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Posts tagged 'analytics'
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Posted on October 19, 2006
Google's Latest Testing Tool
BY BEN CASTELLI
Google just announced yesterday it will be releasing yet another free service, Website Optimizer. Straight from the Google Analytics Blog:
"Website Optimizer is a free tool that helps AdWords advertisers test different landing pages and determine which one drives the most conversions. A true multivariate testing tool, Website Optimizer allows you to test variations of headlines, promotional copy, and images. The tool allows you to update your site with the winning test combination and continue to experiment."
I recently posted on the importance of split testing landing pages and after initial review, Website Optimizer looks like a great tool to facilitate the testing process. It goes beyond the elementary A/B split testing and offers multivariate testing. Multivariate testing allows you to test different ideas for images, headlines and sales copy on different landing pages at the same time, delivering insight into which combination of elements work best to increase conversion and ROI. Here is an example screenshot from the combination report which shows which combination of elements you are testing are performing the best.
The guys over at ROI Revolution pointed out one very cool aspect of the new Website Optimizer: "The comprehensive reports of your test results work similarly to Google Analytics, and are VERY EASILY applied to pages already tracked in GA." This is great for users who are already running Google Analytics and are familiar with interface and set-up process.
As the Google machine keeps rolling out the free analytics and testing tools to help advertisers improve their campaigns, the only challenging part is finding the time to stay educated on all of them. Currently Web Optimizer is in beta launch and available to AdWords advertisers on a sign-up basis.
Posted on October 16, 2006
3 Ways to Split Test
BY BEN CASTELLI
Want to increase conversion rates? Split testing is an essential step in improving the effectiveness of online marketing efforts and converting more visitors into customers. Classic A/B split testing has been a staple for direct marketers, however it is surprising how few online businesses take advantage of this technique, especially since the cost of split testing online is minimal compared to the cost of printing and mailing. The number of things that you can test online are almost limitless; copy, graphics, colors, placement of forms etc.... Below are 3 general ways that you can use split testing to monitor your online marketing efforts and increase conversions.
- AdWords Ad Text - It is essential to split test your Google AdWords ad text. Just make sure you only have two ads running per ad group, accumulate clicks (over 30 per/ad), determine the winner, delete the loser and create a new ad to try to beat the winner. If you are running Google Analytics the Overall Ad A/B Testing report is a great way to see which ad text is driving visitors to your site. For example, through split testing I was able to determine that adding the word "New" to the title of my AdWords ads resulted in a significant increase in clicks and conversions. Don't forget that it is very important to look at conversion rates of the ads in addition to CTR. Generally you want to accumulate a good number of clicks before declaring a winner, however if you can't wait, check out SplitTester to see which of the two ads will really perform better over time.
- Email Marketing Campaigns - A great way to split test an email marketing campaign is to send out the email in waves. For example, if you are planning on sending out a promotional email to your list of 1,000, but are uncertain about which subject line to use, you can send out 100 emails with subject line A, and 100 emails with subject line B. Then compare the open and click through rates and send the remaining 800 emails the winning subject line.
- Landing Pages/Opt-in Pages - There are a large number of items you can test on a landing page such as the call to action text, the placement of the sign up form, inclusion of audio, etc... A service like Hypertracker will split your visitors between two pages and help you determine which changes to your landing pages will deliver the greatest increase in conversion rates.
Finally, to avoid skewing your data, it is important to split test at only one point of the sales process, Adwords, landing pages, sales pages, product pages, order pages etc...
Posted on August 29, 2006
Merging Traditional PR Into Online Conversations
BY JAMES CLARK
Awe the lines are starting to blur and I like it.
Using public relations is a critical tactic in generating awareness for many businesses, and online businesses should be no different. The irony is traditional PR tactics (media relations, ed cal tracking, by-lined articles, speaking opportunities) to drive awareness in the main stream media (MSM), are as foreign to an online business as RSS feeds and blogs are to a majority of offline businesses.
Steven Van Yoder's recent post titled "Why Online Businesses Should Embrace PR" provides excellent insights to using PR to drive traffic.
To quote Steven, "They read newspapers, magazines and listen to the radio. To reach your market niche comprehensively, you need to explore ways to reach your prospects beyond the Internet. It will help you drive traffic to your web site."
We agree. Our experience has been that offline MSM coverage drives a tremendous amount of traffic to a company's website. We know this because we work with PR teams to help them avoid The Placement Crash typically associated with MSM coverage driving new visitors to a dull and non-engaging website.
The magic happens when the PR team is able to work with the online team in delivering a unique and fresh conversational experience to those new visitors.
