Our last post discussed how to avoid common mistakes in testing. Today, here’s a suggestion for doing some valuable testing on the cheap:
Use paid search.
While space constraints (just 95 characters) sometimes make it difficult to test as extensively or as scientifically as you’d like, there’s still plenty you can learn that’s valuable in other venues:
• Which search terms are most important to optimize your site for
• Which appeals are strongest
• What headlines generate the most qualified leads
• What’s the relative interest in different products
• Which landing page converts at the highest rate
Before you start paid search testing, be sure you’ve implemented conversion tracking. The ad that generates the greatest number of leads is not always the most profitable.
I love testing with paid search because actual results are always a much stronger indicator of future performance than any other form of market research. Given sufficient volume, you’ll get responses quickly and inexpensively. The resulting data can guide you in all your marketing efforts: catalog, email marketing, website, social media, search engine optimization and more.
