Here is a quick tip on how to dramatically improve the quality and results of your web analytics and optimization program in just a few minutes. We find it’s 100 percent effective in our work with online retail, media and publishing, and dozens of other businesses.
Problem: Our web analytics data doesn’t seem all that actionable. It’s interesting, but not actionable.
Solution: Advanced segmentation doesn’t have to mean complicated.
1. As always, start with the “actions of economic value” to you. Specific engagements, leads, sales, up-sales.
2. Segment all of your traffic between those that exhibited the behavior, ie, bought, filled out the lead form, or completed the specific engagement activity –and those that did not.
3. Compare the differences between the behaviors of those that completed the action of economic value, and those that did not. Don’t just limit yourself to the website behaviors… you should be tracking your email marketing campaigns too. Your email marketing software should be integrated with Google Analytics data API to make that really easy.
4. You should almost immediately start to see differences in the behaviors of buyers and non buyers. Focus on the behaviors leading up to the action on buyers that are either missing, or occur with a far lower frequency for that segment.
5. Carve out the behaviors you’d like to see more of, and create a marketing experiment around changing the behavior of non-action takers.
6. You’ll want to dig until you find at least three discreet behaviors supported by the numbers.
7. Use advanced segmentation to further break down the buyers segment into similar segments. When you have those, take the top one by optimization value and volume and execute the test… you know the three biggest rules in internet marketing and optimization.
8. Test
9. Test.
10. Test
Check back here at the Endai Blog. We’ll post more insights and tips and ideas to help bolster your online marketing performance. While Google Analytics is a powerful and in some ways complex tool, you can, and should start by keeping it simple. Segment, Analyze. Optimize. If you would like more information, or are stuck, call us, one of our Google Analytics Certified Professionals can help you.