Optimization for Content Sites: Analytics, SEO, CRO

Martijn Scheijbeler / Director of Marketing / martijn@thenextweb.com / @MartijnSch

@MartijnSch@MartijnSch

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Optimization for Content SitesBetter tracking, better decisions

Better decisions, better results

“What you’re not tracking, you don’t know!”“Implementing better tracking creates more insightful data”

“The better the data is the more insightful your decision will be”

“Your results get better by the decisions you make”“Just as long as the decisions you make are better decisions”

Better results, reach your business goals

How to provide context How to optimise context

@MartijnSch

WHAT YOU GET OUT OF THIS?

We’ll share the set-ups we use at The Next Web around Analytics, SEO, CRO.

Data is Dumb! How to make it Smart?

@MartijnSch

Analytics

MORE & BETTER DATA?

SEO

MORE & BETTER TRAFFIC?

CRO

MORE ENGAGEMENT?

MEDIA News

E-commerce

EVENTS Events

Conferences

WORK SPACES TQ

INTELLIGENCE Index.co

The biggest difference, it’s not all about money. Unfortunately!

@MartijnSch

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Unique UsersGrowing our unique user base willincrease the potential to reach Generation T.

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Our metrics/KPIs for success;

User Engagement: PV/SessionA higher engagement with our user base will increase the number of pageviews per session.

User Retention: Returning %Increasing the percentage or returning users will increase our brand awareness.

Newsletter SignupsTo get a relationship with our users we’d like to have their email address for the newsletter.

Social SharesMore shares will influence our reach amongst new and returning users.

What we track &How we do this?

@MartijnSch

ANALYTICS:

What makes it different: Publishers v.s. E-commerce?

@MartijnSch

You need a plan! This is what our ‘Tracking Plan’ looked like.

Google Analytics (GA) & Google Tag Manager (GTM)

• Send data to the dataLayer • Able to create variables • Use the data however you want

The DataLayer

• 57 Custom dimensions • Examples:

• Author • Adblocked • A/B Testing • Post ID • Client ID

CustomDimensions

• 4 Custom Metrics • Examples:

• Ads Loaded • Comments • Ads not Loaded • Words

Custom Metrics

• 23 Calculated Metrics • Examples:

• Customer Lifetime Value • AVG Cost per Session • Non Bounces • Cost of Acquisition

Calculated Metrics

Event TrackingWhat is going on and why is that

happening? That’s what event

tracking helps with.

Examples: • JavaScript Errors • Ads Loaded or Not Loaded • Share Buttons • Contact Forms • Integrations with Google DFP

Scroll DepthDo you really know if people read

your content, you don’t, right?

Time on PageDo you really know if

people read your content,

you don’t, right?

But on a high bounce rate

page it’s really hard for

web analytics tools to

calculate the perfect time

on page.

You want to know what

happens in the funnel of your

ecommerce shop, right?

But how does that work for a

publisher? We figured it out.

Enhanced Ecommerce

@MartijnSch

Custom DataCustom information:Content, Metrics, Data

EngagementWhat’s a user doing:Scroll tracking, event tracking

TestingWhat does(n’t) work:Testing via Google Tag Manager

Enhanced EcommerceImproving Ecommerce:More info on the transaction process

FiltersExcluding + Improving:Page information + cleaning

Cost DataCalculate your ROI: Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, etc.

@MartijnSch@MartijnSch

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We make most of this available!Download via:Github.com/TheNextWeb/GTM

Import the container in GTM

Configure what you (don’t) need

Download as ZIP, import the container inGoogle Tag Manager to get started.

The documentation in Github will tell you whatto configure in Google Tag Manager.

Share the love!

You can import a container in Google Tag Manager with a preconfigured set of tags,

variables, values to get started immediately.

Our GTM set-up is now available for you!

TLDR; Web Analytics

@MartijnSch

1. You obviously know your business goals 2. For publishers it’s not all about money 3. Know your micro conversions inside out 4. Leverage all options in GA & GTM 5. Track the sh*t out of everything!

What we want to rank for & How we do this?

