When spending money in advertising online or offline it is important to have properly optimized landing pages that will convert.  No matter what your business goals are, testing is imperative to better understand the following:  what kinds of media provide the best ROI, what is the most appropriate call to action, how does your brand message impact your audience, do your web page visitors understand your product and are they compelled to convert, etc.

There are various ways to test landing page performance by using variations of the page layout and design, call to action, content variations, and so on.  There are many ways to accomplish this using both manual and dynamic methods.  Manual testing would simply require you to have multiple versions of your landing page and swap out the pages over time, track the result, and see what works best.  This can work well but can take longer and limit your insight.

The more technical and popular forms of testing landing page performance are:

• A/B Split Testing
• Multivariate Testing

A/B Split Testing:  A/B testing is about testing different verions of web pages to see which ones convert better.  A/B split testing can be accomlished in a few simple steps using free tools such as Google Website Optimizer.  Before you get started you need to have a few things accomplished.  (1) Define your conversion goals, (2) Develop your content and call to action to support those goals, (3) Create two versions of your landing page with some variations in design, layout, verbiage, and call to action, (4) Have each landing page on a unique URL and make sure to use some kind of “Thank You” page for tracking conversions.

Once you have your pages ready you will place code on the page that will dynamically serve them to different visitors.  Essentially, if you are testing to different pages, half of your audience over a period of time will land on one page, and half on the other.  Then you can set up various conversion goals for each page (i.e. registration form, PDF download, video view, etc.) and run the test for a couple weeks (depending on your traffic levels and what kind of data you are trying to collect).

Google Website Optimizer is a great tool for this because it can be accessed through Google Adwords or directly and it is simple to use.  It only cares about two things in regards to your visitors:  (1) what page did they land on, (2) and did they convert.  This tool is simply for collecting data, but you can use excel or other platforms for deeper analysis.  Keep in mind that if your pages are not receiving much traffic you will need to run your tests for a longer period of time in order to collect enough data to make any kinds of decisions.

Multivariate Testing (MVT):  MVT is about testing different versions of content within the same page.  So for example you might want to swap out tag lines, call to action, images, videos, etc.  Website Optimizer is also a great tool for this but there are more sophisticated platforms (but they are not FREE). 

When setting up MVT you are atually placing code snipets around each piece of content you want to swap out.  The interesting thing about MVT is the vast amount of combinations you can run.  Google Website Optimizer for example can provide you with 10,000 content variations but I would not recommend doing that.  Keep it simple at first and choose your most important pieces of content like your call to action, maybe a video, etc. 

Both methods are great to use and can easily be tracked by Google Analytics.  Proper testing can drastically improve ROI for paid search and prevent wasted ad dollars.

Two recent independent developments promise to shakeup the way traffic is measured on the Internet.  First Google announced plans to soon allow users to opt-out of being tracked through Google Analytics.  Secondly, the increased deployment of Flash cookies over HTML cookies has given analysts and business people a bit of encouragement, as Flash cookies are more sophisticated and harder to detect than their HTML counterpart, stoking the fears of privacy advocates wary of the amount of information collected on Google and search engine servers.

Anxiety Over the Future of Analytics

Google’s announcement poses some serious questions as to how traffic will be measured on the Internet.  Precipitated by growing concerns over privacy on the web, Google appears to be attempting to set itself in front of the issue and above the fray.  As Google Analytics is already an imperfect system, statistical purists find themselves asking whether data can be trusted once users can prevent their information from being tracked.  Once a significant number of Internet users opt-out, Google Analytics information may be rendered less useful.  Businesses will not doubt turn to other analytic services; however, the question remains whether other analytics tools will follow Google’s lead and offer users the same option.

On the flip side of the debate, analysts look to the promise of Flash cookies.  As mentioned above, Flash cookies are more sophisticated and pose hurdles for a user to detect and delete.  Furthermore, Flash cookies, one of the Internet’s better kept secrets, can re-spawn after deletion.  The additional hurdles users would need to overcome to free themselves from Flash tracking than simply opting out of Google Analytics could ensure that analytic information would retain its accuracy and integrity.

