This document discusses using analytics to optimize landing pages. It covers gathering information to improve websites, tying metrics to business goals, testing page variations, and landing page best practices. It recommends starting with business goals, key metrics like visitors and conversions, and conversion tracking. It also discusses multivariate testing of landing pages using tools like Google Website Optimizer, and provides free analytics resources.

1. Using Analytics to Optimize Landing Pages Search Exchange, Charlotte, NC May 19, 2010

2. What You Will Learn How to gather information that will make your website better How to tie online metrics with business goals Methods of testing different page variations Landing page best practices Free resources for continuing education

3. Analytics Search Exchange 2010

4. What Analytics Does Drives decisions that improve site user experience and increase marketing ROI Provides insight into why customers interact with your website Allows you to track trends and performance over time Analytics is the practice of using web analytics software

5. Google Analytics

6. Start with Website Goals Analytics does not know how to run your business Start with identifying the business goals of your website Configure analytics to measure your performance against those goals There is no such thing as the right number of unique visitors

7. Key Metrics Visitors Traffic Sources Content Goals Ecommerce

8. Conversion Tracking Ecommerce Lead Generation Brand Awareness Member Acquisition

9. Convert Visitors to Customers Your visitors 1 Product Information 2 Shopping Cart 3 Checkout 4 Thank You Page Your Customers

10. Analytics & Search Marketing Identify the keywords with the highest ROI Track organic traffic vs. paid traffic Identify new keyword opportunities Eliminate unprofitable keywords Develop new content for your website

11. Beware of the HiPPO

12. Landing Pages Search Exchange 2010

13. Landing Page Goals Provide a consistent experience Help a user complete a task Post-search experience – content should be tailored to the query Clear call to action Clean, simple design Maximize the value of the inbound searcher

14. Example: “hotel credit card”

15. Chase Marriott Rewards

16. Starwood American Express

17. Discover Card

18. Key Takeaways Less is more with landing pages Goal of page: Don’t make me think Make your offer clear and easy to understand Provide multiple options to contact you Match the content to the query Remember this is not your home page Never stop testing new landing pages

19. Multivariate Testing Search Exchange 2010

20. Multivariate Testing Allows you to test multiple landing page configurations simultaneously Free tools like Google Website Optimizer Paid tools like Test and Target from Omniture Enables you to make data-driven decisions Can help you convert more visitors into customers Stops arguments with the HiPPO before they happen

21. Website Optimization Visitors spend an average of 8 seconds* before deciding whether or not to remain on a website Goal is to drive the visitor beyond the landing page Website Optimizer helps you convert these visitors into buyers by increasing conversions *Source: Marketing Sherpa, Landing Page Handbook

22. A/B and Multivariate Options

23. How Does GWO Work? Winning Combo Original 1/3 visitors 14% Make Purchase Customers Visit your Website Combo1 1/3 visitors 20% Make Purchase Combo 2 Customers Convert 1/3 visitors 2% Make Purchase Test Different Variations of your Page Test variations of the same page

24. Reporting Combination 10 is performing the best Bars represent relative improvement Ability to disable bad performing combinations

25. Free Resources Search Exchange 2010

26. AvinashKaushik Google’s Analytics Evangelist Book: Web Analytics: An Hour a Day New Book: Web Analytics 2.0: The Art of Online Accountability and Science of Customer Centricity Blog: Occam’s Razor www.kaushik.net/avinash Twitter: @avinashkaushik

27. Google Analytics Google Analytics Help Forum: http://groups.google.com/group/analytics-help Google Analytics IQ Program: http://www.google.com/support/conversion university Google Analytics Authorized Consultants: http://www.google.com/intl/en/analytics/ authorized_consultants.html Google Analytics Blog: http://analytics.blogspot.com

28. SiteScan by EpikOne Free diagnostic tool that verifies if your Google Analytics Tracking Code is installed properly on your website http://www.sitescanga.com/ Inside the numbers: 45% of the pages they have scanned have errors Google Analytics only works if you have code on every page of your website

29. Quick Recap Define your website goals and identify key metrics specific to your site Audit your landing pages Create and test new landing pages using multivariate testing Refer to analytics resources regularly

30. The End Search Exchange 2010

31. Thank You! Benjamin Rudolph President & CEO Relevance Advisors 404.635.6775 benjamin.rudolph@relevanceadvisors.com @benjaminrudolph

32. Site Performance Process Search Exchange 2010

33. Stakeholder Interviews Determine business needs and goals Align metrics with the business objectives Reporting without a purpose is meaningless 90% about the business; 10% about the metrics Can you answer the question: Why do you want those metrics? Goal is not to know what’s happening but to change what’s happening

34. Review Analytics Tool Implementation Examine the site for a complete and error-free analytics code implementation Identify any on or off-page barriers to data collection Things that can interfere with tracking: Slow server load Page elements hanging Ad serving JavaScript conflicts

35. Seed and Execute Tests Tests may cover Overall messaging to audience Stock Images Color schemes, font formatting, visual “touches” Page design vs. page goals Messaging/design consistency Information architecture – how people find stuff Funnel pathing: the balance between guided and open-ended funneling

36. Analyze the Results Review Learnings Understand Implications Refine Move Forward Never Stop Testing – this is a website not a monument