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February 2008 - Strategy Magazine
What next?

Goodbye, IT guy
New tool lets marketers use the Google Optimizer all by themselves

by Annette Bourdeau
page 30

Know JavaScript coding like the back of your hand? Good for you, we're all very impressed. For the rest of us, Vancouver-based software company Marqui's latest suite of marketing automation solutions includes a feature that allows even the non-tech savvy to take advantage of Google's free Website Optimizer tool.

The Google tool enables marketers to tweak and test variables on their landing pages to see which formula of images, body copy, titles and other factors delivers the highest conversion rates. While the tool is free, it requires JavaScript coding, forcing many marketers to rely on help from their IT support staff every time they want to run a new test. Marqui's fall 2007 marketing automation software suite is fully compatible with Google's Website Optimizer, allowing marketers to simply tick boxes and paste URLs instead of waiting for programming help.

"It's dead easy for marketers...we're like your little IT guy," says Ryan Stocker, Marqui's director of product development. "[Optimizing] that landing page is really important - it's not uncommon to see [conversion] lifts of 100 or 200%. That's why testing is so exciting."

Marqui is the first vendor to offer full integration with Google's Website Optimizer. "They deserve credit for being very forward-thinking," says Tom Leung, business product manager at Mountain View, CA.-based Google, adding that the tool is free because better websites that offer improved user experiences are in the company's best interest.

"In the long run, we think Google will stand to benefit. If advertisers get a higher ROI and decide to reallocate spending because their website is performing so much better, we feel that we have an opportunity to participate in that increased spending," Leung explains. "It is consistent with our mission of making the web a better place."

The Marqui suite with the Google tool starts at U.S. $450 a month.

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