1. Analytic tool
Why: If you do not know what is happening on your site, then how can you optimize it? This will not only give you general KPI trends on your site BUT also will tell you what the visitors on your site are doing.
Which one: Of course all the web analytic tool companies will tell you that their tool is the best, but in my experience they all are pretty much the same. The key here will be how effectively you are able to use the information from the tools to optimize your site performance. If you have limited budget then I would recommend going free with Google Analytics.
2. A/B testing tool
Why: Once you THINK you KNOW what is wrong with you site, you want to be TESTING out different designs, content and/or navigation. Again the idea is let your visitors tell you which of the changes to the site they like the best.
Which one: There are many options out there, such as – Sitespect, Optimost, Offermatica (now bought by Omniture), etc. I really do not have a favorite. If you have limited budget then I would recommend going free with Google’s website optimizer.
3. Online survey tool
Why: It has happened many times. You have analyzed the site performance and then you have A/B tested what you think should be the new site design, content and/or navigation. BUT the results remain the same. What happened? Well it seems that site visitors did not agree with the educated opinion of what is the problem with the site and diagnosis of that problem. To solve this puzzle you need to go directly to the site visitors and ask them what they think is the issue with site.
Which one: There are many options, such as – Usability Sciences, Foresee Results, iPerceptions, etc. I personally like usability sciences. If you have limited budget then I would recommend going free with 4Q online survey.
4. Secondary research:
Why: Many times, we all need a starting point of what should be changed to optimize the performance of site based upon what has worked in the past for other companies. This is not to say that it will work for your site also – it is just a nice point of reference. There is a lot of heuristics research that is available that you can and should use to optimize your site performance.
Which one: Here are some that you might find useful – Jared Spool at www.uie.com, Jakob Nielsen at www.useit.com, www.usability.gov/, Daily trending data from www.eMarketer.com
5. Screen capture tool
Why: A picture is worth a thousand words! When you see some design, content, idea or navigation that you like or think is effective, pay them a compliment – capture it and see if you can use it to optimize your site. Or use it just as an example of what to do or not to do.
Which on: The one that I have been using is Snag-it. But there are many free ones available as an add-on to Firefox.
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