Using Web Analytics to Increase Website ROI

Measuring the ROI of your website: using web analytics effectively. Enterprise Ireland eMarketing Seminar, Morgan McKeagney Dublin, 22/10/09 Managing Director, iQ Content

Conversion

Supermarket from hell?

The web’s dirty little secret…. …carnage in the supermarket.

Web analytics is… …the practice of measuring, collecting, analysing, and reporting on internet data to understand how a site is used and how to optimise its usage. Web Analytics Association Four Goals: 1.  Better understand your users 2.  Make web design decisions based on data, not hunches 3.  Improve your website (remove barriers to sales) 4.  Improve conversions and sales

The challenge of web analytics •  Identify the metrics that matter •  Use metrics that are actionable – that lead to making a change •  Proper configuration – accurate data on numbers that matter •  Act on what you find

Using analytics to drive conversions

How to measure

The Conversion Funnel Your visitors 1 Viewing a product category page 2 Viewing a product page 3 Viewing a shopping cart 4 Completing an order Goal = visitors become customers

A conversion story 3. Client makes web site changes 1. GA setup With GA = 3x 2. GA review Without GA

Funnel Search properties 1 18.5% Search results 2 30.3% Check availability 3 95.4% Make booking 4 42.1% Confirm booking 5 37.4% Enter payment 6 59.6% Booking complete 7 Goal Page

Identify the Accident Black Spots?

Visitors Exits = 95.4% Exit Reasons: •  Poor search experience •  Availability checker very clunky Exits = 59.6% Exit Reasons: Customers •  •  Overlong payment form Poor layout

Funnel Search properties 1 Search results 2 Improved layout Check availability 3 Make booking 4 Removed Confirm booking 5 Improved layout Enter payment 6 Booking complete 7 Goal Page

300% improvement This translates directly into revenues. Target = 1000%

Design matters: Supermarkets again   Extensive customer research: •  interviews •  observing people shop •  analysis of store traffic   Leads to careful design of: •  layout of the store •  product placement •  colours, sounds and smells   The result? Who has ever come out of a supermarket with much more than they went in to buy?

Analytics tells you the what, not the why   Customer engagement critical to understand •  WHY things are happening •  HOW BEST to fix them

Understanding your customer

Better results come from deep understanding of your customer “…knowing and understanding the customer so well the product or service fits him and sells itself.” Peter Drucker

Techniques for building understanding Source: “The User is Always Right”, Mulder & Yaar, 2006

Getting into the mind of your users   Real people, with real needs use your website   Simple goals: find info, do stuff, buy stuff, save time, save money   If site doesn’t support user goals, it fails   Understanding your users single biggest challenge   How to do it? •  Define a user model: personas and scenarios •  User test •  Illicit and respond to user feedback

The persona technique “ The broader the target   Alan Cooper  Personas you aim for, the more •  Archetypal (fictional) user, certainty you have of with specific needs and missing the bull’s eye ” background Alan Cooper •  Should be a few key personas for your entire site •  By serving key personas, you serve everyone else •  Serve as design targets for the development team.   Key – what is their primary GOAL that brings them to your site. And what TASK are they performing to meet that goal?

Moving from general to specific

Find out more: two books for your bookshelf

Case Study | Permanent TSB …re-launched September 09.

Extensive Customer Engagement

Redesigned all aspects of the site

User tested all aspects of the redesign

Key points: funnels and conversion   Conversion rate is all about user experience: less road-bumps, accident blackspots, higher conversions   Increased conversions = increased profitability   300%+ conversion improvements are possible and common   Measurement is a critical first step in increasing conversions   Necessary, but not sufficient: analysis & action critical   Analytics tells you the what; user engagement tells you why.

Understanding effectiveness of SEO & SEM

Other things to look at:   General trends – visitor numbers & engagement   SEO / SEM – was it worth it; is it working?   Campaigns – how effective were they, which worked best?   Where do visitors come from? How engaged and loyal are they?   Most importantly: are we getting the outcomes we want? What changes do we need to make?

Last year…

SEO: Where people are coming from   No point in using Yahoo or MSN paid search!

  you can drill down to view by country

For Boot Camp profile, it's more interesting

Content popularity: accidental tourists?   Why is it so popular? And why the high exit percentage?

So we cross-segment that page   About Dublin page: Unintentional SEO!

Bounce rates Majority didn't stick around! Either optimise landing page, or rethink SEM

Effectiveness of SEM campaigns: what worked, what didn’t   Real data to track your online marketing efforts   Offline require different method of tracking

Key points: SEM & SEO   Analytics helps you to determine if your SEM was actually worth it & make better decisions   Focus on your landing pages, your bounce rates, and visitor engagement (page views per visit)   Pay attention to the valuable organic search data at your fingertips

Summary & Wrap-up

Good analytics = take action   Forrester Research: Biggest challenge marketers face with analytics?   53% say Acting on Findings

Analytics framework: be systematic From Victoria Web Analytics Toolkit

Wrap-up   Your website is all about conversion   Measurement is critical: •  # 1: Understand your customers and what they’re doing on your site •  # 2: Identify accident blackspots – points where customers are experiencing difficulty •  # 3: Take action – fix problems, track changes •  # 4: Increase conversions – put more money in the bank   Measurement alone is not sufficient: you need to act on the data – make changes

Questions? Feedback? Contact Details: Morgan McKeagney   Visit us at: Managing Director www.iqcontent.com iQ Content Ltd   Read blog, sign-up for free e: morgan@iqcontent.com monthly newsletter t: +353 1 817 0768 Twitter: @morganmck @iqcontent www.iqcontent.com

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Using Web Analytics to Increase Website ROI

by Morgan McKeagney on Oct 29, 2009

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