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Digital Agency Toolkit – Use CrazyEgg to Test Web Layouts

Authors: Jay Baer Jay Baer
Posted Under: Social Media
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crazyeffDo you need to know whether people on a Web page are clicking on the navigation, the logo, photos, or links in the text? Of course you do. And ideally, you should be tweaking your pages and testing often to maximize results. (that’s why we’re on version 3.2 of the Convince & Convert Web site copy in 9 weeks).

For specific areas of digital inquiry like this, it can be easier and more useful to utilize specialized software rather than navigate through the massive array of features contained in an enterprise application.

If you need to figure out which elements of a Web page are getting clicks, and measure versions against one another, CrazyEgg is the answer. This simple software program only does a couple things, but it does them exceedingly well in an ultra easy to use fashion that puts it in the same “why isn’t all software this good” category with Basecamp, iphone, and Conceptshare. It’s Web-based (nothing to install), works in just about any browser, and handles analysis quickly.

CrazyEgg also lets you filter out internal usage (for more accurate reporting) by clicking a link in your dashboard or by sending an email to users you don’t want to appear in your reports.

Web analytics and click stream data at your fingertips

Here’s how CrazyEgg works.

Sign up for an account1. Sign up for an account. Fees range from $9 per month to $99 per month for deluxe version, based on how many different Web pages you want to track, and the number of combined monthly visits to those pages.

2. Add tracking code. Paste one simple line of javascript into the HTML of the Web pages you want to track. This should take approximately one minute, and if your Web developer or IT department says differently, they are being difficult and you should immediately bribe them with Red Bull or an XBox game.

3. Wait for traffic to come. Once you have visits to your Web pages, you’ll be able to access your CrazyEgg reports online instantly. (alerts and other information can also be sent to you via email or RSS).  Reporting is where this system really shines. They offer multiple, highly visual ways to view click stream information that is far more compelling than a spreadsheet. For instance:

OVERLAY

– Clicking [+] for each links shows how many times that link has been clicked, and the more+ link shows you from where each clicker came (and their search term if they come from search). I can see that 16% of the 44 people that clicked “Digital Marketing Blog” from my home page came from Google. It also tracks outbound links, so I can see what other blogs in my “Links We Like” section get clicked.

CONFETTI

 

CONFETTI

– Shows colored dots representing clicks on each link. Every color represents a different referring Web site. This is very useful for visually determining click pattern differences between visitors coming from Google and typing in www.convinceandconvert.com directly, for example. (Orange and Red, respectively)

HEAT MAP

HEAT MAP

– Perhaps the easiest to grasp and the most awe-inspiring report, the heat map shows frequency of clicks through color variations. Brighter colors = more clicks, so I can tell in one second that the “Digital Marketing Blog” link on the home page gets significantly more clicks than anywhere else on the page.

No Excuse for Not Running A/B Web Site Layout Tests

If I wanted to see whether I should rename “Digital Marketing Blog” and change it to “Internet Marketing Blog”, I could make that change and then start a new CrazyEgg test. Comparing the before and after results reports is incredibly simple, and telling.

No Excuse for Not Running A/B Web Site Layout Tests

Many agencies and client marketers I speak with believe that methodically testing landing pages (see blog post about landing page testing), shopping carts, and other key Web pages is a huge hassle. It’s not, and CrazyEgg can help you get into a habit of testing.

For agencies, the perceived value of CrazyEgg’s heat maps, etc. is very high for clients and its a system that for $9-$99 per month, I recommend universally.

Have you used CrazyEgg? Something similar? Are you ready to start testing? Leave a comment.

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