Quest for the True North

I was at Google Trifecta

Filed under blogging, events, technology

Update: There’s an archived presentation here.

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The curious cat in me signed up as soon as I heard that there would be a webinar on Google Webmaster Tools, Google Analytics, and Google Website Optimizer. I was already familiar with Webmaster Tools and Analytics, but I hadn’t tried Web Optimizer. Besides, I was looking forward to helpful tips from the experts.

I had to stay up late, but it was worth it. The teams behind the three tools introduced their products, highlighted useful features, and gave some tips. Michael Wyszomierski discussed Webmaster Tools, Jeff Gillis discussed  Analytics, and Tom Leung talked about Website Optimizer.

Why trifecta? I was curious about this so I looked it up. I learned that, in horse racing, trifecta is a way of betting in which one predicts what horses would come first, second, and third. (I think I’ve done this. I once won a nickel at a horse park in Kentucky.)

The speakers explained that the tools were intended to play parts in a three-step process. Webmaster Tools is for driving traffic, Analytics is for analyzing traffic, and Website Optimizer is for keeping the traffic in the site.

Google might upload a transcript soon,  so I’ll spare myself from narrating what was said. You’d probably see the transcript, anyway. There are three other things I learned, though, and I’d like to put them in writing so I won’t forget:

1. Experiment. The scientific method. It’s nice to know that the way to handle such a dynamic thing such as the web is to go back to what we were taught in grade school: Experiment to find solutions, and experiment to keep up with the technology.

2. Test. This is humbling. Even the gods at Google test their ideas and hunches. How could anyone else, whatever one’s profession is, think that an idea is so good to never bother testing it?

3. Take action. I’m guilty of this one. Most of the time I sit on my ass not doing anything about what I know. I have a long list of things to do, but I haven’t done much about them.

They didn’t really say these, of course. I realized these while they were talking about what they do and how they do things. I believe that what makes people successful is not so much what they know, but how they do things. That’s why I lurk. LOL.