Conversion Rate Web Marketing Blog 

Google Website Optimizer is an awesome tool that allows you to test different versions of your web pages to see which ones work better.

Here’s what the Google Website Optimizer home page says about it:

Using Website Optimizer to test and optimize site content and design, you can quickly and easily increase revenue and ROI whether you’re new to marketing or an expert.

We’ve been using Google Website Optimizer in our Conversion Rate Optimisation program to find out what customers really want from websites.

Over time, we’ve come to understand this: Whether you use Google Website Optimizer to run a split test or a multivariate test, the results that you are going to get are only as good as your ideas.

Testing the colours of call to action buttons will only get you so far… You need to delve deeper to make this tool work for you. So where do you find the best ideas to test?

1. Know your customers - Spend time talking with them and understanding them.
2. Know your bottom line conversion stats - Visits, Enquiries and Sales or Visits for lead generation, Carts and Sales for e-commerce websites.
3. Delve into your web analytics to find problem areas and opportunities for improvement.
4. Know the outcomes that you would like to improve. Is it more sign-ups, downloads, lead contact forms, shopping carts, orders or sales?
5. Get the help of experienced testers.

Google Website Optimizer is a key tool that can help you to keep your conversion rates heading north. Of course, here in Australia, we would prefer to call it Google Website Optimiser. Perhaps that’s something that Google could test to see if it helps.

From the author: If you regularly advertise for leads in the Yellow Pages®, in the newspaper or on the radio, then there’s a good chance that your website could be generating more leads for you than it is. The key is in your website’s conversion rates.

We know that to achieve high conversion rates and sales from your web marketing you need a team that includes seasoned marketers, web designers, web programmers, copywriters, editors, bloggers and search engine gurus. That’s why we created Bitemark.

And yes, we can get your website to number one in Google too ;-)!

Contact us on 03 9012 6600 for a free conversion rate review of your website.

Yellow Pages® is an Australian registered trade mark of Telstra Corporation Ltd. This company has requested and has been granted permission from Telstra Corporation Ltd to use the Yellow Pages® trade mark. This company is not otherwise associated with Telstra Corporation or any of it’s subsidiaries.

If you’re involved in marketing, then you’ll probably have heard about the ABC’s show about advertising, The Gruen Transfer. Last week, comedian and host Will Anderson asked the panel to talk about advertising that backfired on them.

According to Russel Howcroft, MD of Ad Agency George Patterson’s Y&R,

All advertising works, it’s just a matter of how much.

For many businesses marketing is one of the biggest expenses, and you don’t need to work for an ad agency to know that there is big money changing hands for good advertising… and bad advertising.

Maybe Russel Howcroft’s statement that all advertising works is true in an advertising agency sort of a way… but maybe not for long.

Marketing on the Internet has introduced many businesses to the concept that you can draw a direct line from good marketing to increased sales. It has introduced an unprecedented standard of tools, data and accountability.

Now, Google Analytics has launched a tool in the US that allows marketers to see what impact their TV ads have on their website traffic.

It may not be expected in advertising agencies, but In our opinion advertising has failed if it doesn’t generate a return on investment. Looks like Google Analytics is about to shake up the ad world.

From the author: If you regularly advertise for leads in the Yellow Pages®, in the newspaper or on the radio, then there’s a good chance that your website could be generating more leads for you than it is. The key is in your website’s conversion rates.

We know that to achieve high conversion rates and sales from your web marketing you need a team that includes seasoned marketers, web designers, web programmers, copywriters, editors, bloggers and search engine gurus. That’s why we created Bitemark.

And yes, we can get your website to number one in Google too ;-)!

Contact us on 03 9012 6600 for a free conversion rate review of your website.

Yellow Pages® is an Australian registered trade mark of Telstra Corporation Ltd. This company has requested and has been granted permission from Telstra Corporation Ltd to use the Yellow Pages® trade mark. This company is not otherwise associated with Telstra Corporation or any of it’s subsidiaries.

I received an email this morning that made the startling claim that “People remember 50% of what they see and hear and only 10% of what they read.”

Interestingly I read this quote (and for that matter, saw it too) in an email about online video. I’m sure that you have read, seen and heard variations of this so-called research too.

Before you rush off to turn everything that you’ve ever published into a video - as the email implied that I should - you should know that this research is a myth and the quote itself is rubbish.

Graphics like the one above are extremely widespread and they are usually constructed to suit the purpose of the person presenting them.