Not So Fast, Flash Cookies

Unfortunately for businesses and analysts, the public isn’t quite as ignorant to Flash cookies as they would like.  A recent article in OnlineMediaDaily claims that 7% of Flash cookies are deleted, which may not seem like a significant proportion; however, this number has doubled in the past 10 months.

The Internet Marketing Inc. website development and design team is heading to Orange County this week for three full days of training at Google Seminars for Success.  We believe strongly in continuing education for our team, especially in the areas on analytics and optimization.  This ensures that we can continually be on the cutting edge in performing for our clients. 

This training is great for:

• Learning how to squeeze ROI from landing pages and conversion testing using Website Optimizer
• Refreshing and enhancing skills on Google Analytics and see the latest and greatest updates, reports and enterprise features
• Getting out team and new employees trained in one of the most cost effective options out there for learning these free Google tools

The first two days will be focused on Google Analytics and advanced topics/implementation.  The third day will be spent learning how to use Google Optimizer for landing page optimization and testing.  There are quite a few methods for doing this including tools and/or manual testing but the Google tool is a great platform for basic testing.

The leaders of the seminar are David Booth, Corey Koberg, Justin Cutroni, David Reichenbocher, Julie Ferrara-Brown, and Nick Lyengar.  We are really looking forward to some great instruction.   Next week we will provide some highlights from the seminar for our readers!

We have talked a lot about conversion optimization for websites and landing pages associated with any Internet marketing strategies.  Here is another great page used for paid search campaigns.  Each PPC campaign will have different conversion goals depending on the company’s needs.  The landing page below is designed to increase room bookings for the Tropicana in Las Vegas.  PPC will be used to drive the traffic. 

Google Quality Score parameters are becoming much more strict.  Notice the amount of content on the page.  Landing pages now must have quality (and relevant) content in order to gain a good quality score and have a productive PPC campaign.  Many landers tied to new URLs with no history require even more content in order to meet Quality Score standards.  It can often now take time to build the score, so keep adding good content to your pages!

Many companies using Internet marketing strategies out there drive most of the traffic to their home page or possibly another internal page of their website.  The optimization of any online marketing campaign should focus on both the traffic drivers as well as where the traffic is sent.  This is especially true when using search engine marketing strategies like Pay Per Click advertising in any search engine. 

It is now crucial to use a landing page for PPC advertising in Google because it wll have a direct impact on your Google Quality Score and conversion success.  The idea of consversion optimization is pretty simple but the purpose should be understood in order to execute it correctly for your webpages.  The main idea of course is to always be improving your ROI.  There is no point in spending tons of money in online or offline marketing if you are just planning to drive traffic to your home page (unless of course your home pages acts as a well optimized “landing page”).

Here is an example.  JetSelect Aviation (a premier private jet charter service) has performed various form of marketing (online and offline), including Yahoo PPC.  All the traffic was being channeled to their home page and results had been fairly dismal.  They were recieving about one or two leads a month.  Here is an example of the home page:

Once the marketing campaign started, aggressive Googe PPC was added and four landing pages created.  The ad copy for the ads was written according to their direct business goals.  It is important to understand Google Quality Score guidelines in order to properly optimize your PPC campaign for the best possible results.  Here is an example of one of the landing pages created.  Notice the update in design, graphics, clear calls to action, simple booking engine right at the top of the page, and simple information (there is more content below the fold). 

Landing pages can really be as simple or content heavy as you want (in my opinion).  What matters really is what is above the fold and how the call to action is designed.  Of course, this all depends on your conversion goals and what you plan to obtain from your landing pages.  Those goals should be defined first before designing the page or launching any marketing. 

The initial result of the properly optimized PPC campaigns and well designed landing pages was going from one or two poor quality leads per month to five to eight high quality leads per day.  The results will of course vary depending on your business, industry, and specific goals. 

Either way, you must use landing pages with great content ands clear calls to action in order to get the most bang for your buck from your Internet marketing strategies. 

You just can’t by with an “old school” website anymore.  And yes, your company/brand will be judged on the appearance of your website.  You also can’t get by anymore by just having a site that serves the purpose of being your “online business card”.  Every company, no matter what industry, no matter what size, should have a website with clear goals.  Conversion goals that is.

