Best Practices for Effective Website Testing & Optimization (Webinar)

Best Practices for Effective Website Testing & Optimization

#testingwins

May 10, 2012 • 2 pm ET

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Audio: Use your microphone and speakers or call in using your telephone.Phone Number: (951) 266-6127Webinar ID: 401-216-672

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Effective Website Testing & Optimization

#testingwins

Bryan EisenbergBryan & Jeffrey Eisenberg & Associates

Carlos del RioDirector of Conversion Analysis & Digital StrategyUnbounce


Adam FigueiraProduct Marketing ManagerMonetate

#testingwins

Bryan EisenbergBryan & Jeffrey Eisenberg & Associates@TheGrok


#testingwins

#testingwins


Bryan EisenbergProfessional Speaker, Best Selling Author, Online Marketing Authority

• Co-author of The Wall Street Journal, Business Week, USA Today and New York Times bestselling books, “Call to Action,” “Waiting for Your Cat to Bark?” and “Always Be Testing.”

• Keynote speaker for corporate events and conferences such as Search Engine Strategies, Shop.org, Direct Marketing Association, MarketingSherpa, Econsultancy & other leading marketing events.

• Board member of Search Engine Strategies, the eMetrics Marketing Optimization Summit and several venture capital backed startup companies, including Monetate.

@TheGrok

• 5 best practices in website optimization that your solution must support.

• Questions each stakeholder involved in the buying process can use to evaluate testing solutions.

• Profiles of introductory, landing page and enterprise-level testing and targeting solutions, including my likes, dislikes, and judgment calls on what each solution does best.

• Bonus: An appendix with sample RFP questions that you can include in your buying process.

Make the vendor evaluation process easier!

http://pages.bryaneisenberg.com/buyers-guide


#testingwins@TheGrok

1. Message consistency across channels• Follow the “scent trail” (PPC, display, email, affiliate, social media, etc.).

• Use similar creative and messaging from inbound channels on your landing page and throughout the website experience.

• Ensure visitors don’t feel they’ve been taken “off trail” or you will lose them.

• Make sure your testing solution doesn’t make your ability to target website visitors impractical.




© 1998 - 2012 BryanEisenberg.com & @TheGrok

They Maintain Scent




What is the Scent Quality? Brand Image Offer Category Product




Good Use of Scent




Even Better Use of Scent Brand Image Offer Category Product




Landing Page Optimization Is Not Enough!




You Need to Look At All Customer Journeys & Processes


2. There is no “Finish Line” in Optimization• If you’re aiming to get to a point where you’re “finished” with optimization, you’re missing the point.

• Not uncommon for companies to feel this way since website testing and optimization is often viewed as very resource-intensive.

• Assure your costs aren’t dependent on the number of server calls or tests launched in a month, or the duration of your campaigns.

• Ask about: 1) Quick implementation; 2) Hidden charges; 3) Support from a team of experts.



2. There is no “Finish Line” in Optimization


Source: Econsultancy


3. Targeting for the Real World• Simple segmentation can move the needle: New versus returning, or U.S. versus international.

• Extend targeting to traffic sources, demographic profiles or real-time visitor behavior.

• Put customer segmentation in the hands of marketers and not in the control of IT experts. Avoid hearing: “We’ll get to it when we can.”

• Ask: “How many concurrent testing and optimization campaigns are clients running?”



3. Targeting for the Real World


Known Customer Attributes:New Visitors




Geographic Targeting:International Visitors




Location-based Targeting:Spring Weather




Technographic Targeting:iPhone Users




Inbound Marketing Channel:Affiliates


4. Increase Revenue Across Channels• Customer experience often extends channels, i.e., email, search, affiliate, merchandising, advertising, brick-and-mortar and more.

• Promote growth across the organization by making sure testing isn’t centralized in one department.

• Ask: “How many users will be able to log in and use the tool?”



4. Increase Revenue Across Channels



4 variables most strongly correlatedwith improved overall conversion:

1. Perceived control over conversion costs.2. A structured approach to Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO).3. Having someone directly responsible for CRO.4. Incentives for staff based on conversion rates.




Perceived control over conversion rates



Do you have a structured approach to improving conversion rates?



Methods currently used for improving conversion rates



Number of staff responsible for improving conversion rates


5. A Culture of Testing Sparks Innovation• Spending minutes rather than weeks on a simple test like which form fields are required during checkout will allow you to make data-driven decisions.

