marketing education series optimizing websites for results 10:00 am | 1:00 pm | 3:00 pm

MARKETING EDUCATION SERIES

Optimizing Websites for Results

10:00 AM | 1:00 PM | 3:00 PM

David WarrenVP Digital MediaPennWell

Objective and Scope Of this Talk

• Objective: To help you (marketers) make the most effective use of your websites and deliver desired outcomes

• Scope: On-site optimization is the realm we are exploring– Not social, SEM, SEO (much), advertising, etc.

B2B Marketers are Investing in Websites

Your Website is Your Marketing Hub

Graphic source: Circle S Studios

Top 15 Tips for Website Optimization1. Prioritize goals and align with marketing strategy2. Establish KPI’s and review & report processes3. Analyze and fix bounces & abandonment4. Measure and improve conversion rates5. Develop a content strategy6. Map content to customer lifecycle7. Do a content audit8. Operate a company blog9. Do the SEO basics well10. Also spend time on technical SEO11. Improve usability through user feedback sessions12. Make your pages fast13. Use automated testing tools to pptimize the key points14. Optimize for mobile with responsive or adaptive design15. Use a style guide

1.Be clear on what you are trying to achieve

Prioritize and align with your firm’s marketing strategy

Branding

Thought Leadership

Lead Generation

Cost Reduction/Avoidance

Direct

Sales

• Conversion Rates• Lead Generation Rates• E-commerce Sales• Attributable Sales• Average Order Size• Leads Generated

2. Set Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

Establish a regular site reporting and review process

• Reach (Unique visitors)• Engagement (ToS, Visit

Depth)• Revisit Rate • Repurchase rate

3. Spend Quality Time with your Web Analytics Tool on these Metrics:

• Bounce Rate – Helps you identify campaigns where you might be targeting the

wrong people, have ineffective landing pages, or even technical problems.

• Abandonment in checkout or registration paths– Fix the holes in your funnel!

4. Focus on Improving Conversions

• Definitions: – Commonly used: The % web site visitors who take a

specific action– How we measure it: The web site visits that result in a

desired action as a % of the visits that could have resulted in that action

• Types of conversions– Conversions to leads– “Soft” or attributable conversions– Downloads or views of particular materials

4. Steps to Maximize Conversion Rates

1. Use dedicated landing pages customized to each campaign2. Fix the holes in your funnel! Measure and improve on an ongoing

basis.3. Anticipate and answer visitor concerns throughout the conversion

process1. Offer clear guarantees for products and privacy2. Utilize “social proof” such as testimonials 3. Establish credibility by displaying trust seals

4. Don’t make the user think – it should be easy to do1. Avoid multiple calls to action2. Use lots of product images3. Declutter, use lots of whitespace

How Well Will this Site Convert?

How Well Will this Site Convert?

How Well Will this Site Convert?

How Well Will this Site Convert?

How Well Will this Site Convert?

5. Develop a Content Strategy

6. Map Content to the Customer Lifecycle

7. Start With a Simple Content Audit

8. Operate a Company BlogThe average company that blogs has:

9. Optimize for SEO, do the Basics

1. Put real effort into keyword choices and analysis. Keywords tie back to and inform content strategy

2. Making your content easily shareable to build links

3. Setup and use Google Webmaster Tools

4. Review sites that rank higher on key search terms and adapt

http://www.searchenginejournal.com/12-basic-on-site-seo-tactics-for-optimized-results/5966/

10. Optimize for SEO, Cover the Technical Basics

1. The page title tag, it’s #1 for a reason2. H1 and H2 text3. Keyword density and location in body text4. Meta description & keywords5. URL structure and length 6. Image title and Alt tags7. Internal link structure8. Create XML site map

http://www.searchenginejournal.com/12-basic-on-site-seo-tactics-for-optimized-results/5966/

11. Get Direct User Feedback to Improve Usability

• Don’t be afraid to grab a few people from accounting or HR to help you test, although ideally it would be from your target user group

• Keep the tests simple, its fine just to give them a few tasks and watch over their shoulders

• You can learn a lot from just 5 people on a given scenario, 10 users will typically give you 90% of what you need to know

• Use online tools such as usertesting.com

12. Improve Page Load Speed

1. Optimize your images2. Optimize your HTML3. Reduce the # of requests4. Use text instead of images where feasible5. Use a CDN (Content Delivery Network such as

Akamai or Limelight6. Use caching features of your CMS7. Look for 404 and other errors in your analytics

tool and fixhttp://www.slideshare.net/dnnsoftware/10-website-optimization-tips-26285665

Nearly 60% of users will abandon if they have to wait more than 3 seconds

13. Test, Test, Test• Use automated tools to test

offers images, calls to action, and any other web site variable

• It’s possible to very easily do A/B and multivariate testing with only a few hours work

• Ideal for key conversion points

• Examples of testing tools are Adobe Test & Target, Google Web Site Optimizer, Maxymiser and Optimizely

14. Optimize for Mobile with Responsive / Adaptive Design

15. Create a Style Guide• Ensures a consistent brand image throughout your web site(s).

• Explains the proper visual usage of a company’s logo, colors, fonts and tagline etc.

• Provides instructions on the companies “tone of voice”, brand colors, typography, logo treatment, etc.

Summary: Top 15 Tips for Website Optimization

1. Prioritize goals and align with marketing strategy2. Establish KPI’s and review & report processes3. Analyze and fix bounces & abandonment4. Measure and improve conversion rates5. Develop a content strategy6. Map content to customer lifecycle7. Do a content audit8. Operate a company blog9. Do the SEO basics well10. Also spend time on technical SEO11. Improve usability through user feedback sessions12. Make your pages fast13. Use automated testing tools to pptimize the key points14. Optimize for mobile with responsive or adaptive design15. Use a style guide

Thanks for your time and attention!

David WarrenVP Digital MediaPennWell Connect with me on Twitter or LinkedIn:@davidlwarren http://www.linkedin.com/in/davidlwarrendwarren@pennwell.com

Questions?

Bonus: Lead Generation

• Some newer lead gen technologies that enable you to observe "anonymous" visitors to your site (Visistat, Demandbase, using reverse IP lookup and other), perfect fodder for an inside rep to call and qualify

• Lead gen follow up processes, integrations into CRM.

• Forms tools such as WuFoo, Extreme Forms• Lead nurturing with tools from Act-On, Marketo

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