Why Do Marketers Ignore the Bounce Rate Metric?

Such a simple metric — Bounce Rate. However, even with industry evangelists like Avinash working to shift our focus to this website metric by naming Bounce Rate "The sexiest metric ever...", marketers are still ignoring this simple metric. Visitors bouncing off of your site at first sight should be a startling reality of your "first impression". Imagine operating a bricks and mortar store and 75% of potential customers left the store within 10 seconds — basically they walk in, take a quick look and walk right back out. In the "real world" we would take immediate attention to fix this major issue. In the "online world" we have a quantifiable metric updated every few minutes and people simply ignore this metric.

I believe Google Analytics should send you SMS or RSS alerts if your bounce rate increases more than 10% at any given time. Because if it does increase by 10%, you are losing potentially qualified customers because of that fancy design element you put up!

If you are ahead of the crowd and passionately focused on this one simple metric, Bounce Rate, then lets look at what you can do to make it better. First you need to establish What is a Good Bounce Rate? The new benchmarking service from Google Analytics will provide you good insight into what is the "norm" amongst similar sites in your industry. If not, I believe a 20% bounce rate is fantastic, 40% average and acceptable and above 50% should be improved up...oh and if you have above 80% you better get your act together and stop losing 8 out of 10 potential conversions before they have a chance to hear your message.

So once you've established what your bounce rate is and if it is good or not, start thinking about your segments. I'm not talking about demographics or anything like that (not a big fan of demo), I'm talking first-time and repeat visitor segments, which indicate attitudes. A first time visitor needs to understand if they want to take the time to explore your website and if it will lead value in their time (time is money). A return visitor however most likely understands what to expect but now they may need to find something new. It is likely that both their intentions are the same — came to find information, make a purchase, get contact information, etc. — but their attitudes are different.

Ideally when you segment this metric you'll find your bounce rate for return visitors is lower and for new visitors it is higher. Once you've established your bounce rates you have to consider if you want to invest in improving (lowering) your bounce rate for a particular segment and what impact it will have.

This is one of many posts to come on how to Optimizer Your Bounce Rates...stay tuned.

A New Version of Google Analytics...and it's Amazing!

Yes, you heard right. Google Analytics has launched a new version and it is quite an evolution. The new interface improves the usability and adds many useful features such as automated scheduling of reports to e-mail and a calendar view that is second to none. I'm going to be brief here but rest assured EpikOne has quite an arsenal of information and tools coming to make the transition as smooth as possible. We've been working with the application for some time now so let us know of any questions and keep posted for new announcements!

Dave @ EpikOne

How is Your Agency Performing?

A recent article on MediaPost.com caught the attention of both specialized digital shops and traditional ad agency's. The article highlighted that traditional agencies are slow to embrace the new marketing paradigm and are marketers "...seek fresh approaches from digital shops..." They went on to mention how shops like Agency.com are now winning traditional work. Wow, what a wake up call for Madison Avenue and the rest of the agency world.

Take a look at the article here.

Analytics Resource Planning

One of the fundamental issues with making Web Analytics integral in an organization is the lack of resource planning. For instance, will Analytics function as a department similar to Accounting and Marketing or will Analytics be integrated into many departments?

After meeting with a client recently we realized that there was no clear plan as to who would be accessing Google Analytics for reporting and how the information would be disseminated throughout the organization for decision making purposes.

This is an important phase and can open up new opportunities for making Analytics move to the "frontal-lobe" of key executives and directors who may have previously not been exposed to the value of this information. For instance, how many PR Directors are mining through top referrer reports to find out what kind of visbility their press releases are generating. My guess is not many. I believe the old days of "press clippings" will be pushed to the back by the ability to generate a top referrer report in Google Analytics in less than 1 minute from logging in. Some may say, well what if the media source didn't publish the press online and you can only get it in print. Well, I guess that media source is a good candidate for a course in "Why the Web is Important" - which most businesses took back in the 90's when they started moving their business online.

My point is, that without proper planning for integrating Analytics into the organization the valuable reporting will be nothing more than the Employee Handbook gathering dust on the shelf. So before you go an allocate six-figures on a fancy new web analytics application you may want to consider giving Google Analytics a try and spending that six-figures (or five, four or three figures!) on Analytics Resource Planning and then Analysis and Optimization. This will most likely get you a better ROI on your Analytics and then the Analytics will get you a better ROI on those Marketing Campaigns.

Website Optimizer Media Blitz

Here are some follow-up reviews, blog posts and general information following the announcement of Google's Website Optimizer.

ClickZ wrote a brief column. In it they highlight Google's partnering with us to provide consulting for the new technology. Also, Mark Wachen of Optimost comments on how this launch will increase awareness for the category. Read the article here.

The Official Google Analytics Blog also posted information about the Website Optimizer based on an announcement from Brett Crosby of Google. In the post they list a few Google partners who will be offering consulting, implementation and support for Website Optimizer, one of which was us. Check out the post here.

Google launches official press release on the new Website Optimizer tool - EpikOne's Alex Broussard quoted in it explaining the value of identifying key conversion elements quickly. Read more here.

Marketing VOX publishes post about Website Optimizer.

Just in - a great write up from E-Commerce Guide.

Multivariate Testing with AdWords Optimizer

The world of analytics keeps progressing and Google is leading the charge. A new feature in Google AdWords - Website Optimizer was released in beta today. The new feature allows for multivariate testing on AdWords campaigns. Once a tactic for sophisticated marketers and analysts, Google has provided a fairly streamlined tool for allowing any AdWords user to lift conversions with this dynamic tool. Here are the three steps to a successful multivariate test with Website Optimzer.

1. Methodology
You must identify the landing page you will be testing and then the elements on the page you can provide variants for. The goal typically is to convert more visitors on the landing page so consider what elements contribute to the goal - call to action, copy, images, headlines, etc. Plus what is the intended goal - with this test try to limit to one goal.

2. Configuration
Website Optimizer provides the framework for implementing the campaign however some technical aptitude will be needed. You need to modify some coding on the page with the variations of elements plus configure the AdWords tool for the experiment. However, having the framework for free is a big bonus - as other companies charge hefty fees for similar tools.

3. Measurement
There is no use doing steps 1 and 2 unless you plan on analyzing the experiment and using the results to drive decisions. Once you've determined the outcome with the highest probability to lift conversions, implement the changes and start experimenting with other pages.

The official Inside AdWords blog post.

To official beta signup.

If you are interested in having EpikOne work with you on any of the three steps get in touch here.

Google AdWords Seminars

The Google AdWords team has launched a nationwide seminar program to help companies get more out of the powerful paid search tool. Take a look at the schedule. Should be a good training opportunity to increase your knowledge of the AdWords interface - you'll be surprised how much flexibility AdWords has built in.

However, if it's Google Analytics you are looking to get more out of - I'd recommend taking a look at some of our firm's offerings. We've training individuals to fifty person marketing groups on the finer points of Analytics. Take a look at our Google Analytics Training sessions.