• When website testing and optimization is IT-light and easy, it becomes a habit within the organization that drives marketing strategy.

• If your idea of testing is evaluating a red versus a blue button, think again. Think bigger than buttons.

Way Bigger.




"Sometimes when you innovate, you make mistakes. It is best to admit them quickly, and get on with improving your other innovations."

5. A Culture of Testing Sparks Innovation


Built for the enterprise | Built for the marketer | Built for scale

Tools for the Enterprise

• Adobe Test & Target• Autonomy Optimost• Maxymiser• SiteSpect

Landing Page Tools

• LiveBall

Buyer’s Guide Vendor Profiles


**

* Recommended


thank you

Bryan EisenbergBryan & Jeffrey Eisenberg & Associates@TheGrok

#testingwins

Carlos del RioDirector of Conversion Analysis & Digital Strategy @unbounce


#testingwins


"Unbounce allows us to regularly experiment with concepts and strategies that would be far too time consuming and costly if we had to involve our development team. They have struck a great balance between ease of use and features that you rarely see in a tool this affordable. Unbounce helped us develop PPC landing pages that converted 20% higher."

Craig Barrett, Director of Search MarketingSparefoot.com

Who is Carlos del Rio?• Co-Author of “User Driven Change: Give Them What They Want” and “A Strategic Framework For Emerging Media”

Follow @inflatemouse on Twitter

#testingwins@unbounce

1. The benefits of starting with one landing page• Controlled hypothesis• Small chance for mis-step

2. Using a self-service tool• Ease• Control• Speed

3. HootSuite Case Study• Pricing Test

4 Knovio Case Study• Headline Test



1. The benefits of starting with one landing page

• Controlled hypothesis• Small chance for mis-step



2. Using a self-service tool

• Ease• Control• Speed



Requirements for a Great Landing Page1. Headline

2. Demonstration

3. Value

4. Support

5. Action



HootSuite Case Study: Price Test


12% Lift


Knovio Case Study: Headline Test


2% Lift

thank you

Carlos del RioDirector of Conversion Analysis & Digital Strategy @unbounce

#testingwins

Adam FigueiraProduct Marketing Manager@monetate


#testingwins


#testingwins@monetate


Best Practices1. Message Consistency

2. Total Experience Optimization



Message Consistency• Cognitive Dissonance Theory (Leon Festinger, 1957)

- People desire harmony and seek to avoid inconsistencies - Inconsistencies create confusion and occur when expectations and reality differ

• Marketers must focus on consistency and reinforcement whenever the landing page and conversion page differ.



• Applies to- Message, offer, look and feel- Any offsite campaign

• Doesn’t always mean repetition



20% Off Email Promotion

Homepage Product Detail Checkout



Move Beyond the Landing Page

• Consistency is still key, but graduating to a new level

• Additional actions and tactics

• “Total Experience Optimization”



Total Experience Optimization• Definition:One or more campaigns that seek to optimize the visitor’s experience across each stage of the buying process.

• 3 Pillars of Online Success1. Guide: Ensure your product/offering is easy to find.2. Curate: Ensure that a purchase decision is easy to make. 3. Expedite: Ensure that checkout is fast and frictionless.



Guide• Goal:

Get the visitor to the right page as quick as possible.

• Tip:Get in front of the results page.

• Predictive, type-ahead results including:- Image thumbnails- Names and descriptions

• Target based on:- Inventory- Ratings



Curate• Goal:Present the information visitors need to make a purchase decision.

• Tip:Less is more.

• Badging:- On Category and Product Detail Pages

• Target based on:- New versus Returning- Consumer Preferences



Curate



Expedite• Goal:Deliver a fast, intuitive checkout process.

• Tip:Run tests against new visitors first.

• Offer Codes:- Automatically apply codes for eligible visitors- Test hiding the coupon code box



Expedite



DeconstructingFull Service versus Self Service



The False Dichotomy• Either/or deliberately eliminates the middle ground.

• Tool must be easy enough for you to use, but also provide for:- Extension of resources - Strategic guidance and prioritization - Knowledge of best practices- Experience with testing - Complete website agility that doesn’t exist inside any tool

• Great cars require great drivers (you or the testing tool).

• Success involves more than just who’s behind the wheel.


thank you

Adam FigueiraProduct Marketing Manager@monetate

#testingwins

#testingwinsFollow @monetate on

Questions & Answers
