FutureNow Launches Just-In-Time Optimization Service

One of the problems with the traditional Web site optimization consultant model is that clients become overwhelmed with the recommendations and end up doing nothing. The new OnTarget software/service from FutureNow, Inc. changes that.

OnTarget, which launched today in beta at SES Chicago, is a web-based subscription service that measures and analyzes actual web traffic against a client’s plan, then delivers ongoing recommendations to improve conversion rate and get their web traffic back on target to meet their goals. OnTarget breaks recommendations down into manageable chunks, and prioritizes them based on potential returns so companies can make the best use of their limited time and resources.

“Consulting recommendations are just advice, no matter how excellent, until clients implement them. It’s only when they implement a recommendation that they can reap the rewards,” said Jeffrey Eisenberg, CEO of FutureNow.

Instead of performing the analysis and providing a 20-page report of recommendations, OnTarget allows clients to identify the resources they have available to implement change, and then they get the most impactful recommendations that can be done in that amount of time.

It’s more than just software. FutureNow’s analysts use web analytics, heuristic analysis and FutureNow’s Persuasion Architecture methodologies to make the recommendations clients see with OnTarget.

Eisenberg calls the model ”just-in-time optimization.” Since nobody has unlimited resources or time, OnTarget only recommends what clients can do when they have the resources to be able to do it.

Future Now has been optimizing Web sites to improve conversions for years. But the process required a large investment of time and money on the part of clients. With OnTarget, the barrier to entry is much lower, so its Persuasion Architecture methodology will now be accessible to many more clients. Those clients with an expert on staff will benefit from the additional analysis and guidance that OnTarget offers.

OnTarget runs on top of a client’s Web analytics program to identify areas where a site can be improved. Setup involves adding Javascript tags to the site, and OnTarget can start providing recommendations in the first week. The monthly fee is structured to include a given amount of analyst’s time. If the client finds more analyst time is needed, they can pay a bit more and get more analyst hours in their plan.

“The consulting model is broken. There are some companies out there that just shouldn’t pay for consulting, because it won’t bring the return they need.” said Bryan Eisenberg, co-founder and executive VP of FutureNow. “At its core, OnTarget is a way to deliver Persuasion Architecture improvements without having done Persuasion Architecture from the beginning.”