![ws m m o b i l e [ m i n u te ]
iAd and
iPhone 4.0
Apple recently revealed plans to upgrade its
iPhone operating system with version 4.0. One
of the most important upgrades will be the
ability to multi-task - a glaring problem with
Mobile:
earlier iPhone operating systems. Now, users
will be able to operate multiple apps at once.
So, while a user will be able to play a game
while listening to Internet radio, the real magic
The Tsunami
of the Future
for developers (and the overall app economy)
comes in the form of iAd.
Multi-tasking means that developers can
offer rich media adds within apps - images or Forget minor progress. Mary Meeker, head of the global technology research team
videos, for instance - where users can interact at Morgan Stanley (among other illustrious titles), believes that the mobile Web
with the advertisements without shutting will overtake the desktop Web within the next five years, according to her latest
down the app in use. “The user can return to “State of the Internet” report. Meeker says that five key trends will fuel this
their app any time they want,” said CEO Steve explosive growth: 3G mobile networks, social networking, Internet video, voice-
Jobs. “We think the user will be much more over-IP (VOIP) and top-of-the-range mobile devices. Mobile’s breakneck pace is,
interested in clicking on these things because “unprecedented, I think, in world history,” said Meeker.
they won’t pay the penalty for doing so.” She also suggests looking to Japan for trends in investment opportunities,
Speculation is running rampant that iAd where 66 percent of mobile Web revenue is from data access, 21 percent is from
might clear the way for a Google acquisition of e-commerce, 11 percent is generated by paid services and only 2 percent comes
mobile ad network AdMob. You might recall from mobile advertising.
that the FTC has been vigilant about blocking Need further convincing? Quentin Hardy, National Editor of Forbes Media,
Google’s acquisition of AdMob, citing concerns conducted an interview with Google CEO Eric Schmidt in April, where he advised
over a mobile monopoly. iAd just might allevi- businesses to put their best developers to work on mobile applications.
ate those fears.
Apps to the Rescue
Apps are not all fun and games. Amos Gichamba is a developer who grew up on a dairy farm in
central Kenya. He saw a problem — local farmers being exploited by local merchants and dairy
companies. So, Gichamba developed an app to help local farmers get fair prices for their cows’ milk.
African farmers have little information available as to market conditions both globally and in sur-
rounding villages. With this simple text-message-based app, they can request and receive reliable
data and respond accordingly, ensuring fair market prices. And because this app (and other, similar
apps) runs via SMS, they can be used on simple mobile devices — no need for $400 phones here.
This is but one example of the true power and reach of mobile. It’s accessibility and affordability
when compared to desktop computing shows just how far-reaching the impacts of mobile can be
on a global scale — economically and socially.
J U N E 2010 | | 9](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/seo2indiawebsitemagazine201006-12768439608997-phpapp01/75/SEO2India-Websitemagazine-13-2048.jpg)
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This document is a magazine called "Website Magazine" that focuses on topics related to website design, development, and marketing. The cover story discusses the importance of website design and development for achieving business goals. Other articles provide information on forming online joint ventures, video advertising networks, Google product extensions, user experience, content delivery networks, conversion optimization techniques, second-tier search engines, usability testing, and more. The magazine also includes regular sections on industry news, mobile marketing, search engine optimization, analytics, and a resource guide.
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SEO2India -Websitemagazine
- 1. >> Video AdvertisingVenues, p. 14 >> Local SEO in Action, p. 18 A ROUNDTABLE DISCUSSION >> Google Product Extensions in Focus >> Forming Joint Ventures Online >> User Experience & Content Delivery Networks PLUS: Top 50 Affiliate-Friendly Internet Retailers JUNE 2010 $6.99 US $7.99 CANADA INSIDE: Your Ch to Win a ance FR iPad! EE
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- 4. 26 Think Design Cover Story No matter what your Internet business goals are, website design and development are critical to achieving them on a multitude of fronts. Read what some Web design mavens have to say about usability, SEO, social media and much, much more. 10 Forming Online Joint Ventures Departments Creating a joint venture can take your business to new heights, which is why savvy ‘Net entrepreneurs are taking a look. 6 ‘Net Briefs: Twitter’s New Ad Platform, Changes in 14 Video Advertising Networks in Action Store for Digg, Google Online video advertising may be the future of content, but it’s moving at AdWords Wins Decision, dizzying speeds. Don’t be one of those marketers who will be left behind. AOL to Dump Bebo, IAB Report and more. 32 Success with Google Product Extensions 10 The introduction of Google Product Extensions can be a game-changing development for e-commerce search marketers, if you know how to prop- 9 Mobile Minute: Mobile growth, iAd and iPhone 4.0, Apps to the Rescue. erly harness these enhancements and accordingly shift your strategies. 16 Top 50: Affiliate-Friendly Internet Retailers 34 Improving User Experience with Content Delivery Networks 18 SEO Corner: Quick Guide Search engine optimization (SEO) has changed over the years. Ken Lyons to Local SEO points out some old tactics to avoid, and their current alternatives. 20 Conversion Cache: Understanding Roles, 36 Increase Conversion with Copywriting Basics Personas and Cognitive Too often do we lose sight of the importance of great copy in our efforts to Styles 36 focus on design, splash, analytics and marketing trends. To meet the end goal, you still need the right words as much as you need anything else. 22 Findability Makeover: Set Goals and Watch Your Findability Soar 40 Second-tier Search Significant marketing opportunities exist outside of Google, Yahoo! and 45 Website Magazine Bing. Increase your exposure (and profits) with second-tier search engines. Resource Center 47 Website Magazine 42 Testing Post-Click Success Corner Testing after the click is a cost-effective way to improve key performance indicators such as time-on-site, response rates and conversions. 48 Commentary: Do You Have an App for That? 44 44 Making Sense of Usability Inspections Understanding what stands in the way of the best user experiences on your website will help lead you toward making informed decisions and, ultimately, to better performance and higher profits. 2 | | JUNE 2010
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- 6. ✐ F R O M T H E E D I TO R With Peter Prestipino Inside the Online World The Magazine for Website Success Web design can’t be explained mathematically, no matter how hard we might try. There is no one single path and no “correct” 999 E. Touhy Ave., Des Plaines, IL 60018 Toll Free: 1.800.817.1518 solution to success. Web design reflects the uniqueness of a web- International: 1-773-628-2779 site, and the business and people behind it.That’s not always easy Fax: 1-773-272-0920 to express artistically. PUBLISHER: To be an effective Web designer or manage a website with an effective Susan Whitehurst design, the interfaces we present must be both meaningful to the audience susan@websitemagazine.com and flexible enough for Web professionals to continue improving the envi- ronment where our brand resides. Design is far more than just helping users EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: reach their goals or our objectives — it must also accommodate different Peter Prestipino peter@websitemagazine.com approaches to the varied tasks at hand. This requires that design both Visit these organizes content for easy access while also incorporating the right combi- SENIOR EDITOR: upcoming nation of technologies, art and interaction techniques to allow the user to Mike Phillips industry work in their own style. No easy feat but as you will see, not impossible. mike@websitemagazine.com trade shows: The feature story in Website Magazine’s June issue is “Think Design” ASSOCIATE EDITOR: Streaming and offers readers an exciting and informative roundtable discussion about Linc Wonham Media East Web design today. Senior Editor Mike Phillips and Associate Editor Linc linc@websitemagazine.com May 11-12 Wonham asked several top Web designers insightful questions about New York, NY *CONTRIBUTORS: the state of Web design today, how designers work, and what you, as a Website Magazine reader, should know about your own design. Tim Ash Search Marketing Mike Evans Expo (SMX) As in every issue of Website Magazine, an incredible lineup of articles Martin Hayward Advanced and information briefs from some of the Web’s leading minds fill this issue. Brian Lewis June 8-9 In addition to our popular regular contributor columns (Tim Ash and Heather Lutze Seattle, WA Conversion Cache, Dante Monteverde’s SEO Corner, and Heather Lutze’s Dante Monteverde Findability Makeover), this month’s editorial lineup includes Mike Evans on Michelle Quintana Search Engine Amber Speer Strategies making the most with joint ventures, Amber Speer on second-tier advertis- June 6-9 ing networks, Martin Hayward on content delivery networks, Brian Lewis ART DIRECTOR: Toronto, Canada on Google Product Extensions, Michelle Quintana on the value proposi- Jesse Erbach tion presented by long copy Web pages, and a whole lot more. jesse@websitemagazine.com Social Networking Enjoy this issue of Website Magazine and share your stories of ’Net Conference PRODUCTION MANAGER: June 16-18 success online at WebsiteMagazine.com. Janet Crouch Los Angeles, CA www.grafikadesign.net Best Web Wishes, BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT/ADVERTISING: Troy Pickett troy@websitemagazine.com Peter Prestipino — Editor-in-Chief, Website Magazine Peter@WebsiteMagazine.com Kelly Springer kspringer@websitemagazine.com Website Magazine, Volume 5, June 2010, (ISSN# 1942-0633) is Want more? Scan That published 4 times per year in February, May, August and November with 8 special issues (January, March, April, June, July, September, October and December) by Website Services, Inc., Throughout Website Magazine, readers are able 999 E. Touhy Ave., Des Plaines, IL 60018. Periodicals Postage Paid at Chicago, IL and at additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: to scan two-dimensional barcodes (also known as Send address changes to Website Magazine, 999 E. Touhy Ave., Des Plaines, IL 60018. QR — quick response — codes) and access infor- Canada Post: Please send undeliverable items to: 2835 Kew Drive, Windsor ON, N8T 3B7 mation directly from their smartphones. To scan Copyright 2010 by Website Magazine. All rights reserved. Mate- the 2D barcodes you encounter in the magazine, simply visit GetScan- rials may not be reproduced in whole or in part without written permission. For reprints of any article, contact the editor. Life.com to download the barcode reader to your mobile device. You will *The opinions expressed by contributors are not necessarily those of WebsiteMagazine. then be able to scan the barcodes and access the resources. www.websitemagazine.com 4 | | JUNE 2010
- 7. MARKETING CHAMPION: Craig C. COMPANY: OnlineTravel Service EMAIL ACHIEVEMENT: Even though Craig’s company was seeing some steady growth, he knew It’s time to mobilize your marketing he needed to find new and innovative Does the idea of making your marketing emails “mobile-friendly” scare you so much ways to reach customers and entice you think it’d be easier to revert back to stone tablets and chisels? Don’t be afraid. prospects if he wanted to continue Designing or adapting your campaigns for a mobile format isn’t that daunting at to drive healthy sales. all — and the mere thought of it shouldn’t prevent marketers from traveling to Enter mobile marketing. Although Craig the not-really-so-foreign world of mobile marketing campaigns. had never rolled out a mobile market- ing campaign before, he knew that this Mobile communications have become a key component of today’s marketing approach was one of the best ways to scene — don’t be left out. It’s time to enhance your email program to market to reach people where they “live”. Know- the ever-growing numbers of mobile users — introduce mobile messaging into your ing that most people are reading and marketing mix by extending current promotions with mobile-only offers. Encourage downloading content on their mobile mobile user interaction by emailing or broadcasting special offer access codes with devices, Craig set forth a marketing a free download, or use mobile messages to drive people back to your website, campaign that played right into how generate brand awareness and promote your services all at the same time. people want to receive product news, or hear about promotions or upcoming Need a little help to get started? Yesmail has your back — our award winning events — on their mobile device. Professional Services team is here to help. We can assess your current email program and identify opportunities to incorporate mobile marketing into your By adapting his marketing campaign marketing strategy today. to the ease and portability of hand- helds and cell phones, Craig saw a 9% 1.877. YESMAIL • www.yesmail.com increase in sales. That’s the kind of mobility he likes to see. FREE DOWNLOAD Think you’re ready to become a Marketing Champion? See how email marketers can capitalize on mobile marketing —download our whitepaper and find out how. Visit Yesmail.com www.yesmail.com/mobile_email_websitemag
- 8. Twitter Rolls OutPromoted Tweets From startup to a social phenomenon in a few short years, Twitter has made the announcement Web watchers have been waiting for — and one that may finally help the company reach profitability. Twitter unveiled its long-awaited advertising platform, Promoted Tweets, on April 13, 2010, in which marketers can place ads on Twitter search results pages. The sponsored tweet model will eventually expand into Twitter’s regular streams of real-time conversation. Those tweets that do not garner enough interest from users will simply disappear. It’s a relatively low-risk initial step into monetization that aims not to disrupt the existing user experience. For a more detailed review of Twitter’s new ad program, visit http://bit.ly/daAEMw Signs of Recovery? ONLINE Internet advertising revenues in the U.S. hit a record high of TALENT $6.3 billion in the fourth quarter of 2009, fanning speculation IN DEMAND that, at least in the digital arena, economic recovery is in sight. While the latest national unemployment figures The report from the Internet Advertising Bureau remain near 10 percent, a report from Elance (IAB) also found that search advertising revenues shows that demand for Internet professionals con- ($10.7 billion) comprised 47 percent of the 2009 tinues to grow steadily in the U.S. A Web-based total, and that digital video display advertising grew network for freelance Internet workers, Elance’s 39 percent. company data revealed a 40-percent increase in That data was supported by the recent annual earnings by its professional community. release of AdGooroo’s Q1 Search Engine Elance workers earned more than $20 million Advertising Update that showed in the first quarter of 2010, demonstrating that higher overall spends for the businesses are increasingly turning to online first quarter of 2010. Yahoo! talent. The biggest rise in demand came in the was one of the big winners area of mobile development, which catapulted 21 according to this report, showing spots in the IT category. Workers in the IT sector a 12-percent increase in first-page remain in high demand globally, as the U.S. is only advertisers and a corresponding the fourth highest IT-performing country in the increase in its total share of advertisers world behind India, Ukraine and Pakistan, and during the quarter. ahead of Russia. 6 | | JUNE 2010
- 9. a ton of OR customers headed your way. Help more people find your business faster. With Google AdWords , you’ll TM only pay when someone clicks on your ad, and you can target customers in your city, a particular country, or the world. Getting started couldn’t be simpler. Respond now, and we’ll even give you your first $75 worth of ads free. $75 fRee advertising trial We’ll give you a $75 voucher to try advertising on Google AdWords if you respond before July 31, 2010. See the back of this ad for your coupon code. AdWords
- 10. What is GoogleAdWords? Help new You know those text ads that sometimes appear alongside your Google search results? Those are sponsored listings—relevant, customers paid ads based on terms (called keywords) that the advertisers selected. Advertise with Google AdWords, and when potential find you. customers use Google to search on terms related to your business, they can find your ad in that right-hand column. That’s great for them, and great for you. Advertise Your ads appear beside related search results... People click your ads... on Google. We’ll give you $75 in free credit to get started. Since there’s no risk or obligation, you can And connect to your business. pause anytime. Why not try it now? How does Google AdWords work? Just decide who you’re trying to reach— AdWords from potential customers in just your town to those across the world—and how much Respond now and get you’re willing to pay each time one of them $75 clicks on your ad. Then think of a few terms they might search for to find a business like yours. When a Google user searches on your chosen keywords, they may see your ad. If they click on it, they’ll go directly to your just to try us. website—and pay-per-click pricing means you only pay when your ad gets clicked on. Go to www.google.com/adwords/75offer by July 31, 2010 to redeem. Why advertise on Google AdWords? Advertise locally or globally—choose Coupon code: a specific city, state, country, the entire world, or a combination Choose what to pay—set the most you’re willing to pay for a click, as well as your daily budget Reach whom you like—your ad only shows up for people who search on the Promotional credit must be applied to a new AdWords account within 30 days of advertising terms you’ve chosen creating the AdWords account and is valid only for new Google AdWords customers with self-managed signup accounts. Advertisers will be charged for advertising that exceeds Pause at any time—there’s no minimum the promotional credit. Advertisers will need to suspend their ads if they do not wish to receive additional charges beyond the free credit amount. Offer subject to ad approval, term or commitment, and you can make valid registration, and acceptance of the Google AdWords Program standard terms and conditions. The promotional credit is non-transferable and may not be sold or bartered. changes or adjustments anytime you like Offer may be revoked at any time for any reason by Google Inc. One promotional credit per customer. Advertisers with self-managed signup accounts are subject to a $5 Your first $75 worth of ads is on us— (CAD10) activation fee. Advertisers who choose prepay billing are subject to a $10 (CAD20) minimum prepayment fee before their account is activated. Any such prepay just enter your coupon code at amount will be credited to Advertiser’s account once account is activated. Offer valid only for sign ups through the URL provided for the promotion by customers with billing www.google.com/adwords/75offer address in the US or Canada. Offer void where prohibited by law. © 2010 Google Inc. All rights reserved. Google and the Google logo are trademarks of Google Inc.