There are a couple of things that give these graphs away:

• Percentages are being used to generalise people
• The results are always a factor of 10%

So I did some research to find the source of this information, and I found this post from learning consultant Dr Will Thalheimer that shows that there is in fact no valid research that shows that any mode of learning is superior to another.

A comment on the blog cites the following quote regarding the real story of retention:

Each of the methods identified by the pyramid resulted in retention, with none being consistently superior to the others and all being effective in certain contexts.

Lalley, J., & Miller, R. (2007). The learning pyramid: Does it point in teachers in the right direction? Education, 128(1), Page 64

In other words, as soon as you hear someone say, “people remember blah blah blah,” know that you’re hearing rubbish.

The two keys to retention

The reality is that there are no real statistics on reading vs hearing vs seeing vs doing and there can’t be.

There are two keys that dictate retention:

1. Student
2. Subject

For example, taking a guitar lesson (subject) from a book is pretty tough. There are so many things about learning guitar that just can’t be communicated in written words. The lesson is unlikely to be retained if you (student) don’t play guitar.

However, if Dr Will Thalheimer presented his debunking of the retention styles myth by video, it would be hard to comprehend. That’s because video is real time, and that makes it harder to digest at your own pace.

Also, if you are a motivational speaker, a transcript of your last speech probably isn’t going persuade people to hire you.

How to increase retention (and conversion rates)

So if you want people to retain your message, consider the student and the subject. That will determine the mode of delivery that you choose.

What ever mode you choose, ensure that the content you deliver is of a high standard, targeted to your audience. This applies to your blog, copy writing, online video, pictures and every form on content on your website.

From the author: As a web programmer I have been involved in developing several content management systems. I was hands on in developing our own content management suite called eComMetrix®.

What I know from working on hundreds of lead generation and eCommerce websites over 11 years is that there is something far more important when creating a website than the system that you use. It’s your conversion rates and it’s a measure of how effectively the content of your website engages your website visitors.

We know that to achieve high conversion rates and sales from your website you need a team that includes seasoned marketers, web designers, web programmers, copywriters, editors, bloggers and search engine gurus. That’s why we created Bitemark™.

And yes, we can get your website to number one in Google too ;-)!

Contact us on 03 9012 6600 to find out how you could boost the conversion rates of your website.

Do people believe that the testimonials on your website are real? We often hear people express the view that testimonials on websites are contrived or made up. Sometimes with good reason.

Let me make one thing clear: Made up testimonials do not belong in professional web marketing.

In this “Web 2.0″ world of fast customer feedback, fictitious testimonials will come back to bite you. So, how can you prove that your testimonials are real, spontaneous expressions of gratitude from your customers?

Firstly, the best testimonials are the unsolicited ones, so do a good job, and you’ll get testimonials. Do an exceptional job an you’ll get even more.

Here are a couple of ideas on how to keep the testimonials flowing: 

• Do an exceptional job
• Respond well to complaints
• Measure and improve your customer service
• Let customers know that testimonials help your business, and you need their help.

Make it as easy as possible for people to send their feedback, but never apply pressure. If good feedback doesn’t come freely and naturally, then it is contrived.

There are some simple ways that you can improve the acceptance of the testimonials on your website:

• Include scans of real handwritten thank you letters, or email print outs - don’t know why but it just seems more real if its printed
• Include pictures of your clients - using your product if applicable (with their permission of course)
• Include negative comments - demonstrate how you resolved issues and turned a situation around
• Video testimonials - Can be hard to arrange, try the simple things first.

For an eCommerce website you might consider using a product rating and feedback system. However, the implementation of a system like that is not right for every eCommerce website. It’s also a big project that needs to be carefully planned.

Taking small steps to prove that your testimonials are genuine will have a greater effect than having hundreds of testimonials on your website.

Take a look at the testimonials page we were able to create for Block Out Blinds using their customers real feedback here.

From the author: If you regularly advertise for leads in the Yellow Pages®, in the newspaper or on the radio, then there’s a good chance that your website could be generating more leads for you than it is. The key is in your website’s conversion rates.

We know that to achieve high conversion rates and sales from your web marketing you need a team that includes seasoned marketers, web designers, web programmers, copywriters, editors, bloggers and search engine gurus. That’s why we created Bitemark.

And yes, we can get your website to number one in Google too ;-)!

Contact us on 03 9012 6600 for a free conversion rate review of your website.

Yellow Pages® is an Australian registered trade mark of Telstra Corporation Ltd. This company has requested and has been granted permission from Telstra Corporation Ltd to use the Yellow Pages® trade mark. This company is not otherwise associated with Telstra Corporation or any of it’s subsidiaries.