We discussed in the last part of the web site effectiveness 1-4 steps, and in this part New-Loong continue to discuss with you finding gaps and formulate measures for improving until reaching the desired results. This will be a spiral type of a work cycle. 5. Apply intelligence
- Analyze the results and identify trends
- Make assumptions based on the results, calculations, and identified trends
- Identify gaps between the results, benchmarks and objectives. (Did you accomplish your objective? How close were you?)
- Identify and relate those gaps to Web site design and strategy weaknesses
- Identify the results that exceed your objectives (Why was it so successful? Can you apply that design technique or strategy to the weaker areas?)
6. Determine plan for gap reduction
- Determine the monetary impact of each gap (What's the cost of not meeting your objective?)
- Prioritize gaps
- Perform cost/benefit analysis (Build vs. Buy, In-house vs. Outsource)
- Determine necessary Web site changes
- Determine new strategies
7. Implement plan
(For example, let's say you notice a high percentage of visitors pass through your home page and travel onto your contact form. Surprisingly, a low percentage actually "sends" information once on it. It's now obvious that the contact form needs modifications or a new strategy. You must encourage more people to complete the form to reduce the gap and accomplish your objective.)
8. Measure results after plan implementation
- Record and analyze all necessary data (over the same set time period)
- Perform calculations again
- Record results again
- Compare results against benchmarks and objectives (Are the results better than the last cycle, but still not meeting the objective?)
- Repeat step 5 and continue the cycle
Measuring Web site effectiveness is a constant process. You should always be striving to exceed your objectives. Once you've set up the tracking process, it's easy to recognize and report success and failure. It's also helpful when building a business case for Web site investments.
The next time you're asked about your Web site's effectiveness, I hope you can respond with something like... Last quarter our Web site generated 85 sales leads (up 25%), which resulted in $35,000 of new business (up 10%). Our newsletter subscriber base increased to 1,600 (up 250%), which has helped us reach our target of 18,000 total unique visitors (up 8%).
If you have some questions, please contact New-Loong.
Edit from http://www.websiteprofitdoctor.com/MC_BP_articles.asp?article=08_08_02_02.txt, thanks. |