- 11. No Dogg Days at Digg On the same day that Digg CEO Jay Adelson announced his immediate departure from the social news site, new CEO (and founder) Kevin Rose blogged about forthcoming changes that he hopes will reverse the stagna- tion of the once powerful social AdWords Has media destination. The first things on Rose’s agenda, he said, (another) were to unban all previously banned domains and to replace Day in Court Digg’s somewhat controversial toolbar, the DiggBar. Those and The U.S. Court of Appeals has other changes were to take place affirmed that neither Google’s over the next few months as AdWords/AdSense nor AOL’s Digg tries to get back to its peak Search Marketplace search numbers of the past year, when advertising systems infringed on a it had nearly 44 million unique patent owned by another company, visitors in September, 2009. Bid for Position. The court ruled there were important functional differences be- According to Compete.com’s research data, Digg had 38.5 mil- tween the systems used by Google and AOL and the bidding system described lion unique visitors in March, 2010 in U.S. Patent #7,225,151, titled “Online Auction Bid Management System and — up 3.2 percent from the Method.” Two other companies, Microsoft and Miva, were named in the original previous month but still with suit by Bid for Position, but were dismissed as defendants before the case was plenty of room to climb. decided. Google has already weathered another patent infringement case and a class-action suit involving AdWords. Social Deadpool? AOL to Unload Bebo Unable to effectively compete, AOL announced its intention to either sell Bebo or shut it down altogether. AOL gave itself until the end of May to “evaluate strategic alternatives” for the property it purchased for $850 million in 2007, and potential buyers were not exactly lining up at the door. Facebook dominates the social networking space with 462.7 million unique visitors in the month of February, while Bebo ranked sixth with 12.8 million unique visitors. Whatever equates to the winning formula on the social media playing field right now, Facebook has a firm hold while Bebo has lost its grasp under AOL. J U N E 2010 | | 7
- 12. RANKING THE COMPARISON SHOPPING SITES Comparison shopping and data feed management agency CPC Strategy released its first-quarter rankings of the U.S. comparison shopping mar- ketplace. The survey, the fifth taken since CPC began doing the research in January 2009, allows e-commerce Sliding Down the merchants to understand how each Search Funnel engine compares in terms of size and volume, cost, return rates and overall service. Below are the overall rank- Google released a new report for AdWords accounts in late March and it could ings released in April, 2010, marking encourage you to rethink how you are advertising on the Web. The AdWords the first time Amazon Product Ads Search Funnels reports provide advertisers with insights into what cracked CPC’s top ten. advertisements consumers see during the process of shopping or product 1. Google Product Search research. The reports, currently in beta, aim to provide paid search marketers 2. Shopzilla with information about what AdWords ads are contributing to a conversion 3. Nextag and which “upper-funnel” keywords are assisting conversions. 4. Shopping Up to this point, conversions were attributed to the last click of an end-user. 5. Pricegrabber The problem is that advertisers don’t know how much time passed since the 6. Bing Cashback first time that customer/client clicked an ad or how many other ads were 7. Amazon Product Ads seen during that timeframe. The Search Funnels report, generated from 8. Become users’ conversion path data, will show how keywords and campaigns work 9. Smarter together to get conversions and the sequence of ad clicks and impressions. 10. Pronto E-mail Unsubscribe Benchmarks According to a March report from Responsys, Internet retailers have plenty of room for improvement when it comes to their unsubscribe processes. According to the Retail e-mail Unsubscribe Study 2010, 39 percent of major online retailers require three or more clicks to opt-out, up from 7 percent in 2008. Also, only 30 percent of retailers sent one or more e-mails following a user’s unsubscribe request, although that percentage is up from 26 percent in 2008. There was some good news, as marketers are giving subscribers more control over e-mail frequency (with 35% of retailers allowing subscribers to reduce the number of e-mails they receive, up from 16% in 2008). 8 | | JUNE 2010
- 13. ws m mo b i l e [ m i n u te ] iAd and iPhone 4.0 Apple recently revealed plans to upgrade its iPhone operating system with version 4.0. One of the most important upgrades will be the ability to multi-task - a glaring problem with Mobile: earlier iPhone operating systems. Now, users will be able to operate multiple apps at once. So, while a user will be able to play a game while listening to Internet radio, the real magic The Tsunami of the Future for developers (and the overall app economy) comes in the form of iAd. Multi-tasking means that developers can offer rich media adds within apps - images or Forget minor progress. Mary Meeker, head of the global technology research team videos, for instance - where users can interact at Morgan Stanley (among other illustrious titles), believes that the mobile Web with the advertisements without shutting will overtake the desktop Web within the next five years, according to her latest down the app in use. “The user can return to “State of the Internet” report. Meeker says that five key trends will fuel this their app any time they want,” said CEO Steve explosive growth: 3G mobile networks, social networking, Internet video, voice- Jobs. “We think the user will be much more over-IP (VOIP) and top-of-the-range mobile devices. Mobile’s breakneck pace is, interested in clicking on these things because “unprecedented, I think, in world history,” said Meeker. they won’t pay the penalty for doing so.” She also suggests looking to Japan for trends in investment opportunities, Speculation is running rampant that iAd where 66 percent of mobile Web revenue is from data access, 21 percent is from might clear the way for a Google acquisition of e-commerce, 11 percent is generated by paid services and only 2 percent comes mobile ad network AdMob. You might recall from mobile advertising. that the FTC has been vigilant about blocking Need further convincing? Quentin Hardy, National Editor of Forbes Media, Google’s acquisition of AdMob, citing concerns conducted an interview with Google CEO Eric Schmidt in April, where he advised over a mobile monopoly. iAd just might allevi- businesses to put their best developers to work on mobile applications. ate those fears. Apps to the Rescue Apps are not all fun and games. Amos Gichamba is a developer who grew up on a dairy farm in central Kenya. He saw a problem — local farmers being exploited by local merchants and dairy companies. So, Gichamba developed an app to help local farmers get fair prices for their cows’ milk. African farmers have little information available as to market conditions both globally and in sur- rounding villages. With this simple text-message-based app, they can request and receive reliable data and respond accordingly, ensuring fair market prices. And because this app (and other, similar apps) runs via SMS, they can be used on simple mobile devices — no need for $400 phones here. This is but one example of the true power and reach of mobile. It’s accessibility and affordability when compared to desktop computing shows just how far-reaching the impacts of mobile can be on a global scale — economically and socially. J U N E 2010 | | 9
- 14. Forming Online Joint Ventures ByMike Evans This is the year of the joint venture. That is, if you plan on being part of one of the hottest and fastest-growing niches in the Internet marketing space. Forming a joint venture (JV) allows you to build on The best JVs can continue for an indefinite pe- your company’s strengths while spreading your costs riod of time and earn significant revenue for both and risks and earning a profit. JVs also allow you to parties. However, this is rare. Most come together get improved access to the financial resources of for a brief period of time to promote a specific your partner while adding economies of scale and product to a precise audience. This is because the advantages of size. value that each party brings is usually limited and WebsiteMagazine.com By creating a JV with a non-competing business, workable only for a set period of time. For example, you can gain the competitive advantages of pre- it only makes sense to send a sales letter to your Contact the website or empting your competition while creating a channel partner’s list so many times before the recipients product owner to suggest a JV to facilitate a greater speed-to-market for your either buy your product or get burned out. using an introductory e-mail. products or services. Willie Crawford of EasyPushButtonTraffic.com Visit WebsiteMagazine.com is one of the most respected joint-venture experts in and search “joint venture Joint Venture Basics the industry and has over 10 years of experience. He A joint venture is an agreement between two par- says, “You need to approach any JV from the point e-mail” for a proven template, ties to make money by leveraging the assets of of view of what the other person will get from it, not and more JV e-mail examples, each. As JVs apply to Internet marketing, this most what you want from it. You need to think of why or scan the QR code, here. often involves a website owner with a product to they want to do business with you at all; and not sell partnering with someone with a large mailing only create value for your partner, but for your list to which the product can then be sold. The list partner’s customers — they are the ones who must owner sends a sales letter for the product to his benefit for a JV to work.” recipients and both parties split the profit based There are many ways to find the right JV partner. on a pre-determined percentage. Discussions for One popular method is to contact a joint venture this percentage split usually start at 50/50 and broker. (See sidebar for resources.) are adjusted based on what each partner brings to Joint venture brokers specialize in finding the the table. right partner for each party. The advantage of using Continued on page 12 10 | | JUNE 2010
- 15. .COM FREE FOR ONE YEAR NOSTRINGS 1&1® INSTANT DOMAIN PACKAGE: ✓ FREE Private Domain Registration * ATTACHED! ✓ 1&1 Starter WebsiteBuilder ✓ E-mail Account With 2 GB Mailbox ® ✓ 24/7 Toll-Free Customer Support Get started today, call 1-877-GO-1AND1 www.1and1.com *Offer valid as of May 1, 2010 and applies to the Instant Domain Package only. After first year, standard pricing applies. Limit 1 per customer. Visit www.1and1.com for full promotional offer details. Program and pricing specifica- tions and availability subject to change without notice. 1&1 and the 1&1 logo are trademarks of 1&1 Internet AG, all other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. ©2010 1&1 Internet, Inc. All rights reserved.
