Say Yes to the Test

“Analytics and Optimization.” It’s a task that never drops from an eCommerce to-do list – because your customers and markets are always changing. Besides, most companies have no shortage of ideas on how to improve the customer experience. There’s always a way to add value.

The real challenge is choosing the right set of initiatives to maximize value. But where do you start?

First, define a goal based on user action. When people visit your site, what do you want them to do? Do you want them to complete a form? Subscribe to a newsletter? Download information? Buy something? Be specific about the actions you want visitors to take, so you know precisely what and where to optimize.

Next, dig into your analytics. Once you’ve defined a goal, you can use Google Analytics to identify pages that are having the biggest negative impact on the total number of people “converting,” or achieving that goal. Google Analytics won’t tell you what the problems are, but the data can point you to pages where your site could be stronger. Oftentimes, the weakest links are landing pages and conversion funnel pages. For example, a high landing page bounce rate (more than 50%) suggests that the page isn’t driving visitors to your intended action. In a conversion funnel, watch for significant number changes from one step to the next. For instance, a large decrease from the “add to cart” step to the “checkout” step may signal an issue with your checkout process flow.

Now, test those pages. At VSG Commerce™ (VSG), we recommend and support multi-variant testing, which tracks through to conversion (or not), so you can quickly and easily implement changes to drive action and increase sales. Testing pages is an inexpensive and effective way to:

1. Determine what works
2. Learn what your customers like and dislike
3. Evaluate alternatives
4. Experiment with new ideas
5. Increase advertising ROI

In our experience, testing increases the effectiveness of actions a business is already taking. Typically, the results don’t call for an entirely new strategy. Rather, they highlight opportunities to adjust execution and delivery.

As testing enables you to increase conversions – whether they’re sign-ups, subscriptions, downloads, or purchases – you’ll see a greater return on investment in marketing and development. With that incentive, we can’t imagine why any company would say “no” to testing.

To learn how VSG Commerce can help you capitalize on opportunities through analysis and optimization of your site, contact us today at 847-854-5990 x102.