Search Engine Optimization (SEO) for your website

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Band-Aid Methods

Depending on your business, you may feel that the conversion tracking methods

described previously are overkill. Or, you may not have the time, money, technical abil-

ity, or support to gather conversion data behind the scenes. The only thing left for you

to do is to ask your visitors! Sure, it’s not a perfect method, but it’s

something

. Here

are some suggestions:

Bust the “e-mail us” link.

Replace any “e-mail us” links on your website with a “con-

tact us” form. This will allow you to ask your visitors how they found you (but don’t

hold your breath for any details).

Don’t miss an opportunity.

Every form on your site has the potential to ask your visi-

tors how they found you. If your site has a store component, you could provide a small

incentive, like a discount on shipping, for customers who fill out a brief survey prior to

checkout. Look through your site and make sure you’re taking advantage of every

opportunity to get your visitors to volunteer this important information.

Try an opt-in.

If your website includes highly desirable content (for example, research

papers, articles, or high-res imagery), you may be able to convince your site visitors to

provide their contact information—and the all-important information about how they

found you—in exchange for a download. However, proceed with caution on this

option: web searchers as a rule cherish their anonymity. We are always dismayed to see

businesses insist on a name and phone number before sharing product information.

That’s like expecting people to pay to see your advertising!

Conversion tracking: you know you want it! Now that you’ve digested the

basics, you can use today to discuss it with your team. Then, it’s decision time: which

system will you start with? Remember, you can always start small—perhaps a free

option—and upgrade later.

Thursday: Tracking Offline Conversions

As we touched upon in Chapter 5, “Get your Team on Board,” one of the more chal-

lenging areas to track is offline conversions like phone calls or walk-in customers.

(If you have only online conversions to track, you can skip this day.) And if your web-

site is out there trying to convince someone to, say, vote for a certain school board

Now:

Finalize your choice of conversion tracking system for online conversions.

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