- 16. Joint Venture Resources JV-Web.com isfor Continued from page 10 businesses interested in any aspect of joint ventur- a broker is to save time and energy by pre-qualifying which he sold a majority stake to a multi-million dol- potential JV partners to make sure they are reputable lar technology company. Two years later, the technol- ing and a place for meeting and fit nicely with your product or e-mail list. Bro- ogy company went bust and Khan lost everything, all the needs of users, from kers earn a small percentage of the profits, customar- including his house. newbies to experts. ily in the range of two to ten percent. In early 2009, Khan set a goal to make one million dollars within 12 months — using nothing but his JV JV-Web.com educates people Forming a Joint Venture knowledge. Starting without a product or business, For tax reasons, it’s important to structure any JV and little capital, Khan sought out his first JV with a about JVs in regards to benefit, agreement as a joint venture, and not a partnership, as British company that had over four million postal- strategy and implementation by partnerships include significant legal ramifications mail customers. He approached the company owner, bringing together businesses, that can make you liable for a partner’s negligence found out what their customers needed and, using marketers and entrepreneurs or malfeasance, whereas in a legal joint venture your Camtasia and some freelancers in India, created a sim- within the context of a virtual liability is much more limited. Ask an attorney to give ple Internet training product to sell to the customers community to encourage you more advice on this topic. of the list owner. A few months and a million dollars relationship-building, growth The formation of a JV involves the following steps: in gross sales later, Khan partnered with some top and mutual benefit. Internet marketers and founded the JV University. 1. Strategy Development: Strategy development in- The key, according to Khan, is to “Find out what volves studying the viability and objectives of a prospects really want — not just what you think they The Joint Venture University joint venture. This is where you focus on the major (TheJVUniversity.co.uk) provides need. Look to create win-win scenarios, and make issues and challenges involved in putting together sure you know who you are dealing with. Do your high-level classes to teach the art a JV. due diligence.” of creating JVs from the ground 2. Partner Assessment: This is where you analyze a When seeking out a JV partner, I suggest starting up. Their classes provide access potential partner’s strengths and weaknesses, and at the top. Begin with the most respected person in to the world’s most knowledge- come to understand their motives for working your industry. You might get rejected the first time, able and experienced JV experts with you. This is also where you address gaps that but at least that person will know who you are and while they shepherd students might exist for each other in terms of what each likely remember when you come back with more ex- along, helping them to create their brings to the table. perience and some successes under your belt. There first profitable JV. 3. JV Agreement Negotiation: This involves making are many stories in the JV world where the top person sure that each party has realistic goals; defining in a niche was actually in need of partners, and many Established in 1998, the Associa- each other’s contributions and percentage-splits, as first-timers were able to start and stay there. Don’t sell tion of Strategic Alliance Profes- well as determining how to protect any confiden- yourself short. tial information. Another key to making JVs work is to use en- sionals (Strategic-Alliances.org) dorsements from respected professionals in your sales is a professional membership 4. Joint Venture Operation: This is the fun part — material. Promoting any product or service using the association dedicated to JVs. where you launch the JV and watch the results. power of an e-mail endorsed by a respected authority They sponsor, conduct, publish Once a JV has begun, this is the stage where you as- in your niche will almost always increase conversions. and disseminate research regard- sess the performance and shut down non-convert- Having people who are already known, liked and ing advances and best practices ing tactics and ramp up profitable ones. You may trusted by their audience will make selling that much in the field of joint venturing. change e-mail copy or alter the price of your prod- easier. Often, these experts will provide a testimonial uct based on split testing. for a fee or split of the revenue. JVbrokers.ning.com is for full- 5. JV Termination: When a JV’s objectives have been For a successful JV you must go through many , time JV brokers who want to met (or not), it’s time to shut it down and look of the same steps as in selling any product — know- for another. Other reasons you might end a joint ing your customer and their problems, and under- share their strategies, insights venture could be that the business goals of one of standing how you are going to solve them. By taking and accomplishments with the partners have changed, or you have legal or those basic marketing principles and adding the like-minded people. You can even financial conflicts with your partner. Always in- techniques and strategies of joint venturing, you will find other professionals to partner clude a way to end a JV when putting together take your business where it needs to be in the com- with. This is for more a more the agreement. ing years, and beyond. advanced crowd. Joint Ventures in Action Mike Evans is the Director of North American Sales for Joint venturing sounds simple and in many respects KeywordSpy.com, a pay-per-click and SEO research it is. What you might be wondering about is the po- firm that tracks over 127,000,000 keywords. Log in tential for real profit. Consider this story from Sohail to your Website Magazine account for a 30 percent dis- Khan, president of The Joint Venture University: In count code for the service. Contact Mike at Mike@Key- 2006 he owned a large Internet training business in wordSpy.com or (212) 501-2910. 12 | | JUNE 2010
- 18. Video Advertising Networks IN ACTION! By Peter Prestipino, Editor-in-Chief You might not be ready for video advertising, but video advertising is ready for you. The unfortunate dilemma for millions of Web professionals is that the complexity surrounding video ads (from both a marketing and technical standpoint) is substantial. President of NBC Universal, Vizi Zigler, once said, “Trying to understand online video is like taking a Polaroid of a moving train. It’s a blur.” It’s a fast-moving opportunity for sure, but one that can be mastered. Video advertising proponents believe it to be the future of content, while others have hesitated to test ( the medium. But proof is in the stats. According to comScore, video is larger than search — with 33 billion video views versus 15 billion searches per month. As consumers, we are watching an immense amount of video — an average of 12.71 hours per month in the U.S. alone. Video On the Perhaps the most important reason to consider adding video advertising to your online promo- Agency Side tional mix is that it will soon be a $4 billion dollar market by 2013, according to eMarketer. New York-based digital media Online video advertising provides a targeted (demographic, interest or intent), measurable (per service company Zeitbyte provides creative, per site, per impression, per user) and real-time (dynamic optimization) means to drive underlying but important performance metrics —impressions, video starts, completions or (gasp) video, media and online services actual conversions. The most significant problem facing online video advertisers is not production; to companies including Universal it is all the challenges associated with finding the right venue and/or publisher. Publishers struggle, Music, Kenneth Cole, AIG, UBS and too, with ways to monetize video, and advertisers are overpaying, thanks to poorly packaged video Neiman Marcus. Though Zeitbyte advertising offers. Below are four video advertising networks for your consideraton. offers a full array of services, one of the company’s specialties is Google: While not exclusively a video advertising network, Google’s YouTube provides video custom media players. Created advertisers the most viable opportunity out of the gate. Advertisers are able to appear on videos (in in-house to meet the specific needs the bottom 20 percent of the viewing area) with Google’s InVideo ads, or in the video content itself of each client, the players include through pre-roll, mid-roll, and post-roll on the Google Content Network. Click-to-play video ads are features such as ad integration, also an option, as well as Google Gadget Ads. Thanks to two recent acquisitions in Episodic (a live social media interaction, audience broadcasting platform) and On2 (video compression), the company is clearly giving video the proper level of attention it deserves. measurement and playlists. Zeitbyte integrated advertising YuMe: This video advertising network might have flown under the radar for a while but its time has functions for BroadwayWorld.com’s come. YuMe’s ad management platform, ACE, gives publishers and advertisers the ability to identify, media players, including playing classify and track content to ensure brand safety, contextual relevance, controlled syndication and pre-roll ads and graphic frame consistent delivery across all digital media platforms; including Web, downloads, mobile and IPTV . overlays directly from the site. This Key YuMe innovations include the first cross-platform ad solution and the ability to serve multiple integration allows for total control ad formats and placements through a single, unified system. and cost savings, versus serving ads through an ad network. SpotXchange: Performance-based video advertising network SpotXchange is presenting some Zeitbyte also developed a custom- progressive video advertising capabilities. Not only does SpotXchange offer traditional video overlays branded media player for AIM TV and video banners, they also offer pre-roll and pre-game video ads accompanied by companion ban- ner ads. Auction-based pricing and a host of powerful targeting criteria includes geography (to the (including American Latino TV and DMA or ZIP-code level), channel and sub-channel, demographics, dayparting and retargeting, mak- Latination). Using XLM to supply ing the solution a strong market player. the advertising and player assets, AIM TV can change the advertise- VidShout: One of the ways to beat the video learning curve is to consider inclusive packages — ments, graphics, videos, pre-rolls those aiding in the development process as much as they do syndication and reporting. VidShout lets and text without being dependent advertisers create videos by uploading images or their own videos, add taglines, choose music, up- on Zeitbyte. load voice files and include transition effects, then automate the development of call-to-action land- ( ing pages, syndicate the video on more than 60 sites (including portals, directories and shopping sites) and provides activity and lead reports. Pricing is relatively modest — a single video will cost $19.99 while bulk pricing offers 25-500 videos per month between $80 and $450. 14 | | JUNE 2010
- 20. 50Take a lookat the top Internet retailers today TO P AFFILIATE-FRIENDLY INTERNET RETAILERS WEBSITES 1. 2. 3. Amazon.com Apple.com Netflix.com Netflix.com and you will find a 4. Dell.com common characteristic 5. Walmart.com These e-commerce leaders do not 6. Target.com — affiliate programs. offer partnership opportunities 7. BestBuy.com because it is trendy; they do it because having an independ- 8. Overstock.com ent pay-for-performance marketing team can drive revenue 9. NewEgg.com and branding to a much larger segment of the Internet pop- 10. Macys.com Target.com ulation than could be achieved alone. 11. HomeDepot.com eMarketer recently forecasted that 2010 US retail 12. Sears.com e-commerce sales (excluding travel) will climb by 12.7 per- 13. BN.com cent on volume of $152 billion. This follows the US Cen- 14. GAP.com sus Bureau’s release showing that online sales in Q4 2009 15. VictoriasSecret.com grew by 14.6 percent over the year prior — the biggest gain 16. VistaPrint.com in eight quarters. While the increased velocity of the econ- 17. Staples.com omy has certainly contributed to this growth, retailers 18. Toysrus.com continue to offer and promote their affiliate programs be- 19. TigerDirect.com cause they are inexpensive to operate and, quite simply, 20. kohls.com because they work — despite the slew of recently estab- 21. real.com VistaPrint.com lished tax laws that directly impact marketers and the 22. buy.com merchants that operate affiliate programs. 23. Nordstrom.com Website Magazine’s Top 50 list of Affiliate-Friendly In- 24. OfficeDepot.com ternet Retailers is the proverbial who’s who of e-commerce 25. Shutterfly.com leaders. If you are an Internet retailer, it is essential that 26. SonyStyle.com you examine the affiliate programs these vendors offer 27. HSN.com and compare them to your own. If you’re an affiliate mar- 28. drugstore.com keter, use this month’s Website Magazine Top 50 to identify top-tier retailers that you can confidently promote on your 29. AE.com own website. 30. REI.com What was most intriguing about our research was that, 31. MusiciansFriend.com while some of the top Internet retailers had affiliate pro- 32. Avon.com musiciansfriend.com grams, others did not. That alone is quite revealing. For 33. OfficeMax.com example, Netflix has an affiliate program while Block- 34. jcrew.com buster does not. The smashing success of Netflix and 35. bidz.com gradual fall of Blockbuster has plenty to do with savvy 36. Scholastic.com Internet marketing — including Netflix’s use of affiliate 37. OrientalTrading.com programs. Also interesting from our research was the 38. LLBean.com number of Internet retailers that outsourced their affiliate 39. footlocker.com or partner program to one of the leading affiliate networks. 40. sierratradingpost.com The Google Affiliate Network, LinkShare, Commission 41. 1800flowers.com Junction and ShareaSale are used by a preponderance of 42. BassPro.com northerntool.com those listed here. Only two of the fifty companies listed 43. CircuitCity.com here manage their affiliates in-house. 44. LaneBryant.com 45. FTD.com ABOUT THIS RANKED DATA 46. northerntool.com Website Magazine’s Top 50 rankings are a measure of a website’s popularity. Ranks 47. ShopNBC.com are calculated using a proprietary method that focuses on average daily unique vis- itors and page views over a specified period of time, as reported by multiple data 48. ColdwaterCreek.com sources. The website with the highest combination of factors is ranked in the first 49. ebags.com position. Conducting research, making formal comparisons and talking to existing clients and users before making any purchase decision is always recommended. 50. fingerhut.com 16 | | JUNE 2010
- 21. Discover the ‘Net’popularity of the top 1 million websites with Ranking.com and leverage one of the largest databases of FREE Web metrics available. Review traffic history, detailed website information and search by country, language and category absolutely FREE. What possibilities does your website have? Visit Ranking.com today! Visit Ranking.com to check out Access full website details such as YOUR website ranking phone number & address Research websites by country, View website trust scores from language & category TrustGuageTM FREE ranking report by e-mail Submit and modify your website’s listing anytime
- 22. SEO CORNER With Dante A. Monteverde QUICK GUIDE TO LOCAL SEO Thanks to the tremendous growth of Internet-enabled smart phones over the Local search enables Web However, thanks to its control of 70 percent of all past few years, it is now users to find everything — searches performed on the Web, Google is by far the lead- from restaurants to retail ing local search vendor and should be your primary focus. clear that local search and stores — in mere seconds. Almost all Google searches involving a region or city in the optimization has quickly As a local business with a search query (or searches that Google has determined to be Dante A. Monteverde is a search strategist become an essential part website, local SEO should local) will result in listings displayed in what is referred to specializing in Search of Web success. be a primary focus of as the “Local Onebox.” There are several different variations Engine Optimization. your overall marketing including the Local 7-pack (where seven companies appear He founded plan. Even if businesses for a generic term), the Local 3-Pack (a brief version of the SpiderBait.com in don’t have a website, local search seamlessly connects Web 7-pack), and the single listing, which most often appears 1996 and has more users to the brick-and-mortar locations where a majority of when users search for specific companies. than 13 years of transactions still take place. So, understanding the basics Business listings can be submitted directly to Google SEO experience. — where to go and what to do — is imperative. Maps through the Google Local Business Center Contact Dante at With more businesses planning to use local search as a (google.com/local/add). The key to local SEO on Google is dante@spiderbait.com. means to acquire new customers, this edition of SEO Corner to include your website address along with corresponding provides a quick overview of the local search space and pro- business information and verify that the listing and contact vides important guidance on how you can create, claim and information is correct (more tips on local search optimiza- optimize your local search listing before your competition tion are provided below). In lieu of an existing listing, does the same. Google will often use data from Yellow Pages listings that can often be out of date. So, take the time to claim your list- The Major Local Search Players ing and verify or update all of the information. Google, Yahoo! and Bing still drive the majority of local Another important task is to check that your actual search exposure but know at the start that there are many location is marked correctly on the map. You want to make alternatives. A list of these second-tier local search vendors sure you are sending your prospective clients to the right is featured at WebsiteMagazine.com (http://bit.ly/bEHPfR). location and that your business is properly displayed within If you are just getting started with local search optimization, the Street View of Google Maps. If it’s not 100 percent these opportunities are viable and should be included in your accurate you can fix it here: http://bit.ly/bSNFhU marketing mix. Of course, Google is not the only game in town. Yahoo! Local (http://local.yahoo.com) remains a major player in the world of local search but, as you might expect, has far less LOCAL SEO - Did you know? traffic than Google. Yahoo! openly features local listings in their organic search results within a map, recently shifting from a Google, Yahoo! and Bing grab a significant amount of their listings from three-listing display to a more detailed five-listing display. InfoUSA and Acxiom. Much of the data is pulled from the standard print If your website or local business is not listed (as deter- Yellow and White page directories. If your business is already listed with mined by availability within Yahoo! SERPs) you will need to local search engines, chances are it came from existing yellow and submit it for inclusion here: http://listings.local.yahoo.com. white pages. Any yellow pages listing (no matter how small the ad) Yahoo! offers a free basic listing and an enhanced listing for will get your business included in all three major local search engines. $9.95 per month. The enhanced listing includes a company However, the fastest way to get listed in local search is to go directly to tagline, business description, two links to pages on your web- the search engines and either add or claim your site, and both edit and site and up to 10 photos. This is a good value for two links update your existing information. from such a trusted and authoritative website. 18 | | JUNE 2010
