http://www.grokdotcom.com Marketing blog focused on marketing optimization, improving website conversion rates, search engine marketing, web analytics, word of mouth, etc. Fri, 19 Mar 2010 15:25:37 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en With all the companies springing up (and some that have been around since '98) to provide Conversion Rate Optimization services, I think it's time to talk about what makes a good optimization recommendation.  After all, if you're going to spend hard-earned budget on CRO, shouldn't you have some expectation of ... http://www.grokdotcom.com/2010/03/19/anatomy-of-a-conversion-rate-optimization-recommendation/ Ladies! It's time to speak out about our frustrating online shopping experiences. How many times do you arrive at a clothing web site looking for a fabulous pair of jeans or a pair of yoga pants that really fit, go through the actions of shopping, but don't enjoy your ... http://www.grokdotcom.com/2010/03/12/a-womens-clothing-website-that-actually-speaks-to-women/ I recently read some interesting survey research done by the venerable MarketingSherpa around what types of things B2B prospects would find "most useful" in emails sent about product and service offerings. If you have the required membership, you can read the article here. They surveyed people considered to be B2B ... http://www.grokdotcom.com/2010/03/09/b2b-buyers-still-want-basics-from-your-email-marketing/ Show of hands: How many people noticed the typo in the title?  My guess is that those who did were ready to jump all over my mistake.  It was done intentionally to help prove my point: Visitors notice typos. (For those who are still confused: loose = free or released ... http://www.grokdotcom.com/2010/03/05/credibility-yours-to-loose/ Many Grok readers have been curious about our online marketing optimization services and what kind of process to expect when working with us.  I'll use some work we’ve done with a client to show you some basic things you should be looking at when optimizing and testing your site. ... http://www.grokdotcom.com/2010/03/02/getting-started-with-conversion-rate-optimization/ I love to analyze shopping carts because of the immense variety of designs and design elements that different companies and clients employ to try to "get the cash."  Some elements work better than others, and proper testing can lead the way to optimization. But, I believe that conversion is cumulative, and ... http://www.grokdotcom.com/2010/02/26/good-cart-design-vs-costly-credibility-indicators/ This post is dedicated to online marketers and small business owners out there who make money from their website, but have not yet kicked off a formal online marketing and website optimization program.  For those who have, good job, and there may be other Grok posts more useful to you ... http://www.grokdotcom.com/2010/02/22/optimize-that-conversion-rate-before-its-too-late/ In a recent comment I received on one of my older blog posts, a reader pointed out that much of the advice I had provided was for people who were just beginning optimization efforts and they (the commenter) wanted something more meaty for themselves to sink their teeth ... http://www.grokdotcom.com/2010/02/19/your-website-is-unique-dont-settle-for-best-practices/ I have to admit, I love to read our blog.  I love the insights my colleagues routinely bring to the table–and the fact that, like world-class athletes, they make it look so easy!  But sometimes, when I try to put all the pieces together, I find my head in a ... http://www.grokdotcom.com/2010/02/15/a-little-k-i-s-s-just-in-time-for-valentines-day/ I was just recently married and moved to a new state not too long after the wedding.  Thankfully, rather than receiving gifts from friends and family, my husband and I received a slew of gift cards, the majority of which were to Target.com.  After moving in to a relatively ... http://www.grokdotcom.com/2010/02/15/we-converted-online-but-only-because-it-was-free/ Recently, I moved to Boston and began the search for the perfect gym.  I got recommendations from friends, did some research online, and even visited a few in the area to discuss membership options.  But, my instincts told me that if I could just wait one more week, some amazing ... http://www.grokdotcom.com/2010/02/12/timed-sale-websites-and-the-x-factor-of-conversion/ Anyone that knows me knows that I’m passionate about my job.  