Comments on: The Sciences and Disciplines of Web Site Optimization

By: Property Management Software

Property Management Software — Sat, 25 Jul 2009 15:27:36 +0000

Although if you have the visitor on your site, that’s 3/4 of the challenge, the other 1/4 should be easy, given the right conversion tools.

By: Scrapbook

Scrapbook — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 00:17:31 +0000

Testing

What header persuades more? What big yellow button moves more people to take a profitable action? What lead form fields work best for my visitors? These are all questions that cannot be answered by usability studies, but rather by some sort of A/B or multivariate testing. And any effective testing requires some sort of scientific rigor.

SEO Testing

By: clinica dentaria

clinica dentaria — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 04:34:57 +0000

There is so much to learn about conversion rate optimization that i’m a bit overwelmed…

But you post was quite a good start. I’ll check the rest of the blog.

Cheers

By: SEO Optimization

SEO Optimization — Thu, 14 May 2009 18:40:36 +0000

When we talk about site SEO Optimization it's the same thing with research and discipline to do the work.

By: paul W

paul W — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 13:58:39 +0000

Funny, I think I have been through this discussion with every company I have worked at. I learned this firsthand In the late 90’s at NextCard. You can address findability in a usability test for sure. Are people able to find and figure out how to get to the next step if motivated to do so, wether the motivation is artificial in the case of a usability study or genuine in the wild? And you can ASK people which button/link/widget they are more likely to click, but whatever you do, do not believe their answer! They will lie to you. Not intentionally, they just don’t really know, so they will just try to please you by answering what they think. But the situation is so artifical, they just can’t simulate their real motivation no matter how much they want to for you. We proved this over and over with real data at NextCard and then again everywhere else. I still like ASKING these things today but strictly for entertainment, as this limitation is well recognized. I think that it is pretty difficult to conduct an effective usability test and apply findings unless you appreciate this limitation perfectly.

By: Lia Barrad

Lia Barrad — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 18:04:05 +0000

“If all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail.”
Great quote. Also, when I am approached by new client to help them get viewers to click or call, one of the first thing I want look at is their analytics. In many cases, companies to not know how to read them, have never looked at them, and did not know how to turn the clicks into leads. This is part of the science. I also agree that the call to action has to be meaningfull and related to the specific service you offer on a specific page. In otherwords, give someone a specific rather than general a reason to call you. They might think they do not need all of your services, but just one part of what you do. Thanks again for all your insights.

By: florida web design

florida web design — Sun, 04 Jan 2009 22:00:33 +0000

I think it’s more discipline than science, and more than anything else when it comes to optimization.

By: Chris Goward

Chris Goward — Sat, 03 Jan 2009 15:22:27 +0000

Well said, Bryan.

It is common for conversion optimization to be dismissed as a usability tool by designers.

A holistic approach involves so much more, including testing of alternative value proposition components, which can then lead to learning that can even become a driver of other communications messaging.

The simplification and dismissal of conversion optimization by agencies is driven by fear of data-based decision-making.

By: Susan Weinschenk

Susan Weinschenk — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 13:29:07 +0000

In order to understand what makes people click you need not only to understand Usability and Psychology, but specifically the great new work being done in the psychology of the unconscious. Most decisions and behaviors, including clicking at a website, are made unconsciously. The research is telling and exciting. I just wrote a book about it (Neuro Web Design: What makes them click; see http://www.neurowebbook.com).