Velleity is a word that has dropped out of the general vocabulary, unfortunately. I am attempting to bring it back, as it has more relevance now than ever.
Velleity is a desire to see something done, but not enough desire to make it happen. Wow!
Reporting v Analyzing
In my analytics training classes I ask the attendees about their analytics reporting routine. Sometimes I make fun of the in-house analytics that has to report numbers like unique visitors, hits and sessions. Then, they spend the rest of the month justifying why that number was higher or lower than the prior month. Unfortunately, as I make that statement I see too many heads nodding in agreement. I feel for those people who are locked in a never ending cycle of velleity. Companies that understand that analytics can be valuable, but not enough to change their culture, provide the analyst with the tools they need, or provide them with the freedom to make changes that will improve the profits of the company itself.
These are what I call “Caveman Analytics.”
Unfortunately, too many businesses are trapped into thinking that big numbers are impressive. Big numbers = big business, right? But what do you do with those numbers? How does that affect your strategy?
Questioning the Strategy
As soon as someone starts asking questions, the house of straw blows away. Simply reporting numbers is not an analytics strategy, and it certainly will not lead to any amount of website improvement. And yes, I do know of some companies that include “Hits” in their monthly reporting. (If that is you, reporting hits, stop. Hits are not a count of any relevance for your marketing. It’s just a big number.)
Questioning As a Strategy
Questions are the foundation for our learning. They expose motivations and require explanations. Many corporations and businesses are famous for encouraging the heads-down, lock-step agreement survival tactics. Asking questions is not popular, nor is it encouraged. Asking questions is perceived as rebellion, rather than progress. In the 60’s the radicals told us to question authority. Now that they are in authority, the last thing they want is to be questioned.
Neil Postman speaks about the importance of questioning, saying “question-asking is the most significant tool human beings have.” Even more important that software, servers and summaries, questions are an analysts’ primary tool. Postman even suggested that the reason why we don’t teach the ability to question in schools, is because eventually the students will question the teacher. Questions are subversive, but they result in people finding answers.
Questions - The Cure for Velleity
Velleity is what keeps companies locked in this mindset of reporting useless numbers. Desiring, even expecting to someday have an epiphany of change, but not willing to change the mindset or the culture of locked-in reporting to achieve it. Nor are they willing to ask the hard questions in order to uncover what must be done.
Matt Bailey is the owner and founder of SiteLogic and has over a decade in the web marketing industry. He focuses on consulting and training to help companies take control of their websites and marketing strategies.
Changes in the Industry like no other
It can be argued that no other profession has been so affected by the internet as Real Estate. I count myself lucky to have been in the industry right when it “crossed over” into the Internet age. When I got into Real Estate the agents were the true gatekeepers of information. Every two weeks, a book of listings within your county was published, and every Realtor received one. Buyers were primarily reliant upon their agent to communicate new listings to them in a timely and efficient manner. The only other source of Real Estate information was the circular in the local newspaper, published once a week.
Enter the internet, which enabled forward-thinking brokers to start placing listings online. As early as 1996, buyers were using the internet to find homes, especially if they were relocating to new areas. The advent of the internet was amazing, as it transformed the industry in a few short years. I saw amazing results from advertising properties online, and it didn’t take much for me to make the decision to pursue a career in online marketing rather than Real Estate. Stagnation?
Unfortunately, while the accessibility of property listings has increased, the level of knowledge and online marketing has not grown with the times. In fact, from shopping for homes the past few months, I am convinced that the learning curve for online marketing among many Realtors has stagnated. When Realtor.com came on the scene in 1997, they sold to Realtors, using ploys such as: “the average listing on Realtor.com receives “x” views.” I felt like the lone ranger trying to explain to my fellow Realtors that a lot of the sales lines were bad data improperly applied. It showed me a lot about the lack of understanding of technology in that industry. Some have only recently accepted that the Internet is here to stay.
Here is my recent experience from the past few months of searching for a home. They say that doctors are the worst patients. It may also be true that former Realtors who are now online marketing veterans may be the worst sellers or buyers.
Bad Photos – are you kidding me?
In this day and age of inexpensive, high quality digital cameras, you post low resolution photos that are pixilated and hard to see? Worse yet, you show laziness buy simply uploading everything you took a picture of?
If I had my house on the market, I would be going ballistic on my Realtor, as there are no excuses for :
Low res, pixilated photos
Blurry pictures
Pictures of toilets and mirrors
Less than 3 pictures uploaded for any listing
Cameras held at an angle, making everything look like it’s on a slope
pictures of beds, which I am not buying
No pictures of the items listed in the description. If there is a workshop – take a picture!