Conversion optimization takes all aspects of your website into consideration starting with your core business objectives.  These need to be clearly defined and your website should be designed (or redesigned) to support these goals.  You should also have a solid understanding of your analytics so you can set some benchmarks:

• Where does our traffic come from?
• What are our bounce rates?
• How long do people stay and what pages do they go to, leave from?
• Do visitors convert?

What happens in 8 seconds.  A “bounce” is defined as a user who comes to your site and leaves in under 8 seconds.  Therefore a bounce rate is the ratio of people who leave in under 8 seconds VS those that stay.  Anything under 50% is pretty good.  Conversion goals are different for every website but examples are capturing information like name, address, phone; a sale; a download; a phone call…you get the idea.  So let’s take a look at the various elements that need to be considered when building a website that converts.

THE INITIAL HOOK

You must have a clear call to action, or a few key action points.  E-commerce sites usually have promotions and offer things like FREE shipping.  Everybody likes and deal and wants to be incentivized.  If your goal is to get a user to download your whitepaper, tell them why its valuable and give them some incentive for doing so. 

DESIGN

Once you have defined your goals, the site needs to be designed so that the call to action is prominent and focused on encouraging the user to act.  Using larger fonts, bold colors, simple but compelling design concepts, less content, and plenty of open space usually fall under the best practices category.  It is usually recommended to use separate landing pages with clear calls to action to support online and offline marketing efforts.

Notice the example below has a very clear purpose (sorry the picture is kind of small).  This page is designed to bring people back to the site, capture their information, and offers an incentive to do so.

SITE FUNCTIONALITY

This is very important because the more user friendly your site is the better your consversion rates will be.  Seems pretty obvious but can take a lot of focus to get it right for any specific site.  Many times bounce rates and lack of conversions are simply due to poor functionalty, poor design, and a “sales cycle” that is just too long.  Streamline the process, only capture the information you need, and keep the steps simple and fast. 

You can use technology and custom tools to enhance the experience and go beyond your competition.  Just remember, it all starts with defining clear goals first and then developing a plan.

Does your website perform they way it is supposed to?  Do your visitors see the content you want them to and take action?  Web design and conversion optimization is all about maximizing your website’s potential to convert traffic into some kind of attainable and measurable goal.  Whether the goal is to collect emails, registrations, downloads, or purchases all the same rules apply.

Make your message clear

Make it simple

Make it easy

Here are a few suggestions to enure your visitors take action and become customers! 

Use simple but compelling language to communicate your message and its value.  Then compliment that message with a large and noticeable “call to action” so the user understands what the next step is.  The image below shows a good example of this:

The use of space, color, and page layout are very important.  Below is a great example of a good blend of color and space.  The more space you have around the call to action “buttons” the better.  Studies show that the more cluttered a page is the more likely the user is to get confused and not understand what you want them to do.

Notice how clean the page is and that a couple options are given.  The use of space is done purposefully to provide clarity and simplicity.

Other suggestions to improve conversions on websites and landing pages include:

• Trust factors – let the user know it is safe to enter their information or download your product
• Simple bullet pointed content – don’t make the user read to long paragraphs, keep them moving
• Compelling design and images – the pages of course should look clean and compelling to keep bounce rates low
• Large buttons – size does matter
• 3 to 5 step process – using a simple “step” process helps clarify what the user needs to do to complete your “sales cycle”

It seems so easy to “stick out” in the media today. Online it is 100% different going online to use or buy a service or product. You cannot just walk into a store and feel what you are purchasing. There is no sales person online – your website is your sales person. So you need to convey your business to the website visitors. You need them to feel comfortable and trusting while surfing your website. The first part is getting people to your website through internet marketing. Next keep them on your website – make them use your service.

I visited 3 different Salon websites. Beside the 3 very different design types there are a couple of things I noticed right away. They all said the same thing:  they all tell you they are the best in town with the logo of an award they won, they tell you the services they offer, and what products they use.
Well this is all wonderful information but I got the same information from all three of their websites. So none of them really enticed me to choose their salon and give them a call. You need to make your business “Stand Out” and capture the users attention! What makes your company different than all of the other ones on the market? On all these 3 websites I looked at they said the same thing, what are the differentiators? Why would I pick A over B? Especially in today’s market you need to make sure you are setting your business apart for others. Consumers are doing more and more research before making any decisions. This means you need to tell them about your business and what sets you apart from the rest.

