Multiple sites now exist so you may quickly create a widget, create a more complex widget, or simply wrap your widget in their code and distribute. The benefits range from creating a quick simple widget to obtaining detailed statistics about the number of views for your widget, your widget is placed, and more.

Another benefit is the fast and easy manner these services provide to allow others to share with a friend or post to any number of social networks and sites, even Facebook.

One such site is WidgetBox. Below is an example of a simple widget created at WidgetBox to show the most recent articles posted on Venture Capital Update. You can modify the size, color, graphics, and whether the articles have text and/or graphics. Code to add it to any number of social networks or a site is provided also. I choose the size below as it fits in most individuals side columns or wordpress columns.

Below are the AdBrite results for the increasing RSS subscriptions test with cost per click ads.

Test Marketing Buy: Use cost per click ads paying for each click on each advertisement to send the user to a splash page.

An identical splash page was created for the AdBrite test as with all the others. AdBrite was the smallest test. By tracking using the ccount script described in the above post I could track the click throughs on the two links, one for subscribing to the RSS feed and one for subscribing via email. AdBrite marketing campaign was a CPC (cost per click) campaign to send individuals to the RSS subscribe page.

Results of the campaign to the splash page:

• $ .05 per click
• $ 25 total spend
• 500 clicks to the splash page

Results once on the splash page:

• 18 clicks to the Subscribe RSS Link
• 16 clicks to the Subscribe via Email Link
• Total: 34 clicks (not necessarily subscriptions, see below)

Conclusion:
Unfortunately once you are on the splash page and click the subscribe RSS link it takes you off the site to a feedburner page, the person must then add to an RSS reader and you have no way of tracking once they are off your site. The same holds true for the subscription via email, once you enter your email on the splash page and click to subscribe it pops up a window and requires that you enter the email again. This means that we do not know if the 18 and 16 resulted in subscriptions.

Essentially the 34 clicks to subscribe (assuming they were all subscriptions) cost a total of $25. Therefore each click or subscription cost $ .74. This will be compared to the other campaign results to know if that is a good result.

In this test I wanted to increase RSS subscriptions by testing various splash pages and different traffic sources. In this case I wanted to create multiple splash pages that were all exactly the same, however each one had different link tracking code.

Test: Determine which paid marketing campaigns increased subscriptions for the cheapest cost.

To start I implemented the code from the ccount script, read why I choose it here.

Steps to test:

Step 1 : Create Multiple Identical Pages
To test I simply created one .html file that discussed the site and asked people to either click the RSS subscription button or sign up to email delivery from feedburner. I then created multiple pages that were identical.

Step 2 : Create Redirect Links to Track
The RSS subscription button link (URL) was replaced with a redirect so ccount could track the number of clicks and the email subscription had a second redirect so ccount could track email subscription separately from RSS buttons. These redirects are created within ccount, you simply put the original URL and give it a name. Ccount then provides you with a new URL you place within the html page.

Step 3 : Each Marketing Campaign is Sent to a Unique Page
I created a unique page for each marketing campaign that I ran and each page had unique tracking codes in ccount. This allows me to compare what I spent on the marketing campaign with the number of subscriptions or actions I received. By comparing for each marketing campaign I know which one was the most cost effective.

See the image below, which is a modified to fit screen shot of the ccount admin page showing two links that were replaced on one html page. Shown are the corresponding number of clicks on each of the two URLs for RSS subscription through the button and through email.

Individual test results for various campaigns and cost analysis will begin tomorrow.

As noted in a previous post about tracking clicks, I have settled on a very simple to implement and simple to use click tracking php script named ccount.

You can find the free ccount here at the PHP click counter page. I found it on a great script resource named HotScripts.

To install you only change 2 variables:

• one is the URL, and
• the other is a password

See future posts to understand why and how I have used it to monitor ad campaigns and traffic.

I am having trouble with Google analytics. My desire is to track some campaigns to drive traffic to various splash pages in an effort to obtain new feed subscribers. The idea is to send traffic from multiple campaigns to distinct webpages that are the same and track how many times the links are clicked to subscribe to the RSS feed of this site.

