Extra! Extra!

During the initial phase of an engagement and during the post launch optimization, we’re always looking for simple methods for improving a sites ability to hit specific goals.  Below is a fairly simple process for bringing your users closer to what they are looking for and hopefully gaining a couple conversion points in the process.

1. Start by estimating the value of a conversion event on the website. Let’s use lead generation as our primary goal.  If we have an average web lead / converted customer ratio of 4% and our average value of a web customer is $7,500, then the average value of a web lead can be estimated (roughly) at $300.00. 
2. Next, in your analytics tool associate the value ($300) with the conversion event (Lead Generation).  Most Analytics tools will help you do this if you can associate a dollar value with your conversion event.  For our demonstration, we will assume that there is a Thank You (and next steps) page after each lead form.  Users that reach the Thank You page are worth an average value of $300.  The way to do this in each analytics tool is a little different.  For example, if you are using Google Analytics this would be the $Index value. 
3. For the next step, log in to your analytics tool and decipher which content is most highly valued to your converted users.   Again, this will be different depending on which analytics tool you use.  Sticking with our Google Analytics example, go the Reverse Path report see which pages are viewed before conversion events and go to the Top Content report to see the value of those pages.
   
4. Now you know which content your web leads are looking for and which content is most influential to them!! !  Update the link structure on your homepage by adding prominent links to the most valued content and eliminating links to the least valued (or least visited content). 

2 Notes

* First: Be sure to measure your average conversion of the event (lead generation) both before and after the homepage has been optimized.

** Second: Use common sense when optimizing links on the homepage. Some links require context before you put them in front of a user.  For example, just because terms and conditions on a home loan application are highly valued and highly visited by customers that convert, doesn’t mean that it is the first page a visitors wants to see on your homepage. Customers looking for home loans may need to see rates first in order to put the terms into context.

If you have questions about how to implement this process, please contact us at 650-212-3900 or info@extractable.com

Over the years we have written several applications that integrate with Google components through open APIs.  We’ve used Google maps to show office locations, Google CSE for internal search engines, and even Google Charts to show graphs.  Last month, my favorite Google API was launched.

Google Analytics announced an API to their popular analytics service.

The first implementation we are working on ties Google Analytics into a content management system that we are deploying for a client.  For many organizations, the CMS is used daily to make updates to the site while the analytics are viewed less frequently.  This gives all CMS users the ability to analyze the page(s) they are working. 

CMS users will have the ability to know valuable information about the content they are editing, such as:

• how people get to the page they are working on  (entrance, visitors, pageviews)
• and how many leave after viewing it (bounce, abandonment)
• are people reading this page (time on page)
• if the copy they are spending so much time on only gets viewed by 1% of the site audience

Content owners / marketers that are aware of this data will improve overall site performance by being aware of how specific pages impact site goals.

I’m excited about our first implementation of this new, simple channel for getting analytics data in the hands of the web team. 

For more information, check out the Google Analytics Developer Docs.

The Gemological Institute of America (GIA), the world’s foremost authority on diamonds, colored stones, and pearls recently worked with Extractable to launch their new website www.GIA.edu. The new website was designed with a coherent navigational structure that promotes critical user paths.

The site design and information architecture should increase student applications and stone submissions while driving repeat visitors as they have a more positive online experience with the GIA brand.

If you need a stone evaluated, are interested in a jewelry career, need to buy a ring or learn more about a stone make sure to visit GIA online or visit them in Carlsbad.

One of the most important factors search engines use to rank your website for keyword phrases is analyzing the number of websites and how popular (or important) the websites that are linking to you are (note: I’ll refer to these type of links as “backward links” although other SEO professionals might call them inward links, insite links, etc).  Google even patented a link analysis algorithm called Page Rank (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PageRank) which helps Google determine the ranking of your website on keyword phrases.

Hence, link building should be an integral (and ongoing effort) in any search engine optimization (SEO) program.  Where should you look to increase the number and quality of backward links to your website?

• Find industry related blogs; and blog!
• Find and participate in industry related websites and forums.
• Submit your website to free search engine directories like DMOZ.org.
• Build relationships with similar website owners and prove value in having them add a link to your website.

