Drive and Convert

Last year, Google moved people over from Smart Shopping to Performance Max, and they said Performance Max would be the “one campaign to rule them all.” The struggle now, especially for smaller advertisers, is not having enough data points. And the more data you give an algorithm, generally, the better it’s going to be able to accomplish your goal. In this episode, Jon and Ryan discuss what convers...

Industry benchmarks are an obvious starting point for anyone looking to set goals. Unfortunately, comparing your conversion rate to the rates of other companies (or the industry as a whole) is meaningless. Unlike studying your competitors, studying your customers is directly applicable. The better you can serve their needs and create better shopping experiences, the higher your conversion rate wil...

SEO confuses a lot of people. In this week’s episode, Jon and Ryan tackle three big SEO myths that frequently come up when they’re talking to prospects and clients.  They also discuss brand voice, compounding effects, domain authority, and site traffic.    Listen to the full episode if you want to learn: Why small brands and startups should still invest in SEO Why SEO is like growing your own appl...

After more than a decade in the business, the CRO experts and UX strategists at The Good have identified patterns while working with clients. Through their experience, they discovered that when you optimize specific areas of a website, you consistently get an improved conversion rate and increased revenue.  In this episode, Jon and Ryan explore the different tests that The Good team has had succes...

How can new websites drive traffic and create demand for products?   In this week’s episode, Jon and Ryan share that the first step for new business owners is to gauge the size of the existing demand and the competition.  And in setting expectations, they remind startups that what works for bigger brands might not work for them.    Listen to the full episode if you want to learn: Which traffic dri...

If you haven’t already started testing cross-selling and upselling options in your store, you might be leaving money on the table. In this week’s episode, Jon and Ryan talk about what the tactics are, their benefits, and how exactly to implement them on your website.    Listen to the full episode if you want to learn: How cross-selling and upselling are different How other brands are using them to...

The future is impossible to predict, but we can always prepare for it. As the year comes to a close, Jon and Ryan shift focus to 2023 and talk about one thing you do control: your budget planning.  They give suggestions on what every ecommerce business should invest in and what they can do without in the coming year.    Listen to the full episode if you want to learn: Why you need to invest in cus...

What’s more important–delivering a seamless journey for users or sticking to the branding guidelines driving this unique approach? This is the question people hope to answer when trying to choose between brand-first and user-first CRO. This week, Jon and Ryan suggest a third option: the best outcomes come from aligning user goals AND brand goals.  They discuss why there is an argument over brand-f...

Wouldn’t it be easier if you could talk with other business owners and find out what's working for them and what’s not? Ryan and Jon were wondering the same thing. In this episode, they discuss the advantage of sharing data, strategies, and test results with businesses that aren’t your competitors.  They also discuss the value of rapid testing on ads to optimize your content, running tests with in...

According to a research by Adobe, 2021 brought the first ever $200+ billion online holiday season in the US. Assuming this year follows similar trends, optimizing your website before Black Friday and Cyber Monday can help your ecommerce brand win big.  In this episode, Ryan and Jon talk about how to optimize your website to drive more revenue for your brand this Black Friday and Cyber Monday. They...

Feeds are everywhere: Google, Bing, Walmart, Amazon, Facebook, Instagram. Anytime you see a product image and a price on some sort of app, it's probably coming from a feed. And even though they've been around for a while, it's more important than ever to understand how you can use them to your advantage. With so much automation in the marketing world, some campaign details are out of our control....

Getting others to promote your brand is infinitely more effective than promoting yourself. Face it, the glowing recommendation from a friend might be the only thing to convince brand loyalists to try a new product.  In this episode, Ryan and Jon talk about why social proof is one of the most powerful tools of persuasion sellers can employ and how to use it to improve your conversion rate. Listen t...