To do this simply I was hoping to use Google Analytics overlay feature to visually inspect each page and the number of times the various links are clicked. See the original Google Analytics article here. By creating copies of the same splash page I could test the page and the various traffic sources to determine which advertising buys are generating the most leads and cheapest cost per conversion.

Unfortunately it appears on many of the pages that multiple links have the exact number of clicks, as viewing through Google Analytics. Therefore I have opted to install some click tracking code which redirects using links that are generated by the code in an admin section to then track links.

To do this I am using PHP click counter to track clicks. The PHP Click Counter was found on a great script resource named HotScripts.

This is an old version however it is very easy to install. Their newest version uses a database however you need to be able to set up the database, or create one depending on the server you use, the create users and modify installation files. Not a big task, but compare that to changing 2 variables, one is the URL and the other is a password, neither of which require any database or other setup.

As soon as I have some results I will post how the click counter works and the results of the marketing tests.

This site needs many changes. The platform is Wordpress using a custom template. In order to create a new site fast I have decided to outsource using the Scriptlance Site (click here) to post the work I need done.

I have written a description of what I want changed and added some very basic graphical screen shots. I am not a designer so they are very crude drawings. The site should be done in two weeks and the bid I choose for the work was $120.

See our original article here about Scriptlance.

I will repost before and after pictures to determine if the cost was worth it.

Knowing what your visitors click on your pages is incredibly useful.

Having the ability to tag links and look up a link in an admin program to determine what is or is not being clicked is one way to track clicks. However with Google Analytics you are able to use a tool they provide that shows a bar on top of each item or link on your page that is clickable. They call this an “overlay”, look at the three bars in this picture:

The bars in this picture are colored in white as no one has clicked the links. The above screen shot is taken from one of the splash pages I am using for RSS subscription campaigns. Using the overlay will show you, and only you (not your visitors), which links have been clicked an how often. Hovering over a bar will tell you

As you can see items are tracked for each link and appear, as in the above picture, when you mouse over a bar: clicks, goal value, and the various goals. Clicks are the number of clicks on that specific link, goal value is the number of times that goal has been met, and the goals can range from 1 to 4 goals and give you a goal description. I will write more about goals, however the short description is an action you want the user to take, therefore a goal may be to click a specific link on your site.

Looking at the graphic above which is mirrored on the homepage, you would see the bar to subscribe to the site via email was clicked much more often than the large orange subscribe. This type of information can help you plan a site redesign.

I am using the overlays to compare various marketing campaigns driving people to the site and hope they click to subscribe.

I highly recommend you use Google Analytics and test out the overlay.

If you have not yet checked out Google Analytics I highly recommend it. I use it on many sites. With one account you can track multiple sites and even provide others with view only access to reports.

The verbage on the sign in page about Google Analytics does not do it justice, the reporting is fantastic. It is easy to set up and I constantly learn more from it daily.

Implementation
Implementation is very easy, there is one small piece of code that you put on your site. You merely copy and paste the code on every page of your site, or within a template such as those in Wordpress which allow you to paste once in one page and you are done.

Types of statistics
All the basic statistics are there, such as page views and visitors, however the stats go deeper and the layout of the information (the user interface) is very intuitive.

You can learn a lot about your visitors, time on site, where they come from, where they go on your site, what keywords they found you with, were they paid search terms or organic, countries, referring sites (where the traffic came from) and more is available.

Other non-standard capabilities include click tracking for marketing campaigns, setting goals and reporting on the progress, a site overlay which shows where on your site visitors click, all of which I will explain in more detail in future posts.

Sign Up
Using Google Analytics is free and you can use your existing login or join here for free

We are going to attempt multiple ways to increase our RSS subscriptions and post each test along with the results.

Tests will include search engine marketing on keywords, taking the person to the site itself or a splash page attempting to convert the person to a subscriber. I will also use work posting sites to find individuals interested, run ads on traffic sites that send unique visitors, both to the site and splash pages.

Other tests will be run to determine the fastest as well as the most cost effective means of increasing subscriptions, and hopefully finding a solution for both at the same time.

Another popular site that you will want to allow your users to post to is StumbleUpon. To implement a or link you copy and paste code that StumbleUpon provides here.

Other stumble buttons can be found here.

Users can help promote your site through StumbleUpon and free exposure is always good.