- 23. One important noteis that user-submitted business reviews tend Business Category: In order of importance, selecting the appro- to be weighted more in the Yahoo! Local algorithm than in Google priate category is second only to the title you submit; as it plays a Local. As such, ask some of your best clients to provide positive key role in determining for what local keywords your business will reviews of your website on Yahoo! Local and you will boost your rank. Consider using keyword research in tandem with some com- local search rankings quickly. petitive research to find a category appropriate for your listing. Also, don’t rule out Microsoft. Bing shows local listings on Bing Maps (http://www.bing.com/maps/) when users perform a Most of the guidance highlighted above requires little time local search, and includes three local listings within the organic and almost no monetary investment to get started, so there is no search results. While it is unknown today what the Bing-Yahoo! reason not to claim your local listings immediately. The local search and advertising deal will mean for local businesses looking search revolution has arrived and, thanks to mobile, is growing to generate exposure on the Web, a safe course of action is to rapidly. But it’s more than choosing the right category and key- submit your business to Bing using the Bing Local Listing Center, words. Local search provides not just an opportunity to find found here: (http://bit.ly/b3RXgT). new customers, but build a real community around your busi- Now that we have our three primary targets in our sights — ness. The more you invest in local search, the more locals will and a long list of alternatives that should be added over time — we invest in your business. can start creating local search listings. Happy SEO’ing! Creating Your Local Search Listing While many of the tips included below apply primarily to Google, using these principles when entering your business information will prove useful on all of the local search engines in your market- ing plan. Company Name: Try to include keywords into your listing title. Although it might be challenging — as most companies don’t account for this in their branding plans — the presence of key- words will influence rankings. Avoid stuffing keywords at all costs, however, as you still want your business title to be appeal- ing enough for users to click. Business Address: Make sure the physical address you submit matches the address displayed on your website and use the exact same address everywhere you submit your business and/or web- site. As stated before, make sure this address also matches up to street level views provided by the major engines’ maps. Phone Number: List your local phone number (country code too) instead of toll-free numbers — it’s one more indication of a truly local business to both users and search engines. You can add ad- ditional phone numbers but be sure to use your local phone num- ber first. For businesses with multiple locations, make sure each address has its own unique local phone number (and of course its own listing, if necessary). Business Description: This is your opportunity to shine. Accu- racy is vital, but try to make the phrasing compelling (adding key- words sparingly). Make considerations for readability first and influence on search engines second. J U N E 2010 | | 19
- 24. CONVERSION CACHE With Tim Ash Battle of the Brain Understanding Roles, Personas and Cognitive Styles There is confusion I would like to set the record relationship with a website. A persona is usually treated as a in the landing straight and cover the basics. monolithic person with a fully-formed personality that does not change. In fact, most people play many different roles in page optimization Roles their daily life. In each role their competencies, mental frame- community regarding Roles correspond to specific works and attitudes can shift dramatically. personas, cognitive classes of visitors interacting For example, I may be confident, gregarious and quick with your site. They are defined to make decisions during the workday. After work I might Tim Ash is the CEO styles and roles. by their relationship to your leave the office to buy a present for a friend’s birthday party. of SiteTuners.com, Often these terms web-site and call-to-action. The In this setting, I may become unsure of myself, deliberate, a landing page are used loosely or role breakdown can be basic, or tentative and afraid to make the wrong decision. So, even optimization firm that it might need to be slightly though I am the same person (and would presumably still offers conversion interchangeably, with more nuanced depending on be represented by the same persona), I behave completely consulting, full-service unfortunate results. your circumstances. differently in my roles as businessman and shopper. guaranteed-improve- Here are some representative In some other circumstances, roles are actually more ment tests and examples of possible roles: stable than personas. This is often the case in landing page software tools to testing. For example, regardless of the personalities involved, improve conversion. • Plumbing-supply company Retail customers (looking to all website visitors to an e-commerce catalog site still need to He is the chairperson buy an individual replacement part), plumbing contractors complete the same functional tasks as part of their role as of ConversionConfer- (need an array of parts for a specific customer job), whole- shoppers (e.g., placing items in a shopping cart and checking ence.com and a sale buyers and real estate developers (need large volume out). So the role of shopper can subsume the specific frequent speaker at price breaks and extended payment terms). personas that might be functioning in this capacity. top Internet marketing • Dating service Prospective member (has not signed up conferences. Tim is the author of the best- yet), new member (has paid but has not set up a complete Cognitive Styles personal profile), experienced member (has done multiple Personas are also often confused with cognitive styles. There selling book, Landing searches and contacted other members). are many psychological frameworks that divide people into Page Optimization. different temperaments. This has been done at least since the • Educational-saving-plan provider Future recipients (chil- Middle Ages — the four “humors” or “temperaments” were dren under age 18), parents of recipients (who typically called Sanguine, Choleric, Melancholic and Phlegmatic, and establish the plan), relatives and friends (who may con- corresponded to emotional makeup as well as physical tribute money to the plan). constitution of an individual. • Consumer e-tail company New visitors (who have not For a more modern example, renowned psychologist been to the site before), returning visitors (who have been David Keirsey classified people into guardians, rationals, ide- there but not bought yet), first-time buyers (trying to alists and artisans. Other breakdowns include competitive, complete their first purchase), repeat buyers (who already humanistic, spontaneous and methodical. Tony Alessandra of have their information stored in your system), e-mail list PlatinumRule.com refers to director, socializer, relater and members (who have signed up for future special offers). thinker. Other common personality typing systems include Myers-Briggs and DISC. Personas The main point of these systems is that your cognitive A persona is typically a made-up prototype of a person that is style is part of your basic makeup and is unlikely to change. used to represent important classes of potential users of a It is basically how your brain operates and how you take in product or service. They are imagined in great detail (behav- and deal with information about the world. iors, workplace, activities, belief systems, etc.) in order to form In the context of landing pages, you should try to a more concrete image. The design or use of the product or accommodate all major cognitive styles since they are all service is then compared to the persona’s needs to determine represented in the population. For example, your pages if there is a good fit. should be uncluttered for the short-attention-span crowd, Roles are different than personas — in one sense they but also include links to very detailed supporting information are more changeable since they depend on the specific for the methodical types. 20 | | JUNE 2010
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- 26. F I NDA B I L I T Y M A K E O V E R With Heather Lutze SET GOALS and Watch Your Findability Soar After 10 years in the Many website owners feel they marketing program represented an unrealistic goal. Instead, Search Marketing only have a few options: Michael decided to walk his own talk by setting realistic industry, one of the goals to achieve total Internet Findability over time. 1. Attend a search engine con- most common ference, read a large number Problem: questions I receive of reference guides and attempt How do you brand and build search presence with a new is, “How can I get to become a search marketing website and very little marketing budget? expert. Heather Lutze has my brand new GoalForIt.com’s first goal was to create a community based spent the last 2. Take out a loan or rob a bank website found in on building relationships and setting goals online. That 10 years helping in order to hire an Internet mar- search engines?” part was easy, as his website is set up for just such a goal. business owners get keting firm to help dominate their enterprises the search engines in paid GoalForIt’s second goal was to get exposure for their social noticed on the Web search, search engine optimization (SEO), social media community. After all, if they could achieve domination by their target marketing, etc. by keyword phrase under terms like “kids goal chart” or audiences. She is the “kids chore chart,” they could start branding and gaining author of “The 3. Ignore the problem and watch a beautiful site go to waste. attention from potential advertisers and users alike. We Findability Formula: developed an action plan designed to slowly build their The Easy, Non- As a busy entrepreneur you are limited on time and online presence: Technical Approach resources; especially considering the fact that you just in- to Search Engine vested a large sum into a new website. Most website own- Step 1 – Test, Test, Test – Start Testing PPC Keywords for Marketing.” Visit ers are more than willing to learn the ropes of search best performance FindabilityFormula.com marketing, but between pay-per-click (PPC), SEO and social media marketing there is way too much to do and We used PPC to test every keyword string possible and for tools and resources not enough time. then trimmed the list to determine the best-performing to increase your Here’s the advice I like to give to new website owners: keywords. We built out a campaign with more than 650 site’s findability. Consider a “goal-oriented” approach, where you achieve success by setting and reaching small, incremental goals over the course of a year. To do so, make a month-by-month plan to increase your search engine visibility and keep pushing for better optimization as you progress through the year. With this goal-setting theme in mind, our subject for this month’s Findability Makeover is GoalForIt.com. Michael Murdock created GoalForIt to give Internet users a free way to set and track goals. GoalForIt allows users to sign up for a free account and access awesome goal setting tools and charts. Their most popular service to date has been the “Chore Chart for Kids.” However, they offer goal charts and tracking for users of all ages. GoalForIt’s marketing goal is to get as many free signups as possible. As a brand new website without a huge marketing budget for search, GoalForIt needed a gradual approach to search engine marketing (SEM). Michael knew that trying to implement all the moving pieces of a complex Internet 22 | | JUNE 2010
- 27. keywords and, aftersome testing and optimizing, cut the percent. Additionally, many bloggers found GoalForIt.com list to the 500 best performers. We also built a list of more through our PPC campaign, which has generated a signif- than 200 negative keywords, including “book,” “cards” and icant amount of back links to the site.” “game.” In addition, we tested and refined our ad text to figure out to what marketing copy consumers most posi- Step 3 — Dominate Search Results — Use successful PPC tively responded. and SEO Keywords and optimize social media to rank in Tracking keywords in PPC and learning which had the search results. best conversion rates took about three months. The results Now that GoalForIt has identified their best keywords, op- of meeting this goal: timized their website, and achieved page one ranking • We identified approximately 20 keyphrases that worked under their primary key phrases, Michael plans to get the really well, including “Free goal setting charts” and buzz going about their website in the online community “Goal setting chore charts.” and dominate search by having more than one link on each search results page. This is the newest and most current • Great cost per click ($.35) and cost per conversion goal the company is going to be tackling. ($1.65), which meant we had really refined the best user Why this goal? There are two compelling reasons why experience possible. A targeted list of keywords results social media is a natural “next step” for Michael: in a consistent, targeted user experience and a seamless experience from ad click to landing pages. (1) Even from a simple targeting standpoint, the types of consumers who enjoy using social communities (like • Sixty-percent of AdWords visitors are new to the site, Facebook and LinkedIn) are likely to also enjoy using and they are spending, on average, 7 minutes and 42 GoalForIt’s free social community. seconds on the site — an impressive number for any website much less a brand new one. (2) The more links you have on page one on search en- gines, the more qualified traffic you get to your website • We found our best marketing text in “To-Do Lists for and the less traffic your competitors get. Kids.” Forty-percent of users who clicked on that text created a free chore chart. Therefore, as GoalForIt carries out this goal, here’s how I recommend they break the goal up so it’s more manageable: Step 2 — Use Succesful PPC Keywords to plot and implement a SEO plan a. Network blogs for more organic ranking opportunities — Our next objective was to take the best keywords identified For example, we wrote a post on our blog and optimized through PPC and optimize the website to get page-one it for “Kids Daily Chore Chart” (one of GoalForIt’s ranking under those keywords. The original GoalForIt site keyphrases). The blog post held its own positioning in was filled with charts that were beautiful, but unfortunately the search engines, separate but in addition to our web- none of which were SEO-friendly. Remember — search en- site. GoalForIt can take advantage of current and future gines love text. So, if your website is graphic-heavy, con- partnerships by asking them to use “Kids Chore Charts” sider adding text descriptions and paragraphs for ranking in the titles of their blog posts and in anchor text. purposes. To overcome our SEO challenge, we added pages with content on the website so it could be optimized. Ad- b. Blend your community with social media communities, ditionally, we added and edited title tags, meta tags, meta such as Facebook Apps — Twitter has been successful descriptions, and various other aspects of SEO with each because they are everywhere on social media. Create a particular keyword in mind, using one keyword per page. Facebook app that allows you to make to-do lists, or cre- In total, it took eight months to cross this goal off our ate a way to share new lists on Twitter, or share a goal list. As a result of accomplishing this goal, some of the chart on Facebook. places you will find GoalForIt ranking are: #9 under “Free Goal Setting Charts” c. Have users get to know the company owner Michael a bit more — He’s created a great community that is free, and #1 under “Goal Setting Chore Charts” he has a great story. Let’s get to know him a bit better. #5 under “Goal Tracker” (2,900 searches/mo) GoalForIt is a great example of how to approach mar- #4 under “Kids Goal Chart” (1,900 searches/mo) keting when you have a brand new Internet presence and “Going through the process of refining our chore chart few resources to go full-throttle. Slow, steady and goal-by- landing page helped me clarify the benefits for the poten- goal is a great way to approach marketing your website so tial member,” says Murdock. “And as a result, our conver- you don’t get overwhelmed. Remember, set goals and take sion rates doubled and we reduced bounce rates by 75 it one step at a time … you will be rewarded. J U N E 2010 | | 23
- 28. GET YOUR BUSI ONLINE *Visit www.1and1.com for full promotional offer details. Program and pricing specifications and availability subject to change without notice. 1&1 and the 1&1 logo are trademarks of 1&1 Internet AG, all other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. © 2010 1&1 Internet, Inc. All rights reserved.