To elaborate on the last point a little more; in Google’s search engine find related websites by using the following search syntax “related:www.yourwebsitehere.com” and identify any websites that might benefit from adding a link to your website.   Don’t email or call the website owner blindly.  You will need to build a relationship and prove value to the other website owner that creating a link to your website is in their best interests. 

Show value!  For example, if your websites focuses on listing all the Happy Hour events in the city of San Francisco consider contacting websites like MustSeeSanFranisco.com or SFTravel.com.  Who on vacation in San Francisco doesn’t want to have a drink at a local Happy Hour event?

Lastly, don’t forget to “optimize” the hyperlink by including the primary keyword phrase in the actual link.  Example:  Instead of adding the following text to another website you are getting a link from, “Visit http://www.yourwebsitehere.com/ to see some social events including happy hours in the city” write “Visit our partner to find great happy hours events in San Francisco”

The direct benefits of getting backward links is A) your website will receive more site traffic from visitors clicking through on that backward link and B) search engines will give your website more “weight” when determining where your website should appear on related keyword searches.

Congratulations to Campus Federal Credit Union (CFCU) based in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, on the new website launch!

During the website redesign, Extractable worked with CFCU to make sure the new web experience on the CFCU website was as professional as larger financial institutions in the areas but also directly addressed the students, faculty and affiliates associated with Louisiana State University (LSU) that make up a large percentage of their member base.  The website was designed for ease of use and to enable members to have a positive online banking experience.

Before the website was launched benchmark figures were calculated in order to show a positive ROI on the project over the next several years.  Figures and base costs originating from the website were calculated for the member call center, average products/services per member and on the total membership of the credit union.

If you live in Louisiana or are affiliated with LSU please consider using CFCU as your primary financial institution because sometimes the “perfect bank for you, isn’t a bank at all”.

One of the most frustrating situations for any online marketer is not getting credit for sales that take place in the companies’ brick-and-mortar stores when the initial lead was generated online.  This often occurs when running a Pay-Per-Click (PPC) campaign which attracts customers to the companies’ website (where they can purchase the product online) but who still choose to purchase the product at the companies brick-and-mortar store.

Here’s a trick on how to setup one of your Pay-Per-Click campaigns so you can get credit for the sale and receive the allocades of your coworkers you know you deserve!

Setup one of your Pay-Per-Campaigns so the ads only display in a major city where your company has most of their brick-and-mortar stores.

Example: If your company focuses on selling competitive priced jewelry, setup a PPC campaign to only display ads in New York (assuming that’s where a majority of your stores are located) and bid on keywords like “discount jewelry, jewelry distributor, diamond wholesaler”.

Next, write all your ads to lead with the city abbreviation “NY” (an obvious abbreviation for anyone living in New York) and then include some of the keyword phrases that you are bidding on (eg. NY Diamond Wholesaler).  Use the second line of the ad to explain what your company sells (eg. necklaces, bracelets, rings etc) and use the last line of the ad to “hook” your customer (eg. advertise free shipping and a coupon for 10-20% off any purchase).

Keeping best practices in mind, create a specific landing page for this campaign.  Include (and better yet bold) the keywords you are bidding on, pictures of your products, etc.  Most importantly include a 10-20% coupon that can be used online upon checkout or printed out for in-store purchases.

If you’re a PPC rockstar you’ll probably already realize that setting up a geographic targeted PPC campaign with targeted ads that include the city name and take customers to a custom landing pages will result in:

1.    Higher clickthrough rates (don’t be surprised if you get close to 10%)!
2.    Higher online conversions (who doesn’t like a good 10-20% discount on a product they are already interested in?)
3.    Higher total sales (since you’ll get credit for offline sales generated online).

Have you figured out how number 3 happens?

The coupon code!  By setting up your campaign this way, you’ll have customers print off and use the coupon in-store (in order to get the 10-20% discount)!  Since, this coupon is only on your PPC landing page you’ll get credit for the sale!

Congratulations to Credit Union ONE for launching an enhanced website which provides members additional features and benefits.

