While some states have created solid websites to provide information about their portion of the $787 billion American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), most are failing to effectively educate taxpayers about the impact of economic stimulus spending, according to a report from Good Jobs First, an economic development research group. "Many...

When I talk with users of Website Optimizer, they often tell me how exciting it is watching a test unfold and seeing the final results. That feeling you have after realizing that the new call to action section just sextupled your conversion rate is not just exciting, it's contagious, and you want to share it.Previously, sharing your Website...

A group of Democratic senators are co-sponsoring legislation that would ban texting while driving nationwide. The four senators co-sponsoring the legislation - Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.), Robert Menendez (D-N.J.), Mary Landrieu (D-La.) and Kay Hagan (D-N.C.). The legislation would force states to ban texting while driving or risk losing all federal...

Google Website Optimizer lets you run two types of experiments: A/B and Multivariate. Both types help refine your website to increase conversions, but some tests are better suited for A/B while others are better suited for Multivariate. Choosing the appropriate type for your test can save you time and help your test run more smoothly.If you want...

Twitter may not have as many friends in high places as its fans imagined.  Robert Gibbs recently let slip that Twitter is blocked on White House computers. This news seems a bit odd, considering that the BarackObama Twitter account was used so much prior to the election, and that it still gets the occasional update.  There's an official...

Our elected representatives might want to get used to running into Googlers around Washington.  A fresh lobbying report indicates that Google’s ramped up its efforts in this area by quite a bit. Between April 1st and June 30th, Google spent $950,000 on lobbying activities.  That represents an increase of 8.0 percent compared to the...

Companies have long had problems putting numbers on social media marketing results. Wetpaint and the Altimeter Group have now released a study looking at how engagement with consumers through social media correlates with financial performance. How much emphasis does your company put on social media efforts? Tell us. The "ENGAGEMENTdb...

Website Optimizer and Google Analytics are both tools that can help you increase your ROI on your website. Like any tool, you can get more out of it with training, such as our Seminars for Success.Seminars for Success are all-day, in-person trainings on Google tools. They are led by our Authorized Consultants, who are experts on Website Optimizer...

Google's Matt Cutts frequently posts useful tips for webmasters on the Google Webmaster Central YouTube channel. The short clips generally offer valuable nuggets of info that can have an impact on your site's performance in Google. In these videos, Matt always answers questions submitted by users, and in a recent one he answers the question:...

The Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada isn't campaigning against Facebook; representatives have actually said some very nice things about the company and social networks in general.  Just the same, following an investigation, they believe Facebook isn't meeting certain standards. "It's clear that privacy issues are top of mind...

It's probably not much of a stretch to suggest that the average WebProNews reader spends more than half of his waking hours in front of a computer.  The National Broadband Plan is liable to affect you, then, and if you'd like to shape it, Google's giving you a chance. Here's a quick refresher before we get to the new development: the National...

Calling all testing enthusiasts in the Bay Area! In the tradition of Web Analytics Wednesdays, we're starting Website Testing Thursdays. It's an informal gathering where you can have a drink and hang out and learn from other website testers. For the inaugural event, we have a special guest: analytics evangelist, author, and all around good guy,...

As just about everybody knows, Google takes great care of its employees, has been something of a media darling, and uses "don't be evil" as the first three words of its official Code of Conduct.  However, Google's not perfect, and Matt Cutts recently discussed a few potential problems related to its image. Cutts drew on a post...

The French Senate is considering a revised version of an Internet piracy law that was ruled unconstitutional last month, despite backing by President Nicolas Sarkozy. Nicolas SarkozyThe original law was set up as a three-strikes system for copyright violators, who would first receive an email warning, then a letter and finally lose their Internet...

Last week, Tim Ash, one of our Website Optimizer Authorized Consultants, gave a webinar on the 7 Deadly Sins of Landing Page Design. In this webinar he exposes common errors in landing page design that might be holding back your conversion rate and shows you how you can fix them. If you missed it, or if you just want to review your sins, you'll be...

A number of people have noticed that Google is viewing their websites as blogs when they are not really blogs. They are finding that Google is placing them in blog search portions of universal search results in regular Google searches. This is the topic being discussed in a thread at the WebmasterWorld forum. "There are a lot of mixed...

When you run an experiment with Website Optimizer, you're testing new content to see whether it improves your conversion rate. We can often find big winners, but, of course, some of our variations are going to be losers in that they perform significantly worse than our original content.While you've been able to disable poor performing variations...

A common question we hear from users of Website Optimizer is, "What page should I test?" Of course, people have different opinions. For example, some experts say that you should never run a test on your homepage while others may disagree. We recommend taking a data-driven approach when choosing a test page. Simply put, test a page that needs...

Hawaii Governor Linda Lingle has vetoed a bill that would have required online retailers such as Amazon.com and Overstock.com to collect and pay sales tax on their affiliate programs within the state. Earlier this week both Amazon and Overstock had notified affiliates in the state that they would be ending their programs there due to the new tax...

Amazon.com is continuing with its policy to abandon its affiliates program in any state that even considers legislation that would force the online retailer to collect and pay sales tax. Rebecca Madigan This time Amazon has eighty-sixed its affiliate program in Hawaii. Amazon informed its affiliates Monday, in an email, it was ending its...