 | Seeing The Benefits of SEO: Effective Analytics ReportingAs SEOs analytics are an essential part of our jobs – reporting to the client how their website is performing in the search results.Now, more than ever, it is important to communicate not only the right metrics to our clients, but a measurable improvement in value. At the end of the day, we are there to help increase business for our clients overall and add to their reputation in the...Read More >> |
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| | Unreliable Data Will Yield an Unreliable AnalysisIt drives me nuts to see people publishing the results of “tests” they’ve conducted, that are so poorly designed that they could have gotten findings just as meaningful from a random drawing.
DOE, or design of experiments, is a strict protocol, focused on eliminating variables (ideally, all but one), so that a result can be identified as causative, rather than simply correlative. Designing such a test is a...Read More >> |
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| | Wait, You Want How Much for That Website?A recent discussion I had with the owner of an Australian domain forum inspired me to begin to write this post, it revolved around processes for domain appraisals but is it more complex to value of an entire website based on aggressive Google algorithm updates so I thought I would start there.If you are investing big money in buying a pre-built site you want to ensure you correctly value the site as is also easy to fake...Read More >> |
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| | SEO Competitive Analysis to GoIn some recent client pitches I've begun using an excel chart to visualise the client website's competitive landscape in organic search, making it clear at a glance what type of competition the website is facing if it wants to dominate relevant search results.
This is the type of chart I show as part of our pitch presentation:I've found this to be quite useful, as it serves as a starting point...Read More >> |
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| | Using Pareto Analysis for SEO and Keyword TargetingWe’ve all been in that place where finding the best keywords to optimize a site is like sitting in a bingo hall waiting for the number to be pulled. We examine exhaustive data from analytics and keyword tools; we sort this way, we sort that way, we examine the intent and implication of each keyword.Or we’re at the other end of the spectrum: you’re a year or two into the campaign,...Read More >> |
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| | The Diminishing Value of KeywordsOne concerning factor that has always being nagging in the back of my mind is what happens when your keywords value constantly diminishes over the life of a campaign?
Typically clients are pushing for improved ROI from their digital campaigns so what happens when their primary keywords are tracking the opposite direction and ROI is falling?
I took a snapshot of AdWords (search only) data and decided it was time to research more...Read More >> |
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| | Measuring Metrics for SuccessWelcome to the information buffet. Today, we're serving up a bite-sized info-morsel on business funnels, metrics and Key Performance Indicators for your consumption. It's a hefty meal, but the summary is this: quite simply, one can glean a ton of information from the data provided on web analytics programs. That data can lead to exciting – and productive – change for your online business.Although data is abundant through various tracking programs, the problem...Read More >> |
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| | The Value of First Page Rankings Shown Through Ugly GraphsI love jumbling bits and pieces of data around to see if I can distil any meaningful insights from them.I have absolutely no training in data analysis, so my amateurish efforts at detailed analyses are probably laughable in the eyes of seasoned data analysts. But I enjoy doing these things, and I rarely care what others think anyway.
For a few months now I've had filtered Google Analytics profiles for a handful...Read More >> |
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| | Best Practices for Ecommerce Category PagesOften for ecommerce sites a lot of attention is paid to building the perfect product page. It all needs
to come together perfectly - the product imagery, description and features, strong call to action,
incentives, cross-selling and up-selling opportunities, and many more facets that make a great
ecommerce product page.But there's another type of page, very common on ecommerce sites, which gets about as many
views as product pages but often receives...Read More >> |
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| | Down and Dirty Audits for Quick WinsIt’s that time of the year again: tax season. And, what comes along with tax season? That’s right. AUDITS. This year, fear the audit no more, and let’s put them to our advantage. While I can’t help you out with a government audit (save recommending a good CPA or tax attorney), I can help with creating a simple, effective baseline audit for your clients to help get you some quick wins.I run this...Read More >> |
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| | The Importance and Power of Launching an SEM Labs Program Many companies work hard to develop and optimize their paid search campaigns. And when those campaigns in both AdWords and adCenter are performing well, it’s sometimes easy for complacency to set in. There might be hundreds of ad groups set up, tens of thousands of keywords running, and ROAS is strong across campaigns. Based on what I explained, you might think this is a good time to keep things as-is, bask in the glow of high...Read More >> |
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| Does Google Tools Data Really Add up?Most of us have by now realised that the data Google gives us in its various webmaster and AdWords tools is, at most horrendously inaccurate. But just how inaccurate is it? I decided to gather some web analytics data on one of my client sites and compare it to relevant data from Google Webmaster Tools (GWT) and the AdWords Keyword Tool (GAWKT), and see exactly where the pain points are.
Now I'm...Read More >> |
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| | Measure or die; breaking the black art perceptionIt never ceases to amaze me how many of my clients get that deer-in-the-headlights stare when I ask them for data. Whether it’s the demographics on their users, analytics, conversion rate or even historically effective keywords, I’m almost assured of seeing that look at least once during our initial kick-off meeting.
Now, these same folks will have their cost of sales, inventory turnover and equipment depreciation down to a T, and...Read More >> |
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| Making sense of Google (not provided) dataLast time out we looked at the hidden value of (not provided) in that we now know what percentage of visitors to your site are (potentially) seeing personalized results and at very least, logged in. This time out we will look at little closer at some data to get a sense of understanding it all.
What is this jibberish about (not provided) you ask? It's related to Google's changes into encrypted search...Read More >> |
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| | Using Your Site Statistics: Getting a Bird’s Eye ViewHow well do you understand your website design? Ask yourself....Are the design, usability, and informational factors top notch?
Is your site working at its full potential to meet the needs of your business and your customers?
Do you want to bet your business on that?Designing a fully functional website is a creative and logistical endeavor. It’s not a simple or...Read More >> |
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| | Are You Tracking All That Happens on Your Website?Not a week goes by when I come across a website, usually a potential client, that is failing to make optimal use of the data that is available to them. Many people seem to think that just installing Google Analytics tracking code on every page of their site is enough and that this'll tell them all they need to know about their website.This is, of course, not true. There's a lot more potential data out there that can be...Read More >> |
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| | Lynch Pin Reporting: Search Marketing Strategy ReviewsThere comes a time in every search marketing strategy cycle when it’s time to adjust fire. A while back on my blog, I wrote a post about pro reports that search marketers could build to answer the “what have you done for me lately” questions clients tend to ask. But the strategy review is, more or less, the pen-ultimate in reporting for clients.What’s The Point of the Strategy...Read More >> |
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| | Warning; your lead pipeline is bursting! The beauty of Just in Time Leads
Leads are a life-blood. We’ve all be been trained to believe that there can never be enough leads in the pipeline. And, without them, it’s extremely difficult for a business to grow, becoming stagnant and devoid of velocity. In other words, just a business floating in its own self-made inertia, neither growing and not being as profitable as it could be.
But what if this adage has it wrong? What if...Read More >> |
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