Arun Sivashankaran, Author at FunnelEnvy

Analytics Superpowers with Segment.io and Google Tag Manager

Analytics plays a critical role in improving conversions in several ways including exploratory analysis and ongoing reporting. One of the main factors that can constrain your ability to optimize your site for conversions is the quality of the data you have available and your ability to act upon that information. There are an amazing array of web analytics solutions available to the marketer these days, but too often they’re underutilized in the face of other business priorities or technical and setup complications. That’s a gap in the analytics architecture, which is just as important as the product architecture for online business.

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By Arun Sivashankaran|2014-05-07T00:04:47-07:00May 7th, 2014|Analytics|21 Comments

Using PPC to Attract Customers Throughout the Buying Funnel

Pay-Per-Click (PPC) search marketing is an important part of the online marketing ecosystem. Paid search is a powerful way to attract traffic to your site as you work on building your organic rankings. The alchemy of achieving solid organic rankings requires links, great content and a social presence that takes time to build. Paid search gives you direct access to potential customers qho are looking at keywords related to your products or services. But PPC requires an investment; after all, you’re paying for each of those clicks, so maximizing the number of sales, opt-ins, or other conversions you’re after is the key to a successful PPC campaign. Here are some of my top strategies for helping clients dramatically increase their conversions on paid search campaigns.

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By Arun Sivashankaran|2014-05-01T20:36:30-07:00May 2nd, 2014|Digital Marketing|0 Comments

The Trouble with Attribution Models: Multi-device Realities and Conversion

One of the hottest topics in our industry and at a recent panel at SMX West is the reality of multi-device or multi-channel attribution and its impact on conversion optimization. If a user enters your funnel on one device and then picks up the process on another device, what does that do to your CRO efforts? It raises questions around managing the customer experiences, determining when and where cross-platform optimization is appropriate, and what if any impact this evolving reality has on our ability to measure and maximize conversions. Here’s a closer look at multi-device attribution and some preliminary thoughts on how you can work with this in your own efforts to increase conversions in your business.

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By Arun Sivashankaran|2014-04-29T19:48:25-07:00April 30th, 2014|Analytics|0 Comments

Optimization and Testing Takeaways from OptiCon 2014

Last week leading A/B testing company Optimizely held their first conference in San Francisco, OptiCon 2014. In addition to several exciting announcements from the company, OptiCon brought together leading Conversion Rate Optimization and digital marketing professionals to share their experiences and learn from one other. As tools like Optimizely make the tactics of testing easier and more accessible, the challenge shifts to the process and organizational challenges that need to be overcome to build successful optimization programs. These seemed to be the dominant themes from the sessions that I attended, which I’ve summarized along with some key takeaways here.

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By Arun Sivashankaran|2014-04-24T15:15:32-07:00April 25th, 2014|Conversion Rate Optimization|0 Comments

The Top 20 A/B Testing Case Studies that Every Marketer Should Read

There are numerous ways in which testing, especially A/B testing or the more complex multivariate approach, can be used to help your business. From improving your copy to streamlining your design for the best possible user experience to removing friction from your checkout process, conversion rate optimization can help you improve the bottom line and reach your business growth and revenue goals.

One of the most common requests that I get is for case studies. Entrepreneurs and business owners are looking for examples of “how it’s been done.” These inside looks at testing can be helpful at every step of the process, from identifying what needs to be tested to creating hypotheses, from designing your tests to implementing the results in your business. Below is a selection of case studies from around the web that I’ve curated to help my readers and clients understand some specific aspects of the A/B testing process. What follows is a list of the tests, along with a quick description and what I think you can learn from them.

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By Arun Sivashankaran|2014-04-22T08:47:57-07:00April 21st, 2014|Testing|4 Comments

5 Suggestions for an About Page that Converts

One of the most important areas for your prospective customers is the About Page. By optimizing this space on your website, you can generate engagement and establish a relationship with potential customers. You’re giving visitors a taste of your skills and credentials while telling potential customers what you can do for them.

As easy as it sounds, there is a right and wrong way to go about optimizing an About Page to increase sales and build customer support. This page can be one of the most important driving forces in building a reputation and converting your visitors into customers.

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By Arun Sivashankaran|2014-04-22T11:08:31-07:00April 16th, 2014|The Funnel|0 Comments

The Importance of Experimentation in Running a Lean Business

Eric Reis’ book, The Lean Startup, mainstreamed discussion around running a lean enterprise. The idea is simple: by applying the concept of testing and experimentation into your culture, it’s possible to iterate faster, serve customers more effectively, and impact the bottom line by reducing waste and increasing profits. The driving force behind The Lean Startup, particularly its points about creating a culture of experimentation (which is an idea brilliantly explored here), is one of the keys to a successful conversion optimization program. Here’s what entrepreneurs need to know.

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By Arun Sivashankaran|2014-04-21T14:45:32-07:00April 11th, 2014|Strategy|2 Comments

3 Optimization Tips for Increasing Your Average Order Value

There’s a pervasive myth in the conversion optimization world: that it’s only about increasing the percentage of visitors that convert to customers. It’s true that we spend a lot of time looking at that rate and finding ways to improve it. By removing roadblocks and friction to conversions on your website, you’ll ultimately see your customer base, revenue, and profits grow.

But a good conversion optimization strategy is fundamentally about improving your bottom line, and that can also be done by improving other metrics; including the your average order value and lifetime customer value. Acquiring new traffic is expensive and labor intensive. Making the most of customers that are already on your site and willing to buy is good business sense. Here’s how to get started.

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By Arun Sivashankaran|2014-04-21T14:46:35-07:00April 4th, 2014|The Funnel|2 Comments

5 Practical Typography Tips for More Engagement and Conversions

A business philosophy that embraces incremental improvements and continuous testing pays off for months and years down the line.

The conversion rate optimization process is essential to making the most of limited resources and creating a long-term edge over your competitors. Yet those subtle improvements won’t have the effect you want if people don’t stick around to read your content.

Paying a little attention to how you present your content buys you invaluable time and attention to engage visitors and encourage them to become buyers.

Keep reading to discover practical ways how to do it using typography.

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By Arun Sivashankaran|2014-04-21T14:48:25-07:00April 1st, 2014|Conversion Rate Optimization|4 Comments

How To Improve Conversions Throughout the E-Commerce Checkout Funnel

We often talk about conversion in relation to the entire buyer’s journey, from locating a brand through to the sale and back-end relationship building. But for small e-commerce sites, there’s one particular portion of the funnel that needs to be optimized. When a customer selects a product and enters your checkout queue, it’s critical to make it as fast and easy as possible for customers to give you their money.

Purchase abandonment is a common hemorrhage point for e-commerce sites and it’s important to identify the causes and plug these gaps. By using basic user experience (UX) analysis, as well as data from analytics, it’s possible to find points of friction in the checkout funnel. You can then create hypotheses about why these occur and test to improve your general approach to the shopping cart and checkout funnel. If you’re a small e-commerce firm that’s working through conversion issues in your checkout area, here’s a checklist that you can use to evaluate your performance.

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By Arun Sivashankaran|2014-04-21T14:49:27-07:00March 28th, 2014|Conversion Rate Optimization|4 Comments

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