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 conversion tracking looks like in this new world of Performance Max and how you could help your system and ads perform better once you get some of the right data points.Listen to the full episode if you want to learn:What conversion tracking looks like on PMaxHow the PMax algorithm works What eCommerce advertisers should focus on trackingWhy Google Analytics is still the best source of data Why you need to test and optimize your feedIf you have questions, ideas, or feedback to share, connect with us on LinkedIn. We're Jon MacDonald and Ryan Garrow.

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 learning and experimentation.Listen to the full episode if you want to learn:Why industry benchmarks should not be your starting point for setting goalsHow you should approach measuring conversion ratesWhat the flaws of self-reporting among competitors isWhat factors affect conversion rateHow you can work on continuously improving your conversion rateIf you have questions, ideas, or feedback to share, connect with us on LinkedIn. We're Jon MacDonald and Ryan Garrow.

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 SEOWhy SEO is like growing your own apple treeHow SEO is different from paid searchWhat the minimum budget for SEO is Why you still need SEO even when you have a SaaS platformWhy not all traffic is equal If you have questions, ideas, or feedback to share, connect with us on LinkedIn. We're Jon MacDonald and Ryan Garrow.

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 Analytics can help you in the futureWhat variants and control are in A/B testingWhat tests to run on your ecommerce websiteWhy these five tests are effective If you have questions, ideas, or feedback to share, connect with us on LinkedIn. We're Jon MacDonald and Ryan Garrow.

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 startupsWhy you need to think of traffic before CRO What are the best platforms for creating demandHow Shopify and Shopify Collabs can help  If you have questions, ideas, or feedback to share, connect with us on LinkedIn. We're Jon MacDonald and Ryan Garrow.

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 differentHow other brands are using them to their advantageWhat downselling is Where you can use these tactics on your website If you have questions, ideas, or feedback to share, connect with us on LinkedIn. We're Jon MacDonald and Ryan Garrow.

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 acquisitionWhat role affiliates and influencers can play in 2023Why social ads should not be a priority for next yearWhy you should still invest in SEOIf you have questions, ideas, or feedback to share, connect with us on LinkedIn. We're Jon MacDonald and Ryan Garrow.

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.  Listen to the full episode if you want to learn:Why branding is importantWhy customer experience can’t be replaced  How to blend user goals and brand goalsIf you have questions, ideas, or feedback to share, connect with us on LinkedIn. We're Jon MacDonald and Ryan Garrow.

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 results businesses can safely share with each other Why building a group or community can be advantageousHow rapid testing works on ads and segmenting your audience   How to run your own ad testing to get the data you needThe cost of testing various ads If you have questions, ideas, or feedback to share, connect with us on LinkedIn. We're Jon MacDonald and Ryan Garrow.

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-evaluate your sales strategy. Listen to the full episode if you want to learn:Why website audits are necessaryHow to leverage user experience to improve site performanceRe-evaluating your sales strategyIf you have questions, ideas, or feedback to share, connect with us on LinkedIn. We're Jon MacDonald and Ryan Garrow.