How do you know what works? Test what you’re currently doing.
If you want to actually see what works and what doesn’t, you need to establish a set of rules and metrics. A good starting point is gathering the following data. If you don’t have any accounts set up yet— not to worry. Get all of these going for a minimum of 2 weeks (ideally 6 weeks) so you can get data fast.
1.) Set up Google Analytics
What is Google Analytics?
It’s a free piece of online software that allows you to track visitor data and behavior on your website. This is a must-have and you probably already have it installed on your site.
Why should I care?
It’s important to know how many people are coming to your site and where they’re coming from. Make sure to remove your team’s IP addresses so your data isn’t skewing your results from internal testing.
2.) Set up an account with CrazyEgg.
What is CrazyEgg?
It’s a simple line of code you can add to your site. It gives reports like this:
Why should you care?
- It gives you valuable data about where people are clicking, how long they’re on your site, where they position their screen before they click, and a whole lot more.
3.) Set up an account with Optimizely & run A/B tests.
What’s an A/B test?
It’s a simple test where you adjust one variable to see how it affects a desired goal.
Give me an example.
The headline on your website home page will stay the same for variation A, and then for variation B you would alter the headline (to something you want to try out, but haven’t yet), and see how many people click your button (call to action) in relationship to the version they see. The code automatically shows 50% of users version A, and 50% of users to version B. The users have no idea this is going on, so you can get valuable data like “this headline gets 37% more email sign ups”. It’s incredible.
It’s important to know that once you launch your nonprofit website, the website process does not stop there. It is critical to maintain upkeep, blog posts, and testing to ensure you’re always putting your best foot forward.
Have you ever ran an A/B test before? Would you like more information on how to do it? Let us know in the comments below.
—Shane Michael