Ecommerce businesses are navigating the biggest transition of this year with Google Analytics 4 (GA4). In this D&C episode, Jon and Ryan acknowledge some initial challenges with the platform's interface and data comparisons, but they remain optimistic about its potential. They recommend exploring complementary tools and focusing on trend identification to unlock GA4's full potential. Ultimately, embracing GA4's learning curve and exploring alternatives can empower ecommerce businesses to thr...
Dec 19, 2023•30 min•Ep. 96
AI is a pretty buzzy term, and it can mean different things to different people. In this episode, Jon and Ryan engage in a lively discussion about the use of AI, with a specific focus on its application in UX and optimization. They start by differentiating actual AI tools from AI enabled applications. Then, they delve into the practical applications and potential benefits of ChatGPT, touching on its affordability, effectiveness in idea generation, and visual design capabilities. Listen to the fu...
Dec 05, 2023•32 min•Ep. 95
In this episode of Drive & Convert, Jon and Ryan delve into the rise of video as a powerful tool for digital marketing. They discuss the impact of platforms like TikTok, the changing landscape of video monetization, Apple's influence on tracking and privacy, the growth of Connected TV, and the importance of creative content in video marketing. Sharing insights and experiences from their own journey in the ecommerce space, Jon and Ryan explore how brands can leverage video to drive conversion...
Nov 21, 2023•32 min•Ep. 94
Ecommerce managers are juggling a million things by the time Q4 rolls around. They’re busy preparing holiday campaigns and gearing up for the coming year. However, optimization should still be top of mind during Q4, and the perfect way to ensure this happens is through a website audit. This week, Jon and Ryan explore eight benefits that a November audit can provide your business. You can level up against the competition by continuing their optimization work through the end of the year – when oth...
Nov 07, 2023•29 min•Ep. 93
SEO takes time, money, and energy. There is no shortcut to achieving increased rankings on a search results page over a short period of time. So, whether you’re just starting out or you’ve been in the business awhile, you need to have a strategy for SEO. In today’s episode, Jon and Ryan share that while there are no hacks, there are proven ways to build the right strategy that will get you in front of the right audience. Listen to the full episode if you want to learn: Why there is no “hacking” ...
Oct 24, 2023•32 min•Ep. 92
People have a lot of options when it comes to subscriptions. And now more than ever, people are conscious of where and what they spend their money on. In this episode, Jon and Ryan discuss how to acquire and retain subscribers with proven strategies including personalization, various types of subscriptions, and tactics for increasing your number of subscribers. They also cover how to look at things from a consumer perspective in order to fully understand what needs companies can address with the...
Oct 10, 2023•38 min•Ep. 91
What is a good return on ad spend? Just like the question posed in our last episode, there is no simple answer to this. In this week’s episode, Jon and Ryan delve into the importance of tailoring your ROAS goals to your unique brand. They also touch on the aggressiveness of marketing strategy, customer lifetime value, and the benefits of aiming for a lower break-even ROAS. Listen to the full episode if you want to learn: How brands can optimize their ROAS goals Why brands should consider influen...
Sep 26, 2023•31 min•Ep. 90
So, what is a good conversion rate? Is there a magic number you should be aiming for or a percentage that, when you reach it, means you’ve hit the big time and you can sit back and relax? In this week’s episode, Jon and Ryan discuss why there is no one-size-fits-all answer to this question. They delve into the definition of conversion rate and the countless variables that affect it. In the end, their advice is this: a good conversion rate is one that is constantly improving. Listen to the full e...
Sep 12, 2023•27 min•Ep. 89
What is the future of digital marketing and online experience? Jon and Ryan unpack the valuable insights gained from recent events with Google and Logical Position to try and answer this question. They discuss the challenges faced by smaller businesses in the ever-changing landscape of attribution models and the importance of thinking outside the box when it comes to driving brand growth. From exploring alternative methods of customer acquisition to diving into the world of AI and attribution, t...
Aug 29, 2023•30 min•Ep. 88
Sending everyone to a Product Detail Page (PDP) without context or information about the brand can be counterproductive in building trust. Landing pages, however, allow for more curated information and more consistent and relevant messaging during the customer journey. This is exactly what Jon and Ryan explore in this week’s Drive and Convert episode. They also cover how the lack of educational information on a PDP could make it difficult to convince customers to make a purchase. Listen to the f...
Aug 15, 2023•24 min•Ep. 87
From struggling marketplaces to recent stock turmoil, Jon and Ryan explore the factors impacting traffic and sales in the ecommerce industry. They take a deep dive into how competition, economic factors, and changing consumer behavior are reshaping the e-commerce landscape. In this week’s episode, they discuss powerful strategies for driving traffic and sales and how brands can leverage Google's algorithms to their advantage. Listen to the full episode if you want to learn: How the decrease in s...
Aug 02, 2023•27 min•Ep. 86
It can be difficult to convince new customers to purchase from your site the first time they visit. Instead of driving traffic and new visitors to your site, why don’t you focus on the customers you already have? This week, Jon and Ryan share how you can leverage nine proven strategies to help you increase average order value. By improving the average order value of your website, you can grow your business without having to invest heavily in additional marketing and advertising. Listen to the fu...
