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Split Testing Pro vs Generic Site

by PaulintheSticks
22 replies
The question comes up just how much should I spend on a site to give the site enough credibility so that people opt-in or call, etc. So I'm asking myself, should I pay $xx for a nice theme or just go with a freebie? I realize its going to depend on the niche and market but I'm just wondering if any of you warriors have split tested generic looking sites vs professional ones for call to action conversion (opt-in, phone call, etc) and if so, how much better did the pro site convert than the generic site? Any insight is appreciated.
#generic #pro #site #split
  • Profile picture of the author iAmNameLess
    I don't think you really understand CRO. You can't really tweak conversions if you're just using themes. How much time to spend.... I dunno, I know that many people spend hundreds and hundreds of hours into CRO. A theme isn't what you need if you want to increase conversions. A simple text size can effect it, a different color in a certain spot. You need to do some real testing.
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  • Profile picture of the author ltrain_riders
    I put myself in the customer's shoes. I try to choose a theme that looks like something I would take action on. I tend to stay away from generic looking sites that are poorly done. My rationale is, if the owner put little effort into his site then he probably has done the same with his offering. A "pro looking" site makes you look more professional and serious.
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  • Profile picture of the author PaulintheSticks
    Well I never claimed to understand CRO and I'm probably not nearly as smart as you. That's why I asked the question.

    So you just implied that a professional looking theme won't convert better than a generic, crummy looking theme. Are you serious?
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    • Profile picture of the author iAmNameLess
      Originally Posted by PaulintheSticks View Post

      Well I never claimed to understand CRO and I'm probably not nearly as smart as you. That's why I asked the question.

      So you just implied that a professional looking theme won't convert better than a generic, crummy looking theme. Are you serious?
      I implied that? I don't think I implied any such thing.

      The truth is, if you want conversions, you don't go with EITHER of the options. To increase your conversion rate, you need to do testing, and to do testing, you can't just use a theme or generic, you need to be able to do your own custom work.

      If you end it with just having a site sit there and no further testing you're shooting yourself in the foot.
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      • Profile picture of the author PaulintheSticks
        To increase your conversion rate, you need to do testing, and to do testing, you can't just use a theme or generic, you need to be able to do your own custom work.
        Well I didn't ask about increasing conversion rates. I asked if a pro looking site would convert better than a generic site. Pretty simple, straightforward question.
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        • Profile picture of the author iAmNameLess
          Originally Posted by PaulintheSticks View Post

          Well I didn't ask about increasing conversion rates. I asked if a pro looking site would convert better than a generic site. Pretty simple, straightforward question.
          Then you should understand the answer I gave. I don't know why you're being stubborn. I think I gave a much kinder response to you than many receive.

          Anyway....

          Let us be straightforward then....

          Test it... figure it out. Stop being lazy asking for other peoples experience in testing without doing it yourself. If you want to know what converts better, why would you take someone elses word for it instead of testing it out? Makes no sense to me...

          Geeze. Pro looking? Generic? These are all relative, who decides what is pro and what isn't? Isn't what you want, something that converts well? Depending on the industry, the age, the location, the quality of traffic, the savviness of the user, you will get different results. What the conversion is classified as, will get you different results. An opt in, vs. a click thru with adsense, will get you different results, but both are technically a conversion. A contact submission vs. click thru for a clickbank sales page will yield different results.

          Straight forward? Not exactly.
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        • Profile picture of the author ERPLeadsWriter
          Originally Posted by PaulintheSticks View Post

          Well I didn't ask about increasing conversion rates. I asked if a pro looking site would convert better than a generic site. Pretty simple, straightforward question.
          If you want a simple answer, it really depends on your own skills as a designer. It's not so much about whether you are more or less creative. More like, it depends on what you really need to make a site look good.

          You may have an experience where someone who paid extra had a 'better looking' site. However, I have seen cases where a well-designed site comprised heavily of just Wordpress pages and a ton of dedication.
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      • Profile picture of the author CreekChub
        Originally Posted by iAmNameLess View Post

        I implied that? I don't think I implied any such thing.

        The truth is, if you want conversions, you don't go with EITHER of the options. To increase your conversion rate, you need to do testing, and to do testing, you can't just use a theme or generic, you need to be able to do your own custom work.