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- 30. THINK DESIGN A Roundtable Discussion of Today’s Web Design and Development Trends Few industries are as fluid as Web design and development. The rapid release of new technologies and ever-evolving user preferences ensures that the face of the Web constantly changes. But effective design goes well beyond a pretty face. Designers and developers must consider SEO, usability, social media, conversions and much more. For this issue of Website Magazine, we assembled a panel of some of the top designers in the industry, hailing from some of the most recognized agencies in the world. We posed some questions to gain valuable insight to the state of Web design today and what the future might hold. What we found is that the role of the designer and developer has come a long way. No longer are these individuals and organizations simply coding pages, but they have become an integral part of every business’ Web success. 26 | | JUNE 2010
- 31. J U NE 2010 | | 27
- 32. How has therole of the Web designer etc.), social media, content architecture, copy- writing, SEO, project management, etc. It’s an changed in the last few years? What has exciting but demanding task to stay fresh on so become their main focus? many fronts. Jeff Greenhouse: I think the biggest change is that they are expected to be much more of a team player, rather than a standalone artisan. The If you were to develop a new Web design entire ecosystem of online marketing has been software, what features do you think would maturing, with the website as the cornerstone of make it a must-have? a modern marketing strategy. That means Web designers have to actively collaborate with mar- Jeff Greenhouse: I would say that integrat- keters, copywriters, programmers, app develop- ing wireframing, SEO analysis and support for ers, search experts, analytics experts, social media Google Analytics (or other analytics packages) experts, publicists, etc. I would say that makes the right into the tool would certainly add significant modern Web designer more of a chef than a value. The wireframing capability would stream- painter. It’s not just about the visual picture. They line the development process. For the other tools, must blend and balance the different elements and there are so many small technical details that can Jeff Greenhouse considerations to make something that looks significantly impact the effectiveness of both SEO Jeff is the founder, President and great, tastes great and satisfies the fundamental and analytics. Having a software package that in- Chief Strategist of SingularityDe- needs of the business (or client). tegrates and cross-checks those as you build sign.com, an acclaimed digital would be very valuable. agency based in Philadelphia. A Ken Braun: Web designers are being called upon 15-year digital marketing veteran, Jeff has guided the creation to take responsibility for everything their clients do Ken Braun: Today’s software has been tuned of hundreds of websites for on the Web. We live and breathe the ‘Net; so who fairly well for design tasks. Looking past that, I national, local and global brands, better to take the role of the all-encompassing dig- think it would live in the cloud. Tools like Google and has led Singularity to nearly ital strategist? While a beautiful design and some Docs are showing that browser-based applications 120 design and marketing awards SEO used to be enough, today’s Web designers carry benefits for collaboration, and they are ac- in the past five years alone. need to know about viral marketing, the latest so- cessible from anywhere you have a connection. cial networking features, and mobile applications What better place to build a Web-app than in the across iPhone, Android and Blackberry. While it’s browser? You also have the benefit of hooking into certainly more challenging than it was in the early APIs; a Web design app that could connect with days, there is also a lot more opportunity available. your project management, client-approval and in- voicing tools would cut down on your daily tasks. Sam Feuer: I think from a designer standpoint the core goal remains the same: To get users to feel Sam Feuer: It would be nice to have one tool when they get to the homepage — feel power or that at the click of a button streamlines all code to engagement for what the end goal may be, either work flawlessly on all browsers and handsets. branding or conversion to buy Product X. Chris Thurman: Software to aid in the Web de- Ken Braun Chris Thurman: I believe the role of the Web sign process must be flexible. With dozens of lan- Ken is the founder and Chief designer has become much more holistic than in guages being used, the ability to assist with Creative Officer at Lounge- the past. A Web designer’s main focus should be shortcuts and syntax for multiple languages is a Lizard.com, a full-service Web executing the many parts that make up a website. must-have. The software should also be customiz- development and online market- Gone are the days where a designer’s job is limited able depending on the workflow of the designer or ing agency he started in 1998. to mocking up a design in Photoshop or coding developer. I prefer my software to disappear to the Prior to Lounge Lizard, Ken spent 10 years as a creative director on out a design in HTML. background, allowing me to focus on the creative Madison Avenue, spearheading Today’s Web designer must have at least some task at hand. Custom shortcuts, layouts and national accounts and winning competence in areas of design, coding (HTML, schemes would make the coding process more major industry awards. CSS, Javascript), programming (ASP .net, PHP , pleasant and efficient. 28 | | JUNE 2010
- 33. From the smallestmom-and-pop media is another important variable that can drive website to Fortune 500 sites, what should traffic. As more and more brands and websites pile into it, the social media playing field will level out they all have in common when it comes to as well. I’d say the biggest change is in content plan- website design? ning. When SEO came around, we suddenly planned content that was likely to hit for certain Jeff Greenhouse: They all need to establish a search terms. Now, with social media, we plan con- strategy before diving into their website design. If tent that is likely to be shared, talked about or even you don’t start out by identifying your business publicly debated. goals, your target audience and the key strategies The hot new thing will always take a dispro- that will create value for your business model, then Sam Feuer portionate piece of the discussion, but these pieces you’re just rolling the dice with your time and your Sam is the founder, President and are not mutually exclusive, and each site has the money. I’ve seen this problem in small startups and CEO of MindSmack.com, which opportunity to establish a unique mix of SEO, SEM, billion-dollar companies. An ounce of prevention has steadily grown from a one- social and mobile components to match its unique man operation to a multi-million is worth a pound of cure and a ton of random ac- place in the market. dollar company at the top of the tivity. Web design industry. MindSmack Ken Braun: It used to be that when you needed has achieved many elite awards to Ken Braun: The number one feature is always a carpenter, you found them in one of two ways: date, including being named the usability. It’s a constant struggle to stay grounded to Top Web Design Agency in the the phone book or word-of-mouth. It’s not much the fact that no matter how emotionally engaging U.S. numerous times by the highly different today. Search has, and always will be, a your website is, your users should be able to get to respected TopSeos.com. fairly strong driver of traffic. Social media has the information they seek easily. Whether you have merely given the Web a more effective medium for a website selling gift baskets or luxury cars, every- spreading word-of-mouth recommendations. So, I one should be able to find the checkout button. think it remains important to keep your eyes on an overarching strategy rather than concentrating ex- Sam Feuer: The end goal must be met within clusively on any one technique. one to three seconds of a user seeing the site on any level. What do you want to convey? Convey it right Sam Feuer: The impact of social media has been then and there to captivate your user into feeling incredible, and the success of Facebook and Twit- the experience so they can tell their friends and ter is amazing to be a part of. And now with the rev- family about it because it was so flawless, or even an olution of mobile devices being something emotional experience for them. everyone has, apps like FastMall and Shop Savvy Chris Thurman are part of our daily lives as social and functional Chris Thurman: Usability and the user experi- Chris is the founder and editor of tools that spread through family and friends like ence should be at the forefront of any design. The VisualSwirl.com, a fast-growing wildfire, because of the social media outlets we Web is established enough that design and usability blog about design and the have. Every website must have social media built creative process. He is a Web conventions should allow for anyone to create an into it now. If it doesn’t, you’re losing traffic and designer/developer and project easy-to-use website. Many designers get caught up probably haven’t upgraded your website since 2005. manager for 524concepts.com, being artists or making their sites “stand out” when I believe that mixing SEO with social media and a design agency based in we should be much more worried about pleasing the then, finally, niche advertisements such as e-mail Louisville, Kentucky. He preaches user of the site so they’ll stick around long enough to blasts to users you know want the material you’re superb user experience and do something. The sites that allow users to complete simple designs, which is probably sending is the way to go. It’s intriguing that after 12- their tasks hindrance-free are the real winners, and why you’ll find him holding plus years of doing this I am still asked weekly by we should all look to these sites as examples. whatever new product Apple people if they should use “that service that will get has just released. you to the top of Google listings for $65.” The an- swer is an emphatic no. Do your research. And if How has social media changed the way you have niche content, content is and always will we design our websites — and should it? remain king. Has SEO taken a back seat? ChrisThurman: Social media is here to stay and Jeff Greenhouse: All websites are not the if you’re ignoring it, you’re missing out. With that same, so you can’t apply a universal rule. SEO is still said, our designs should leverage social media to important, but it’s a moving target, and it’s also a the extent of the website owner’s devotion to social playing field that is rapidly leveling out. Social media. If the organization that you’re designing a J U N E 2010 | | 29
- 34. site for failsto understand the importance of social or realigning existing site elements will give you more media outlets, there’s no benefit to incorporating so- measurable results about what works and what does- cial media into the design. n’t. A good A/B testing method should be used to en- What we should be doing is educating our- sure that the changes you make are improving your selves and our clients about how to use social site. Additionally, modification of existing elements media to drive attention to our sites. SEO is no is much easier and less time consuming than a full- longer the only ticket to Web fame and fortune. Ef- blown overhaul. If resources are tight, a design from fective social media campaigns can do more with the ground up may not be possible. less than most SEO strategies. It might be wrong to say that SEO has taken a back seat to social media, but they are at least equal in importance from a What’s all the buzz surrounding HTML5, and Web design perspective. what should we know about it? Jeff Greenhouse: There are three main aspects What’s the most reasonable approach of HTML5 that should be of interest. First, it brings to a website redesign for businesses — audio and video back to the browser itself. These starting from the ground up or modifications formats used to be embedded in pages (clumsily), but to specific, existing elements? then Flash came along and gave much better control, so everyone started using Flash for them. HTML5 Jeff Greenhouse: In this respect, a website is brings enhanced control and a plug-in-free approach. just like a building. Do we raze it or renovate it? If it’s HTML5 also significantly expands the programmatic structurally sound and the “bones” of it are well capability (exposed and controlled via JavaScript), suited for the purpose we have in mind, then we ren- providing features like dynamic drawing capability ovate. If it’s falling apart or a complete mismatch for and offline data storage. Finally, HTML5 includes an our needs, then we tear it down and start over. If you evolved and enhanced set of semantic tags for or- start with a clear vision of what you are trying to ganizing information. This helps to further separate accomplish, determining how close or how far away the content from the formatting. As the foundation your current site is becomes much, much easier. for the Web (and now the mobile Web), each major revision of HTML deserves our attention. Ken Braun: At Lounge Lizard, we always pre- scribe every project case-by-case. When a client ap- Ken Braun: HTML5 is the next step forward for proaches you with a redesign, you’ll want to find out Web standards. The W3C and the rest of the Web what is and isn’t working. Talk to them about their community are revisiting the language and plug- intentions, but also take a look through the last few ging the holes that tools like Flash had to fill. With months of their Web statistics. If moving to a new it comes lots of exciting technologies that should Content Management System will improve their make the browser more interactive out of the box. business, it’s worth making the recommendation. A There won’t be too much to see that users haven’t client may not know what they want or need until seen before, but for the designer and developer, you speak to them about their options. there will be well-defined methods for imple- menting rich multimedia experiences without Sam Feuer: We ask all new potential clients to using plug-ins. fill out a concise questionnaire. My proposal team then analyzes it and asks any final questions that Sam Feuer: HTML 5 looks to lessen the need remain unanswered to get us on the same page for for proprietary plug-ins like Flash so that the Web an accurate estimate. New businesses online must is faster, in a way. I personally love Flash and what really understand that the website itself is just the it allows, so even though we develop for all plat- beginning. The key is post-launch: How do you forms and can eat HTML5 for breakfast, I believe market it to do what you want and then keep the Flash will stay around — especially with CS5, content fresh and exciting for your users? which was just released. Hopefully, Apple can get to terms with Adobe and permit Flash on the iPhone ChrisThurman: The saying, “If it ain’t broke, don’t and iPad. It’s pretty silly that you cannot view Flash fix it” can apply here. If the site is broken, however, a on these devices. For me, it’s the one thing I’d like complete overhaul may be necessary. If not, tweaking to see them work out. 30 | | JUNE 2010