Each one of these things is something that can easily turn off a buyer. Not taking the extra time to take a good picture, not considering presentation, and not labeling photos will negatively affect the buyer’s decision as they shop online. Not enough information is one of the worst problems an online listing can have.
Realtors and Responsibility
Pictures are meant to present the sellers home in the best light. Can a little thought be made about the selection and the quality of pictures that are used? The responsibility of the listing Realtor is to represent the seller. This includes the responsibility of the online listing. EVERY part of that online listing should be attractive, explanatory, and sensible. Anything less is a disservice to the seller, who pays your commission. I am very surprised that more sellers do not get online to check their listings. I think more Realtors would be fired if sellers checked their listings.
Expectations
If the listing description highlights certain areas of the home, such as an in-law suite, over-sized garage, pond or other feature that can be a potential selling point – please, add a picture. There are so many homes that had excellent descriptions, but then no photos of any if the items described in the listing. The description is the first area we read, and it sets up the expectations, but then the lack of pictures is more than disappointing, it lessens the property.
When there are an almost unlimited number of pictures that can be uploaded, only loading two to three outdoor shots is inexcusable. If there is an in-ground pool, please add the picture. Someone may want to see it. If you have green or lavender bathroom toilets, you may want to go ahead and add it as well, just to keep expectations in line.
Anything less than 10 photos is a crime against the seller. For newer homes with more than 2000 square feet, 20 photos. Three or less is negligence. Negligence not only towards your seller, but to any buyer who is comparing properties.
Real Estate 2.0? When?
I am waiting for more social aspects of marketing to be implemented. While real estate was one of the earliest adopters of the internet (not without resistance) it has not grown out of a 90’s mentality of online marketing. The only things I can do are email the realtor, email the listing to a friend, or make a printable brochure. Some sites allow me to create lists of the properties I like with registration, which I liked, but I was still disappointed with the lack of flexibility in ranking, saving, excluding, and comparing properties.
I for one am waiting for the ability to add comments to listings. I would love nothing more than adding what I liked or didn’t like about homes, and I am sure that it would help to make some homes more attractive. I am also sure that the comments would also shock some sellers into reality when buyers can be directly honest about the home and the outrageous prices that some are asking for what they are offering.
Some comments I would have left:
The house photo is at a weird angle because of the mobile homes and cars on blocks in the neighbor’s yard.
This home advertises 2 full baths. The second bath is in the basement and has no walls.
The separate 3 car garage and workshop makes this house well worth the asking price.
The pool and the outdoor chimney are amazing, but the yard was too small for us.
URL Addresses
At my previous company, we went to extraordinary lengths to create search friendly URL’s in order to have the database of homes spidered by the search engines. Ultimately, each property had its own short, unique URL, based on the MLS number. We celebrated. Simply searching by using the MLS code in Google would result in the property page showing up in the rankings. Unfortunately, the client had no idea how great an accomplishment this was, nor the implications. Now, the average URL that I cut and past from real estate websites are well over 50 characters . . . Check this out (if you can):
These tend to break. I send these URLs by email, Instant Messaging, and SMS. My wife and I share URL’s incessantly, as it seems we change criteria every week. Sometimes, our friends help out, but rarely does anyone use the “Send to a Friend” option. Could it be that they are not visible or too cumbersome? My opinion is that people do not use these forms because the policy is not clear about using email addresses gleaned from the website. Every send to a friend form that I viewed had no clear policy or explanation of how the emails would be kept, used, or maintained.
Final Thoughts
Having been in the real estate industry and cutting my teeth on real estate websites in the 90’, it frustrated me beyond belief to see the lackluster attempts at online marketing. I would dare say that the majority of buyers are looking online before they ever contact a Realtor. How a Realtor sells a property, the pictures they use, and the description they provide, are all keys to how well they will do their job. It’s a business card. It’s an opportunity for the Realtor and their seller to shine, yet most do not seem to take the time to learn the tools or create effective presentations.
Sellers Need to Demand More
Maybe it’s the area where I live, that many Realtors seem to uncomfortable with a digital camera and creating well-crafted, marketable property descriptions. I am sure that there are Realtors out there who take the time to build an amazing online profile of the houses they list. As a seller, I would demand nothing less than a professional listing with clear, hi-res pictures that present my home in the best possible light. Anything less would be unacceptable.
A friend pointed me to a Realtor’s blog where he has created the Bad MLS Photo of the Day. I like his style, and I am sure that he will have a never-ending source of content.
Matt Bailey is the owner and founder of SiteLogic and has over a decade in the web marketing industry. He focuses on consulting and training to help companies take control of their websites and marketing strategies.
