Hmmm…how would one measure qualitative feedback using this method?

But that’s a great example — what matters more? Clicks? Or sales?

I can think of a number of SiteSpect test campaigns where our customers set out to optimize landing pages, and found that certain page adjustments sent CTR through the roof. BUT, of those incremental clicks, far fewer visitors actually converted into buyers. Optimize what matters!

On a similar note, not all customers are created equal, so not all sales are the same. There is such a thing as a “bad customer” — the one that you *don’t* want to buy, or at least for whom you don’t want to optimize your site.

A bad customer is one who is more likely to return a product, or requires abnormally high amount of customer service. By tracking post-sale data like returns and call center volume, SiteSpect users have found some surprises … that some “winning” promotions or site changes actually lose them money in the long run!

DM

What are you aiming for? So what your click-through-rate goes up if your sales stay flat. The line I think most marketers need to go by is

“Ready-Fire-Aim-Fire-Aim-Fire-Aim….”

If you want sales, measure “completed transactions” (plus all the funnel steps that lead up to the transaction) …

If you want recurring/loyal visitors, measure the frequency with which your target audience visits your site …

There are innumerable things you could measure about your site (or anything). Some matter, others are just peripheral.

Articulate your goals — measure what counts towards achieving those goals — experiment — learn — optimize. Then, repeat!

DM

“Everything counts, but everything doesn’t need to be counted.”