Don't waste the amazing opportunity media coverage gives you. Capture the conversation by:
- Extrapolating the salient points in the MSM coverage on your blog and continuing the conversation by posting and responding to comments
- Setting up a teleconference on the coverage topic a week out and provide the ability to register for free online
- Get them to sign up for your email newsletter
- Provide an in-depth article on the coverage topic available for download
Because of the nature of online businesses, it is my honest opinion they are more apt to capitalize on the MSM exposure than many traditional offline business. The reason - they have the technical skills and flexibility to update and use social media and online technologies (blogs, podcasts, email newsletters) to capture the conversation that are often beyond the scope of knowledge for most companies.
For more information on strategies for leveraging the synergies between online and offline media tactics, check out our posts on The Placement Crash and Tried and True PR Tactics for Igniting Online Buzz.
Posted on August 16, 2006
Google Analytics for Everyone
BY JENNIFER EUBANKS
Yesterday, Google announced on their Analytics Blog that instant access is now available for their free Google Analytics service. No longer will you have to wait days or weeks to receive the coveted invitation code.
The wait time had become shorter, so it's good to see that Google bridged the remaining gap and eliminated it altogether. As a company with several Certified Google Adwords Professionals, we regularly use Google Analytics as one of many tools to optimize and track the perfomance of client websites. Now that we no longer have to wait to receive each code, our clients can benefit from having Analytics implemented a little sooner.
Analytics for everyone!
Posted on July 31, 2006
The Placement Crash - The Failure of PR in the Conversation World
BY JAMES CLARK
Traditional public relations yields a common problem I call the "Placement Crash," which is like a sugar crash in business. You get a brief "high" of publicity, which bottoms out fast and leaves you with no lasting benefit.
Here's how it works: Imagine that you land one big "media hit," such as a Business Week article mentioning your company. This publicity lures volumes of new visitors to your web site.
...That's great, IF your PR firm, online communications expert, or anyone in your marketing department planned ahead of time to Capture the Conversation during and after peak traffic to drive sales or solidify new business relationships.
Most companies - including yours, probably - don't do that. Therefore, much of that wonderful web traffic gets wasted.
New visitors click away if you don't engage them immediately. Every time that happens, your PR/marketing team is costing you an opportunity.
Don't blame them, however. They're just doing the job they've been trained to do. Unfortunately it's only half the job that really needs to be done.
Most PR/marketing professionals are trained to attract attention (as media coverage), but not to turn attention into real results.
The key to truly successful media relations involving online media (such as your site) is to track sales, generate new leads, and - most importantly - engage in a meaningful conversation with new prospects.
Great media exposure does offer tremendous value. However, by itself it's just not enough. You must also engage prospects and follow through. Fortunately, the Internet makes that easier than ever. Here's how:
1. Make your site easy to find via a simple search in popular search engines such as Google.
2. Provide immediate access to critical decision-making information, presented using the customer's perspective and language.
3. Use simple tools to nurture and follow online conversations, such as weblogs and forums. The content of these tools also becomes findable through online searches, widening your reach.
PR that clearly boosts the bottom line. Imaging this scenario: a new DNA testing company gains exposure on a leading national morning show. Before an audience of millions, the show's anchor takes the test and discusses the health implications of genes and diet.
Of those millions of viewers, thousands visit the DNA testing company's web site. When they arrive on the home page, they see a prominent link: "Learn more about our test featured on [name of show]." Beneath that, there's an invitation to register to attend an upcoming free teleseminar with the company's lead scientist, who will answer questions about the test and the science behind it.
Imagine that 700 people attend the teleseminar, and 200 of them purchased the test, yielding more than $40,000 dollars in sales!
Isn't that a much better way to justify PR, compared to traditional monthly billing reports that attempt to justify the PR budget with antiquated, fuzzy measures such as Ad Value Equivalency?
A results-focused PR team can confidently state quantifiable, bottom-line results. That will get any executive's attention - and respect.
I first introduced the The Placement Crash in the article Fire Your PR Firm, published in June, 2006. To view the extended original article visit http://www.CapturetheConversation.com.
For the above scenario, we would use the following tools to capture the offline exposure and drive teleseminar traffic and track sales conversions:
Google Analytics - to track site visitor statistic, teleseminar sign ups and sales conversions
MovableType or WordPress - blog platforms to continue the conversation
AWeber - form capture and contact database application
AskDatabase - survey teleseminar participants on the top questions they would like answered
ReadyTalk - conferencing service, record as MP3 for playback or podcast.
