Nick Usborne

I admit, it’s a provocative headline. But it’s true.
我承认，这是个令人气愤的标题。但事实如此。

However compelling the message, however great the copy, however strong the sales argument… the way a page is designed will have a dramatic impact on conversion rates, for better or for worse.
无论有多么令人关注的信息，无论有多么优秀的效仿，无论多么有力的推广；设计好的页面总会在所受欢迎的程度上有戏剧性的变化，不论是好是坏。

Before I go any further, I want you to look at three versions of the same offer page:
在我展开话题前，我想让你看下三个不同版本但内容相同的提供页面：

  • 版本A
  • 版本B
  • 版本C

I know, they won’t win any design awards. They weren’t intended to. But they are functional and familiar. A reader going to any one of these pages will be able to quickly figure out what the message is, and what they are being asked to do.
我知道，他们不会赢得任何设计奖项。他们也没有这个打算。但他们是很实用并且为我们所熟悉。读者在这些页面里都能快速地理解他们要表达的信息是什么，以及他们想要求我们做什么。

Version A is the original.[A是最初版本]

Version B follows the same basic layout, but we made some minor copy changes.[B遵循了相同的基本布局，但我们做了一些小小的改变]

In version C, we changed from a one-column format to two-column format. We wanted to test the impact of bringing more of the page content onto the first screen.[在版本C中，我们将一列形式改为了两列。我们想要测试更多页面内容提前到首屏上会带来的影响]

Be honest with yourself and decide now whether B or C beat A, and by what percentage

请你诚恳地做下判断，B或C是否能胜过A，在哪方面的比例

Don’t scroll down and look for the answer. You’re a designer, an expert in web design. So put your money where your credentials are and write down some figures now.
不要急于拉到下面查看答案。你是名设计者，一名专业的WEB设计人员。所以将你的财物放在你的证书上然后写下一些数字吧

Write down a percentage by which B did better or worse than A. And a percentage by which C did better or worse than A.
写下B比A好或差的比例数，以及C比A好或差的比例数。

But do you test different page designs?

但你有没有做过不同设计页的测试呢？

By testing, I don’t mean asking a few folks around the office; I mean doing a live test that demonstrates—with hard figures—what site visitors actually do.
通过测试，我的意思并不是叫一些同事；我的意思是做个实况测试来说明站点访问者真正做了些什么

Testing like that is a beautiful thing. There is no space for fancy arguments. An expert’s credentials and opinions mean squat. When you serve alternative versions, one after the other, and measure reader actions, you get the real deal. You get what is.
这样的测试是件很完美的事。没有空间让你做论据上的设想。专家的凭据和意见意味着霸权。当你提供多选的版本，一个到另一个，从读者的行为上估量，你会得到真正的方法。你得到了哪个才是你所要的。

Do you do that? It’s a scary thing.
你做过了么？这是件另人提心吊胆的事

But if you are serious about achieving your site’s purpose, and if testing can show you which version of a page does best, then where is the argument not to test?
但如果你是认真对待你的网站目的的，而且如果测试可以让你明白哪个页面版本能做的更出色，那对与是否做测试还有什么好争论的呢？

Here’s how design choice can make a difference

怎样做设计上的选择会带来不同的效果

Here are just a few of the design elements we have found can make a significant difference to the performance of a web page:
我们找到了这一些设计要素（一部分）会让页面执行不同的含义

The position and color of the primary call to action[主要行为号召的位置和其颜色]
Position on the page of testimonials, if used[页面的说明，如果要用到]
Whether linked elements are in text or as images[连接元素是文字形式还是图片形式]
The amount of “white space” on a page, giving the content space to “breathe”[页面上元素的“空位”数量，好让内容“透气”]
The position and prominence of the main heading[主要标题的突出位置]
The number of columns used on the page[页面上使用的列数]
The number of visual elements competing for attention[视觉元素在吸引注意力方面的竞争量]
The age, sex and appearance of someone in a photo[在照片中出现成熟，色情的]
OK… now for the results of the test.
现在公布下测试结果

A/B/C Split Test[]A/B/C三派的测试]
| | Page A | Page B | Page C |
|—|—|—|—|—|
Percent of traffic[流量百分比] | 34% | 33% | 33% |
New sales[销售额] | 244 | 282 | 114 |
Change[变化] | N/A | 15.57% | -53.28% |

Version B, with the minor copy changes, resulted in a 15.57% increase in sales—that represents a big revenue jump for a site with high sales volumes.
版本B，通过细小的变化，在销售方面有了15.7%的增长；这说明站点的收入有了教大的提升。

Version C, in which we changed the regular, one-column format into a two-column format, resulted in 53.28% fewer sales.
版本C，我们将它改为比较有秩序的，从一列的形式变为两列，结果却造成了销售上下降了53.28%

That’s an astonishing reduction in sales and revenues, resulting from a design change that was intended to improve the performance of the page.
这是个另人惊讶的销售滑落，原本打算将提升页面成绩的设计，结果却是这样

Now, just pause for a moment and think of all the design choices you have made over the last year, and the reasons why you made them. And think about the huge impact those choices might have had on the performance of the sites you worked on.
现在，只要中断片刻并回想下你去年所做的一些设计精选，以及你设计它们的理由。思考一下这些精选可能会给你运作的站点带来巨大的影响。

Some concluding thoughts…

结束前的思考

The figures from this test are shocking. But they are not exceptional. Design changes really do have a huge impact on conversion rates.
这个测试所表现出来事实是可怕的。他们并非特殊的案例。设计上的变化确实会给站点的成绩方面带来巨大的影响

Here are a few things to consider:
这里是一些要思考的东西：

If you have some pages on a site which are critical to its overall success, instigate a program of A/B split testing. You cannot afford to guess; you have to know.
如果你站点上有一些页面需要决定它是否会成功，做下A/B分离测试。你不需要去猜测：你已经知道结果了

Be aware that however strong the copy and text on a page, its performance is very much dependent on the way in which it is presented. In other words, design choices can enhance or diminish the power of the words.
要注意到不论多么有力的页面文字信息，它的成绩必须依靠它所呈现的方式。换句话说，设计上的选择可以增强或减弱文字所带有的力量

Talk with your writers. Ask them how they think the message would best be presented. Then test some different versions. A good writer should have some strong instincts when it comes to the layout of the text.
和你的作者谈谈，问问他们希望其信息怎样呈现会最好。然后测试几个不同的版本，当文字布局出现后一个优秀的作者应该会有很强的直觉（判断其好坏）

One way or another, it’s important to accept that none of us—neither designers nor writers—know what the “best” page design or copy is until we test.
不论怎样，这点很重要，就是我们当中没有一个人，不管是设计者或作者，知道页面怎样设计才“最好”，直到我们进行测试后

In a business environment where marketers demand an accountable performance from every web page, it’s time to put aside the assumed expertise of design and copy “gurus.”

The way forward is to test, and let our readers show us which designs work best, and which copy works best.

While this may be uncomfortable for some, the end result is that we will become much better web designers and writers.
虽然这或许对一些人不太适应，但最终的结果是我们将会成为更出色的WEB设计者和作者。