Copious Blog

We've all walked into our favorite corner store - the one we visit once a week or so. Not much changes. But when it does, it takes us by surprise. Everything pops. Things we didn't notice before become strikingly clear. The retailer has opened our eyes to the possibilities, all with a little redecorating.

Big box retailers know this trick too. Every week, month or quarter, they'll update signage, rearrange traffic patterns, change end-caps and more, all to make an impression and move more sales.

Online retail should do the same. All too often, a site won't change a pixel for more than a year. Sure, sales may still be robust, but they could be so much better with just a few new images, some re-touched color schemes and updated content.

Your website has end-caps (navigation), aisles (sub-navigation) and retail space (everything else). Use it wisely. You wouldn't inundate your offline customers with a million ads when they walk through the door. Don't do the same online. Give them a positive experience and they'll reward you with more sales and positive word of mouth.

Pretty pictures make a difference. Choose your images wisely. If you're only going to change them once per quarter, ensure they reflect your brand message. And not just on the homepage. Sub-pages should also be on target to ensure your brand is cohesive.

Content is king. It may just be words on the screen, but content is one of the most important aspects of any site. Imagine trying to sell an item without a description. Now imagine telling customers the same three or four sentences when they walk into your store. They'd go mad. But that's just what a lot of sites do when they leave their static messages scattered throughout their website. Updates to content can help freshen the look, tone and feel of any site.

If it's not getting done internally, hire it out. If you don't have a person on staff dedicated to updating your site on a weekly, monthly or quarterly basis, hire someone else to do the updates. The more you make changes that are on target with your brand message, the more you'll catch your customers by surprise and introduce them to whole new areas of your site and offerings.

Talk about analyzing web traffic is cheap. The trick is actually understanding and utilizing the data you've got to boost traffic and profits.

Let's say your company uses a web analytics tool (such as Google Analytics, Omniture, Coremetrics, Webtrends, Crazy Egg, etc.) to monitor your site. That's a good start. With that tool you can often implement new ideas that keep visitors and shoppers interested and engaged.

Take it a step further and you'll start to see which pages get the most hits or where visitors spend the most time. With that information you can easily deliver the right content to the right people, whether you're selling widgets, driving leads or creating brand awareness.

Next, determine what makes your site successful. Is it the images, headlines or offers that keep people on certain pages? Once you know that, you hold the world of profits in the palm of your hand. In other words, mimic what works and profits will come.  

Analytics can provide you with a complete behavioral picture that will easily integrate with your online efforts (PPC/SEM, email marketing, banner ads, social media, etc.). It can even be used to track TV, radio and print effectiveness. Knowing where to put your ad dollars to drive real value for your business starts by measuring results.   

Measuring your success can come in many analytical forms. Some of the most common include: click-through rate, conversion rate, distribution rate, and time spent on site. Get a handle on these and you'll be ready to move more people to your site via online marketing and advertising. Then, get to know where your visitors are coming from and going to before and after they leave your site. You'll be amazed at what you discover.

When you're ready to put your website to work, start with some basic online tools. Find one that fits your needs and budget and you'll quickly see just how much ROI  analytics can help you generate.