Anyone who has worked for or run a small business knows how hard it can be to get good marketing advice. Everyone from the high priced consultant to the guy you buy your laptop from has advice on how to get ahead online. Most of them are wrong. It can leave a small business owner so desperate for advice, they’ll take it from anyone. Even the guy sitting next to them on the plane…
This week, I happened to be “that guy.”
On a late night flight to Cleveland, I found myself sitting next to a woman and her young daughter. We were having a nice conversation when she mentioned she had started her own business but was frustrated with her website. Of course my ears perked up and my attention was captured. I’ve heard my fair share of stories of bad advice, but this woman’s story was right up there.
She spun a long tale of woe, recounting bits of advice she’d endured during her short career with this website. I sat amazed as she shared with me the advice she’d been given and the thing she’d been told to do.
I realized that many people offering advice about website marketing read an article or two and feel as though they have it all together. Others seem to be coming from plain ignorance. And the person who pays for the bad advice? The business owner, who is usually on a shoestring budget and just wants to run her business.She doesn’t have time for unfounded, groundless advice that could potentially destroy her business.
Unfortunately, I cannot educate those who feel that they know everything already. People who are well don’t need a doctor. But I can do everything in my power to be sure that small business owners have the information they need to correctly build and market their website. All they want are straight answers in a language they can understand.
Moving to GoDaddy
One consultant told her she needed to move her website to GoDaddy’s platform. She transferred the domain registration, her email accounts…everything. Unfortunately it took a few weeks of frustration before GoDaddy support realized she was Mac-based. GoDaddy’s sitebuilder program is incompatible with Mac OS. GoDaddy’s advice? Buy a PC. Needless to say, it took just as long to get everything off Godaddy and back to her original registrar as it did to transfer things over in the first place. The result? Countless hours and dollars wasted from really bad advice.
Search Engine Submission
The next thing she was told was to pay for a submission service to search engines. This is where I had to bite my lip to keep from exploding. No one has had to submit a site to the search engines since the year 2000. Search engines have programs called “spiders” that will find your website and download a copy of your site to their servers. Submitting your site to search engines is a thing of the past. It’s not necessary and usually a rip-off offer. $29.95 to submit your website to 100 search engines? Name six of them.
Search engines will naturally find your website. Read the Google guidelines. In fact, anyone who has anything to do with creating, programming, developing, and marketing a website should be made to read those guidelines. Search engines want your website, and they work hard to get it. Just by picking up a few links to your website, you can ensure that the search engines will find your pages.
Domain Registration
Amazingly, all of the advice to this point was enough to make me scream out in frustration, but that wasn’t the best part. Her Mac guy, who helps her computer run smoothly, tells her that the “trick” to getting into Google . . . . wait for it . . . . is to register her domain for 10 years.
[blink]
Seriously.
No wonder the internet is such a mystery, and business owners make what they think are good decisions based on advice, only to have zero results. With this kind of advice, zero result would be preferable to the lost hours and ill-spent money.
Registering your domain for a few years; whatever you think will make sense is the best advice I can give. There is an element of the algorithm that is debated about the length of time that it is registered. Anecdotal evidence suggests that domains registered for a year are not as reliable as domains registered for 10 years – based on the ideas that the owner has made a commitment to the domain.
I can understand that – it makes sense. However, this item alone is not the primary part of the algorithm! It is a very minor part, and there are so many other intricacies that are much more important than the years of domain registration that you purchase. Logically, if everyone went out and re-registered their domain for 10 years, what then? Who is most relevant?
Straight talk.
The basis of website visibility in the search engines is your architecture, content, and incoming links. Those are the fundamental principles of building a website marketing strategy. Everything else supports these principles. The rest is details. For a small business owner, here are the basics:
Build a site that is focused on your goal.
Provide a clear goal for the visitor; contact form, phone number, clear directions.
Write keyword-focused summaries about each page in the Page Title and Meta Description.
Get website links from business associates, directories, local memberships.
. . . and then read the Google Webmaster Guidelines. I am surprised how many people have not seen this document. It is a true road map for any business owner who has questions about how your website should be built.
Matt Bailey is the owner and founder of SiteLogic and has over a decade in the web marketing industry. He focuses on consulting and training to help companies take control of their websites and marketing strategies.
When it comes to blogging, I find myself on both sides of the coin. Here at SiteLogic, we heavily advocate blogging for business as a great customer service/link/traffic resource. We also know how valuable it can be to have an influential blogger talk about your company or product.
On the flip side, I am also a hobby blogger with a decent following and increasing influence in my niche.
Even if it’s positive, don’t talk about us
On my hobby blog, I frequently write about my experiences as a volunteer with a local non-profit organization. I believe wholeheartedly in what we do and the benefits of our service, and my goal in sharing my stories is to spread the word. I want people to know this service is out there for their family members or as a volunteer outlet. And I’ve had great responses from my readers.