- 35. Chris Thurman: HTML5,along with CSS3, are those trends to come up with creative and never-be- hot topics around the Web community. Both offer fore-seen trends to keep upping the limits of what is some really exciting features that will make for a currently Web design reality. richer and, hopefully, more consistent browsing experience in the years to come. While these new Chris Thurman: Many clients I work with are specifications are still being developed, there are looking for bold, eye-catching websites. Whether it many browsers that will already render some of be in a bright color scheme, heavy image usage, or the elements (such as the video tag). You should bold typography, attention-grabbing designs are in. begin to explore the layout possibilities with the I’m personally excited about trends in the use of new HTML5 tags (header, footer, article, etc.) and custom font stacks (via @font-face or typekit). I’m think about how you would design a site under also big into the use of media and imagery and how these new assumptions. You could also begin dab- it is are being incorporated on the Web. The mar- bling in HTML5 with some side projects, although riage of Web and video will prove to be an exciting try and avoid using full-blown HTML5 in client union in the years to come. work until final specs have been released and browser support is up to par. What guidance would you give to new designers — those new to What design trends excite your clients, the industry? and what trends excite you? Jeff Greenhouse: Be prepared to be flexible. Jeff Greenhouse: We’ve seen clients getting You’ve chosen an industry that is going to continue excited about things like augmented reality, 2D bar to change at a faster and faster pace. Recognize that codes and QR codes, and getting both excited and while this field is artistic, it is not art. It is commer- befuddled by social media. What really excites us cial design. Your market value will come from your at Singularity is the potential for the mobile Web. ability to marshal your creativity and a constantly Consumers are cutting the ropes that anchor them evolving set of tools to create designs that accom- to their homes or businesses and becoming free- plish something. You have to be ready to understand floating, constantly changing targets. The mobile what the goal of each project is and you have to be Web gives us incredible new opportunities to committed to directing your energy and passion to- add value to their lives and interact with them at ward achieving (or overachieving) that goal. new times and in new places. The other thing that really excites us is the revolution in user interface Ken Braun: Build your network. Seek out other design that is being prompted by the iPhone and Web designers in the industry, go to conferences, now the iPad. Designers are leaving behind the get involved on Twitter and learn from everyone constraints of the common OS and windowing around you. Improve your core skills, and con- interfaces and finding new ways to prompt and sume as much information as you can about all of respond to user interaction. the unique branches of Web services that comple- ment them. Ken Braun: One thing that I think everyone is excited about is the coming-of-age for Web fonts. Sam Feuer: I would tell them to pay attention to It’s about time that we can branch out beyond every detail and take pride in what you do daily. Helvetica and Arial without implications on search engines and accessibility. Typography is so Chris Thurman: Design, and design some more. closely intertwined with design that it’s a wonder There is a never-ending amount of information and we’ve made it this far without Web fonts. It’s a technology to learn in the Web design industry — thorn in our side we will gladly remove. so much that it would be impossible to stay on top of it all. Reading about Web design is great, but Sam Feuer: Right now it seems like clients want actually producing, in pixels and code, will take an iPhone app from us. With our design abilities we you farther than any textbook or design blog ever can create any type of app or Website in a way that could. You’ll pick up a lot of valuable information really captivates the audience. We really enjoy being along the way, but the sooner you can start creat- at the forefront of design trends and even bending ing, the better. J U N E 2010 | | 31
- 36. Flexing Your Marketing Muscles By Brian Lewis with Google Product Extensions For more than 10 years, e-commerce search marketers Late in 2009, that all changed. Perhaps one of the most far- reaching enhancements yet to the AdWords platform for e-com- have greatly benefited from Google’s highly popular merce marketers was the recent introduction of Google Product AdWords advertising platform despite working within Extensions. By taking a significant step in closing the gap be- tween AdWords and comparison shopping engines, Google its tight confines. Until recently, we’ve endured the Product Extensions gives pay-per-click (PPC) marketers in the limitations of 70-character ads, an inability to display U.S. newfound advertising liberties, product exposure and in- creased flexibility in their ads. Properly harnessing these new product images on the Google search page, and the features could set the stage for entirely new AdWords strategies restriction of one landing page per keyword phrase. Of along with greatly increased levels of return on ad spend. course, we have been able to list our separate products What Are Google Product Extensions? with product images, pricing information and distinct Google Product Extensions (GPE) combine the best of the landing pages on Google Base (Froogle); however, the massive visibility of AdWords listings with the added versa- tility of a shopping engine by listing product images, short amount of search traffic on Google’s “Shopping” pages copy, pricing and links to separate product landing pages. is a very small fraction of its search pages. By now, you’ve probably seen a few GPE listings like those to the left. By clicking on the box with the plus sign (appropriately called the “plusbox”), you see a listing of prod- ucts the Google algorithm deems a good match, based on the search query. The data that populates the plusbox come from the advertiser’s Google Merchant Center feed. When a searcher clicks on the product image or product title/description, instead of being taken to the landing page associated with your AdWords ad or keyword, the searcher will be taken to the product page specified in your Google feed. In the previous example, this advertiser can now take the interested prospect to one of seven different landing pages (the six separate product pages plus the landing page associated with the ad or keyword). The display of GPE listings is limited to the first page of AdWords ads. How to Get Your Products Listed If you don’t have a Google Merchant Center account, you’ll want to go to http://www.google.com/merchants and begin the quick process of con- figuring your account and uploading 32 | | JUNE 2010
- 37. a data feedof your products. Those merchants who have already uploaded their feed to display their products in Google Base (Froogle) simply need to click on the AdWords link under the Settings link and add their AdWords Customer ID. Finally, log into your AdWords account and, under the Set- tings tab within your campaigns, you will be able to add your Figure A Google Merchant Center ID in the Ad Extensions prompt. will be able to separate these statistics. In Google Analytics, Note that at this time, GPE is only available to U.S. you will be able to see this information in “Traffic Sources” and advertisers. “Campaigns”. Google Product Extension Strategies Impact on Paid Search Tactics There are a few things to keep in mind when setting up your GPE gives AdWords marketers quite a bit more latitude with data feed to get the best results from GPE. Since Google uses an the display of product images, pricing information and distinct algorithm to determine what keyword phrases will prompt the product landing pages. These enhancements bring AdWords display of a plusbox in your AdWords ad, you won’t have com- closer to a bona fide comparison shopping engine and could plete control over what products are displayed with specific begin to steal traffic from BizRate.com, NexTag, Shopzilla, Price- keyword phrases. Grabber and others. You can, however, optimize your feed to gain some control. As shoppers can now see thumbnail images of products and The most effective method is to include the popular, relevant pricing, search marketers may also benefit by receiving a more keywords in your product titles and descriptions. For example, qualified visitor, improved conversion rates, and lower CPAs. if the pens supplier on the previous page sells a popular style of However, marketers will need to monitor their key per- a BIC pen known both as the “BIC Clic Stic” and the “BIC Re- formance indicators (KPIs) closely, as they could instead expe- tractable Pen”, they will want to address both of those phrases rience a larger number of visits and inflated click costs without somewhere in the product title and product descriptions. a corresponding increase in conversions. This becomes even more critical when searchers use generic Also, pay attention to the amount of profitable traffic your keywords. If you know that some searchers type “custom pens”, lower-placed ads are bringing. GPE may give searchers so much some of the products should include the term “custom pens” in information at the top of the page that they will be less inclined either the title or description. Otherwise, the Google algorithm to read through and click on lower-positioned ads. may not show any of the product extensions for that query. Impact on SEO What’s the Cost to Advertisers? The potential gain for AdWords advertisers from GPE could be AdWords advertisers are only charged when a visitor clicks on a thorn in the side for those companies that rely on top organic the ad, a product image, or the short descriptive copy below rankings. Many times, Google shows three AdWords listings on each image. There is no charge when visitors click on the plus- the left side of the page above organic results. If all three listings box to view products. Additionally, there is no cost to upload or display a plusbox, the first organic result might fall well below make changes to your data feed in the Google Merchant Cen- the fold when the searcher drills into one, two or all three of ter. However, while it may seem like a win-win scenario for both those listings,. advertisers and searchers, advertisers must carefully measure GPE could cause a shift away from organic traffic to paid and analyze how the display of GPE impacts everything from traffic and, if so, marketers might see a drop in revenue from clickthrough rates, bounce rates, conversion rates and return organic listings and a subsequent drop in their SEO return on ad spend, as well as engagement metrics such as average on investment. time on site and average page views per visit. Marketers will want to assess, on average, how many paid listings are showing on the left side for their top-converting Tracking organic keywords and monitor how many of those listings Before GPE there was only one type of trackable click — that consistently show GPE listings. on the AdWords ad. Now, searchers have many more clicking Also, it will be more important than ever to look for any new options when a plusbox is shown. Marketers can and should trends in the number of organic visits and conversions; espe- measure how visitors behave based on: cially for keywords that Google tends to show product exten- 1. Clicking the ad without expanding the plusbox. sions more frequently. 2. Clicking the ad after expanding the plusbox. Finally, be open to the idea that more SEO effort should be 3. Clicking a product image. put forth on less popular or converting keywords that don’t tend Google provides an array of impression and clickthrough to show GPE with paid listings in the left column. This presents data as part of your Placement/Keyword Performance report as an opportunity to gain exposure in light of fewer ads taking up seen in Figure A. real estate. Note that all conversion data in your AdWords reports for ads with product extensions will be counted like regular conversions in your AdWords account. Since AdWords won’t Brian Lewis is Vice President of Engine Ready, and brings more give the conversion visibility separated by an ad click versus than 15 years of online marketing experience. Lewis earned his a product image click, you will need to consult your Web Bachelor of Arts in Economics from the University of California- analytics to gather this critical information. San Diego and his Masters of Business Administration from the By appending your destination URLs in the Google Mer- Carey School of Business, Arizona State University, graduating chant Center feed with unique query strings, your analytics both schools with honors. J U N E 2010 | | 33
- 38. IMPROVING {USER} EXPERIENCE WITH CONTENT DELIVERY NETWORKS By Martin Hayward As a website developer and owner, what if I told you there can be such Emerging online trends have started to change how provider purchases the hardware, software, oper- a thing as too much (and how much) traffic arrives at any given website, ating system and hires the right staff to maintain it at any given time. As such, businesses are finding it — freeing the business from the inherent risks of traffic? It’s not only difficult to predict traffic spikes. And that can be building and managing their own network. Web dangerous. If your site becomes overloaded, it traffic simply routes through the CDN network to true, but in today’s Web quickly gives prospects the wrong impression — deliver a scalable, always-on solution. So, if a user that is, a disorganized and poorly prepared company. is accessing content from a CDN, that content is environment it can It’s no longer feasible to simply guess capacity needs. delivered through the network’s nearest possible This approach will either result in overbuilding the location — decreasing load time and easing the network — at an exorbitant cost for the associated strain on the website’s server. happen more often hardware, software, and support team — or taking For example, a website owner might produce a a huge risk by not building enough capacity, which video intended for widespread distribution. Because than you might think. leaves the business at risk of Web outages or slow the video has the potential to get many views from performance. Moreover, supporting multimedia across the globe in a short amount of time, it could today requires multiple types of servers and skill be very taxing on the site owner’s server capacity. So, sets. A company might need one server for Win- the video is hosted on a CDN then delivered to the dows Media, one for Adobe Flash and another for website. Then, when a user from San Francisco mobile video. Fortunately, with the right planning watches the video, the content is delivered through you can avoid a shutdown — ensuring you stay a nearby system, even though the website’s main connected with potential customers. server might be located thousands of miles away. This model results in a better user experience. To prevent the latency and packet loss issues typical How Content Delivery Networks Work of TCP connections, CDNs use strategically placed Increasingly, businesses have started to shift the edge servers to free up capacity and lower delivery onus of capacity to a content delivery network costs. This approach results in fewer network peaks (CDN) support model. This involves hiring a pro- and surges. fessional service provider to maintain a system of Following this model, the CDN becomes a con- computers that maximize bandwidth. The service duit for Web delivery. The business may choose to 34 | | JUNE 2010
- 39. ONLINE {TRENDS} AND maintainits lighter HTML pages on its own server, but would have images and video hosted with the THE NEED FOR CDNs CDN. This alleviates a huge burden from the busi- There are several technology trends converging that are compelling ness, which no longer has to worry about unantici- businesses to rethink their Web capacity planning. Here are a few: pated traffic spikes. Burgeoning mobile Internet growth. Mobile is ramping up at a much Vetting CDNs to Ensure Quality faster rate than general Internet usage did and will realize explosive growth. There are many companies proclaiming to serve as According to a report by Morgan Stanley analyst Mary Meeker, global mobile CDNs. But be careful before making a selection. IP traffic is likely to grow 66 times its current rate by 2013. You must be sure that a chosen CDN can handle any and all traffic spikes. Here are some key attrib- Integration between traditional and online advertising. Businesses are utes to consider: incorporating Web links into their on-air ads, social media channels and other conventional marketing campaigns. Websites today not only serve as the Robust technical support. Be sure to validate that primary customer touch point, but also enhance employee communications the firm offers 24-7 support. Check with their cus- and serve as the hub for social media integration. They empower organiza- tomers to find out about their service experiences. tions to successfully launch and integrate interactive marketing campaigns. Video delivery. Not all CDNs are capable of sup- porting live video streaming. Consider your video The viral nature of social media. In the era of user-driven content and viral needs today and in the future, and be sure the serv- campaigns, a company’s Web traffic could explode as a result of just one ice provider is equipped to handle these. Even if video taking off on YouTube, for example. This is a great problem to have — you’re not producing video now, it’s likely you will in yet if the business doesn’t have the right infrastructure in place to support an the future. With the proliferation of low-cost, high- influx of traffic, it will lose the market opportunity. quality Flip cameras and other devices, video is becoming an attractive and inexpensive way to grab the attention of your target audience. Moreover, Content targeting. A new and exciting capability video seems to now capture higher ranking on emerging among CDNs is the ability to target con- Google searches, making it increasingly important tent through what’s called geoblocking. By adding for improving search engine optimization (SEO). In intelligence to content delivery, businesses can fact, video is 50 times more likely to appear on the ensure the right offer gets to the right person at the first page of Google search results than a text page, right time by targeting the ad to the appropriate according to Forrester Research. demographic using CDN data. For example, a sporting goods manufacturer could have Mobile delivery. Be sure that your CDN can deliver the ability to identify site visitors in the WebsiteMagazine.com content via a wide variety of mobile devices, such as Atlanta region, and automatically deliver the iPhone, Droid and BlackBerry. Because each de- targeted content such as promotional In practice, CDNs provide a redirect, of sorts. vice has its own specifications for how mobile video offers to those specific visitors. The entire So, instead of hosting a photo gallery at is displayed, businesses need their video files to be process can be entirely streamlined, help- yoursite.com/images/photogallery, you encoded in the correct format. Of course, encoding ing businesses to deliver more pertinent get a URL from the CDN, something like video for myriad formats is simply unrealistic. A content to site visitors. This improves the yourcdn.yoursite/photogallery. CDNs are better approach is to inquire whether your CDN user experience and the resulting impres- particularly useful for sites with many has the ability to streamline the encoding process. sion of the brand. images, videos and other media players, This way, video content can be displayed across a Managing Web infrastructure internally such as podcasts. wide range of devices, without a lot of rework. has become a costly and risky endeavor. Service guarantee. Get a written copy of the CDN’s Businesses can reduce costs and alleviate service level agreement (SLA), and an explanation these headaches by moving to a CDN model. How- of how the provider delivers on this promise. Be ever, CDNs today aren’t just about avoiding site sure this SLA is incorporated into your contract overloads. They capitalize on new capabilities to with the provider. enrich the user experience. Reporting. Your CDN should be able to easily produce reports to help gauge site traffic and other As Director of Marketing for Mirror Image Internet, pertinent statistics. Martin Hayward is responsible for developing and ex- ecuting marketing strategy for the company’s content Provisioning. Find out how quickly the CDN can delivery network (CDN) solution. Hayward has over get your site provisioned. Some providers may take 20 years of marketing experience in key areas includ- several days to perform the transition from your ing product marketing and management, market strat- network to theirs. egy, marketing communications and market analysis. J U N E 2010 | | 35
