A majority of Internet retailers and other online businesses are failing to take advantage of analytics technology, in order to optimize website content to better convert online browsers to buyers, according to a recent study by Omniture Inc. The study's sponsor is a supplier of analytics and site optimization technology.

"The majority of businesses aren't optimizing their onsite conversion," said Mike Chertudi, Omniture's vice president of demand and online marketing. The Online Conversion Benchmark Survey compiled data starting in June from more than 1,000 companies. Among its findings were:

• Eighty percent of companies don't promote website content based on analytics that show how particular content engages shoppers and converts them to buyers.
• About 48 percent of companies spend less than five hours per week, and about 70 percent spend ten hours per week or less, on optimizing website content through methods such as testing landing page content and displaying content personalized to shoppers' interests.
• Eighty percent of companies don't present personalized content based on shoppers' interests as shown by analytics and clickstream data.

On a positive note, the survey found that most companies are testing important content, such as page layouts and promotions. But the survey also found that few companies test other important content, such as security seals and data entry fields. About 50 percent of companies use manual processes to test content. About the same percentage conduct only A/B tests instead of more sophisticated multivariate tests that can reveal, through automated software applications, the effectiveness of multiple content variables, according to the study.