        If you end it with just having a site sit there and no further testing you're shooting yourself in the foot.
        Dude, no offense, but... You come off on here like you know your stuff. Great back story - back against the wall, not a dime in your pocket, use the phone to start making pockets of cash, and now you're on your way to world domination. Good for you.

        I didn't have my back against the wall, but I had a family, and decided I didn't want any more of the corporate world. Same end result. I made calls and knocked doors to bring in money, and it worked. I'm not hitting 6 figures a month just yet, but suffice it to say I don't worry about money any more.

        Here comes the "offense" part - your business site is a Joomla theme. No worries there. I use Wordpress because I like it,and its easy. Lots of options to change stuff, quick and easy, and it looks sharp to the un-seasoned eye. To each his own. It's still a template though, and I don't pretend much.

        That said, I don't down-play templates in favor of custom HTML5 and CSS work, just for "custom's" sake. You just did, when your (assumedly) "money" site uses a fairly cheap theme. Maybe you were just having a bad day?
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        • Profile picture of the author iAmNameLess
          Originally Posted by CreekChub View Post


          Here comes the "offense" part - your business site is a Joomla theme. No worries there. I use Wordpress because I like it,and its easy. Lots of options to change stuff, quick and easy, and it looks sharp to the un-seasoned eye. To each his own. It's still a template though, and I don't pretend much.

          That said, I don't down-play templates in favor of custom HTML5 and CSS work, just for "custom's" sake. You just did, when your (assumedly) "money" site uses a fairly cheap theme. Maybe you were just having a bad day?
          1.) You have no idea what my "money" site is, I have a website for different niches, and different locations, I'm assuming you're referring to the blog I had in my signature for a while. Which yes, it was using a theme but there was also a LOT of custom testing that you have no idea about. This is also irrelevant.

          2.) If you read what I was saying, it isn't about a premium or generic theme... That actually doesn't matter, at all. The only thing that matters is your ability to be able to customize and test. You can use any theme you want in the world... but you need to be able to modify it, and do some custom work to be able to really increase your conversions.

          Who said anything about HTML5 besides you?

          This isn't about custom coding a site from scratch... it would be stupid in my opinion to NOT use a CMS now... Every CMS comes with a theme, so there really isn't a pure custom job ever, but the ability to customize, test, and tweak is part of the game.

          Adding a shadow around a border of the main content area increased conversions by 8%

          Changing link colors increased conversions by 18%

          Changing the positioning of a form increased submissions by 32%

          Removing a banner ad increased the time on site by over 30 seconds.

          Adding a video on a home page increased time on site by over 2 minutes average and increased opt ins by over 50%

          I wouldn't know any of that if I just let a template sit unchanged.

          This isn't a matter of generic themes vs. premium themes, it is a matter of being able to customize, test, and tweak. I'm sure you can agree with that. I think you just misunderstood what I was saying, or I just didn't convey it properly.

          And yeah, it was a bad day, still is.
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          • Profile picture of the author CreekChub
            Originally Posted by iAmNameLess View Post

            1.) You have no idea what my "money" site is, I have a website for different niches, and different locations, I'm assuming you're referring to the blog I had in my signature for a while. Which yes, it was using a theme but there was also a LOT of custom testing that you have no idea about. This is also irrelevant.

            2.) If you read what I was saying, it isn't about a premium or generic theme... That actually doesn't matter, at all. The only thing that matters is your ability to be able to customize and test. You can use any theme you want in the world... but you need to be able to modify it, and do some custom work to be able to really increase your conversions.

            Who said anything about HTML5 besides you?

            This isn't about custom coding a site from scratch... it would be stupid in my opinion to NOT use a CMS now... Every CMS comes with a theme, so there really isn't a pure custom job ever, but the ability to customize, test, and tweak is part of the game.

            Adding a shadow around a border of the main content area increased conversions by 8%

            Changing link colors increased conversions by 18%

            Changing the positioning of a form increased submissions by 32%

            Removing a banner ad increased the time on site by over 30 seconds.

            Adding a video on a home page increased time on site by over 2 minutes average and increased opt ins by over 50%

            I wouldn't know any of that if I just let a template sit unchanged.

