How WriteWork.com Boosted Engagement 110% in Less Than 6 Months

A few weeks ago, Jens Schriver, a long-time Concept Feedback member and co-founder of the online marketing agency, ClickLab, approached me with exciting news -- he had lifted engagement on his website, WriteWork.com, by over 100%, and increased the number of people ending up on the payment page by 150%. Here's how he did it, and how you can do it too.

1. Gather Feedback on The Original Landing Page

After identifying the problem (high bounce rates and low conversion rates), ClickLab posted the original homepage for WriteWork.com on Concept Feedback and UserTesting.com. They did this before starting on a new spec, wireframe or design (also read Why Everyone Has The Feedback Process Backwards). This process helped them identify the main issues with the page, primarily messaging and poor use of space. They also discovered that they had too much info below the fold, the header was too large and their average user (students) was using a small-screened device, like a netbook.

2. Summarize Feedback and Create a Wireframe

ClickLab consolidated the advice from Concept Feedback, UserTesting and hundreds of user surveys, and started creating a specification for a radical redesign. Using Balsamiq, they developed a wireframe from the spec, which they refined using Five Second Test. Once they were satisfied with the wireframe, they again posted it to Concept Feedback. Leveraging the power of the crowd, ClickLab was able to get advice from multiple people, each approaching the project from a unique perspective.

According to ClickLab, "...we made a mistake here by working too long on the wireframe. We should have posted one of the first iterations, because the longer you work on a design, the more you invest yourself in it."

3. Design a Mockup and Test

Again, ClickLab consolidated the feedback in to a list and cleaned up the wireframe based on the feedback they received. From the wireframe, they created a design mockup, which they put through a number of simple usability tests. Once the design was polished, they once again posted it to Concept Feedback, where they received more nuanced feedback regarding colors and alignment.

Once the mockup was complete and coded, ClickLab started an extensive split testing campaign using Visual Website Optimizer (also see Using Split Testing to Validate Website Feedback). From running tests against the original version, they were able to track bounce rates and quantify the results with 99% statistical significance.

In less than 6 months, ClickLab was able to double engagement rates and increase revenue on WriteWork.com. According to Jens, the best piece of advice he can give is, "get feedback very early...you can save so much time by getting on the right track straight from the beginning."

If you have a conversion rate success story, process or technique you'd like to share, please let us know in the comments!