There are a few simple ways to do so:

Statistics:  all companies keep some type of statistics. This is very useful to spread throughout your website. Make sure to do this a little throughout your websites be careful of cramming to much information in.

Stories: If your company has a great story behind the foundation or name tell the consumer. If you do hair for the stars tell them.  If you are Jessica Biel’s hairdresser tell them.

Samples: This is a great piece to have on any website. Add testimonials – before and after pictures – client pictures etc. this is great to let the consumer k now what your style is. It amazes me that there are so many salons that don’t even have before and after pictures on their website. Or pictures of clients they have worked with that came in what a sob story and ended up looking better than ever when they walked out!

With the economy today you need to make your business stand out in a crowd. So use these simple tips and make sure you are adding new information to the website to attract people and have them coming back.

So you are ready to take the next step expanding your business online and embrace your internet marketing efforts. You no longer have to have a physical storefront to do business anymore. Today some of the most profitable businesses are online and only have an online presence. There is such a wide range of shopping cart solutions how do you choose the right one for your online venture?  The most basic and important features of the shopping cart are 3:

-    The Shopping cart allows the user to interact with the store and add items to their bag. This should also calculate taxes and shipping and charge the user while staying on your website.

-    Shipping:  This is the only delivery method for online shopping carts. You need to be able to integrate the cart with your preferred shipping provider this will alleviate many hassles in the future and will streamline your processes from start to finish. This is very important because if your shipping methods are not efficient you will end up needing to charge higher shipping prices in the future.

-    Accepting online payment: No one likes to be limited. You need to be able to offer your clients several ways to paying. So make sure your shopping cart is able to integrate with various payment gateways and accepts several forms of payment. One of the easiest is over the phone and all you have to do is offer them a phone number to call.

There are 2 main components in a shopping cart the front end which is what the user sees and interacts with and the backend or the administrator’s area. When choosing a shopping cart here are a few tips to keep in mind for uability:

Offer a Guest Checkout: not all people like to sign up for an account when shopping. Especially for first time users to the store, or people that are shopping for gifts.
Security symbols: Make sure that your website is secure and not susceptible to hackers. No one wants to put their credit card number onto a website that they do not think is safe. Make sure to have your SSL certificate correctly installed and it is also a good idea to include the SSL providers logo on checkout pages.
One page checkout process: this facilitates the user through the checkout process.
These are just a few quick tips to making your shopping cart more user friendly and what to look for when choosing which to use!

You’ve created a great website!  So you think, but your website analytics reveal a high bounce rate.  The question at hand is: WHY?  Have you optimized your website effectively for your audience?  When you optimize your website it is wise to approach it with a strategy.  One thing to remember is: it’s all trial and error.  Another question to ask yourself is: Are you giving your visitors what they’re looking for?  This is very difficult to gauge especially if you do not have a full scale in-house marketing team to analyze your target market’s behavior.

So lets talk Split Testing.  Split testing is a process to test the effectiveness and conversion potential for variations of the following:

• Different elements on a web page (multi-variate) – i.e. forms, call to action buttons, images, headliners, content, color etc.
• Web pages (A/B) i.e. landing pages
• Complete websites (A/B) i.e. re-design

Split testing equally randomizes each variation.  It will tell you how many times the variation was visited and how many conversions were met for each variation.  The results will show which of the variations has a better chance for conversions.

Split testing is the easiest way to optimize your website.  It does not require in depth technical know how.  It’s also easy on the budget.  For example, before investing on a complete web page change ensure to test out different pieces of the page for what works and not works.  This will save you time and money of having to redo the work again.  There are additional benefits to split testing:

• You’ll understand your target market’s website behavior and what you need to convey on your website even more!
• Eliminates the guest work on what converts better for a Split Testing provides stats and numbers.
• Lessens episodes of hells kitchen of having too many cooks in the kitchen.
• Find trouble spots on your website.
• and importantly maximize your conversion rates!