TWL #20 Analytics Case Studies, Typography and Linkbaiting with a “Twist of Lemon”

Crazy week on my end and anyone who does service or consulting work would know how it goes here. It’s either feast or famine once you get things rolling good and while there is always work to do, new work tends to come in bunches.  And this week, it did.  Here are some of my favorite links from this week.

• Interviews in Search- Ian Lurie.  If you have been following SEO blogs for even a couple months, chances are you know Ian Lurie (aka Portent, aka twist of lemon guy).  If you don’t know him, he is probably one of the SEO’s out there that doesn’t outwardly take himself that seriously.  And that is a good thing because it makes for entertaining reads.  This interview, you get to see the other side.
• Analytics Case Study- When Your Conversions don’t Matter-  For most, it’s all about quantifying results and measuring it against the costs.  But what do you quantify in the first place?  This wonderful piece by Himanshu Sharma goes over some of the basic things you could quantify.  More importantly, he talks about the frame of mind that should go into what you are measuring in the first place.
• Your Most Important Typographic Choices-  Typography and fonts are important.  So important that there are specialists that will study them as a career.  But for the rest of us who are trying to figure it out without dedicating a bazillion hours to it, we need the cliff’s notes.  This is a good place to start.
• Fundamental Guidelines of e-Commerce Checkout Design-  Slap a shopping cart onto your website expecting fireworks?  You’re probably dreaming.  And anyone who has had to design (or deal) with e-commerce checkouts will tell you that even when people express an interest, most don’t make it to the end.  Smashing Magazine goes over some pretty interesting statistics involving e-Commerce and that pesky shopping cart.
• It’s not what you know, it’s who likes you enough to listen-  I was going to save this one for a post but what Yaro says here is so true.  Listen, when you start to become an expert on whatever it is you are interested in, there comes a point where you pretty much know what other experts in your field know. So why is it that they are doing better than you in their careers?  Answer-  they are resonating more with their audience.
• How much does an Artist Make from a Single Stream of a Song on iTunes Match and Spotify?-  This is completely random but eye opening for a casual music fan.  I won’t give the “punchline” but let’s just say that it is well below a penny.
• The Linkbait Godfather-  My Interview with Lyndon Antcliff-  Todd Mintz interview linkbait “guru” Lyndon Antcliff.  Lydon gives a blueprint (if there is such a thing) into building great linkbait articles but just as important, it is a roadmap for building relationships as well.

Related posts:

1. How to Track the Important Things on your Website with Google Analytics.