Posted in Landing Page Optimization	September 28, 2005

Learn how one publisher added simple user testimonials and increased landing page conversion rates by 23 percent.

Executive Summary

• Well-done user testimonials almost always increase landing page conversions
• Getting good user testimonials is as simple as isolating your most satisfied users and then asking them what they like about your information product
• The best user testimonials reflect and magnify the points made in your sales letter

People like to hear from other people before they buy something. Word-of-mouth continues to be one of the most popular ways to check out new products before you buy them. When you combine that fact with the immediacy of the Internet and the desire for immediate gratification, is it no wonder that well-done reader user testimonials can increase landing page conversion rates for almost any information product?

Opportunity: The B2B newsletter publisher in question said, "I don't think user testimonials are worth the trouble. Everyone knows the World Freight Letter and why they should subscribe. Most of the traffic to our landing page comes from our own ezines. These people know us."

Said another, "A landing page test is an easy test to run, and last time I checked, 97 percent of our ezine subscribers don't get the World Freight Letter. Let's give them some new reasons to give it a try."

The publisher agreed and had one of his editors call subscribers from a recent online subscriber study who had rated the newsletter "a must read." The results were culled and 17 user testimonials were selected that each illustrated some point made in the main sales letter. An example:

"I read the World Freight Letter first thing every Monday morning. A report from last week's on new China-to-USA shipping alternatives will save our firm hundreds of thousands of dollars every week, as soon as they are implemented. That's not information I'm willing to wait for. Keep up the great work."—Bart Collins, COO, DHC Freight International

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The Test: An alternative version of the landing page was designed that added a right hand column. The 17 user testimonials with full attribution ran about 75 percent of the way down the 2,500 word sales letter landing page. They were organized to be adjacent to letter points on related topics. An A/B test was run for 37 days across all traffic sources, including a dedicated promotional mailing of a short text email with links to each of the two landing pages. No other variables were changed.

Results: The landing page conversion rate increased 23 percent for the landing page with the 17 reader user testimonials. The winning test generated 202 net orders and the losing landing pages produced 156 net orders.

Lesson: User testimonials are a great way to let current customers increase sales letter landing page conversion rates.

Other Resources

• KudosWorks: Mastering, Getting And Using User Testimonials
• Conversion Chronicles: The Power Of Social Proof
• The Ink Tree Report: USER TESTIMONIALS AND ENDORSEMENTS—Why You Need Them and How to Write Them

Note: As always, the details of the case have been modified to protect the identity of the publisher and the program.