            This isn't a matter of generic themes vs. premium themes, it is a matter of being able to customize, test, and tweak. I'm sure you can agree with that. I think you just misunderstood what I was saying, or I just didn't convey it properly.

            And yeah, it was a bad day, still is.
            Agreed in full.
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          • Profile picture of the author PaulintheSticks
            Originally Posted by iAmNameLess View Post

            1.)
            Adding a shadow around a border of the main content area increased conversions by 8%

            Changing link colors increased conversions by 18%

            Changing the positioning of a form increased submissions by 32%

            Removing a banner ad increased the time on site by over 30 seconds.

            Adding a video on a home page increased time on site by over 2 minutes average and increased opt ins by over 50%
            Those are some great stats. Thanks.
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  • Profile picture of the author PaulintheSticks
    Hey man, no hard feelings and I appreciate you responding but I was just looking for someone to answer the question not tell me I should figure it out myself and insinuate that I'm being lazy. Any time I get the opportunity, I share knowledge with other people and I was just looking for someone to do the same. And when you say things like "I don't think you understand CRO" when I never claimed to or even asked about it, it really sounds condescending.

    Now let me ask you something, why would you be lazy and ask others if a hand addressed envelope for your sales letters is more effective than labels. Are you going to take other people's word for it or are you going to test it out for yourself? Personally, I've never split tested a sales letter with handwritten envelopes vs labelled.
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    • Profile picture of the author iAmNameLess
      Originally Posted by PaulintheSticks View Post

      Hey man, no hard feelings and I appreciate you responding but I was just looking for someone to answer the question not tell me I should figure it out myself and insinuate that I'm being lazy. Any time I get the opportunity, I share knowledge with other people and I was just looking for someone to do the same. And when you say things like "I don't think you understand CRO" when I never claimed to or even asked about it, it really sounds condescending.

      Now let me ask you something, why would you be lazy and ask others if a hand addressed envelope for your sales letters is more effective than labels. Are you going to take other people's word for it or are you going to test it out for yourself? Personally, I've never split tested a sales letter with handwritten envelopes vs labelled.
      You know what though? I ended up handwriting addresses on 10,000 postcards to test it out vs 10,000 labels. You can ask many people on here who know me, and even know I trust them enough to ask for advice, yet, I always have to do it my way to see if I get the same results. Show me irrefutable proof something works better than something else and I might not test it.

      That's just me though...

      And since I'm trying to turn a new leaf, I apologize... Maybe you're not lazy, and maybe I was being condescending but you made it easy for me.

      As you can see in my last response, a lot of it depends... it depends on things you didn't mention and no one can really give you an answer without specifics.

      I want to help, sometimes it just comes across as me being a dick, but that's just how I am. If I come across that way, it is usually not intentional. If it is intentional, it is very obvious and I will say so.

      I also was trying to give you advice to get better results, by answering a question you didn't ask. Take any site, any theme/template in the world, and test your conversions. THEN, make some changes... maybe a circular button instead of a square.. they make a big difference sometimes. What I was really getting at, is that it is up to you to get better conversions no matter what your situation is, whether it is a paid theme, generic, or whatever. In the end, your skills need to be up enough to where you can do some custom work to really raise those conversions.
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      • Profile picture of the author kenmichaels
        Originally Posted by iAmNameLess View Post

        You know what though? I ended up handwriting addresses on 10,000 postcards to test it out vs 10,000 labels. You can ask many people on here who know me, and even know I trust them enough to ask for advice, yet, I always have to do it my way to see if I get the same results. Show me irrefutable proof something works better than something else and I might not test it.

        That's just me though...

        And since I'm trying to turn a new leaf, I apologize... Maybe you're not lazy, and maybe I was being condescending but you made it easy for me.

        As you can see in my last response, a lot of it depends... it depends on things you didn't mention and no one can really give you an answer without specifics.

        I want to help, sometimes it just comes across as me being a dick, but that's just how I am. If I come across that way, it is usually not intentional. If it is intentional, it is very obvious and I will say so.

