Optimisation tactics for 2011

Well, well, well.

As websites become more and more analytically and ‘conversion’ driven (versus the brochure websites of years back), so to have the tactics and techniques of websites grown, all with the view of ever-improving conversion and ROI.

If you have the budget, there are endless things that can be done.

Clever, gender-based geo-targeting. Seamlessly integrated funnels. Trigger-based messages and discounting. Pyramid-based ‘refer a friend’ strategies. Retargeting. Affiliates distributing your widget. Command-driven terminology. Forum seeding. fCommerce (yes, F for Facebook).

USB. Unsubscribe. Floppy Disc. Banana.

The list goes on.

Yes, users have no idea the lengths we go to, to goad, scrape and pull them into subscribing to a newsletter, starting a FREE trial or god-forbid, given us their credit card details in return for a discounted eBook.

If you follow the industry and its many publications, there is rarely a day where a new stat or insight isn’t given and then syndicated through Twitter: video doubles conversion rates say Zappos; multi-step forms reduce drop-out says Vodafone; Live Chat increases cart values by 50%; offering accessories (such as batteries) after the main cart transaction sees an improvement in accessory sales of X%.

It never ends.

This article in Marketing Sherpa offers some useful feedback on the effectiveness of some of the larger, more mainstream strategies as told by the owners of the websites.

There are no doubt millions of mitigating reasons for why strategy X worked for one business and not another, though the trends are reasonably clear to see.

I am surprised by the comparatively poor showing of video, though it does take excellent and considered execution and integration, and this is rarely done. Live chat will also surprise a few of my clients who have found it to be the silver bullet of conversion.

(Among my clients, if you can get the user on the phone, you’ve hit the holy grail…)

I’m not sure if the article will drive your future campaigns or strategy, though it is worth the read. Apart from anything else, it might spark an idea in you, or confirm your strategy’s direction.