the user had to:
1. Click to request a quote
2. Finalize the request
3. Send the request
Updated Version — 2-Step Process
Simplified 2-step process. User only has to:
1. Click to get a quote
Once in the product description page, a lightbox automatically appears after 2 seconds, displaying the quote form
2. Send the request
Background:
OnPoint Internet Marketing is a top-rated Sacramento digital marketing company. We conducted this “simplified step” study for our client, Poor Man’s Bronze, a unique metal statue and garden art supplier.
After optimizing our client’s search rankings, we noticed a distributing trend: nearly 10% of qualified leads coming to the site were dropping off at the quote request checkout — and not completing a quote form.
Goal:
Since quotes are a critical lead generation, and sales strategy, for Poor Man’s Bronze, our goal was to help them increase completed quote requests.
Hypothesis:
Applying the same analytical abilities we use to optimize search engine rankings, we hypothesized that if we could shorten the quote request process — by reducing the number of steps it took to fill out the quote form — we could lower abandonment rates and increase completed forms.
Set-up & Implementation:
To reduce the number of steps in completing a quote request, our solution was to create a “lightbox,” or pop-up that appeared automatically, after 2 seconds, when the user clicked into the “shop” page, to learn more about a product.
Adding the lightbox effectively automated the secondary step of needing to “Click Here to Finalize Your Quote Request.”
By eliminating an extra, cumbersome and confusing click, users can now simply fill-out and send their quote request. (As shown here:)
Test Details:
We added the lightbox effect to Poor Man’s Bronze website on June 9th and monitored the impact of it for one month, from June-July 9th, 2017.
To assess its effect, we compared Google Analytics session rate and completed quote request conversion data for a one-month period, prior to implementation (March-April 9), against the one-month period after implementation (June-July 9.)
Results:
Our results were revealing. Completed quote requests increased an incredible 247%!
We achieved a strong triple-digit gain — simply by eliminating one step in the quote request process.
Conversions by Traffic Source
Extensive Google Analytics data analysis proved that implementing the lightbox has had an overwhelmingly positive impact on sessions and conversions, across all traffic sources.
Breakdown of completed quote request conversion data, by traffic source:
Conversions by Device Type
Completed quote requests have also increased markedly, across all device types, indicating adding the lightbox has had a strongly beneficial impact, for all visitors, on all devices.
Breakdown of completed quote request conversion data, by device type:
AdWords Campaign Conversions
Additionally, our AdWords campaigns have performed extraordinarily more effectively over the most recent period – increasing +1,025% – indicating our current campaigns are working very well with the updated lightbox effect.
Breakdown of completed quote request conversion data, by AdWords Campaign:
Overall, this data indicates the lightbox effect has had an incredibly positive impact on quote request conversions, across the board.
Analysis & Conclusions:
The results of this case study show that the best converting path is the one that’s shortest and simplest for the user.
Any unnecessary, extra steps in the lead gen process can create confusion, cause hesitation, or can be perceived as extra work by your users.
In the words of renowned web usability expert, Steve Krug, don’t make your users think! Remove unnecessary steps in the process.
That means to increase leads, make your form fill process as quick and easy as possible.
As you can see, simply reducing one step in your lead generation process can result in outstanding triple-digit returns!