        I also was trying to give you advice to get better results, by answering a question you didn't ask. Take any site, any theme/template in the world, and test your conversions. THEN, make some changes... maybe a circular button instead of a square.. they make a big difference sometimes. What I was really getting at, is that it is up to you to get better conversions no matter what your situation is, whether it is a paid theme, generic, or whatever. In the end, your skills need to be up enough to where you can do some custom work to really raise those conversions.
        Holy batman... did you really just apologize for being uppity ????
        You MUST be working on your New YEARS resolution early

        BTW. everyone thinks i am caustic, arrogant and uppity.

        For me, it comes from trying to manage my time wisely.

        In print, it is generally because you ( I am ) trying to say the most important
        things in the least amount of words... you know ... delegating time
        in a fashion that is conducive to my schedule.

        o yeah, also unlike you .... i suck at writing.. which probably the REAL reason i
        am not known for long posts. ... for me anything over 10 words is a chore.
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        • Profile picture of the author iain1066
          iamnameless is not a dick, but he is wrong about review cards.:p
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        • Profile picture of the author iAmNameLess
          Originally Posted by kenmichaels View Post

          Holy batman... did you really just apologize for being uppity ????
          You MUST be working on your New YEARS resolution early
          I'm about to say screw it already... I've been working on it, offline and online but why? For people to be ungrateful pricks and walk all over you? People confuse kindness with weakness. I've been biting my tongue enough the last couple weeks actually, and I'm tired of the nonsense, not so much here since I haven't been on as much, but just in general.
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      • Profile picture of the author PaulintheSticks
        Originally Posted by iAmNameLess View Post

        You know what though? I ended up handwriting addresses on 10,000 postcards to test it out vs 10,000 labels. You can ask many people on here who know me, and even know I trust them enough to ask for advice, yet, I always have to do it my way to see if I get the same results. Show me irrefutable proof something works better than something else and I might not test it.
        Well I take everything with a grain of salt, but if 10 people all tell me the same thing, I'm a lot less apt to test it.
        And since I'm trying to turn a new leaf, I apologize... Maybe you're not lazy,
        I probably work at least 70 hours a week.

        no one can really give you an answer without specifics.
        Someone could say, I used a free theme for a while, then upgraded to a $100 theme I bought at themes.com and my conversions improved by 20%. And if 5 people all said a nice theme boosted their conversions, I'd buy a nice theme.


        I want to help, sometimes it just comes across as me being a dick, but that's just how I am. If I come across that way, it is usually not intentional.
        I know and I appreciate it.

        What I was really getting at, is that it is up to you to get better conversions no matter what your situation is, whether it is a paid theme, generic, or whatever. In the end, your skills need to be up enough to where you can do some custom work to really raise those conversions.
        I gotcha. But right now, I just need to know whether I should fork out the cash for a nice template. I've got way too much on my plate right now to tweak sites to try and raise conversions. I've already decided to subscribe to a paid themes site any way, because I don't want to put out shoddy looking sites.
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  • Profile picture of the author DaniMc
    Remember the 4 P's of marketing....Product, Price, Placement, Promotion.

    All these things are different for EVERY business. There are some very plain sites that convert very, very well. There are beautiful sites that never convert.

    Then again there are beautiful sites that convert like crazy.

    There is no stock answer and if someone tries to tell you one way is better than the other, do not listen to them. It varies greatly from one business to the next.

    One idea of a place to start:
    Find the websites of other businesses that are SUCCESSFUL and are selling the most in the niche and COPY them for a starting point.

    If they are making money, it is a good place to begin. Then continue on with your testing until you have optimized every aspect.
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    Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle.
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  • Profile picture of the author helisell
    Iamnameless...

    This battle all started because you tried to answer (in a nice helpful way I think) an unanswerable question.

    If I was answering this unanswerable question (which I didn't because it is unanswerable)
    then my answer would have been very short indeed and would have looked like this

    "Test it"

    I think your answer was far more polite than mine so I think your new years resolution is definitely working.

    Happy new year
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    Making Calls To Sell Something? What are you actually saying?
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  • Profile picture of the author bobmcalister
    simple generic site. there. lol
    answer the searcher's search question. go from there.
    happy new year to all ....
    Iamnameless.....want some friendly advice? dont listen to anyone. Be nice. Attract TO your life those you WANT in your life. **** the rest. happy new year to all !
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