Online Conversion

I couldn't have come up with a better list. 

Wonder what your conversion rate should be? @PhillyMktgLabs takes a stab at some categories. NOTE: These conversion rates are unacceptible!

Juxtaposition, or "where" something is placed on a Web page has lots to do with "what" you say on that page. I find that I can only develop copy and headings so far before I have to see how they will interact on the page. I have to do a mockup. Well, there is another place that our titles and copy show up, and it is a very competitive context: Search Engine Results Pages (SERPs). So, I was glad to find this handy little tool that let me see what my title, description and URL look like on a Google SERP. Now if only @SEOmofo could add the the page preview feature as well for a complete picture

The keys to good landing pages is helping the visitor to decide what to do and what is important. Color and shape are two ways to announce visually what matters. I love this selection of tools (though I hate MS Paint). Even a marketer that is mocking up pages can use these tools to emphasize what is important for a designer. New tools for the conversion lab.

If you run a blog, you'll really enjoy this critique of Jay Baer's Convince and Convert blog by Derek Halpern of SocialTriggers.com. Great ideas include: Simplify your landing pages, make your most imporant conversions most prominent, add a call to action after the comments (I call this a "dripping pan"), and more.

We're getting into some pretty deep stuff in part three of Stéphane Hamel's analytics primier. However, he saves the day with some simple definitions of when we can call something a trend.

Part 2 of Stéphane Hamel's Web Analytics primer. Warning: Beware of averages in time series.

For those students of analytics, here is a basic primer in how to look at those noodle-like graphs that Google Analytics and other packages prepare for you. There are some mines to be avoided and Stephane points them out artfully.

 @unbounce Chris Pearson of DIYThemes recently stated that email is the foundation of online marketing. Period. B2B or B2C, email continues to outperform social media by a wide margin according to MarketingSherpa (and others). Here are some interesting tips on how to get your readers opening and clicking more of your email.

by @chiefmartec It's time to stop making excuses. Most interesting to me is the UX Fund, that invested in companies commited to design and user experience. They outpaced the market by over the past five years. Scott also puts a nail in the excuses: "We want to be simple, like Google", "It pays to be cheap," and "The CMO doesn't get it."

With Google now occupying the first click to our site, converting searchers to clickers is critical. For businesses with geographical presence, here is a very in-depth summary of how to optimize your image for Google Local Search.

The key insight that I got from this @copyblogger post is that, regardless of our "resting" personality type, we are different when doing different activities. My Myers-Briggs type pegs me as generally an "Environmental" type. However, when I'm researching, I'm generally "Fantastical" (and I'm not just complimenting myself). When I'm writing I'm getting my "Structural" on. In short, we can't treat people as one personality type. We change from channel to channel. What are the four personality types when people are solving the problems your business solves?

I find it very refreshing that "Conversion Rate Optimization" made a top ten list for a successful search startup. "Conversion Rate Optimization is Essential, not Optional." These principles are helpful for any business that depends on the Web for leads or sales.

by @dragals We should set our sites on the long-term benefits of conversion science as marketers or business owners. This inevitably means a change in culture. Dave offers some good tips for planting the seeds of a testing culture.

That B2B marketers see engaging content as a "bar set too high" is just one of the excellent points made in this post. If only the B2B world realized that we are trying to set them free!

As you know, I believe email is more effective than social media marketing at this juncture. This article drives the point home. "Email is, unsurprisingly,  still the most important mobile app. According to Forrester, 87 percent of smartphone workers use email on their devices (which leaves me wondering what other 13 percent use their smartphones for), and collectively, they do 32 percent of their email on a smartphone."

This is just one example of how copy on techniical topics can be made fun, interesting and easy to read. Split-testing is an important tool, but notice how Danny presents the topic and keeps you reading. This is how your site should work.

Stock photography is the lazy designer's crutch. Ironic considering that most pages miss a most basic marketing truism: "Show the product." This post offers some great insight into proper use of images on your Web pages.

What Seth calls a "Use Case" we call Personas in the world of conversion. Otherwise the benefits are the same: understanding your most important visitors, ending bad relationships with poor customers, and getting everyone on the same page.

How to present information on a Web page.