A website is an essential channel for attracting, engaging and converting customers. Website Optimization is the continuous improvement of this channel to successfully achieve your marketing objectives. To find out, Demand Metric in partnership with Ascend2 fielded the Website Optimization Benchmark Survey and completed interviews with 336 marketing and sales decision-makers and practitioners from around the world. We thank these busy professionals for sharing their valuable insights with you. The charts in this edition of our study, titled Website Optimization Benchmarks by Revenue Attainment, compare the strategies and practices of companies that have succeeded in achieving or exceeding their revenue goals with those that have not. To obtain this document, visit us at http://www.demandmetric.com/register

1. © 2014 Demand Metric Research Corporation in Partnership with Ascend2. All Rights Reserved.
Benchmark Report
Website Optimization:
Sponsored By:

2. TABLE OF CONTENTS
3
4
5
6
7
8
Executive Summary
Achieving Revenue Goals
Website Optimization Objectives
Obstacles to Content Marketing Success
Premium Content Usage
Content Type Effectiveness
12
14
15
Channel Effectiveness for Content
About Marketo
About Demand Metric & Ascend2
10
11
Content Campaign Resources
Content Marketing Software Usage
16Content Type Execution Appendix – Survey Background9
13 Content & The Sales Cycle

3. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
A website is an essential channel for attracting, engaging and converting customers.
Website Optimization is the continuous improvement of this channel to successfully achieve your marketing objectives.
But what will website marketing optimization success look like in the year ahead and how will marketers achieve it?
To find out, Demand Metric in partnership with Ascend2 fielded the Website Optimization Benchmark Survey and completed
interviews with 336 marketing and sales decision-makers and practitioners from around the world. We thank these busy
professionals for sharing their valuable insights with you.
The charts in this edition of our study, titled Website Optimization Benchmarks by Revenue Attainment, compare the strategies
and practices of companies that have succeeded in achieving or exceeding their revenue goals with those that have not.
This research has been produced for your use. Put it to work in your own marketing strategy planning and presentation
materials. Clip the charts and write about them in your blog or post them on social media. Please share this research credited as
published.
- Jerry Rackley, Chief Analyst – Demand Metric

4. 7%
51%
42%
Revenue Goal Achievement
Exceeding revenue
goals
Achieving revenue
goals
Not achieving
revenue goals
This report compares the website optimization
strategies and practices of companies that are
achieving or exceeding (58%) their revenue attainment
goals with those that are not (42%).
The survey response data charted in this report represent
these segments.
Figure 1: Revenue Goal Achievement
Website Optimization Benchmark Survey, Demand Metric and Ascend2, May 2014, n=398
ACHIEVING REVENUE GOALS

5. 4%
6%
18%
34%
37%
48%
58%
64%
12%
18%
19%
30%
32%
42%
44%
55%
0% 20% 40% 60% 80%
Improve customer service
Improve website personalization
Improve mobile optimization
Increase brand awareness
Increase sales transactions
Increase visitor engagement
Increase traffic/visitors
Increase lead generation
Most Important Website Optimization Objectives
Achieved or Exceeded Revenue Goals Did Not Achieve Revenue Goals
WEBSITE OPTIMIZATION OBJECTIVES
Both categories ranked increasing lead generation and
traffic volume as the top objectives for website
optimization in the upcoming year.
For most, these top two will come as no surprise since the
general goal of website optimization is to generate more
visitors, and in turn prospects for sales.
The most significant disparities in responses, based on
revenue attainment, appear with the objectives ranked of
least importance to both segments.
Companies that have achieved or exceeded their
revenue goals are three times as likely as their non-
achieving counterparts to target improvements in
website personalization and customer service as
objectives.
From the data presented in Figure 2 we can surmise that
organizations achieving or exceeding revenue goals are
continuing to fuel the standard goals of website optimization
while seeking other avenues, such as personalized web
pages, to find value for their customers.
Website Optimization Benchmark Survey, Demand Metric and Ascend2, May 2014, n=398
Figure 2: Most Important Website Optimization Objectives for the Upcoming Year

6. ABOUT MARKETO
Marketing Software. Easy. Powerful. Complete.
You want results and you want them fast. The Marketo platform is built by marketers, for marketers. Everything you need –
marketing automation, social campaigns, inbound marketing, sales apps, ROI reporting, - all in one place.
For more information, visit www.marketo.com

7. ABOUT DEMAND METRIC & ASCEND2
About Demand Metric
Demand Metric is a global marketing research & advisory firm serving a membership community of over 38,000 marketing
professionals, CEOs, and business owners with advisory services, custom research & benchmarking reports, vendor studies,
consulting methodologies, training, and a library of 500+ practical tools and templates. Using Demand Metric resources, members
complete projects faster and with greater confidence, boosting respect for the marketing team and making it easier to justify
needed resources. Our 1,000+ corporate clients range from start-ups to consulting firms to members of the Global 1000. To learn
more about Demand Metric, please visit: www.demandmetric.com.
About Ascend2
Ascend2 is a market research firm with over 50,000 research subscribers and survey panelists comprised of sales & marketing
professionals. Each month they field new research studies and generate reports that typically include 12 to 18 pages of charts and
analytical commentary. Demand Metric partners with Ascend2 to leverage their panel of research survey panelists and develop
additional benchmark reports for community members. Learn more about Ascend2 at www.Ascend2.com.
To read the rest of this Benchmark Report, become a Demand Metric member today!