Conversion Rate Low; What To Change?

[tomstark]

I'm doing OK, but should be doing better. I've made a couple bucks, but need/would like to tweak things to make higher percentages. I'm using Amazon affiliate (for the reviews) and google adsense (info articles) for generating profits. I'm getting a few hundred clicks/month for Amazon, but only about 1% conversion. As for adsense, the CTR is below 1%.... I realize every site is different for these things, and I know I need to experiment more. I just don't really know where to start. This is for motocrosshideout.com

[Lynn Terry]

Hi Tom,

First, how is the pop-up converting for you? I would change the copy slightly. The red text is too bright and hard to read on my screen, by the way. I might also put a delay on the pop up so that they get to see your site & content first. But I would change it to:

Download our brand new guide free: "10 Things to do to Keep Your Dirt Bike Running" and receive cool Motocross tips & updates:

I don't know if "cool" is a word your market will respond to - you know their language better than I do. Definitely test your opt-in copy, and delay times. I'm curious if the pop up coming up too fast causes people to hit the back button - causing affiliate/adsense impressions, and lowering your CTR and conversion rate.

[Lynn Terry]

I'm looking at this page on your site as an affiliate example:

http://motocrosshideout.com/camelbak...system-review/

Excellent review. I love your use of sub-headlines with questions, negatives/objections, etc. Very well laid out. I do think you should raise your text font so it's easier to read. Maybe Arial 12 would be a good match.

Make your sub-headlines Black (instead of grey) so they stand out more, and change your hyperlinks to "link blue" so that they are super obvious. Other than that, everything looks great as far as format and layout goes. Nice work!

[Lynn Terry]

I'm looking at this page on your site as an Adsense example:

http://motocrosshideout.com/top-5-mo...of-the-decade/

You have three instances of Adsense. Two link bars and one image/block ad at the top left. Good placement, by the way. They are showing an image ad for a jewelry company for me at the moment... I might block that. It's "Gemvara".

Are you tracking each of the three ads with separate ad code? You can place up to 3 per page, but the first block serves the highest paying ads. If you are getting a higher CTR on the 3rd ad block, you'd earn more by removing the first two and keeping the placement of the 3rd. Make sense?

[KatCapps]

Hi Tom,

I'm new at this - so take what I say with a grain of salt.

Your review is very informative and interesting. Perhaps you are getting regular readers of your site who read the article, then click over to amazon to look at it, but they aren't buying at that time. When they do buy, they then go directly to Amazon and you lose the click through buy.

Is that a way that you can position your review so it come up when people are looking to buy - for example don't review any one item. Instead, do a comparison or top three so that you page will come up when people are searching for reviews of that product prior to purchase.


Can you use catagories - for example - "best hydration backpacks". Do a companion article for each catagory contrasting the pros and cons of the various items, with links to both your reviews and products (affiliate link).

Lynn Terry (or anyone) - If I'm way off base here, let me know. I'm still learning the ins and outs of affiliate marketing.

Kat

[cindybidar]

Hi Tom,

Just to add to what Lynn said above, check out this article from Aweber regarding popup timing: http://www.aweber.com/blog/case-stud...orm-appear.htm

Also, I would try changing your free report around so it has a bit more urgency, like "10 Reasons Your Bike Isn't Running Right" or "10 Maintenance Mistakes That Can Shorten Your Ride".

[Lynn Terry]

Good points Kat. He is targeting the product name, which is a commercial keyword phrase. When someone types in the exact product name, they already know what they're interested in and they are are looking for help with their buying decision. Comparisons and Reviews are great for conversions, of course.

[tomstark]

Thanks for the great tips so far. I'm trying to change web forms for the newsletter, but I'm not seeing where to alter the delay time. I also tried changing the link color to blue, but it doesn't look like it did anything.....

My subscription rate is only about .5%. I'm not tracking for all three adsense ads separately, but will start that. Also, is there a way to make the image ad be related to bikes?

[Bob White]

Lynn:

Not to hijack this thread, but I've listened to you for years. I've downloaded about every guest blog you've done, and follow clicknewz regularly. But this is the first time I've visited the forum. Your advice in this thread is outstanding!

I've been a part of Ed Dale's stuff in the past, but it is way too impersonal for me. The fact that you took time out of your day to check out Tom's site and comment on it as many times as you have tells me why you are such a success.

Is this the type of stuff I can expect in the Elite forum? If so, I'm in.


Bob

[angienewton]

Lynn:

Not to hijack this thread, but I've listened to you for years. I've downloaded about every guest blog you've done, and follow clicknewz regularly. But this is the first time I've visited the forum. Your advice in this thread is outstanding!

I've been a part of Ed Dale's stuff in the past, but it is way too impersonal for me. The fact that you took time out of your day to check out Tom's site and comment on it as many times as you have tells me why you are such a success.

Is this the type of stuff I can expect in the Elite forum? If so, I'm in.


Bob

Bob, this is Angie, Lynn's assistant. She's traveling through June so I wanted to make sure to reply to you since she might not be able to get to the main forum.

Thank you for your kind words about Lynn. She truly is top notch!

As for elite group, YES she is much more involved with her members there. She digs in on a much deeper scale in the elite group when it comes to our businesses. There are free live webinars, free products from Lynn and her elite members and much more. Would be great to see you on the 'inside'