[Case study] How to optimize SaaS content platforms—an in-depth website review

Today we’re reviewing Searchie—an online platform that helps people create, organize, and share their content through digital courses, membership sites, and coaching programs.

Their funnel is pretty straightforward: get visitors to sign up for a 7-day free trial and then pay for a full membership after their trial expires.

But we’ve spotted several key elements which could be improved (and worth six- or seven-figures to their bottom line).

Let’s get to it…

Funnel

Homepage

https://searchie.io/

Improve the homepage for readability and usability

First, the background image (with white text) makes the page hard to read.

Second, the extra spacing around the text pushes the main call-to-action “Start 7-Day Free Trial” below the fold. This means users won’t see the main CTA without scrolling—which many won’t.

Third, the subheader is in all caps, which, as Harvard points out, makes it difficult to read because “all words have a uniform rectangular shape.”

Suggestions:

• Remove the hero image, change the background to a light color, and update the text to black.
• Remove the extra spacing around text to display the call-to-action above the fold.
• Use sentence case (i.e. not all caps) for the subheader.

Here’s an example of how the page looks with these simple changes. Note how the call-to-action is above the fold, so users don’t have to scroll.

Test different headlines and subheadlines

Headlines and subheadlines are an easy way to see what moves the needle because it doesn’t require any design changes.

Current headline:

Create, Manage & Sell Your Content All In One Place

Try these copy suggestions:

• Repurpose your content and profit with ease
• Turn your existing content into a paycheck
• The most easy-to-use course and membership platform
• Create, manage and sell your content all from our easy-to-use platform
• Transform your existing content into an online course or membership site
• Maximize your revenue by creating and selling online courses and memberships
• Generate passive income by turning your existing content into online courses or membership sites
• Turn your passion into profit by selling your existing content as an online course or membership
• Monetize your content quickly and easily
• You’ve got content. We’ll help you profit from it.

Remove mention of the trial period in the CTA

The call-to-action “Start 7-Day Free Trial” mentions a short time period which might be hurting conversions. Remove mention of 7-days in the button. Instead, mention it later in the funnel; this gives users time to understand the value before worrying about the time constraint.

Suggestions:

* Start Free Trial
* Try It Now—For Free
* Try It For Free
* Get Started For Free

Make the “Use Cases” the main CTA on the homepage

The call-to-action “Start 7-Day Free Trial” may be premature. If visitors are interacting with other pages before signing up, this indicates they need more info before signing up.

Suggestions:

• Add a sidebar with links to each of the use cases so users can see what the offering is quickly and easily.
• Test changing the CTA from “Start 7-Day Free Trial” to something less committal like “How can we help?” and show buttons for all the “Use Cases” so users can get more information.

Remove mention of the price on the homepage

We’re assuming the number one objection users have with Searchie is price. (This is usually the case with platforms.)

Often, price objections aren’t around the price itself, but the perceived value. So take the time to build up the value before talking price. As Oscar Wilde put it, “A cynic knows the price of everything and the value of nothing.”

Suggestions:

• Remove mention of the price above the fold (i.e. “Plans Start From Only $29 / Month”)
• Remove the “Pricing” link from the menu as it’s already in the footer menu.

Test different trial periods

Currently, users get a 7 day free trial. This trial period seems short based on the complexity of the platform.

Suggestions:

• Offer a free version of the platform to get more users. It could be a very basic plan with upsells in the platform to sign up for one of the paid plans (i.e. Basic, Pro, or Business). ConvertKit does a nice job with their free plan; you can use most of their features for free, but once you’re ready to automate your newsletter, you need to pay.
• Test a longer trial such as 14-days, 30-days or 60-days.

Wireframes

Here are some homepage variations with our suggestions:

Create your account

https://app.searchie.io/register

Remove or update the left sidebar

The left sidebar (with the movie video) is very distracting and likely killing conversions.

Suggestions:

• Remove the left sidebar completely.
• Move the “Create your account” section to the left, so it’s the first thing someone sees on the page.
• Change the sidebar (with the rotating images) to include:
  • additional social proof,
  • a reassuring testimonial, or
  • information on what happens next.

Try a new headline

The headline “Create your account” is good, but could be improved.

Suggestions:

• Create your free account now to get instant access
• Start monetizing your content now with your free account
• Create your account now to try the platform for free

Mention that no credit card is needed

No credit card was needed to start the free trial. Highlight this at the beginning of the funnel.

Suggestion:

• Add text that says “No credit card needed.”

Wireframes

Here is a variation with our suggestions:

Onboarding (name, contact, profession, language)

https://app.searchie.io/onboarding

The onboarding process looks waaaay harder than it really is.

Take a look:

(Note: We used the name “Sweet” in the following screenshots)

Simplify the onboarding steps

Despite only five fields, the onboarding process is spread across four pages. In our experience multi-step funnels work really well; this, however, could be overkill. Users may look at the four steps and think there is a lot of work ahead of them. But there isn’t: there are just a few simple questions to get started. Help people understand how easy it is to get started!

Here’s how:

Suggestions:

• Combine all steps into one page.
• Move the contact step to the last step as some people might be hesitant to give their phone number. As a rule, start with low-commitment fields first.
• Alternatively, combine all the steps into two pages:
  • Step 1) Information with the name, profession, and language fields.
  • Step 2) Contact with the phone number field.
• Note: As suggested under the “Create your account” section, remove the sidebar rotating image. It’s distracting and probably hurting conversions.

Wireframe

Here is an onboarding variation with our suggestions (which includes an excellent testimonial from Amy Porterfield):

Platform access

Once a user creates an account, they are redirected to the online platform.

https://app.searchie.io/getting-started

Provide training and help on welcome page

Even after getting access to the platform, we still felt a little confused about how the platform works, what to do first, and how it’ll work once we get everything up and running.

Suggestions:

• Highlight the training videos directly after someone gets access.
• Offer a free training/webinar for beginners that covers everything in the platform. This could be done via a pre-recorded training or a live demo with a sales rep (for higher priced plans).

Pricing

https://searchie.io/pricing/

Make some minor changes above-the-fold

It’s not clear that users can scroll down this page to see the pricing table (see pricing table image below).

Suggestions:

• Add two buttons below the headline:
  • Start free trial (similar to the homepage)
  • View plans that scrolls users further down the page
• In addition, add reassuring sales copy to overcome any price objections. Example:
  • Save XXX hours per week using Searchie
  • On average, our clients make $XXX dollars a month
  • A testimonial that mentions how much a client is making.

Conclusion

Searchie is a great platform that helps users organize and sell their content. They could further grow their business by:

• removing distracting elements on the site;
• explaining how the platform works earlier in the funnel; and
• extending the trial period or offering a free version.

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This article originally appeared on FunnelCandy.com