CU ONE approached Extractable to help design a website that would “provide exceptional value to CU ONE members by delivering outstanding products and services anytime, anywhere.”  By having the website function as a 24 hour online member center (by empowering members to do more of their financial tasks online and by organizing information on the website more clearly) the website is poised to be a success!

Some great CU ONE site features include:

• Secure loan and mortgage applications
• Ability to open and fund an account online
• Wide array of financial calculators
• Numerous online forms
• Detailed online map
• Numerous online forms
• Dynamic Frequently Asked Questions
• Print and send-to-friend features
• Online help demos
• Online chat support

In the next month CUONE will be working to implement RSS feeds on their website and dynamically pull in rates into specific webpages in order to ensure their members have the latest rate information possibly available.

If you live in Michigan (or surrounding states) and are looking for a stable financial institution that still feels “personal” please make sure to visit Credit Union ONE.

When developing a new website, most companies (or web development agencies if the project is not being done in-house) go through an exhaustive “Test Plan” or “QA Checklist” before the site is launched. This document tends to focus on checking for broken links, spell checking site copy, testing site features like search or online forms, verifying the presence of 301 redirects (on the old website), making sure the site is free of (CSS, JS, etc) errors, ensuring the navigation is consistent, checking cross browser compatibility and so on goes the list.

When of the areas that I believe that is most often overlooked when “QAing” a website before it is launched is verifying that the sites analytic and search engine strategies are in place.

So just because your QA team believes the website is free of errors and ready to be launched don’t forget to verify your analytic strategy has been addressed and you’ve taken the necessary steps to make it easy for search engines to find and understand your new website.

Extractable’s clients use their sites to accomplish a broad set of goals (Lead Generation, Online/Offline Revenues, Reach/Awareness, Customer Loyalty).  One key to discovering which variables influence conversion of visitors is knowing whether or not visitors convert in 1 visit, 2 visits, 3 visits, etc. Whether filling out a lead form, purchasing an upgrade, or entering some product feedback, we typically see that the most valuable actions from visitors are on the 2^nd+ plus visit.  So why is it that most sites look the exact same each time a visitors comes back?

The first time visitors see Amazon.com, the visitors can be impressed with the sites wide selection of products, the wealth of information about every product, and the ease of purchasing.  But the most impressive aspect of Amazon is what happens on the 2^nd visit, 3^rd visit, 4^th Visit, etc.    The site keeps track of what you looked at (whether you made a purchase or not).  The site makes personalized recommendations based on what you viewed and how many items you viewed.   Sites like LinkedIn and Facebook are personalizing navigation and recommendations based on past navigation patterns.  BannaRepublic is customizing product recommendations based on the products that you looked at most recently. 

With a lot of the sites that we view, the first visit is an introduction.  The visitor is looking at high level product and organizational information – they are browsing around at wide breadth of content.  The first time visitor is validating the site/product as a viable option.  On the second visit, their navigation is much more focused.  When a user comes back, they tend to be a little more focused in their clicks/searches. 

Knowing what content/products a customer has looked at makes a big impact on what they view on their second visit.  Most sites should follow Amazon’s example.  It doesn’t take a significant about of planning and programming to think about how to make that 2^nd visit a little easier and ideally, get a better conversion rate.  We’ve had great success with clients websites by simply placing quick links to previously viewed promotions on the homepage.

I am cheap.  No, I am not trying to ask my boss indirectly for a raise (although with gas prices and my long commute I wouldn’t mind one) its just that I have just been using the Internet since Al Gore invented it (jk) and am accustomed to getting cool services for free on the Internet - news, language translation tools, playing in a fantasy league,etc.   I have even found some great FREE search engine optimization tools (that can be used as plug-ins with Firefox) that I would highly recommend:

• SEO Quake - https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/3036
• Search Status - www.quirk.biz/searchstatus
• SEO Book - http://tools.seobook.com

The tools above capture and display a lot of valuable information that you will need when optimizing your website for search engines - Google Page Rank, backlinks, internal/external links, Alexa ranking, cached site pages, IP address, whois info, robots file, sitemap, compete rank, keyword density, etc.

The SEO Quake and Search Status tools can be used when viewing a particular website while SEO Book shows much of the same vital SEO information from search engine results pages.  Happy optimizing!