Until the organization discovered my site and asked me to stop talking about them.
While they appreciated that I said good things about them, they were worried that they could be hurt. And they were especially concerned that, heaven forbid, I had used their organization’s name. Somehow, all that great stuff I said was going to come back and bite them.
I’ll certainly respect their wishes, but I’m disappointed that their views of the internet, blogs, and online marketing are so misinformed. Even if someone is giving you negative press, it’s a bad idea to ask them to stop. It only feeds the fire. But why get in the way of someone who talks glowingly about you?
The single PR spokesperson is out
I studied public relations in college, and one of the points the professors drilled into our heads was that an organization needs ONE spokesperson. That ONE spokesperson knows the company and its core message, and is adept at handling media and other people invested in the organization. The idea was to avoid conflicting messages that would reflect badly.
And years ago, it worked. But now, people no longer trust ONE representative advocating a unified, and perceived inauthentic, company marketing spiel.
Hail the unintended spokesperson
With the advent of the internet, everyone with a connection now has a voice. If someone loves—or hates –your product or service, they can talk about it and have lots of people listen. When they feel strongly enough to write about it, especially positively, they are staking their reputation on you. When their reviews prove trustworthy, other people start to listen.
Your customers are reading reviews and blogs and forums and making their decision to buy based on what other customers say. They aren’t making decisions based on your corporate about page or how great you say your customer service is. They are listening to online “friends,” many of whom they’ve never met but have come to trust. Sometimes these influencers are customers, sometimes they’re employees, sometimes they are just brand evangelists. They are men and women of all ages, backgrounds, careers, education, and interests. And they have a lot more to do with how you are perceived than you do.
Embrace those who want to talk about you
Countless organizations have embraced their “unintended spokespeople.” And plenty haven’t, doing themselves and their most loyal customers a great disservice.
Jared of Subway fame is a classic example of embracing an unintended spokesperson. He lost over 240 pounds eating turkey and veggie Subway sandwiches, talked about his experience, became a brand evangelist, and then was brought on as the official Subway guy. When Subway discovered him and the story he was sharing, they encouraged it wholeheartedly. Jared had a great experience with this company and talked about it before he ever appeared in a commercial, which is what makes him so trustworthy. Subway didn’t respond by saying “How dare you use the phrase Subway Diet! Our marketing director didn’t endorse that.” No, Subway went out on a limb and provided more outlets and actually paid Jared to keep talking.
If you find people blogging about how great you are, find ways to encourage them.
Send them samples of new products, give them a free membership, offer whatever service you can that will show your appreciation (and give them reason to talk about you even more).
Ask their opinions on your customer service, marketing campaign, whatever you think might interest them and their readers.
Give them exclusive information, interviews, or breaking stories.
If nothing else, at least say thank you!
These are just a few ideas of ways to appreciate your unintended spokespeople and to encourage them to keep talking. Keep in mind, though, that your focus should always be providing value to them and their readers. The positive efforts you make will spread like wildfire online and will help your bottom line more than any on or offline marketing campaign. Poor handling will spread even faster.
While the old adage “any kind of press is good press,” doesn’t necessarily ring true with the internet, good internet press is the best kind of marketing you can get. And even better, it doesn’t cost you a thing beyond being willing to give up a little control.
Jackie Baker is an internet marketing analyst at SiteLogic with concentrations in usability, information architecture, SEO, social media, and online PR.
The importance of words
Mao Tse-Tung understood the power of words when he wrote that “words are like little dynamite sticks in people’s minds . . . .” He was talking about communism, but the same holds true for marketing. Words are much more than labels, they are potential explosions that will connect and create an emotional response. Don’t let your website languish with wimpy, neutered copy. Create explosions with the power of words.
I Love Tractors!
I’ve been watching a few websites over the past few years. Watching the evolution of design and content on certain websites has always been a game, and a nice way to keep the pulse on the evolution of marketing on the internet.
The interest in the first was one spawned by Nick Usborne, after listening to his presentation on Writing for the Web in 2004. He showed the John Deere website that had promotional copy for the 4000 series tractor that was some of the softest, spineless, non-committal and vague content one could ever find. Don’t take my word for it, Nick’s caption for this example was “What has the reader learned?
The content reads:
Underneath their familiar green and yellow exterior isn’t just a redesign of the compact tractor, but a transformation. Where power is no longer measured by horsepower. Where implements practically attach themselves. And comfort is no longer at odds with productivity. One hundred and twenty improvements. Zero gimmicks. And countless firsts. These tractors are ready. 120 Improvements. Countless Firsts. Zero Gimmicks.
