Just driving more traffic is like adding water to a leaky bucket! In order to get more profits, you have to analyze user activity to see why they don’t do more of what you want them to. Actions (special offers, forms, etc.) need to be defined and measured. Changes to increase actions need to be made and tested again and again. The average conversion rate is around two percent but some top sites have conversion rates at ten, twenty or thirty percent or more. If you are happy with an average or lower conversion rate you are making a big mistake. Analytics is what helps test for increasing conversions and to provide a better user experience for visitors.
Unlike traditional advertising, where as the old saying goes “I know half of my advertising works, I just don’t know which half”, online advertising offers a huge amount of data which can be measured and analyzed. In some cases you know exactly what marketing efforts produce what amount of ROI and you can then confidently and successfully pour money into these areas. This is a big part of why internet marketing has become so successful and dominant.
Here are a few reasons why you must consider opting for web analytics:
• Get the statistical and often surprising facts on what customers are really doing not just what you think or hope they are doing. You’ll learn about the likes and dislikes of your customers and use this knowledge to renovate your site.
• You can test alternatives used by competitors to see if they have an impact on your audience
• You can better understand how your visitors are experiencing and interacting with your site. Based on this, you can make your website more functional and easy-to-use
• Web analytics can help you understand the conversion rate of your visitors and provide you with solutions to maximize the conversion rate
• With data on your site’s entrance pages, exit pages and visitor activity, you can take actionable steps to improve the performance of your website
• Find out the traffic patterns on your site and get information on where they break down
• A/B testing can help you decide which site design options are working to your advantage. This way you can choose the best site design or creative elements for your website
• All this can result in an increased bottom-line and improved ROI on all your marketing efforts!
Image: Will Folsom
Google Website Optimizer allows you to test adjustments to your website in order to determine what will be most effective in getting conversions. You can test headlines, images, offers, calls to action etc. and Website Optimizer will send a portion of your site traffic to each variation. Then after it has collected enough data, it will give you reliable reports and suggestions of what to do to make the site most effective at closing deals.
To run the experiment, you’ll also need to add the snippets of code on your site that will enable Google Website Optimizer to vary your traffic to the different versions of your page.
It is critical to understand what elements to test that will have the most impact so you don’t do too many things at once and get lost in a sea of data. Make a list of the things you want to test based on some of the highlights below and then put them in order of what will have the biggest effect on the bottom line. Cross out any that will take too many resources or will be blocked by the big blue meanies in the IT or compliance department. In other words get on this quickly and do something or your quest for perfection will leave you sitting on the bench while the other team celebrates.
1. Headlines – Sometimes changing the wording of a heading even a tiny amount can have an incredible impact on conversions but you won’t know unless you test. Test emotional versus logical headlines and using things like free offers, guarantees and things that express your unique value proposition etc. Test headlines that express benefits versus features.
2. Use of color and images – Red is a warning sign. Be careful what you do with this color and test alternatives to it unless you do want people to be warned or stop etc. Try making your main call to action button stick out more than others on your site through the use of contrasting colors.
3. Unique value proposition – If people don’t understand immediately why you are better than the other dozen sites they are kicking the tires of, you won’t stand a chance. Test adding mini summarizing statements that express your unique value.
4. Load time – How many times have you bailed out on a site when it loaded slowly? A slow loading site not only impacts your conversion rate, but can also impact AdWords Quality score and ranking in Google search.
5. Usability – Try 3 usertesting.com videos to see what issues people have with the site and test new alterative navigation and layout options.
6. Security/privacy – Make Security/privacy icons and links prominent on the site and place them near calls to action. i.e. place the lock icon near the add to cart button.
7. Trust and credibility – Make sure to use things like testimonials, in the news mentions, company photos and bios, enhanced about us pages, company video, awards, affiliations, certifications etc.
8. Layout, visual clarity, and eye tracking – Use tools like Clicktracks, Feng-gui and usertesting.com to see what people react to, where they click and scroll and where their eyes are focused. Then test making changes that improve the page based on the results and run these tools again.
9. Calls to action – Try testing different button colors/sizes/text/shape. Try different CTA copy such as Free Quote in 1 hour guaranteed, instead of Fill out this form to get a quote.
10. Point-of-action assurances – Place things like links to privacy policy, security icons and guarantees near calls to action/buy/submit buttons.
11. Persuasive copywriting – Test using more emotional copy with active verbs that entice the reader. More focus on benefits versus features.
12. Readability – Test lowering the grade level of the reading to reach more people. Average web users are said to have less than high school reading abilities. Reduce excess industry terminology and jargon.
13. Using reviews and where the reviews are placed. Reviews leverage the power of the social web. Users no longer want to be bombarded with marketing but want to engage in a dialogue about products and services.
14. Rearranging the order of your copy – Sometimes your best paragraph is your last one and it is below the fold. Try switching things up to put your most compelling copy first. Test adding your most factual, detailed, feature oriented cold hard facts type of info at the bottom of the page, since methodical people who will appreciate it may be the only people that make it that far.
Image: { pranav }
