If you manage a website, there are several tools from Google that you can use to manage and improve your results.

On July 8 Google will be hosting the first free webinar the combines info about Webmaster Tools, Analytics, and Website Optimizer.

Check out details and sign up here.

In this week’s SherpaBlog, the brilliant Anne Holland presents the positions of two camps, the Brand Camp vs A/B Camp, and their approaches to beating the recession. “Whichever side you’re on — brand vs A/B — someone else on your team is evangelizing the other direction as the best way to beat the recession,” she writes.

However, with the due respect owed, I question one of her conclusions: “Who’s right and who’s wrong?” she writes. “Hate to say it, especially as a chief proponent of measurement in marketing, but brand should always win.” (more…)

We’re in SMX Advanced today and, in the Conversion Optimization session, Tom Leung from Google announced a free contest.

Google will be selecting several web sites to receive a free Conversion Optimization experiment with Google Website Optimizer.

You can sign up for free here.

Some of the best usability advice you’ll ever get is to try being your own customer.

If you haven’t bought a product or called a sales person in your company in the past three months, do it. Today.

Seth Godin uses the example of Interactive Voice Response (IVR) frustration (which is often immediately followed by ‘Interactive Voice Rage’) that’s so common, but your website is just as likely a culprit.

Another terrible user experience example is UK online retailer, NEXT Clothing.

Make a regular habit of going through your online sales funnel and you’ll discover many easy, high ROI fixes.