Website Redesign Pulls in More Sales?

In an earlier blog post, I talked about the fact that lately I’ve been leaning a lot more towards testing the reduction in bottlenecks.

Some of the results are staggering!

In short, the more I increase the sense of security and trust, better the flow and ease of ordering, and project a more congruent and professional image, the more sales I make.

Since that post, some readers have asked me for some examples. I prefer not to reveal mine as they are proprietary. But I can say this…

One of the things that I’m starting to really like are ecommerce sites that are less “salesletterish” — i.e., less long-​​scrolling copy in a direct-​​mail format, and more clustered layouts that are reader-​​focused, commerce-​​centric, and action-​​driven.

They still use compelling copy and a solid response mechanism. If the user needs more details, a “more info” link then sends them to a typical, long copy salesletter. But these sites’ front-​​end are more action-​​oriented than they are scrolling-​​oriented.

I’ve decided to test this with our main website at Success Chef. I still use long copy. But I’ve converted the front-​​end into an ecommerce, multi-​​product, catalog-​​like format.

And the results are in…

Before I reveal them, let me explain something. I’ve been predicting the rise of such sites since The Death of The Salesletter years ago. My argument was and still is that the Internet is different. Different than TV, radio, and of course, direct mail.

When TV was first invented, we didn’t put direct-​​mail salesletters on TV, forcing our eyes to squint to read direct-​​mail letters line-​​by-​​line. It would be foolish to do so. So instead, we put commercials and particularly infomercials on them. Why? Because we can.

Well, it’s ditto with the Internet.

When the Internet first began, it was easy to put up salesletters online. The Internet was unlike TV. Text browsers with limited graphics were the norm. The web was regarded as an electronic version of the typical, direct-​​response salesletters we get in the mail.

But Web 2.0, multimedia, and social media have changed that, as they should.

The Internet is fast, dynamic, interactive, and multisensorial. Sure, we can and should use long salesletters, as this format is more appropriate in some cases. Sometimes, multimedia is better. Other times, long-​​scrolling text is better. But the difference is…

… The web is changing the way we find, digest, and act upon sales messages.

Case in point. The other day, a reader pointed me to an amazing weightloss website. I immediately fell in love with it! It’s fresh, clean, pithy, and very action-​​focused. But while the design may be enticing, the question is, does this sucker sell?

Apparently, according to my stats and a little digging, it does.

More and more WordPress themes, for example, are coming out that have this product showcase feature above the fold, with a more browse-​​and-​​buy look and feel. Take for example, this new theme from WooThemes​.com or “Addington” from iThemes​.com.

Back to my results…

In less than a week after posting the new design and layout, without any advertising, we’ve increased our conversions by nearly 400%. Granted, it’s still too early to tell. Plus, I’m still tweaking with the design and layout. Premature, but promising nonetheless.

Now, don’t think for a moment I’m discounting the power of using long copy salesletters, or suggesting that you should dump yours. Not at all. That wasn’t my intent with the “death of” white paper, and it certainly isn’t with this blog post, either.

Keep in mind, I still have long-​​copy salesletters for each individual product on separate landing pages, which I promote individually or if the user clicks on “more info.”

But this is the front page of the main website, which I’ve converted into a multi-​​product portal instead. And with it, I’m using this pithier, bullet-​​form, browse-​​and-​​buy ecommerce format with an above-​​the-​​fold showcase to feature our flagship product.

I simply wanted to share with you some cool ideas. The key is testing, because testing allows you to discover what your market wants. Let your market tell you what’s best for them. Not me, and certainly not you. They’ll tell you with their wallets, not their words.

What do you think? I’d love your feedback. Click here to visit Success Chef University.

Sales are the best indicators, of course. But in terms or readability, comprehension, and flow, I want to know if you like the new format. Does it confuse you or appeal to you? Is there something that pushes you away or draws you in? I’m listening…

By the way, while I was typing out this blog post, my beautiful wife, Sylvie Fortin, created this quick little video using this neat text-​​to-​​video website. It’s funny as heck! Enjoy…

If you can’t see the video, click here to go straight to the website instead.