Neutered content
This content has no flavor, no meat. It’s boring and borderline ridiculous. They aren’t selling luxury cars here; they are selling tractors to people who have very specific needs. The funny thing is that I was in the market for a tractor, and this hit home. I was looking for something that I can get dirty tilling, mowing, digging and landscaping. Not something that looks nice on a glossy brochure. Plus the fact that NO attachments attach themselves – that’s just an out and out dirty lie. Power is no longer measured by horsepower? Please – that’s just insulting. Can it drag fallen Oak trees? Because that’s what I NEED.
Get More Done
Fortunately, things change and most times they get better. The new page for the 4000 series tractor makes so much more sense – as if they realized that people have needs, and this page speaks to it!
Content:
GET MORE DONE
With 133 attachments available you can:
Mow up to 20 acres
Till up to 5.5 acres
Lift up to 2728 lbs
Dig with a 36-inch bucket up to 8.5 feet deep.
Now that’s action – those factors speak to my needs for a tractor! This makes me excited, this allows me to envision the possibilities of what I can do, and creates the need for me to own this tractor.
On the down side, this amazingly explosive content is tied up inside of an image, rather than allowed to live on and propagate in an HTML format. Placing this content inside of a graphic keeps it contained to those who see the graphic. Allowing it to be HTML text allows it to be searchable and published in search results, copied, sent, and highlighted by those people who, like me, love this tractor stuff.
Words
The other site that I found a while ago was petsafe.net.
The homepage just struck me as soon as I found it, as it was very generic and totally image-focused. The main problem is that it was focused entirely on one image. Unfortunately, the navigation did not help this site, as the first navigational choice was “product information”. Now think about this for a second. The word product does not carry any power at all, it’s a generic word. The second problem is that the word is singular. There is no visual or contextual indication that there is an entire catalog of pet supplies. The large image dedicated to one product and the non-contextual navigation stop any user that does not have a need for that particular product. Nothing draws the viewer into the website.
Fast-forward a few years, and the new PetSmart website is miles beyond the prior installment. This homepage provides a clear explanation of the website:
Safe Pets. Happy Owners. Awesome tagline! You know what they sell and what they are about in only a split second of looking at the page. The links and groupings allow people to instantly get into the deep content of the website, either through the pet product finder (relational links) or specific product links (utility links).
Thankfully, the navigation was changed to “Products” which is still generic, but plural, implying many more products are available through that link. The new page has much more emphasis on content, the customer testimonial is a nice bonus, and the content directs people to the importance of loving your pet. This connects on a different level, as you will buy products to protect and benefit your pet because you love them, not so much because you need to be sold into it.
I am assuming that the change in this site to this new homepage has made a significant impact of increased traffic and search engine rankings. By implementing more html-based content, it gives the search engines a little more ammunition for contextually classifying your website. But the best result of creating content that connects with readers is that it works. It provides benefits, ideas, answers. And that’s what people are looking for.
Creating Explosions
I love seeing companies get the content right on their websites. I don’t mean explode from the bulk of content, but exploding in relevance and power. Too many companies rely on spineless, filler content in the place of real words that have actual meaning. Customers aren’t looking for filler, they are looking for explosions that will motivate and inspire them to action.
Matt Bailey is the owner and founder of SiteLogic and has over a decade in the web marketing industry. He focuses on consulting and training to help companies take control of their websites and marketing strategies.
As I wrap up my sixth month as a bona fide internet marketing professional under the influence of Matt Bailey, I’m starting to hit my stride. I’ve figured out in which areas I’m naturally talented, what most interests me, what is effective and what isn’t, and what I’d still like to know more about. Besides, this industry is constantly evolving and there is always more to learn.
So I am beyond excited about attending the Small Business Marketing Unleashed conference in Houston on April 21-22. Facilitated by the team behind Search Engine Guide and Small Business Brief, Unleashed is a two-day intensive conference complete with workshops, networking events, and a host of talented and knowledgeable speakers. It’s geared towards small business owners and newbies to the internet marketing industry.
I’ve been fortunate to quickly build a solid search engine marketing foundation working under Matt here at SiteLogic. But I’m not about to pass up a chance to learn from some of the best in the business!
Helping Small Businesses Level The Playing Field I’ve always loved working with small businesses to help them make their communications more professional and effective. And the great thing about online marketing is that the internet levels the playing field between big business with big advertising dollars and small business with, well, not so much. With some SEO and a great link building campaign (for starters) a small business website can rank right up there with the big guys. And it doesn’t cost tons of money (or even very much) to get there.
Unleashed is geared towards small businesses and internet marketers who want to get the biggest bang for their buck out of their websites. Whether your site is geared towards sales, leads, memberships, or page views, the sessions at this conference will give you practical, easy-to-implement tools and strategies to vastly improve the effectiveness of your site.
