How split testing was used to increase demo conversions for Skillsoft

Imarc has partnered with Skillsoft since 2020 on a variety of web projects including landing pages, event sites, and a complete redesign of their website. Going beyond the scope of web services, Skillsoft and Imarc embarked on a project that leveraged the digital marketing capabilities of Imarc to turn the existing Skillsoft website into a stronger, more powerful, lead generation machine.

The goal of this project was to increase conversions on the “Request a Demo” page of the corporate website. This page was already the top-performing area of the website, so the conversion rate optimization (CRO) project was focused on increasing demo requests.

Imarc worked toward the goal of more conversions by designing and developing alternative versions of the “Request a Demo” page.

Imarc interviewed Skillsoft stakeholders to understand the reasoning behind this CRO initiative, the historical performance of the existing form, and the motivating factors for conversions. Doing so informed the split test by uncovering needed changes that Imarc would implement for strategic page optimization.

Messaging

Skillsoft had previously performed multiple A/B tests with the primary goal of testing their copy. These tests included variations of call-to-action text and headlines, however, these tests never resulted in significant improvement in the conversion rate of their form.

A complete redesign of the form page was necessary to earn better results.

Imarc's extensive research uncovered a number of opportunities, specifically related to Skillsoft’s messaging.

The top takeaways that were focused on during the variant design phase were:

• Updating copy per usability best practices.

• Simplifying the page by removing excess content.

• Shortening the form by eliminating unnecessary fields, ultimately reducing the overall page length.

Behavior Analytics

Strategists began by analyzing the metrics so that they could effectively establish benchmarks and discover what was limiting conversions.

Various areas of the website were benchmarked including the user flow, navigation, and form fields. This helped Imarc understand the existing site usage, where people were going when they left the demo page, and where they were exiting when they were not completing the form.

Hotjar tools were instrumental in diagnosing the flow of Skillsoft’s page visitors. By using heatmaps and session recordings the strategists were able to see a clear path to what could be changed on the page to optimize for conversions.

The length of the existing form, where it landed on the “fold” of the page, and how users scrolled down the page were each key to success.

Best practices were introduced to test the variants. Call-to-actions were presented above the fold and the overall "noise" was reduced. As such, the utility navigation was completely removed as were external links to reduce exit points.

Imarc used tools like VWO to split site traffic and Google Analytics to understand the data and engagement metrics correlated to user interaction.

After learning about areas that could be improved, Imarc implemented a number of design and development enhancements.

In total, Imarc designed three variations of the conversion page, in addition to the original baseline form.

Content

Imarc developed two different pages to test copy and user intent for requesting a demo.

Variant A utilized a minimalist approach where copy informed the user clearly what to expect from the demo. This variant had no scrolling or images – it simply focused on the point of conversion.

Variant A:

• Advised users on whether the demo would take place immediately or if they needed to schedule it for a later time.

• Broke up the body copy into smaller chunks so that visitors could read and evaluate the benefits of the demo, easily.

Customization

Variant B contained a personalized demo that the user was able to build on the fly. With this variant, we wanted to test the user interest and intent. This variant didn’t have the form visible on the initial page as is the case in a more classic approach. Instead, the user-built the demo based on their interests, converting that way.

• Headline copy informed the user that it was a customized demo.

• Users selected different cards based on their interests.

• In the new window, the users could watch the videos based on their personalized selections.

• The form shown next to the video was identical to the form in Variant A.

Visually engaging elements

Variant C was by far the most design-heavy version of the page that was tested. Areas of the page that were tested were as follows:

• An image was included to bring the product to life and generate an emotional connection.

• Contrasting colors were used as visual cues to draw attention to specific areas of the page.

• Skillsoft customer testimonials and total user numbers were added to provide social proof.

At the conclusion of the first month of testing, there was a clear winner in the variations with a significant conversion gap from 9 to 14%.

The winner was Variant A. “The Minimalist” variant proved that the more concise the form, the more impactful the content.

The original form was also used as a Variant in this experiment. This “baseline” form saw a 9.16% conversion rate, while Variant A earned 13.84% – a 51% increase.