Conversion Optimization & Marketing Blog

Advertorials Can Work—If You Get It Right

Advertorials are long-form paid ads, presented as informative articles—hence the name, a blend of “advertisement” and “editorial.”

In past print and current online versions, they match the appearance, perception, and function of the media outlet where they’re hosted, so they don’t really look like ads.

Executed well, advertorials provide value to the target audience while also selling a product or service. They’re a content marketing play that borrows the credibility of the site on which they’re published (if they’re “native ads”) or promoted (if they live on other sites).

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Use Voice-of-Customer Research to Boost Conversions

Knowing what your customers want, when they want it, and how they’d like it served up to them is at the core of developing winning test hypotheses.

It’s the why behind the quantitative data that shapes your copy and gives your visitors an easily navigable path to becoming a customer.

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Enterprise SEO: Don’t Outsmart—Out Execute

Enterprise SEO has been my topic of choice for extracurricular “thought leadership” over the years. Last year, I gave a presentation on how we generated 40% year-over-year organic revenue growth by focusing on out executing the competition, not outsmarting them.

While my presentation focused on the in-house side of enterprise SEO, I’ve also experienced (and written about) getting things done—or trying to get things done—at an agency. SEO strategies for Fortune 500 brands often take 12+ months to see the light of day or, worse, never do.

Eventually, I got tired of that lack of action, which led me in-house. In two-and-a-half years leading SEO initiatives at Qualtrics, I’ve learned that most companies don’t have a strategy problem—they have an execution problem.

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10 Statistics Mistakes and Traps in A/B Testing: The Guide for Optimizers

Even if your A/B tests are well planned and strategized, when run, they can often lead to non-significant results and erroneous interpretations.

You’re especially prone to errors if incorrect statistical approaches are used.

In this post we’ll illustrate the 10 most important statistical traps to be aware of, and more importantly, how to avoid them.

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How to Use Qualitative Research to Drive Conversions

When marketers think of using data to come up with test hypotheses, they often turn to their digital analytics.

Yet often times, qualitative research can offer more insight than anything else working to come up with winning test hypotheses.

Where quantitative stuff tells you what, where, and how much, qualitative tells you ‘why.’ The goal of qualitative research is to gather an in-depth understanding of user behavior and why they took those specific actions.

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Microcopy: Tiny Words That Make A Huge Impact On Conversions

Pop quiz time! When you think about optimizing your website to increase conversions, what are some of the first things that come to mind?

Do you think about copy? Headlines? The need for a strong call to action?

If you thought about any of those things, you aren’t alone. Recently Ott mentioned in the Mastering The Call To Action article, a study of Visual Website Optimizer’s customers shows most people are testing:

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Nailing Product Positioning: A Guide to the Positioning Process (w/ Examples)

You’ve spent hundreds of hours perfecting your product and countless meetings defining your brand. You feel great about your team, and it’s obvious to your customers that you care.

Yet, despite your best efforts, your competition gets all the buzz, and you struggle to stand out. Should you change your prices? Add a new feature? Raise more capital?

Before you go back to the drawing board, reconsider your product positioning.

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Content Research: 4 Ways to Find a Ton of Wins

If I told you that a post earned 30 links and 100 shares, how would you respond?

“Wow, must’ve been amazing!”
“Not bad.”
“Total flop!”

Your gut reaction says more about the site you’re used to working on than it does about my hypothetical example.

Indeed, the size and power of a site—not necessarily the value of the content—can have the greatest influence on results. That matters, especially when it comes to content research.

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