The conference is purposely being kept small in order to facilitate the best possible learning experience for those who attend. Instead of a major industry conference with thousands of people and basic sessions, Unleashed will dig deep into each topic.
Practical Sessions And Workshops The sessions and workshops I’m planning to attend are a nice mix of topics I know something about and ones I know little about. Regardless, I’m expecting to learn a lot from all of them. The first day of the conference is informational sessions. The second day is filled with a variety of intensive workshops to supplement the sessions from day one. Topics I plan to attend include:
Keywords and Content. This workshop is all about how to choose the right keywords and then integrate them into your content. It’s about a whole lot more than just title tags.
Link Building. I know why it’s important to get links, and I know how to get them for my blog. But I’m going to this workshop to learn how to plan and run an actual link building campaign. It focuses on creating a long-lasting strategy that will improve traffic and sales as well as rankings.
Viral Marketing. I know a bit about viral marketing, the buzz phrase of the day. But I need to know how to actually plan and implement a viral campaign; what works and what doesn’t; and how to identify key “influencers.” All of these are key topics for this workshop.
Blogging for Business. I’m a big believer in blogging for gaining links and traffic, branding yourself as an expert, and for fun. I’ve seen firsthand how successful running a blog with a few key tactics can be. This session will cover blogging as a component of your greater marketing scheme. It includes tips and tricks for building your blog and audience.
Those are some of the sessions that interest me most, but they all look amazing. I wish I had Hermione’s time-turner so that I could check them all out! Other topics include:
Site Architecture
Social Media Marketing
Web Analytics
Site Clinics
Building a Community
Paid Search Advertising
Knowledgeable, Approachable Speakers
The speakers for the Unleashed conference really are some of the best in the business. I’ve had some contact with several of them, met several personally, and read blogs for most of them. They really do know their stuff. Their expertise is also recognized by other top industry professionals.
Most of them will be available after their sessions and during various network events. They love to meet you, answer your questions, and talk about the industry or life in general. (Personally, I can’t wait to meet Christine Churchill and talk to her about that gorgeous horse I’ve seen in her profile pictures.)
Register Now And Get A Discount
The total cost for Small Business Marketing Unleashed is $975 and includes all of the sessions and workshops, a networking dinner, and a flash drive with conference materials. Enter the discount code PUPPY when you register and get a $100 discount. Workshops are limited to 50 people, so register soon to make sure you can get into the ones you want.
Jackie Baker is an internet marketing analyst at SiteLogic with concentrations in usability, information architecture, SEO, social media, and online PR.
The ROI of Search Engine Optimization, Usability, and Analytics.
I’ll tell you why I love what I do. I love helping other people be successful in their business. And this industry provides the tools for making an impact. Right now.
SEO, Usability, and Analytics are the best investment that you can make for your online business. If you have never looked at optimization, usability, or ‘real’ analytics research for your website, then you have missed a wide-open opportunity to get the most out of your website.
These three factors have always resulted in success on many websites, and when combined, they are even more powerful in their results. Even websites that experience at least one of the three: search engine optimization, usability, or analytics; will experience a drastic change for the better, as each one provides significant direction to improve your website.
Regardless of the purpose of your website, selling stuff, getting leads, or page views, utilizing these three methods of website improvement will pay off far beyond your investment in a specialist, in-house training, attending a seminar, or however you choose to get it done.
Analytics = 900% to 1200% ROI Forrester research showed that a company that brings in a dedicated analyst can result in a 900% - 1200% ROI. That’s something to get excited about. In my experience, that return can usually be experienced within the first few months of implementing the changes that the analyst recommends. The biggest problems will be identified first.
Usability = 80% to 200% increase in desired metrics.
According to Jacob Nielson, usability improvements six years ago averaged 135%, now it has fallen to 83%, (it’s higher when you look at specific metrics). The main reason is that designs are getting better than what we were accustomed to viewing in the 1990’s. However, from personal experience in usability, website sales in ecommerce sites can improve dramatically simply with a usability review. I have worked on some projects were the ROI of the usability changes was over 4000%. It’s amazing some of the obstacles that are placed in front of users, but never tested or reviewed with live subjects.
SEO = (the wildcard) 40% to 4000+%
Search Engine Optimization is the real wildcard. Some sites respond very quickly to simple on-page optimization techniques an there is an immediate change to improved rankings and increased visitors. Other sites require more attention and additional off-site or on-site optimization help, or even a full marketing campaign in order to see results. It really is determined on a case-by-case basis. However, you can’t get around the fact that a simple optimization project on a website can result in increased rankings.
