7.25.2010

SEO - The value of optimization

15% changes everything, says Seth Godin. A fifteen percent drop in sales can put a profitable business into the red, while a 15% increase in sales can double profits. The magic is not in the number 15, it is in the concept of a multiplier effect. A relatively small change at one stage of the process can have a magnified effect at a later stage.

Where in your online business conversion process . . . the process of converting a stranger into a client . . . would a 15% improvement have a disproportional impact?  Optimizing to increase organic search engine traffic to your web site is only the front end of the process, and possibly not the most significant.  But, before any of these questions can be answered, the different stage of conversion must be identified and measured.  The goal is to locate bottlenecks and weak links in the chain.

If the business goal of a website is to get new customers, a frequently overlooked magnifier is to look at the lifetime value of a new customer. Don't forget that, if you know what it is.

Tom Fox
Louisville, Kentucky
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