This is the fourth posting in a series aimed at helping you as a Marketer evaluate conversion optimization services providers so you make the best possible decision of who to hire. You can read Part 1 here, Part 2 here and Part 3 here.

Q4: “Do you follow a specific methodology to optimization?”

There are lots of people “out there” who know how to use tools like Google Website Optimizer, Omniture’s Test & target, Optimost and such. (And this is especially true of Google Website Optimizer because it’s an easy to learn, free tool). However, very few of those people know how to increase revenues consistently by using the tool.

To know how to increase revenues by using a testing tool, the company you work with must use a unique, repeatable and scalable methodology to optimization.

Tips and tricks are helpful for one-off experimentation — it’s easy to just go ahead and “run one experiment” (Is your call to action below the fold? Go ahead, test placing the button above the fold and see the conversion lift happen before your eyes). But what happens next? What do you test after you have ran your first experiment? And what do you test after that? This is where a methodology that includes testing strategy and conversion hypothesis come in.

• Make sure you ask your conversion optimization services provider how their methodology incorporates the development of the testing strategy and conversion hypothesis.

And who does the wireframing, the creative work, the design and layout? Who writes the copy and who produces the mockups? And after that, who does the testing of the tool and writes the code to run the experiment? Who cuts the HTML? And how do you make sure it all gets done on time and on budget?

• Make sure you ask your conversion optimization services provider to describe the full range of services in their methodology.

Ok, so you have launched one experiment on one web page. But your website has 10 different landing/entry pages with conversion funnels which are, on average, 3 steps long. This means that you could have 30 web pages that will need optimization. Whoever you are working with must be able to scale up, quickly and effortlessly.

• Make sure you ask your conversion optimization services provider how their methodology to optimization allows for scaling up

In my next post, I’ll discuss the question “Do you work with any of my marketing partners?” Make sure you get it by joining the email list below (you can always unsubscribe later).

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This entry was posted on Tuesday, July 22nd, 2008 at 7:38 am and is filed under best practices, conversion rate optimization, how to. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.