What works today may not work tomorrow.
The rules change on a daily basis.
So if you want to improve your website’s performance, you need to keep up with the newest developments. I do this by following the top experts, I’ve included my favorites here.
These are today’s leaders in conversion optimization, people who don’t just talk the talk but put their theories to the test on a daily basis. Whenever I’m trying to increase conversions, I always start with their recommendations.
Who are the conversion experts you need to follow?
Here they are, in no particular order…
Neil Patel
Crazy Egg, KISSmetrics and QuickSprout
@neilpatel
In addition to running two successful software companies, Crazy Egg and KISSmetrics, Neil has worked with clients of all size in pretty much every industry, getting results in some of the most competitive online niches—car insurance, for instance. He’s an expert in traffic and conversion and shares his personal insights on his blog, QuickSprout.
Neil is consummate teacher. Follow him for some of the best content on the Web, including deep insights learned from personal experience and free ebooks on just about everything related to digital marketing. In his social streams, you’ll enjoy his daily doses of inspiration.
Brian Massey
@bmassey
Brian is the Conversion Scientist at Conversion Sciences and has the lab coat to prove it. He has a rare blend of technical talent and marketing vision and has built a reputation for solving complex problems.
Brian is the author of Your Customer Creation Equation. In it, you’ll get a great introduction to conversion optimization, plus five website formats proven to get results. Brian explains when, where and how each format should be used, so you know which one is right for you.
Brian is best known for transforming websites through a steady diet of visitor profiling, purposeful content, analytics and testing.
Ian Lurie
@portentint
Ian is one of the world’s top experts on Internet, search and social media marketing. He is founder and CEO of Portent Inc., an Internet marketing agency that has provided Internet marketing, including search, social and analytics services, since 1995.
He co-published Web Marketing All-In-One for Dummies, writing the sections on SEO, blogging, social media and web analytics. He also wrote Conversation Marketing: Internet Marketing Strategies. In addition, he writes regularly for the Portent Blog.
Ian gives you a rare blend of humor, deep insight and actionable advice that’s well worth your time.
Tim Ash
@tim_ash
Tim is one of the early pioneers in the discipline of website conversion rate optimization, having been at this since the mid 1990s. He is best known for his expertise in user-centered design, persuasion and online behavior, and landing page testing.
The CEO of SiteTuners, Tim has helped a number of major US and international brands develop successful web-based initiatives, including Google, eHarmony, Facebook, American Express.
He is the author of the bestselling book Landing Page Optimization. He is also founder and chair of the international ConversionConference event series, now in it’s fourth year with 2014 events scheduled in San Francisco, Chicago, Boston, Paris, London, and Berlin.
Tim’s deep understanding and innovative perspective can definitely help you raise the bar on your marketing.
Oli Gardner
@oligardner
Oli is the resident landing page expert at Unbounce, where he uses design and interaction theory to improve customer experiences and business conversions.
Read his conversion-centered design and landing page optimization articles on Unbounce’s conversion blog, as well as other top marketing blogs such as Moz (previously SEOmoz).
Oli’s Twitter bio says he’s seen more landing pages than anyone on the planet. Be sure to follow him for his keen insights.
Chris Goward
@chrisgoward
Chris Goward was one of the first people to look at online content and say, “You Should Test That!”
From that revelation he founded WiderFunnel the full-service marketing optimization agency that pioneered landing-page and conversion-rate optimization methods for companies such as Google, Electronic Arts, Iron Mountain, and BabyAge.com.
He has developed that idea into a highly refined Conversion Optimization system that delivers consistent conversion rate and revenue improvement for all industries, for all audiences and from any location. He is also author of, You Should Test That!
Peep Laja
@peeplaja
Pronounce his name ‘Pep Laya’. Hailing from Estonia, Peep lives mainly in the US these days.
He’s the face of ConversionXL and is an entrepreneur and conversion optimization junkie. He also runs an optimization agency.
Peep shares actionable conversion rate optimization advice based on scientific research and in-depth industry knowledge. If that’s what you’re looking for, you don’t want to miss his book, How to Build Websites that Sell: The Scientific Approach to Websites.
Bryan Eisenberg
@TheGrok
Bryan is an internationally recognized authority and pioneer in online marketing, improving online conversion rates, persuasive content, and persona marketing.
He has been recognized by eConsultancy members as one of the top 10 User Experience Gurus, in addition to being selected as one of the inaugural iMedia Top 25 Marketers, and a Marketing Edge Rising Star Award winner in 2010.
And if that isn’t enough, he’s a sought-after speaker/teacher and the co-author of the bestselling books, Call to Action, Waiting For Your Cat to Bark? and Always Be Testing.
Joseph Putnam
@JosephPutnam
Joseph founded 5 North Marketing to help more startups with their digital marketing. He noticed that businesses were struggling with how to get people to their site and realized that they were often trying to retro-fit another brand’s strategy to their own marketing.
Joseph believes every business is different and deserves a custom marketing plan that meets their needs.
He’s written for popular marketing blogs like Copyblogger and KISSmetrics, as well as here on CrazyEgg. Recently he co-authored The Definitive Guide to Copywriting with Neil Patel.
Justin Rondeau
@Jtrondeau
Justin Rondeau is Chief Evangelist & Editor of WhichTestWon and leads the editorial and training workshops for what is arguably the top publication in conversion optimization.
More than 75,000 marketers visit WhichTestWon each month to research its extensive Case Study library featuring creative samples and results data for more than 200 A/B and multivariate tests.
A trainer with hands-on testing and conversion optimization in both B2B and ecommerce, Rondeau’s goal is to inspire and educate more marketers to optimize their email campaigns and web sites via testing.
Ian Rhodes
RhodesConsultancy
@irhodes
Ian has been marketing, blogging, and successfully selling online since the early days of the Internet—without spending a dime on advertising. And quite successfully, I might add: In 2006 he was rewarded the “Fender Europe Top Dealer Award.”
Then in 2007, he sold his business and opened a consultancy to help other businesses achieve success online. He helps businesses understand their online audience and creates conversations through content. More to the point, he creates conversations that win business.
Ian feels that too many companies look at Digital Marketing as a fall-back option, or a conquest. He views it as a culture that embraces transparency and complete openness online. As Gary Vaynerchuk summarizes, “Everything is Exposed.”
Rich Page
@richpage
If you’re going to specialize in conversion optimization, it helps to have a name like Rich Page.
Rich is a self-confessed website optimizer junkie. He’s been analyzing, testing and optimizing websites for more than 10 years, working with everything from the biggest Fortune 500 websites to small ecommerce websites.
Rich is called on most often to increase client website revenue and conversion rates. His process? Analyzing, targeting and testing key web pages and content, and emphasizing web usability and user feedback to improve visitor engagement and return frequency.
He is author of Website Optimization: An Hour a Day and the co-author of the 2nd Edition of Tim Ash’s popular Landing Page Optimization’ book. And he recently launched a Conversion Rate Optimization Toolbox that you don’t want to miss.
Perry Marshall
@PerryMarshall
Perry isn’t on your usual list of conversion specialists. But what else would you call him? As a consultant, he’s helped online and brick-and-mortar companies generate sales leads and web traffic, and maximize advertising results.
Entrepreneur Magazine says, “Perry Marshall is the #1 author and world’s most-quoted consultant on Google Advertising. He has helped over 100,000 advertisers save literally billions of dollars in AdWords stupidity tax.”
He’s the author of The Ultimate Guide to Google AdWords, The Ultimate Guide to Facebook Advertising, and most recently, 80/20 Sales and Marketing.
Follow him for rubber-meets-the-road tactics that will generate real results in your marketing.