I get to be an investigative reporter, go undercover by transforming myself to think like various different personas to analyze my client’s online performance, and help them make changes that ultimately lead to higher sales and/or leads. That doesn’t ... http://www.grokdotcom.com/2010/02/10/what-makes-a-product-review-great-seven-tips-that-count/ Since the common predictions over the last two months have been that Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO) is going to have a big year in 2010, some of our GrokDotCom readers have expressed interest in how to evaluate the different CRO service providers out there. Despite an obvious bias, I still think ... http://www.grokdotcom.com/2010/02/09/20-questions-to-ask-when-evaluating-optimization-services/ There was a question posed in the comments section of my last post on Pay Per Click optimization that I thought I'd try to address: "What are your thoughts on using CRO to improve the quality of leads?" Good question!  Many people assume that optimizing for higher conversion rates in the ... http://www.grokdotcom.com/2010/02/03/can-conversion-rate-optimization/ My best girlfriend, Brittany was searching online for an apartment in Salt Lake City last week. She told me about her frustrating experience with Rent.com. I want to share her experience with you, to show you what NOT do on your site. This is a perfect example of a reputable ... http://www.grokdotcom.com/2010/02/01/avoid-asking-for-the-lead-too-early/ Every client I talk to who's using Pay Per Click (PPC) as part of their online marketing mix voices some level of concern about cost and ROI, and for good reason.  With PPC, there seems to be a thousand different ways to spend too much money for not enough return.  ... http://www.grokdotcom.com/2010/01/27/how-to-optimize-pay-per-click-advertising-and-control-costs/ I have a friend who is responsible for gathering & reporting all the stats for his company.  In speaking with him, I found it interesting when he said “although stats are vital for reporting, they sometimes don’t tell the full story of what really is going on.” Numbers don’t report the ... http://www.grokdotcom.com/2010/01/25/your-visitors-are-individuals-so-treat-them-that-way/ The core of FutureNow's service offering is helping clients persuade their visitors to move from one stage in their buying process to the next, to ultimately convert more visitors into customers.  One common question we get from B2B marketers is how to design marketing efforts that "graduate" their prospects from ... http://www.grokdotcom.com/2010/01/22/graduating-prospects-getting-the-most-out-of-your-customer-information-form/ Today's topic is all about using blog (or forum) comments to drive qualified traffic to your site, and how to begin the persuasion process.  It's an interesting topic for me since I read nearly every comment that gets left on my GrokDotCom posts. Note: before you read further, understand that this ... http://www.grokdotcom.com/2010/01/20/how-to-use-blog-comments-for-persuasion-dos-donts/ In my last post, I wrote about treating your various sources of traffic differently from one another.  Track the individual conversion rates of your CPC, organic/SEO, email, etc. so you can prioritize the opportunities you have to optimize your web site’s performance.  That is just the first step, though.  Next, ... http://www.grokdotcom.com/2010/01/18/shopping-cart-optimization-take-this-first-step-today/ Last week, I posted the first three tips for savvy DIY-entrepreneurs wanting to start their own website (check out tips 1-3 in Part 1).  Now, without further delay, I'd like to get right back into providing you with the next 3 steps: 4. Buy a domain name. I suggest to do ... http://www.grokdotcom.com/2010/01/15/creating-a-website-something-from-nothing-part-2/ Do you look at the average bounce rate of your web site and come to any conclusions about your performance based on this single number? Probably not, right? I mean, it’s possible that this might set off some red flags, and drive you towards finding out what the bounce rates ... http://www.grokdotcom.com/2010/01/13/every-source-of-traffic-is-different-treat-it-that-way/ I was asked recently to look into my crystal ball and make some predictions for where the online marketing optimization space (including Conversion Rate Optimization) is headed in the next year. Some of my predictions will be "wishful thinking," but if I can sway the direction of an entire industry I'd ... http://www.grokdotcom.com/2010/01/11/online-marketing-optimization-5-predictions-for-2010/ Last week, I ran into an old high school friend while I was out to dinner with my parents.  As we got to chatting, he told me that he was interested in starting a website for his future photography business.  Since he's still in school, and doesn't have a lot ... http://www.grokdotcom.com/2010/01/08/creating-a-website-something-from-nothing-and-where-to-begin-part-i/ My inbox is a battlefield.  It's where the chosen few companies/brands that I allow into my consciousness battle it out for my attention, my clicks, my time, and my credit card. I scan the list of unread messages in waves: First, I pick off the obvious junk messages.  Then, I scan ... http://www.grokdotcom.com/2010/01/06/how-to-loosen-up-the-tone-of-marketing-emails/