Jul 18, 2023•36 min•Ep. 85
Each holiday season is different, so how do you prepare for one? As a business, it’s important to use data-driven strategies and think creatively when planning for your holiday campaign. In this week’s episode, Jon and Ryan share a few ideas on how to think about the holidays and what you need to do to stand out from the competition. Listen to the full episode if you want to learn: Why each holiday season is different How to define the holiday season How to use data to determine holiday periods ...
Jul 10, 2023•30 min•Ep. 84
Sharing winning tests isn’t just a way to celebrate success with previous clients. The patterns and insights from winning tests can offer a lot of ideas for other brands looking to improve their conversion rates and boost sales. In particular, Jon and Ryan talk about three areas of a site that tests work really well in: category pages, social proof, and website copy. Listen to the full episode if you want to learn: How personalization can improve category pages Why you need clear and specific la...
Jun 20, 2023•33 min•Ep. 83
So much energy is focused on driving traffic to a site via different platforms, but Jon and Ryan share why email should be the most profitable traffic acquisition channel. In this episode, they discuss how you can set up your account and create automatic email flows. Ryan puts emphasis on not buying your email list. They also dive into examples of automatic email flows, such as a welcome series or an abandoned cart email, before sharing 5 points to help you successfully scale your email marketin...
Jun 06, 2023•24 min•Ep. 82
In this episode of Drive & Convert, Jon and Ryan share important metrics for businesses to monitor including customer acquisition cost, customer lifetime value, and conversion rates. They stress the importance of understanding which metrics will impact the bottom line and align with the company's strategic goals. They also delve into the importance of tracking your raw data, channel mix metrics, and evaluating subscription and consumable products. Listen to the full episode if you want to le...
May 23, 2023•33 min•Ep. 81
In this podcast episode, Jon and Ryan discuss Google's recent announcement about sunsetting certain attribution types in Analytics. They both emphasize the need for businesses to get creative and find new strategies to compete with larger brands. Jon suggests that small brands have an advantage in being more willing to take risks and test different approaches. For small brands, they suggest exploring social media, influencer marketing, affiliate partnerships, and top-of-funnel strategies to driv...
May 09, 2023•25 min•Ep. 80
What’s the best type of navigation to use for your website? Jon and Ryan reveal that there is no one-size fits all approach to this question. However, customer research and experimentation can help determine the most effective navigation style. Jon offers 10-pointers for website owners to test or steal, which are based on what has worked well for other brands. They stress the importance of designing navigation based on what customers want, not what the brand wants. Listen to the full episode if ...
Apr 25, 2023•27 min•Ep. 79
A lot of emotions are involved in exiting a business, and Ryan emphasizes the importance of legal advice and research along the way. In this episode, Jon and Ryan also talk about failing and growing throughout the experience and seeing everything as a learning experience. Every business exit is a little different, so there is no defined timeline for going through the process. Ryan advises that you should do it when it feels right, and the numbers will work themselves out. Listen to the full epis...
Apr 11, 2023•21 min•Ep. 78
Conversion rate optimization is important for any ecommerce brand, but it’s markedly more difficult for brands with lower traffic. However, there are still ways how you can increase website conversions with low traffic. In this week’s episode, Jon and Ryan highlight the significance of leaning into rapid testing in the absence of data to validate statistical significance. They also discuss other validation tactics, such as surveys, user testing, heatmaps, and many more. Listen to the full episod...
Mar 28, 2023•17 min•Ep. 77
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 conversion tracking looks like in this new world of Performance Max and how you could help your system and ...
Mar 14, 2023•18 min•Ep. 76
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 will climb. In this episode, Jon and Ryan talk about alternatives such as goal-setting, iterative learn...
Feb 28, 2023•27 min•Ep. 75
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 apple tree How SEO is different from paid search What the minimum budget for SEO is Why you still need SEO e...
Feb 14, 2023•27 min•Ep. 74
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 success with time and time again. Listen to the full episode if you want to learn: How annotating in Google...
Jan 31, 2023•42 min•Ep. 73
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 drivers are best for startups Why you need to think of traffic before CRO What are the best platforms for cre...
Jan 17, 2023•34 min•Ep. 72
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 their advantage What downselling is Where you can use these tactics on your website If you have questi...
Jan 03, 2023•31 min•Ep. 71
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 customer acquisition What role affiliates and influencers can play in 2023 Why social ads should not be a p...
Dec 20, 2022•27 min•Ep. 70
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-first and user-first CRO, finding a middle ground between the two and what CRO is ultimately about. Li...
Dec 06, 2022•29 min•Ep. 69
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 influencers, and testing on your own. Listen to the full episode if you want to learn: What data and re...
Nov 08, 2022•24 min•Ep. 68
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 cover the importance of website audits, how to improve user experience and why you should re-evaluat...
Oct 25, 2022•36 min•Ep. 67
