a single source, nothing corroborates it

Measure the page instead of arguing about it

Show the page for five seconds and ask what people remember, then record what they click first. Both take an afternoon and settle questions that otherwise consume weeks. Treat every teardown, including your own, as an untested guess until a split test says otherwise, and record purchases rather than visits so you can tell which traffic actually buys.

The method

1. 01

   Validate headline comprehension with two cheap tests: show the page for five seconds and ask what people remember, and record what they click first.

2. 02

   Treat copy teardowns, your own included, as untested hypotheses until you run a split test on the live page.

3. 03

   Track purchases as conversions, not just visits, so you can see which traffic sources buy and start A/B testing copy and design.

What it returned

• Justin has used Usability Hub for the five second test and the first click test.

• The page Justin criticised went on to raise enough money to fund a second season of Serial.

• Payment processor sales counts alone cannot tell you which source converted

Sources

• Landing page teardown: Serial podcastJustin Jackson · justinjackson.ca · Update #2 · undated
• The vague headlineJustin Jackson · justinjackson.ca · The vague headline · undated
• Don’t Repeat My Product Launch MistakesNathan Barry · nathanbarry.com · 4. Didn’t track conversions · 2012-09-18