Google is always changing, so why is the news about Performance Max Campaigns any different?  In this episode, Ryan and Jon talk about the massive changes in Google Ads that are coming over the next few weeks. They cover the importance and scale of this particular update and why it matters to you. Listen to the full episode if you want to learn: What advertisers should be thinking about as they sw...

There is one major driver of successful and innovative companies: experimentation culture. It begins with a willingness to ask the right questions and stay humble about the answers – data will drive your decision-making, not opinions. But, it's easier said than done.  In this episode, Ryan and Jon cover the proven steps you can take to build a culture of experimentation in your own company and sha...

Most brands are already deep into their holiday planning, and there is some really fascinating data that Ryan is seeing from Logical Position clients that's driving Q4 strategies. But, there is still so much unknown. How will a second Amazon Prime Day impact the holiday season? What about all the ecommerce buzz around selling at Walmart? Are there still supply chain issues or do some brands actual...

One of the largest groups of online shoppers often surprises brands and marketers... adults over 55. While it's a mistake to ignore this key group of shoppers (and their disposable income), it's also tough to connect with them when there's a lack of understanding around their needs and habits. So, to fill that gap, the Good surveyed Active Agers on a large variety of ecommerce practices, attitudes...

Soon enough, Google will be launching its new Performance Max campaign option. The addition has received mixed reviews from agencies and in-house teams alike, but ad managers will need to find a way to adjust their strategies in this new environment. In this episode, Ryan and Jon provide a detailed overview of what Performance Max offers, how it fits into the existing set of tools and tech and wha...

A lot of CRO firms try to close a deal with an ecommerce brand by promising them that they will run “hundreds of tests,” sometimes over the course of just a few weeks! While that sounds like a great bang for your buck on the front end, it's probably not the best option for your company long-term. In this episode, Ryan and Jon talk about the perils of high volume or high velocity testing programs....

There are a lot of companies right now that are seeing poor year-over-year performance in their traffic and sales data. On top of that, there is international conflict in Ukraine and signs of an impending economic downturn.  Some industries are being hit harder than others, but there are plenty of brands that are feeling anxious – and rightfully so! In this episode, Ryan and Jon talk about the cur...

Marketing leaders love to redesign websites. Putting a fresh coat of paint on your brand's online presence feels like a meaningful project to undertake. It certainly is a significant effort, but it isn't always the best decision if you're goal is to improve your sales performance. In this episode, Ryan and Jon talk about how to know if your brand should invest in a full-scale redesign or commit to...

Once the excitement of the "shopping phase" dissipates, building a new home can be a taxing experience. There are often challenges with supplies, logistics, team members, timeline, budget, and a host of other variables that make the ordeal more stressful than anticipated. Ryan is currently living through this experience, and although going through life with a spouse and four kids all living in a b...

In this episode, Ryan and Jon continue experimenting with a "mailbag" format, where they answer questions that were submitted directly by Drive & Convert listeners. The conversation covers a wide range of topics, which makes it the perfect listen for a dog walk, office commute, or spin bike session. Listen to the full episode if you want to learn: How to allocated paid acquisition spending acr...

In this episode, Ryan and Jon experiment with a "mailbag" format, where they answer questions that were submitted directly by Drive & Convert listeners. The conversation covers a wide range of topics, which makes it the perfect listen for a dog walk, office commute, or spin bike session. Listen to the full episode if you want to learn: How to drive traffic in a world where privacy provisions a...

Most business leaders understand that you need a significant amount of traffic to run an optimization program that gets results. However, having 100,000+ sessions per month doesn't necessarily mean that your site is ready to optimize with 100% confidence. Not all traffic is created equal, and you have to attract the proper quality and mix of traffic to stand up an optimization program that gets re...

Marketplaces like Amazon and Walmart can be a polarizing topic in the ecommerce space. Some folks swear by them as one of the most effective "growth levers" you can pull, while others contend that what you're required to give up in exchange for access to marketplace customers means that the "juice isn't worth the squeeze."  In this episode, Ryan and Jon assess the current landscape around marketpl...