For testing purposes and the examples we give, were going to be using Googles website Analyzer which is a part of Google Analytics. Why? Well, for one, because its free and thus accessible to everyone ; and secondly, because its a darn good testing platform free or not.

Googles Website Optimizer is free, strong, fast and easy. What else could you want? It permits you to perform A / B and multivariate testing.

Why is it free?

Because Google knows that if you improve your conversion rates, youre more likely to take a position in more advertising campaigns, users are happy because theyre happier with the sites that they find through searches. Fundamentally, most are happy and Google makes more money.

Appears sensible when you put it that way, does not it?

There are more, paid services that you may use to further your testing, measuring, and enhancing practices. But this series is all about making the most out of what you can get for very little money spent, by concentrating on the purchaser and conducting your communications strategy in a totally different way. For that reason, with reference to practical applications for testing thatwill be covered in this part of the series, well be focussing on how best to utilize the free Google tools.

The important thing to consider about the Google website Optimizer is that it’s a tool. It only provides the metrics, it cant tell you what changes to make. You have to infer that for yourself. If you would like the tests you run to be suggestive and give you the feedback you need to boost your site, then you need to be sure youre going about it the best way, and making the maximum of the free tools that Google gives you.

Later in the series, well be going through precisely what you should be doing to get you started with testing. Where you take it from thereis up to you.

Before we delve into the nuts and bolts of really running a test, there are a few things you need to remember for any test you run, whether its 1 or 1001 :

- Always start the test with a goal in mind. Know what you are expecting the end result to be ( although you may be wrong extremely wrong ; thats what youre testing. ) In scientific tests, this is known as the hypothesis. Your goal is the basis and the explanation for the entire test.

- Determine what you metric of success will be before you start the test. How much better is good enough to be considered a success? 5%? 10% 50%? Only you can decide that.

- Remember not to muddy the waters. If youre testing the color of the checkout button, dont also change the shape or the font or where it seems on the site. You might get asuperb result, but you wont know what variable was responsible for the change. Be particularly conscious of this when testing copy ; any other changes you make, even inadvertently, to the layout or the font or any other aspect of the display will totally cancel the validity of the test on the actual content.

- Remember that you always need a control. Even if youre dong multivariate testing, you continue to need to use the original version of the page to act as a control, something to compare the test results to.

- Use descriptive names for your tests. You may be able to keep track of the proven fact that Tests 1-10 were about buttons and Tests 11-15 were about announcements, but what about when youre at Test 345? If you give your tests clear, detailed names, itll be simpler for you to find the information and results when you need to refer back to them to plan more tests.

- The tests mean nothing if you donot learn anything from them. Your test isnt really done ( or of any use to you ) unless youhave investigated the results and applied the learnings to your site. You then use that data youhave gained as the basis for the following test, because

- And eventually, youre never done testing. There won’t ever come a time when you can say Thats it, its perfect, Im done. Even if your website is perfect and performing at its uttermost capacity at that moment, the Net is a fluid, changing thing, and you need to ensure ( thru testing ) that youre keeping up with the changes and keeping you and your website relevant and maintain your presence online as a Trusted Expert.

( This post is a continuation of the series of turning into a Trusted Expert. You can read the prior posts at Become a Trusted Expert Online )

Visit Johncow.com today to learn more about ways to Make Money Online or check out out Make Money Online Podcasts.

Your internet business is going backwards , but you have no idea how to enhance your position? Searchers are browsing your website , but no sales occur ?

What you need is conversion optimization .

By implementing SEO together with contextual advertising, you draw in a flow of visitors to your site . However , it does not mean that a searcher  will be converted into a purchaser .

Conversion optimization is an important component of Search Engine Marketing , it is a science of maximizing the amount of website visitors who perform a desired action – make a purchase, make a phone call , fill in a form or sign up for a mailing list. It includes several main techniques , such as marketing and usability audits, seo analytics and SEO copywriting.

Let’s take a look at some of the steps:

-    A Marketing audit is an overall analysis of your existing website , directed at determining how it is functioning and pinpointing the areas that demand special attention . Website design, content presentation, layout, usability and navigation are the main points you should draw attention to. Present optimization and contextual advertising, as well as website statistics and rival position are also analyzed . The final phase is to provide you with a review of where your website is currently placed and suggestions on what can be carried out to to develop your state.

-    A Usability audit is a mechanism that helps to identify the drawbacks of your website the visitors face that make them move to other supplier instead of buying from you . Analyzing   visitor behavior you will better learn why they may feel dissatisfied and move from your site. You will be convinced that you continue to offer the same quality stuff target audience expects .

-    Analytics is necessary to analyze visitor behavior and to create so-called visitor statistics. The system records any activity, internet page searching and other actions completed by a guest . It makes possible to discover any type of questions the visitors face and find a solution .

-    Copywriting is an integral part of the SEO method . It has the ability to determine your website’s success . How would you describe copywriting ? It is a certain technique of writing text on a webpage that would be easily comprehensible and viewable for customers, as well as directing specific keyword phrases. Providing that   it is sound , logical , laconic and informational, your site would be highly ranked, it would have more traffic and, as a consequence, more buyers .

Conversion optimization is tremendously helpful . Bear in mind , that visitors  are attracted by convenience, handiness, friendly information and security. If your website can fulfill their demands , a superior conversion percentage will definitely come out.