The Big Wave Blog

Landing Pages and Multivariate Testing

The most important element of optimizing any landing page is understanding the client’s goals and intentions. Every page on every website needs a goal, and landing pages are no different. In fact, it is probably more important to clearly define your objective or goal for a landing page, because the goal of each landing page is to attract -> engage -> convert -> retain.

Many different types of landing pages are commonly used today, including:

• Static landing pages - coded in HTML
• Dynamic landing pages - coded in .js application
• Application landing pages: allow the user to refine their intentions without leaving the page

What Needs to Be Tested/Optimized:

• Headlines - emotional vs. direct
• Calls to action
• Buttons vs. links
• Hero image - photo vs. illustration
• Copy - emotional or direct
• Bulleted list vs. copy
• Tables, charts
• Lead generation forms

Remember to test only one thing at a time. In addition, the landing page must be kept consistent through all Ad Groups to ensure that it is the landing page, not the keyword set, that is resulting in higher or lower conversion.

Be careful which metric you use to determine which page is most successful. Some landing pages bring in a greater number of leads, but fewer sales. Be sure to track each customer from beginning to end.

There is a host of good products out that allow for multiple landing page testing. One of the best is Google’s free landing page optimizer: www.google.com/WebsiteOptimizer. It allows marketers to perform split A/B testing and multivariate testing on landing pages.

SEO & Social Media Marketing

I was not very impressed with this session. There was very little unique knowledge. Randy Fishkin gave a history of social media and the major social media sites. Neil Patel provided some case studies from his work with social media marketing for major brands. Barbara Boser provided some tips for getting started in social media marketing, and how to be come a top StumbleUpon user.

Top Social Media Tips:

• Use the same profile for each social media site you use. This allows users who use many different social media sites to easily remember you.
• Don’t continually Digg or Stumble your own site. This will easily get your buried, and will have a major negative affect.
• In order to be a great at social media, you have to interact with the community.
• Don’t just target the top users. They will notice this and bury your stories.

Michael Gray presented on Twitter. Major brands are using Twitter as an update for specials and packages on their products or services. It can also be a valuable reputation management tool.

Branding and Search

This was an informative session highlighting important aspects about Branding and Search and how they interact. A marketing program in which they work together has a very positive outcome on brand-building and ROI.

Here are some highlights:

1. Sheer Volume of Searches

• 60% of all in-store shoppers are researching the product online.
• 86% of online shoppers are researching the product online.

2. Brand Advocates

• Learn to embrace them. They talk about your brand without you having to pay them to do so. 50% of this group writes about their purchases online. They have major influence on others buying similar products and services.
• Search can be used to reach this group and harvest their marketing power.

4. Passionistas

• This was an interesting term for people who really love 1. Themselves and 2. Love the product that loves them back.
• Reaching Passionistas through search can result in building tremendous buzz and getting the marketing message across.

3. Awareness – Consideration – Purchase

It was pointed out that search marketers are heavily focused on the last stage of the cycle by going after people ready to buy. One explanation I can give on behalf of the search marketer is that short-term ROI is top priority for a lot of clients.

It is our job to convince our clients that they should be focusing on building the brand in conjunction with ROI.