When Blog Design Doesn’t Work

Buffer
November 7, 2011 By 15 Comments

If you obsess about having a perfectly integrated blog design with lots of matching colors and graphical spleendour I have a cautionary tale for you.

Over the last month I’ve been running a split test on this site for newsletter sign-ups. Sometime Aweber serves up a blue sign-up form, other times it’s red.

Jontus Media Online Marketing Communications for Small Business Stockholm 1

Jontus Media Online Marketing Communications for Small Business Stockholm

I hesitated about using the red form because it so totally broke the design of the site. But do you know what? It converts over 90 percent better than the blue.

The Moral of the Story

It’s vital you collect data, split test, then review your data. Only this way will you be able to make informed decisions about your site.

You also have to be brave enough to dare. My design pals are horrified by the red, but the data speaks for itself.

Then again, how many people did the red sign-up form send running! Hmm. Something else to track.

In the meantime, I’m sticking with the split-testing because I just want to see the blue! The red is a bit harsh on my eye.

Filed Under: design Tagged With: , ,
About Jon

Marketing and Communications Consultant. Head of Jontus Media. Podcaster. Life-long Liverpool FC supporter. Guarded by basset hounds.

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  • http://www.brostrom.de Jörgen Broström

    I know what you mean, Jon! The red does draw a little bit to much attention from the rest of the site, but that is after all what makes it so much more effective than the blue. The blue, even though it matches the rest of the site, tend to blend in with the rest a little to much. Perhaps you should try to find a middle way … if possible.

    Have you considered that the copy might also influence the result? What if you tried to use the same wording on both, then you would probably get even more accurate results.

  • http://www.jontusmedia.com/ Jon Buscall

    Good point about the copy. I did some testing before hand with different text on a blue sign-up box but didn’t see any difference. Possibly because no one was actually seeing the box in the first place!
    When you say a middle way, what kind of colour do you have in mind ?

  • Louise

    I agree with your design pals – the blue is so much more tasteful and works with the colour scheme. But I also know from my business partner who is an SEO consultant that sometimes bold and garish is what makes the conversion. Go figure!

    Also, to Jorgen’s point – the copy in the red is much more pointed, although the blue headline tells me more about what I will be getting. (Tips on Digital Marketing)

    May I say too that your blog headline is intriguing enough to make me click through. Nice job!

  • http://www.jontusmedia.com/ Jon Buscall

    Thanks Louise! I’m definitely with you when it comes to colour, but conversion is conversion, n’est pas?
    Thanks for stopping by !

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  • http://www.brostrom.de Jörgen Broström

    Well, I’ve chosen to take it more or less literally. Combine the two colours and you’ll get purple. It’ll stand out, but not clash the colour scheme. I’ll email you my suggestion.

    If you still want a stark contrast, I’d go with orange. Orange usually goes well with the kind of blue colour scheme you use for your website.

  • http://www.jontusmedia.com/ Jon Buscall

    Thanks Jörgen ! (especially for the mock up!).

    You’ve given me food for thought. I’ll have to go through this and test. Perhaps I will introduce a third option to split test further !!!

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