- 40. Dramatically Increase ConversionRates with Copywriting Basics By Michelle Quintana Writing great copy can be an arduous task. To be effective, you must use the perfect words and the artistic tools of writing, all while working toward a measurable commercial end: a sale. It’s easy to lose sight of the importance and power of com- Avoiding the Most Common pelling copy. Most websites stumble by spending more time Copywriting Pitfalls focusing on design and other online marketing trends that Sometimes, knowing what not to do can be enough to turn do little, if anything, to get prospects excited to purchase a your conversion rate in the right direction. If part of your product, sign up for newsletters, try a service or take any job is writing your company’s ads, avoid some of the most other desired course of action. But polishing up your web- common traps like those listed below. site and advertising copywriting can have a tremendous positive impact on your overall business objectives. 1. Creating Ads Just to Get Attention. Don’t forget: There is a huge difference between getting someone’s attention and getting someone’s business. While your ads absolutely need to command attention, they need to do so in a way that opens the door to making a sale. 2. Forgetting To Mention ‘Reason Why’ in Your Copy. One of the most important elements in ad copy is telling your audience the reason why you are selling your service or products. No- tice how I didn’t say stating the benefits, at least not yet. Strong copy reminds your mar- ket of why you want them to purchase and why your product or service is the only logi- cal choice. 3. Talking to Yourself. This sales copy mistake finds itself in count- less corporate ads, with a message that dis- tills down to: “We are the best, the biggest, the most estab- lished, and you should do business with us simply based on our saying so.” This ad message is destined to fail because there is no connection with your customer; no mention of the benefits to 36 | | JUNE 2010
- 41. them, and noone-on-one customer individualization. Is Your Copy “Readable”? One-size-fits-all simply doesn’t work anymore. People want to know that when your company designed the prod- Elizabeth Warren, a Harvard Law Professor, attorney, and consumer ad- uct or service it was specifically with their needs in mind. vocate once said, “If you can’t explain it, you can’t sell it.” 4. Failing to Trigger Human Emotion. That’s good advice, particularly in a tech world where some concepts Do your homework. Find out everything, and I do mean and ideas can be difficult to explain to consumers. In order to effectively everything about your target audience. What do they com- connect with consumers, they must understand your products and plain about that your product or service will solve? What services first. problems have they encountered with your competition? What new features and benefits do you offer that will im- Consider using Flesch-Kincaid readability tests for your copy to ensure mediately make their lives easier? How much are they will- your audience can understand the message. These tests are designed to ing to pay? Use words that convey laser-focused emotion — indicate a level of comprehension based on a simple formula that takes words that will reinforce the problem they need resolved and into account total words, total sentences, and syllables in your copy, using the solution you offer. a score between 0 (virtually unreadable) and 100 (very easy to read). 5. Using Weak Headlines. The chart below shows some scores and their corresponding levels of Believe it or not, your headline is the most important piece comprehension. As a point of reference, Time magazine scores about 52 of copy your advertising has to offer. Study after study indi- on the scale, whereas the Harvard Law Review scores about 32. Most cates that your headline must grab the attention of your US states require insurance documents to score between 40 and 50. reader and hang on for dear life in less than three seconds. If your headline fails to bite down like a ravenous pit bull, Several word processing systems have these formulas built-in. In Mi- your advertising impact will plummet. crosoft Word, the scores can be calculated by checking a box before a 6. Forgetting to Use Strong Testimonials. grammar and spelling check. In Google Docs, the score is automatically By nature, people are skeptical and will naturally resist any calculated when performing a word count. attempt to be sold anything. Testimonials are by far one of the strongest ways to ease this natural resistance and reassure readers that your product or service has made past cus- tomers very satisfied. Using photographs, first and last names, and website links in your testimonials will add even more credibility. Good Old-Fashioned Copy Salesmanship The copywriting salesmanship rules that apply to online Short vs. Long Copy copy also apply to offline print media and direct mail. No The longest-running debate since the first squire placed pen matter how sophisticated your market might be, they want to paper is as alive today as it was hundreds of years ago: Is to know the universal answer to “What’s in it for me?” long copy more effective than short? The answer is yes, and One of the greatest books ever written on savvy sales- it depends. manship is, How to Win Friends & Influence People, writ- As a professional copywriter, I believe that long copy will ten by one of the greatest salesmen of all times, Dale outsell short copy every time and my clients have reinforced Carnegie. It doesn’t matter that the book was written in this fact by reporting greater conversion rates (often in the 1936, or that several of the concepts in the book are out- double digits) with long copy. dated. The bottom line is that people are people; and how After a little market testing, the same copy, but in short you or your company sells to them and the messages form, has not always produced the same conversion rates as conveyed have not changed in decades. I suggest picking up the long copy. a copy of this book and devouring every chapter. Applying Long copy gives you the ability to tell your story with even one or two principals into your advertising copy will passion and persuasion. The details and reason why your increase your ability to connect with your audience on an solution is right for them become the fascination points that entirely new level. It is truly a timeless psychological mar- draw your readers’ interest. If your target audience is truly keting weapon that will work wonders for your ads. interested in your offering, they will read every single word Finally, take your time when writing your advertising of your long copy sales letter. copy. It really is your “salesman in print” and must convey Last year, I wrote a 32-page sales letter for a client who strong, honest and focused messages to get the desired sold a coaching service. When I asked him how the copy results. By using several of the pointers in this article, you was doing he told me that several of his new clients wished should be well on your way to seeing greater sales. the copy would have been longer because they were so interested in his services. If you’re still shaking your head about long copy and do Michelle Quintana is a direct response copywriter specializing not believe your prospects will read it, consider using strong in online sales copy and offline print media. She has written for subhead lines to guide the reader down the purchasing path. dozens of different businesses in a wide variety of industries and Remember, long copy tells the deepest of details. Short copy is well known for using psychological techniques to lure the tar- “tests the waters” and must be very powerful to draw your geted audience to action. She can be reached at Michelle@Bull- reader in, because you have a lot less to work with. dogCreativeCopywriting.com. J U N E 2010 | | 37
- 44. Finding DEEPValue withSecond-tier PPC Search Engines By Amber Speer Business.com If you are looking for that next step for incre- It’s true that Google, Yahoo! and Bing domi- mental leads, look no further than Business.com — a B2B search engine containing a large listing nate today’s search results and typically of companies offering their services to other businesses. Business.com allows you to set up generate the most traffic for pay-per-click PPC campaigns with specific keywords and ads just like the top three. You might not see the (PPC) campaigns. These powerful search amount of traffic Google and Yahoo! can pro- engines have the most money and top vide, but the traffic here is highly targeted to a user’s search. mindshare with consumers. If you’ve been in When people visit Business.com, they typi- cally search via the left hand navigation where the PPC industry for a while, you’re probably several different categories are listed. Within that category there are sub-categories — you aware that there are very few other search can actually pick what main category and sub- engines out there that actually yield positive category in which you would like to display your ads. This is what makes a user’s search results. However, I encourage you to think more targeted than a standard search on Google, Yahoo! or Bing. outside the top three and give some of the Business.com also has reporting to deter- mine how many clicks, conversions, spend, second-tier search engines a try. cost-per-click and cost-per-conversions you are receiving within a specified time frame. Just last month using Business.com I was able to gener- ate an extra 32 leads at only $22 per lead. This is great, considering my Google, Yahoo! and Bing leads are coming in at $75 per lead. 40 | | JUNE 2010
- 45. Google Business.com 7Search Facebook iPad $1.38 na $0.07 $0.67 Apps (iPhone Apps) $3.05 $0.80 $0.03 na Laptop $3.77 $0.50 $0.10 $0.69 Coupons $1.90 $0.50 $0.12 $0.55 Vacation Packages $2.38 $1.10 $0.14 na Digital Camera $1.46 $0.50 $0.13 $0.66 Sunglasses $1.17 $0.50 $0.05 $0.63 Home Loans $16.66 $0.50 $0.05 na Real Estate $2.75 $0.50 $0.05 $0.73 Coffee $1.88 $0.50 $0.03 $0.72 7Search.com PPC providers, businesses pay when a user 7Search is another great second-tier search en- clicks on a listing. gine that can drive incremental leads for your These shopping search engines provide re- PPC account. Although I don’t get as much traf- porting for retailers, and more. Not only can Shopping search fic or as many leads from 7Search as I do from they provide the number of impressions and Business.com, it’s a valuable resource to grow clicks, but also the actual revenue generated engines have become PPC campaigns. Like Business.com, 7Search fo- from items purchased, by implementing the rev- cuses on qualified leads over non-qualified, like enue tracking code. Also, these search engines an important resource the top three typically deliver. You advertise on reward retailers over time for receiving good re- a very specific set of campaigns and keywords views and positive feedback from buyers. Some- for consumers in these with highly targeted ads. Reporting is still avail- times they will allow download of a certificate able via 7Search’s interface and just last month I seal of approval from buyers rating your store delicate times of the received an additional 15 leads at $26 per lead. favorably. You can also download customer Combining my Business.com and 7Search leads, comments from those who have purchased from economy. In turn, that I was able to generate a total of 47 additional leads your store and even connect with those who left at an average cost-per-lead (CPL) of $24. This is unsatisfied. The easy part of advertising on makes them attractive significantly less than what my Google, Yahoo! shopping search engines is that you don’t need and Bing accounts are currently delivering. to create campaigns with keywords and ad text outlets for retailers. — it’s all based off the product feed from your Shopping Search Engines website. You can even have your product feed If running an e-commerce website, you must uploaded automatically via FTP to the shopping try one or multiple shopping search engine search engines for minimal upkeep. sites like Shopzilla.com, PriceGrabber.com, Today most people who are in pay-per-click Shop.com, Shopping.com and NexTag.com. All or even SEO don’t think outside the circle of the you need in order to submit your products to top 3 search engines, however there are a these websites is a site product feed — typically plethora of 2nd tier search engines out there that exported from your CMS, which includes all of can help grow your PPC accounts incrementally your products, prices, descriptions, pictures and each month. I think a large part of PPC and SEO titles, etc. Upload the feed into these search en- is to experiment and see what works, and what gines and your products will be actively listed doesn’t. If you’re struggling for leads during the in 24 – 48 hours. rough economy, you may find that these search Shopping search engines have become an engines can help get you out of that slump. If important resource for consumers in these del- you’re not in a slump, you’ll find that a few extra icate times of the economy. In turn, that makes low-cost leads can only help your cause. them attractive outlets for retailers. Shopping search engines provide users the ability to search for an item and see current stores offering that Amber Speer is a Senior Search Marketing Con- same product with their respective prices, ship- sultant at Hanapin Marketing. Amber’s primary ping and even tax. Users don’t need to go role at Hanapin is managing pay-per-click and through checkout to see how much the total is search engine optimization campaigns for a wide going to be, and don’t need to browse other range of clients. She also writes for PPC Hero, websites to find that information. Like other Hanapin’s blog on the pay-per-click industry. J U N E 2010 | | 41