The full impact of SEO cannot be fully measured, as factors such as “the long tail,” ranking positions, and tracking systems make it very hard to calculate the true return from an SEO campaign. Not the least of which is that SEO campaigns have grown far beyond what they were in the past. Simply placing keywords in the title tags is not the primary concern of the Professional SEO. Search Engine Optimization has become more more integrated into the entire marketing process, which makes ROI in this area very hard to nail down as a general rule-of-thumb for all types of websites.
Combined Campaign = Exponential Results
Amazingly, when any of these disciplines are coupled together, the ROI factor increases. SEO combined with Usability provides amazing results and will usually result in a change of website navigation and architecture. Usability combined with Analytics will usually produce SEO-type recommendations and improvements, along with significant awareness of the visitor and their tendencies on the website. You may not like what you learn about people’s opinion of the site after that type of review. However, implementing those changes will provide a dramatic return on the investment.
After attending last week’s Search Engine Strategies, I saw first-hand that the (possible?) recession, while on some people’s minds, is not going to stop business, and it won’t stop online marketing. Savvy marketers will take this opportunity to improve the customer experience and get the most out of their websites.
This is why I love what I do, and why I focus on these three areas first when marketing websites. Most companies want to run headlong into the social media game, when they have not even taken the first steps to get the most out of their own websites.
Improve the experience at home first, and then invite others over.
Matt Bailey is the owner and founder of SiteLogic and has over a decade in the web marketing industry. He focuses on consulting and training to help companies take control of their websites and marketing strategies.
As a search engine addict, and a search engine marketer, I’ve been fascinated with the evolution of the search engine ever since I started marketing online, well over a decade ago. One search engine always attracts my attention, especially over the past two years, with great innovation and features. And no, it isn’t Google. It’s Ask.com.
Multimedia is Content
Ask got people talking early last year with its breakthrough 3-D interface. I was able to enjoy this interface to the fullest a few weeks ago when my child was doing a school report on Glenn Miller. From the Ask search results, we
were able to listen to his recordings, view video, read his biography and see pictures. We didn’t even click on any of the search results for the first 10 minutes!
The 3-D interface is one of the best innovations in search since the spider. It recognizes that images, video, and audio are content as well, and they have integrated multimedia into the search results. Maybe you’ve seen the latest commercials, which I have to say are a drastic improvement over past Ask ads. (Chicks with Swords, anyone?)
The results page now allows searchers to get information handily and preview other sites before they even click on the result. It is the first interface that truly recognizes the needs of the human searcher. We are not always looking for text, and the internet contains a multitude of good information just waiting to be found. Ask makes it easier to uncover that information.
Mobile Speech Interface
The latest Ask innovation made me stand up and take notice. Ask has gone beyond the browser boundaries with the newest search feature. Typically, mobile browsing has been a stripped-down version of the web interface, usually a simple list of links.
Last month, Ask unveiled a voice-activated feature for mobile directions. This feature allows you to speak the address when searching for directions. Within seconds, you receive your directions. Even better, you can choose driving or walking directions as a list or turn-by turn.
I can’t tell you how many times I have attempted to type in directions to a mapping program or the search interface (not while I’m driving, of course), or have been in a city and just needed to know where something was.
Ask has driven the human-computer interface deeper by allowing a more immersive experience, first with the search interface, and now with the Star Trek inspired speech interface. I am very eager to see what the Ask.com team will unleash next.
One for the Privacy Advocates: Search History
Oh, and by the way, Ask not only deletes your search history after 18 months, but allows you to step up your privacy with Ask Eraser. Your search activity is deleted within hours. Now this isn’t the search history on your browser, it’s the search history that EVERY search engine keeps on you in their database. Remember when AOL accidentally released user search histories? Other search engines haven’t been as honest about your search history, and how long they keep it.
take a look at the innovation over the past year at the Ask.com Blog. I am sure that you’ll be impressed with the dedication to the user experience.
If you haven’t used Ask.com lately, I challenge you to take a test drive for a week and use Ask as your primary search engine. Try the customization features and explore. It may not be for everyone, but it may be just right for you.
Matt Bailey is the owner and founder of SiteLogic and has over a decade in the web marketing industry. He focuses on consulting and training to help companies take control of their websites and marketing strategies.
From years of troubleshooting websites for companies, I have consistently run up against the same problems. The size of the company, or the website for that matter, has very little to do with these problems, however I usually find that larger companies have these problems at unusually higher rates than smaller companies.
Each of these problems can kill your internet marketing campaign in the search engines. They have critical importance in allowing the search engines to properly download your website to their servers and then analyze all of the information in your webpage’s code. Having your website downloaded correctly to the search engines is the first step in organic search marketing, and these issues are at the foundation of the organic strategy.
