My POV on Site Testing Tools

Last week I was asked by a colleague to recommend a site testing solution for a friend's tech product review site. The following is my response (edited to protect our agency's exclusive relationships, pricing, etc.):

In recent months, Tier I players like Optimost and Omniture Test & Target have dramatically reduced their prices. 1-year technology contracts are now half of what they were a year ago. But don't be fooled - they try to make up for these steep markdowns by trying to charge for costly services models. These solutions are only great values if you have a skilled site optimization expert or agency partner operating these tools.

A Tier II player like Widemile or SiteSpect incur minimal monthly charges, without an annual contract. They make it easy to scoop up their tool for just a few months with a low learning curve, and are very eager to compete with their larger rivals. As a result, these players will tend to be flexible on price and provide plenty of free education and technical support. Widemile in particular has a pretty sweet, Flash-based user interface, suitable for even a novice. Definitely gets high marks. SiteSpect's big advantage is that no tags need to be implemented on the page. But be wary of implementation at a DNS level. Your larger organizations' IT teams will be shaking in their boots!

Ah, and of course Google’s Site Optimizer tool. Free, free, free. I don’t believe this is any less or more turnkey than Tier I or II solutions. Speaking from first-hand experience, this tool nicely complements Google Analytics' free solution, and is currently running live tests on my site. I've only just implemented this, so will update with my long-term satisfaction.

A general working knowledge of HTML is necessary for most of the above solutions. So in the context of this prospect -- a simple tech review site, supported by ads with no ecommerce or clear conversion…. then, err, free is a nice way to start. I think Avinash Kaushik's logic can be applied: a free analytics solution is practical for starters, if only to get your feet wet.

Disclaimer: We’re not talking about “big client” millions of media budget at stake in the above scenario, so I’m being very liberal with my recommendations. I think it takes a very careful evaluation of a business' goals, objectives, dedicated staff and technical limitations to make a consultative recommendation.

Plugging The Leaks in Your Website

My conversations with clients are usually focused on "plugging the leaks" within their websites. By "leaks," I mean the alarming rate of high visitor abandonment at various points within a website.

It's funny, but not long ago this sort of talk would have lead to "...as a result, we need to redesign the site." Hold your horses. Tough economy or not, why jump the gun and march right into a total site redesign? Do you know exactly what's so terribly wrong with the site that it's gotta get new paint job, or flat-out gut renovation? Do you even care about alienating users that might "love" the site's current aesthetic?

Make a small investment of time and budget to understand precisely what is wrong with your website and why it's causing visitors to bounce. Only then can we have a constructive conversation about changes to the website. By implementing a dozen or so data-driven tactical recommendations, your visitors can expect a more efficient, easier-to-use website that's actually achieving (let's even say exceeding) it's intended business goals!

Future of Web Design Conference in NYC

I'd like to attend the upcoming FOWD Conference in NYC, November 3-4. The absolute highlight for me is to hear Hillman Curtis speak about how he's continued to re-invent himself as an artist. Hillman Curtis was one of a few significant influences on my career as a graphic designer (others included Stephen Sagmeister and David Carson, although neither is currently scheduled to join Mr. Curtis as a speaker).

What stands between me and this conference, is funding. As the economy weakens, it is harder for my employer to approve expenses like this. In that case, I hope Louise at Carsonified can come through for me with a pass.

Why I'm In Advertising

It was the early 80's. Looking up in Times Square, I fixed my eyes on what must have been a Coca-Cola billboard. Amazed by the classic design, magnificent scale and masses of people exposed to it, it is my belief that at this moment I became mesmerized with the profession of advertising. Of course, at this prepubescent age I was also entertaining a few other careers: veterinarian, Disney animator or professional Corvette driver (the job description speaks for itself).

Looking back, it feels good to say that I've gone down one of my dream career paths. However, after zig-zagging a bit, and flexing my creative muscle, I'm not quite sure how I landed into this current role. I think it's a new found passion to make my clients wildly successful, in an all-new, quantifiable way.

Feedly Beautifully Delivers Content

I've tried Netvibes, iGoogle, Google Reader and numerous other RSS aggregators. For one reason or another, each failed to become part of my daily consumption of news and information.

Enter Feedly. The dashboard of all dashboards! Feedly is an extension for Firefox, incorporating my various email accounts, social networks, RSS feeds and bookmarks. Besides pulling everything into one place, one of the most attractive assets is Feedly's design and layout. All of my content can be formatted into customizable layouts, in which I can filter and search. I'm able to clip and send full articles or parts of articles, sharing them via my integrated email and social network accounts.

And personalization! An intelligent engine learns my reading habits, offering me relevant news based on my reading patterns and preferences. And articles that I've read within Feedly are refelected as 'read' in my Google Reader.

Groovey Digg Company Video

Here's a really smart, single-take, company video that Digg put together, set to the tune of Dee Lite's "Groove Is In The Heart." And get this – the normally dry Digg CEO Jay Adelson raps Q-Tip's solo! The whole office ("interns only," reports Valleywag) joins in by taking turns singing the lyrics. If you're wondering where Digg founder Kevin Rose is, stay tuned until the end.

Digg Dubb: Groove Is In The Heart

MUG Redesigns

One of my favorite sources for "what's hot & happening in NY" has redesigned! The MUG (Manhattan Users Guide) email newsletter showed up in my inbox this afternoon all fresh-faced and shiny.

I've referenced MUG several times in my posts, and have always appreciated Charlie & Co.'s: list of best movers in NYC, tasty new restaurants, hoppin' night spots, fresh tunes, best sample sales... the list goes on. And sure, the design always felt very 1999. But the unique content, inside scoop and (seemingly) expert advice always kept me coming back.

While it looks like MUG is still working out the kinks to this new design, I wish the devoted crew the best of luck with their new design direction.

Seat At The Table

It's funny how our agency's CEO began using the term "seat at the table" nearly a year ago, and now the idea has taken off like hot cakes. Curious if he's responsible for coining the term (?).

Anyway, Kate Rutter blogs about the theme, discussing the justification and opportunities available for a Creative to change a client's organization. I would agree that instead of the safe and traditional reactive position advertising professionals take, a strategic pro-active approach proves far more effective. I might add that it also stems from having the right client relationships, high up enough within an organization.

Go download your own "seat at the table" template. Cut it out, and you have your virtual table at your disposal. You've got to fake it before you make it, right?