Internet Marketing Digital_marketing_for_dummies | Page 370

Testing and Optimization
Marketers are social scientists. They are masters at trying something, looking at the
results, deciding what those results mean, and then making changes as necessary. Savvy
digital businesses focus on getting more out of what they already have, a discipline called
conversion rate optimization (CRO). This fact explains why specializing in testing and
optimization is an upward-trending career path for the industry.
As CRO grows in popularity, a strong need exists for marketers who understand what to
test, how to test, and what the best way is to analyze the results. Optimization is the
methodology of making websites and landing pages as fully functional and effective as
possible, which means optimizing (and re-optimizing). You can see why this is an
important skill that companies crave.
Skills in testing and optimization include the ability to research the best and latest in
website optimization, as well as to know how to implement multivariate and A/B testing of
features on landing pages, websites, and other web assets. Optimization specialists have a
deep understanding of the cause-and-effect relationship of website conversions, and they
understand what metrics to track at each stage of the marketing funnel. Testing and
optimization specialists make sure that web pages convert and that prospects take the call to
action. Businesses love it when conversions happen in higher numbers!
Competition is high in the realm of e-commerce, so making sure a website is top-notch is
a high priority. One job in this area is that of website optimization specialist, who is
responsible for making sure load times are speedy, implementing campaign optimization,
and ensuring ease of usability across all of a company’s web-based collateral.
Successful specialists have an innate curiosity about why things happen the way they do,
and they have a sharp eye to locate the cause behind any number of occurrences in order to
provide creative solutions. Optimization specialists also keep their eyes open for new and
creative ways to improve conversion rates and increase website usability, so this specialist
requires an innovative mind. A mid-level website optimization specialist will earn between
$71,000 and $95,000 a year.