- 46. ESSENTIAL PRINCIPLES OF TESTINGPOST-CLICK A Starter Guide for Landing Page Campaigns By Peter Prestipino, Editor-in-Chief Many Web professionals invest the majority of their time and budgets acquiring visitors through paid search advertising, search engine optimization (SEO) and social media marketing. However, “post-click” has captured the attention of many, and for good reason: It is the least expensive way to improve response rates, generate conversions and meet key performance indicators like time-on-site and page views. In June, 2009, Website Magazine’s “Five PPC Landing Page setting up a separate subdomain for the exclusive purpose of Design Trends” generated a huge response from readers. The testing post-click tweaks will prove useful. Should you opt for trends we identified included providing limited paths for users, a database-driven software-as-a-service (SaaS), then determin- displaying images and trust elements prominently and featur- ing the depth of service offerings desired (cost, features, sup- ing strong calls to action. These approaches have become best port, etc.) is essential. practices but stop short of revealing essential principles to suc- cessful testing after the click. Commit to Start Slow With A/B testing The variable that changed most frequently on the sites we A/B or bucket testing is a method wherein a control sample or reviewed in 2009 was the conversion tactic the website em- baseline is compared to a variety of single-variable test samples. ployed — the approach used for converting a browser into a In other words, test the performance of a landing page already buyer. Some enterprises put up a sim- in use against a landing page with one subtle difference — a ple e-mail-only registration wall, new image, an add-to-cart button, calls to action, the position- while others used more elaborate ing of sidebars, or even something as simple as background The Age of CPC content-teasing techniques and in- color. The advantage of A/B testing is in identifying the elements Retargeting depth registration processes. What quickly became clear were the many that produce the greatest improvements. A/B testing also allows you to learn from mistakes and to position landing pages for Where are the visitors you drove ways to develop a post-click cam- more rigorous multivariate testing. to your site through SEO, PPC or paign. That tends to lead to confu- SMO? Savvy e-commerce sion, ultimately paralyzing any Develop a Process and Stick With It website’s potential for improvement. You need a process — one where hypotheses are presented, merchants are not sitting idly by Getting started with landing page elements are selected for testing, creative assets are developed, and wondering, but instead explor- optimization campaigns or post- and finished pages are marketed, tested and analyzed. Break- ing retargeting; the latest Web click marketing requires a close in- ing down a post-click marketing effort formalizes your steps marketing technique. In retargeting, spection of business objectives and a and helps ensure thoroughness. Consider using a project online ads are displayed elsewhere critical review of how to go about management solution like Basecamp or others. on a site or on other sites in an ad achieving them. Start with this basic network after a customer has inter- guide and you will have a formal Start Testing, and Keep Testing acted with related content. Criteo, plan for generating results today and The most effective landing pages reinforce conversion intent; one of the leaders in the retargeting in future campaigns. the answer to “What am I supposed to do here?” It is impera- space, is unique in that it is the first tive to consider the mindset of the visitor and offer enough company to offer display ad retar- Create a Sandbox or information to persuade them to convert. With an infinite Find a Vendor makeup of visitor personas, however, and an endless list of geting using a performance-based When it comes to landing pages elements that could be tested on landing pages you might not CPC model, and it seems to be there can be many moving parts. Set- know what to test first. Remember that “first” will not be “last.” working. Criteo, whose offices have ting up a central repository for your Get started, monitor your progress and continue testing. relocated to Palo Alto, CA from Paris, landing pages keeps everything France, has worked with over 400 organized. Start by requesting ap- leading brands and is currently proval for a dedicated website or Keep these four principles in mind when starting a landing serving 4 billion retargeted ad some reserved disk space from your page campaign and remove the barriers to improvements impressions each month. IT department. As a webmaster, post-click. 42 | | JUNE 2010
- 48. Making Sense of Usability Inspections By Peter Prestipino, Editor-in-Chief It is essential today that Web professionals consider usability of websites, applications and content. Understanding the barriers to superb user experiences from both technical and human viewpoints provides the ability to make informed decisions about the core functionality that impacts performance and profits. Where most Web professionals get hung up is re- measure acceptability. Heuristic estimation is a Live From the lying upon a purely technical view of the user ex- variant on heuristic evaluation in which inspec- WM Forum: perience, when in reality there is much more that tors/evaluators estimate the relative usability of A member of the Website Magazine needs to be, and can be considered. two or more designs in quantitative terms. community online recently posted an The problem is that usability is one of those Cognitive walkthrough is a usability inspec- interesting question in our profes- tasks that often lands on the bottom of website to- tion method where an evaluator walks through do lists. The reason may stem in part from confu- the application, discussing usability issues sional-level forum about eye-tracking, sion surrounding the different approaches to through the use of a paper prototype or a working and what side of a Web page users inspecting interfaces — usability testing and us- prototype. Cognitive walkthroughs are helpful in tend to pay attention to first. That ability inspection. These are very different ap- refining requirements but does not require a fully question got us thinking and here is proaches and need to be applied under different functional prototype — so this method is unable what we found. The F-Shaped pattern situations. First, let’s make a clear distinction be- to address user satisfaction or efficiency. seems to be standard for reading Web tween the two. Pluralistic walkthrough is a usability inspec- pages but has come a long way in the A usability inspection is the name for a set of tion method where a team of users, usability en- four years since usability maven Jakob methods where a qualified “evaluator” inspects a gineers and product developers review the Nielsen conducted his study on the user interface — and this is what we’ll be usability of the paper prototype of the application. addressing below. This is in contrast to usability This provides for faster resolution to usability is- same back in 2006. The best course of testing where the usability of the interface is eval- sues and a greater number of problems identified action is to test various layouts before uated by testing it on real users. There is no short- at once, but still does not address the usability settling on one. If our goal is deeper age of usability testing services available on the issue of efficiency. engagement (more time on site, for Web. Some very well respected companies offer Even more usability inspection methods exist. example), the layout might be much these services and software solutions including Feature inspection lists sequences of features used different than if our goal is conversions. UserTesting.com, Usability Sciences, Web Credi- to accomplish typical tasks and checks for long If testing is not possible, it is safe to ble (UK) and others. and cumbersome steps that may be unnatural assume that content should follow the Less expensive to implement and able to be to users. Consistency inspection leverages the applied earlier in the development lifecycle, us- knowledge of other designers to inspect an inter- F-Shaped standard. ability inspection is ideal for finding problems in face to determine how it performs in relation to One of the interesting behav- design before final products are released. Since their own. Standards inspection (mainly for com- ioral insights from the study was that keeping costs low and a high quality experience pliance) and formal usability inspections (which "every page has reading issues beyond is our aim, let’s look at a few of these inspection combines individual and group inspections with the dominant F pattern I’m discussing methods now. elements of heuristic evaluation and cognitive here. For example, users scan in a dif- Heuristic evaluation is a usability inspection walkthrough) are others. ferent, more directed way when they’re method involving the examination of an interface Don’t be overwhelmed by the notion of either looking for prices or other numbers, and judging its compliance with recognized usability testing or the usability inspection meth- usability principles. Developed by Jakob Nielsen, ods. For the most part, they are simple to engage and an interesting hot-potato behavior heuristic evaluation is best used to identify prob- in, requiring nothing more than a sharp eye, sen- determines how users look at a list of lems in interface design, and over time has sitivity to user experience and a drive to improve search engine ads." become the standard by which all usability experts existing processes for greater profitability. 44 | | JUNE 2010
- 49. Website Magazine >>>Resource Center FINELY-FOCUSED INFORMATION FROM INDUSTRY SPONSORS Website Magazine’s Resource Center presents white papers from our sponsors that provide information, specifics, and metrics to help you make decisions for website success. Download free at www.WebsiteMagazine.com/resources. Best Practices for Pay-Per- E-Commerce Welcome Confidence: Secret Sauce Click Landing Pages Increases Email ROI for ’Net Success Once the user is on the Sending an email welcome Once customers have found landing page, make the message upon subscription your website, are they most of those few precious achieves many benefits. Most comfortable sharing their moments to make a positive importantly, it engages your personal information? Check impression. Sponsored subscribers at the exact mo- out the simple ingredients by 7Search.com ment they are most interested for customer confidence and in hearing from you. more sales. Sponsored by Listrak Sponsored by VeriSign Pay-Per-Click Search Engine _____________________________________________________________________________________800.577.1165 | 7Search.com | 1 Why Not Check Out? Use Email Metrics to Identify Pay-per-Click Campaign On average, 50-60% of Best Customers Aids Online Marketing customers abandon a Find the value of your email PPC advertising leads the way shopping cart online and subscribers, their levels of in returns on your investment don’t go through with their engagement and purchase in marketing on the Internet. purchase. Find out why, plus intent. Email data helps you Here’s how to achieve best practices for privacy identify top customers and maximum results via a policy and websites for great reach out to inactive ones. 2nd-tier PPC network. customer relationships. Sponsored by Listrak Sponsored by 7Search Sponsored by TRUSTe J U N E 2010 | .com | 45
- 50. Win a FREEiPad* For Your Chance to Win Choose Website Magazine’s Professional Level* Receive a New Issue Each Month Access All Past Issues Online - Website Design, Content, Search, E-commerce, - Exclusive to Professional-level Subscribers Marketing, Social Media, Mobile Web and more... - Search by topic, then read, print or share Visit: www.websitemagazine.com/pro *Visit: www.websitemagazine.com/pro for details on how to enter
- 51. >>> Success Corner MORE RESOURCES TO SPEED YOUR WEB SUCCESS Website Magazine Connect with Success Corner Website Magazine Throughout each month, the editors at Website Magazine report on Subscribe to Website Magazine best practices to provide readers with the framework they need to www.websitemagazine.com/pro succeed online. Here are five recent articles you might have missed at WebsiteMagazine.com Receive Website Magazine Newsletters www.websitemagazine.com/scripts/sub/ Websites you can Build This Weekend If you’re tired of the email_newsletter.aspx endless stream of product announcements and articles on “tactical Read Website Magazine Daily guidance” then today is your lucky day. Website Magazine featured www.websitemagazine.com/content some simple website scripts (six open source and two commercial) that readers can deploy in a few minutes and benefit from in the long term. Follow Website Magazine on Twitter The benefit (in addition to all those new, high-quality inbound links you www.twitter.com/websitemagazine will be building) is greater exposure with your target audience in both the search and social spaces.. http://bit.ly/bUH8Kx Become a Website Magazine Friend and Fan on Facebook Mechanics of SEO as Art & Science For those who have followed www.facebook.com/websitemagazine traditional search engine optimization best practice guidelines over the years, Search Engine Academy co-founder and Website Magazine con- tributor John Alexander shares several key insights about the mechanics of SEO for business owners who are in highly competitive industries. Visit Website Magazine’s http://bit.ly/c92oX1 May 2010 Advertisers Online Video — Is the Party Over? A look at recent Compete data • 1&1 Internet (www.1and1.com) shows that just about every major online video portal lost traffic recently. • 7Search.com (www.7Search.com) However, YouTube recently reported that users are uploading six hours worth of video per minute — a new high. So, while YouTube’s upload • Authenticated Testimonials numbers support that online video is still going strong, its unique visitor (www.AuthenticatedTestimonials.com) count — along with the other major portals — shows a significant drop. • Certified USA Business (www.CertifiedUSABusiness.com) What, exactly, is going on here? http://bit.ly/b6GGNw • Codero (www.codero.com) Essential iPad Apps for Web Designers Apple has always catered to the designer crowd. While you might not be creating or • iContact (www.iContact.com) tweaking new designs on an iPhone or an iPod Touch, the iPad brings • Internet Supervision (www.InternetSupervision.com) something different to the table. Whether it’s brainstorming a new idea or showing a client some of your work, the iPad will bring the ability to • Market Motive design effectively on the fly. With that in mind, Website Magazine looked (www.WebsiteMagazine.com/MarketMotive) into iPad apps for Web designers. http://bit.ly/9mLJjQ • PremiumWebCart (www.PremiumWebCart.com) 5 Social Shopping Backlinks for E-Commerce Many merchants • Ranking.com (www.Ranking.com) are expecting this to be a rather slow summer shopping season, so tak- ing some time now to build a few additional inbound links and position • ValidatedSite.com (www.ValidatedSite.com) your brand on virtual product shelves across the Web will serve you well • VeriSign, Inc. (www.VeriSign.com) in the meantime. Let’s look at a few must-have backlinks for e-com- merce stores and how to go about acquiring them. http://bit.ly/dj0nj6 • YesMail (www.YesMail.com) J U N E 2010 | | 47
- 52. W E BC O M M E N TA R Y With Mike Phillips, Senior Editor Do You Have an App for That? If you have already read Mobile Minutes on page 9, then you are aware of the fervor surrounding mobile and Web apps. If, like me, you read magazines from back to front, then consider this a “teaser.” At any rate, apps are getting the attention of everyone on the Web while watching TV or at — from individual users to the most profitable companies in the the office, of course. world. And for good reason. In short, we are entering a new era of You get the idea. the Web and its passageway is through apps. The point is, an app More than 185,000 apps are currently available in iTunes, as of can be used everywhere this writing — which means there are even more by the time you and for just about any- read this. Rumor has it that Android offers another 30,000 and thing. If you can provide Blackberry is slowly adding to its catalog, too. Apple has reported an app that is valuable more than four billion app downloads — that’s approaching one to your customers and download for every person on the planet. And make no mistake, your prospects, that means downloads are happening everywhere — from New York City to you have the opportunity dairy farms in Africa.* to connect with them anywhere, at any time. You are not limited Do you remember when a mere to appealing to a user’s behavior while they surf the Web. Nor are Open source CRM domain name would cost hun- you limited to what you can offer. Yes, you want to endear users dreds of dollars? At that time, it to your brand. You want to make money. But that’s the beauty of software SugarCRM wasn’t uncommon to find pre- apps — you are not chained to your core business model. These recently released a customiz- mium domain names there for the can be supplemental products to your overall company. In fact, able app for the iPad, due out taking. Fast-forward about 20 you might find that an individual app — even if completely in August. Salesforce, a years and domain names can be unrelated to your current business — can provide a stream of had for just a few dollars, but the revenue to further the rest of your business goals. Even better, a commercial-grade competitor selection is terribly thin. It’s easy to suite of useful apps could help you corner a market in your and much larger company, imagine the same scenario playing industry (see sidebar). has yet to do so. These are out in the coming years, with apps. Apps are not a passing fad. Apps are changing our very lives. two companies in the same For now, options abound and the Consider them an investment in the future of your business. Con- price is steep. sider it the cost of doing business. Better yet, stop considering and industry, pursuing the same It’s worth it. just do it. audience but with radically If you stop and think about it, Let me offer one piece of advice when building an app, or pro- different business models and apps can go places that the Web moting an existing app: Update as much as your budget allows. If cannot. They can be used on a there is one thing that keeps me interested in an app — no mat- sizable differences in revenue. boat. They can be used in a car. ter how infrequently I use it — it’s when that little red circle on my One of them is now leading They can be used in the bedroom, iPhone tells me I have an app update. I wonder what it is... the way in a new, rapidly- and in the neighborhood bar. They Click. expanding marketplace. can be used on the sidewalk or on the golf course. They can be used *See page 9. 48 | | JUNE 2010
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