USA.gov Comparison Testing Using Crazy Egg
During the most recent redesign, our most heavily trafficked resource, the Government Agencies box, was placed lower right at the fold of the Home Page, causing complaints and a drop in traffic.
Issue: How can we improve the placement of the Government Agencies box?
USA.gov Baseline Test (Heatmap View)
The large green circle under the fold at lower right is the Government Agencies box traffic.
USA.gov Test 1 (Heatmap View)
We added “Find a Government Agency” to the Get It Done Online box at top of page.
USA.gov Test 2 (Heatmap View)
We left the new task in the Get It Done Online box and moved the Government Agencies Box above the News and Features Box on the Home Page, bringing it above the fold.
Note the red circle on the middle right side of the screen.
The Goals We Set
We set moderate goals for improvement:
- Baseline: Document existing traffic patterns on USA.gov Home Page
- Test 1: 5% increase in combined Government Agencies traffic in first week
- Test 2: 10% increase in combined Government Agencies traffic from baseline level during second week
Comparison Test Results
- WebTrends data shows Government Agencies traffic increased almost 40% after comparison test changes
- Crazy Egg data shows that by adding "Find Government Agencies" to Get It Done Online Box, Government Agencies traffic increased 23%
- Crazy Egg data shows that by adding "Find Gov Agencies" to Get It Done Online Box andplacing the Gov Agencies box above the fold, Government Agencies traffic increased 58%
Recommendations
- Conduct follow-up test: remove “Find Government Agencies" from Get It Done Online Box and place Government Agencies box above News and Features. This will improve position and eliminate redundant links from the Home Page.
- Do additional Crazy Egg analysis on Government Agencies links in the A–Z Index to validate specific government agencies' top tasks
Page Updated or Reviewed: June 10, 2008
