Winter Olympics Betting Site Review

[NdeJonge]

Hey everyone, I saw the transformation of Kevin's superbowl site after a thread like this so I figured I'd give it a shot.

I have a Winter Olympics Betting site that will only be bringing in sign ups once every four years, so I want to do it right while I can. I'm ranking for a lot of good terms, so I really want to have the site converting for the month.

Any conversion tips would be greatly appreciated .

Here is the site:
Winter Olympics Betting

[Spry]

I think you have a pretty good base right now but imo you could use a lot more pages. I would get pages up about each of the main events and their betting options and odds. I think more people would search for bet on who wins the gold medal in the ski jump or who will win the gold in the speed skating etc.

[DealerDan]

I know pretty much nothing about the olympics but I'll throw some ideas out there.

I would make the front page a lot simpler. Not that there is anything wrong with a lot of text obviously, but at least above the fold I'd make it very simple for the user.

I would probably have a script on the front page where it basically asks the user what event they want to bet on. They choose the event, then you tell them the best sportsbook to bet on based on the event that they chose. Nice and simple, boom they get what they are looking for, they click through.

I'd also have a step by step guide after that. Looking to bet on multiple events? Then the best sportsbook is _________ because overall they have the best lines bla bla bla. Here's a brief but easy guide to signing up. If you're going to be doing predictions then have a section on the front page for that too.

Live odds on the front page would work too.

Take this with a grain of salt though - I don't know the Olympics audience, so I'm really just guessing. But I don't like the current set up which lists 4 different sportsbooks, and for people to decide they basically have to read 4 individual reviews. I mean if people want to do that then okay great go for it - but I wouldn't make it the major call to action which is on the front page.

To me it should all be about simplicity. If I remember correctly from previous conversations with sportsbook owners, there isn't a lot of olympics betting action and a lot of the people that gamble on the olympics don't bet on anything else(this was a long time ago though, so I may be totally off-base.) So I think this is more the wham-bam-thank-you-mam crowd. Looking to bet on the Winter Olympics? Here you go, bet here. Not convinced? Here's 3 reasons why. Now go to Bodog and bet against Canada in the hockey please. Thank you very much.

I'd also consider geotargeting script rather than the US YAY or US NAY flags. Again it's just based on my impression of the demographic which could be off-base, but a lot of people aren't aware of the UIEGA etc - it's basically one more thing for them to look at and wonder "WTF is that about". Also with all the problems in the US right now with Mastercard, I'd be hesitant about making US the dominant country on there(like - it's US friendly. What about UK friendly? What about Canada friendly? etc etc)

The main point is if I was doing this site, simplicity would be the key. If people want to go hunting for previous odds, or for reviews for sportsbooks etc then great go for it - but the main purpose of the homepage would be "Wanting bet on the Olympics? Great here's the best sportsbook go bet here."

Rambled a bit here sorry, but hopefully some of it helps. I think the most important thing is that you check with the sportsbooks and try and get an idea of what your audience will be like, as it will really help guide you when it comes to writing content and for conversions.

[NdeJonge]

Spry - I think you're right. I'm going to be working on getting a few pages up every day this week.

Dealer Dan - Thanks for the critique. I tried to implement some of what you said by focussing on just one sportsbook above the fold. I kept the table under the fold, but outlined that you only really need to look at the reviews if you are planning on continuing to bet after the Olympics.

I would love to use your idea of a script that asks the visitor what they want to bet on. Unfortunately I have no clue how to create something like that. Do you know any good how to script article that you could point me in the direction of? Or anyone else for that matter! I really like the idea and think it would be a huge step in the right direction.
Also got rid of the US flags. If they read the reviews they'll find out if US is allowed or not.

[KevinMcC]

My biggest advice would be to read my thread, some great tips in there. If you're getting decent traffic you should be grabbing e-mails for sure... something I'm going to work on more.

I'll make a blog post with my results and everything tomorrow which can probably help you.

Do you know of anywhere with Olympic creatives (banners and such)?