Split Testing Pro vs Generic Site

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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.
#offline marketing #generic #pro #site #split
  • 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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    • Since I have no idea what CRO stands for, you're absolutely right.
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  • 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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  • 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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    • 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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  • 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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    • 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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  • 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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  • 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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  • 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 !
    • [ 1 ] Thanks
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    Split Testing Pro vs Generic Site

    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.