@MartijnSch

SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION:

What makes it different: Publishers v.s. E-commerce?

@MartijnSch

Facebook, Google, Apple, YouTube, Amazon, Alibaba,

Samsung

It’s hard for Google to

understand the META

information. Definitely if

you don’t provide it the

right (structured) way.

Google is dumb!

@MartijnSch

TLDR; Search Engine Optimization

1. Competitive like hell! 2. Make sure you’re ‘different’ from others 3. Optimize whatever you can to the max 4. Schema.org is going to help you out! 5. It is all about scalability

@MartijnSch

What we optimise for &How we do this?

@MartijnSch

CONVERSION RATE OPTIMIZATION:

Testing Figures Data from 2015

2,5 CRO Team in 2015

38.000.000 Sessions with Tests

0 CRO Team in 2014

5-7 Tests per week

Priceless Amounts of fun

35% Traffic v.s. Tests

@MartijnSch

“If you double the number of experiments you’re going to double your inventiveness”

- Jeff Bezos

@MartijnSch

What makes it different: Publishers v.s. E-commerce?

@MartijnSch

The opportunity is

350-400 tests a year. As

ROI per test is low we

need to run a lot to have

a positive return.

Efficiency <> Costs

@MartijnSch

Google Tag Manager is making our lives easier + scalable

We didn’t move to any ‘real’

CRO tool but decided to

iterate on our own: GTM <> JS.

Supporting: A/B/n & MVT.

GTM Testing

@MartijnSch

Download: Github.com/TheNextWeb/CRO

Would like to see what we tested?

@MartijnSch

Sharing

@MartijnSch

Sharing brings in more loyalty,

more engagement and

hopefully more traffic.

Share buttons

• Variant increase clicks with 16% • Had a significance + power level of > 99% • We ran the test for 1x 7+ days • Targetting over 200.000 users

Winner: Variant

Original:

Variant

Engagement

@MartijnSch

Engagement is important,

focus on getting more clicks

on the related stories in the

sidebar.

Rankings!

• Variant increase clicks with 36% • Had a significance + power level of > 99% • We ran the test for 7+ days • Targetting over 300.000 users

Winner: Variant

Original: Variant:

Engagement is important,

focus on getting more clicks

on the related stories below

the article.

Related Stories

• Variant increase clicks with 36% • Had a significance + power level of > 99% • We ran the test for 2x 14+ days • Targetting over 500.000 users

Winner: Variant

Original:Variant

So what if we remove the

whole sidebar, wouldn’t people

be more focused on the stuff

that is out there?

Big, bigger

• Variant decreased clicks with 17% + 14% • Had a significance + power level of > 99% • We ran the test for 14+ days • Targetting over 420.000 users

Winner: Original

TLDR; Conversion Rate Optimization

@MartijnSch

1. Know what you’re testing 2. Focus on your user segments 3. Iterate on what you’re already testing 4. Focus on high significance 5. Test big, bigger, biggest!

What does the Future look like?

@MartijnSch

WHAT’S NEXT:

Currently measuring the scroll

depth and the engagement on

page is separated. Merging the

data will make sure the tracking

is improved and loadtimes will

decrease a tiny bit.

Content Enagement V2.0

@MartijnSch

SEO: Schema.org

@MartijnSch

Provide all the right information

about our content to search

engines. The more meta the

information is the better.

We want to make sure you have

the right experience from

wherever you come from.

Maintain testing on segments

“Personalisation”

@MartijnSch

@MartijnSch@MartijnSch

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Optimization for Content SitesBetter tracking, better decisions

Better decisions, better results

“What you’re not tracking, you don’t know!”“Implementing better tracking creates more insightful data”

Better results, reach your business goals

“The better the data is the more insightful your decision will be”

“Your results get better by the decisions you make”“Just as long as the decisions you make are better decisions”

Take Aways:

1. Know your business goals! 2. Measure & Track micro conversions 3. Provide all information, make it smart 4. Know what the future looks like 5. Mostly have fun & keep iterating

@MartijnSch

Do you have any Questions?

@MartijnSch