In In Part of Website Optimization Process we went through thinking process. In In Part 2 of Website Optimization Process we planned our revamping project. In Part 3 we measure. I am not going to discuss implementation. You have delegated the tasks, some of them you did yourself. You used your project management skills. I hope you got that part down. I would give your website 30 days to collect some data for you to analyze.

In this post, let's talk about measuring your efforts. You have installed Analytics, you have set up your website goals and you have assigned monetary value for each goal.

Before we go any further, I will try to convince you once more to hire a professional to help you optimize your website. Not only do we know the best practices, but we have tools, systems, and knowledge of how to efficiently make you more money. Search engines, social media sites, the whole landscape changes very quickly and it is hard for non-industry people to keep up. Just think about how many times Facebook changed their Terms of Use. Did you follow the changes? What about all the Google algorithm updates, like Panda?

Still not convinced? Oh, well. It was worth a try. Let's get down to plotting our optimization strategy.

First Steps To Your Online Success

Website optimization is not Search Engine Optimization (SEO). SEO is a part of website optimization, which also include conversion optimization and improving usability. I would add pay per click (PPC) effort to it as well. If all those components are successful, your website will be making you money.

A big stumbling block on the way to a better website is how much work it takes to do it. Many people struggle with where to start, what to tackle first and what to ignore. A company website is an important source of revenue but how to improve it quickly and noticeably? Where to dedicate limited resources? Where do you start?

I hung up the phone in disbelief. "It cannot be! Everybody knows these things - they are basic!" was the first thought that went through my mind. Next came righteous indignation, "They should not offer SEO services if they don't even understand the easy stuff! That is fraud!" And finally, the desire to save the world, "What about their clients? They are paying money for bad service and don't even know it."

Sounds familiar?

In a course of a conversation the other day, it became painfully clear to me that my fellow SEO has no clue about SEO. Even the things that are impossible to miss if you are in any way connected to SEO, were a big revelation. Should I start pointing fingers, shouting from street corners trying to warn unsuspecting clients?

Should I oust a fellow SEO?

I came across a fascinating article on web searchers' problem solving skills. The focus of the study was on web design and usability. However, there are several lessons from the study that apply to SEO. The findings of this study can impact SEO keyword research as well as keyword targeting strategy.

You can find the full article at Jacob Nielsen's website: Incompetent Research Skills Curb Users' Problem Solving I will also use the examples from the study because they are just too good. All quotes are from the article (displayed in italics). I will provide the summary of findings and how they can be applied in your own website optimization.

Here is how searcher's behavior can impact your website optimization strategies.