2010 – another year, and another round of changes expected to come in the new year. From Googles pending dance that could shake up the Search space, to a foreseen boom in mobile advertising (likely in 2011), to some who tout conversion rate optimization being the big thing in 2010 (IMHO was covered in 2008/09). Unfortunately I don’t get to write on here as much as I’d like due to demanding clients , though I thought it would be timely to cover a few points that touches on what the crystal ball holds for 2010.

And with Google dance around the corner, and the push on conversion optimization, what better time than to touch on some of the essential metrics that SEO (search engine optimization) specialists, marketers and business owners should be tracking and reporting. Its essential to know these metrics so you know your SEO ROI is being attained, or at least paying back some dividends. And yes, there are a number of important metrics to benchmark and that provide valuable insight…but these are the areas I see as ‘essential’ in you business intelligence SEO tool box, especially if our crystal ball vision is true with Google’s dance and conversion rate optimization. (more…)

You’re finally on board with some of the changes and new features Google’s rolled out over the last few years, along with watching the suitors as Yahoo and Bing (MSN) follow suit. You’ve come to grips that if you plan to succeed in your online business, you cannot let your online marketing sit idle. Investment into your online strategy is a necessity as the digital marketing landscape has evolved over time; Search, Email, Social Media have all drastically evolved the last couple years.

Searches evolution provides a significant source for lead generation and new sales for businesses on the web. And this evolution didn’t stop simply with organic / natural search rankings.

Google Local, launched in 2004, is one of the latest advancements by Google to undergo an evolution and compliment the various channels within Search that a visitor will use to find your business on the web. Its finally recognized in the arsenal of tactics with Search strategist to leverage in natural / organic search to accomplish top search rankings, and increased Search market share. One will hedge their bets a major shift in Google Local we’ll soon see is the evolution of Google Maps and Google Maps Street View. (more…)

You read right. Adding to the arsenal of website and business intelligence tools such as Google Analytics, Google launches in October the new beta analytics view of Google Local Business Center.

Operators and owners of websites who have already created a Google Local Listing, can now view the performance of their Google Local listing directly within the Google Local Business Center.

What are Google Local Listings? The Local listings by Google is a it’s a combination of Googles popular Google Maps and Google Local Business Listings, organic search results, and complimented with optional sponsored Search results from Google’s Adwords program (paid search marketing). (more…)

Earlier this month we started down the path of “landing page strategy testing – is it worth it?“. Landing pages can be an extremely useful tactic to increase conversions in a campaign. Employing landing pages is typically utilized in paid search campaigns, internal conversion pages and more recently, email marketing campaigns.

This week I’ll continue the subject on landing page strategy and jump into the second step; Test Strategy – determining pages worth testing. Determine your target page for testing by working down the list in order of importance and priority of your defined goals.

Start with visitors who are already leads. These individuals are those who are in the “action-mode” and ready to convert (purchase/opt-in/download, etc). They have already begun the journey down your conversion path. Utilize your analytics (ex. Google analytics), ‘Goals’ (if set up) and the conversion funnels. The conversion funnel overview will provide insight into page attrition of the leads who area already in the conversion mood. By establishing KPI’s in the conversion path such as page attrition, will allow you to easily gauge any positive or negative impacts of visitors in the conversion path. This itself will speak volumes of where to begin testing and optimization.

Again, this may cover the conversion paths of your eStore checkout, or your opt-in page, or a paid search campaign. Whatever area you identify is most critical to the success of your goals, is the ideal place to start. (more…)

Enhancing a campaigns performance in the Search channels such as a paid search campaign, or even in an email program, if done properly can reap those conversion rewards, or whatever your defined KPI’s (key performance indicators) may be. Though when traveling down this path of designing, building and executing landing pages, the necessity to test is critical. Just as with a paid search campaign, email promotional or lifecycle campaigns, eStore check out sales funnel and your run of the mill homepage, the need to test to optimize is integral to maximize your online the outcome you’re seeking…whether it be increased signs ups, conversions, sales, opt-ins, opens, click thru’s etc.

Understanding what’s worth testing is that “ah-ha” many marketers face and tend to pull random ideas out of the hat. The issue I’ve found with marketers is not necessarily deciding if they should test…but rather understanding what variables they should test. While almost any variable on the landing page could be tested – raised CTA (call to action), key messaging above the fold, dynamic keyword population, localization to the visitors geographic city or region, larger images/buttons/text, content layout stemming from heat map reports, etc., the list can go on and on.

So what is worth testing? Here are my guidelines on what’s worth testing. (more…)