Web Programming for Marketers
A better title for this might be IT for Marketers, as both groups need to work together for a successful strategy. As much as IT needs to understand the goals of the marketing campaign, marketing needs to understand the many details and constraints of the IT group.
1. Robots.txt File
This is the first place that I look for problems in a website. This is such a simple file, and usually webmasters are the primary people that deal with this file. In larger organizations, it can be years before anyone checks this file for accuracy, or even to verify that it exists.
The purpose of the robots.txt file is explained in a past article, and it is a critical file for the search engines, as they request this file before downloading the pages of your website. If they request it, there should be a file there. But be careful. One misplaced forward slash can make your site invisible in the search engines.
2. Homepage Redirects
Redirects are many times the product of a content management system. You can spot this if you’ve ever typed in the domain of a website, www.domain.com, and the page that you end up on is www.domain.com/base/index.com (or something similar), a few levels deep.
Here is what happened:
The root level page is what you requested: www.domain.com. However, a redirect forwards the user to the actual content page, which is no longer on the root level, but in a subfolder (/base/).
A redirect is like a forwarding address. When you move to a new house, you fill out a mail forwarding slip to notify the post office that you’ve moved. A redirect is the same thing. The redirect notifies the person (or search engine) who requested the page that the page is in a new location, and send them there.
There are two types of redirects, 301 and 302. A 301 redirect means that the page has moved permanently. A 302 redirect means that the move is only temporary. 301’s are the preferred method of redirecting.
A slight tangent
Sometimes, a hosting company will tell you that they cannot do a redirect on the server. They will tell you to do an on-the-page redirect. This is not a recommended method of redirecting, as the search engines do not like this type of redirect. It was once used as the primary means of fooling people into visiting adult sites in the late 90’s. I never recommend using this method, as the 301 redirect on the server is the best method to use. Anything else can bring additional problems, and are not as “clean” as the 301. back on track . . .
If your hosting company tells you that they cannot perform a 301 redirect on the server, get another hosting company – it’s that simple.
Here’s why the homepage redirect causes problems. Most people link to the root level domain (www.domain.com.) However, if your page is not there, because it has moved to a new location, the links are all pointing to the wrong place. The search engines will see the 301 redirect and will usually assign the link value to the new page. However, the impact is not as great. The page with the content is not the page where people are linking. That lessens the value of both the content and the links.
3. Javascript Navagation
I don’t see this much, but when I do, it’s usually done by a big company with a kludgy interface. Take www.coca-cola.com for example (which uses a horrible redirect sequence as well).
The primary navigation is built with JavaScript. The Corporate Links have an actual HTML link in the script. However, none of the primary country links have an actual URL that can be followed by the search engines. If JavaScript is all script and no links, then there are no page links for the search engine to find. You can spot this by looking for the href= prefix in the script. The link to the page should follow in quotes.
If the link simply has a “#” following the URL, then that’s a sure sign of JavaScript. It’s not a page request, its script. You think you can’t understand HTML code, try looking at JavaScript. No wonder the search engines avoid it.
4. Canonical Domains
This problem leads us back to the forwarding address illustration. Let’s say you have a home, but you decide to put three, or four or maybe ten mailboxes out in front of your house. Which one will the post office deliver to? Will it be the same one every time? Or will they just pick one, use it, and ignore the rest? If so, will it be the mailbox you wanted them to use?
This is what happens when a page on a website can be seen with more than one address (URL). A classic example is Brookstone.com. The homepage is accessed at multiple URL’s:
Here is a case of three mailboxes for one home (homepage). Which one is the *real* homepage?
. . . and because the navigation builds dynamically, each page can have potentially hundreds of URL combinations. But that gets really tricky to explain. Suffice it to say that it’s a BIG problem for Brookstone in the search engines.
5. Legacy Spam
This issue is not limited to big companies, but I am always surprised to see it. I’ve found too much of it on Fortune 500 company websites to dismiss it as an accident. Usually it was done by a third-party SEO company (and I use the term ‘SEO Company’ loosely). Because the website was not being spidered by Google, usually because of the four problems outlined above, a company decided to create new pages on the website in a structure that the search engines could find.
This is usually done with what we call invisible text. It’s usually white text on a white background, or other similar combinations. The link text is the same color as the background as to hide it from users, but it is followed by search engines. The links go to “doorway pages” via a simple link structure and content is provided to the search engines, which then gets published in the search results. Users either end up on that doorway page, or through detection, end up somewhere in the main site.
The rule of thumb is that if the page is intended for search engines, and not for humans, you are crossing the line, according to the search engines. I’ve had to help many companies recover from the penalty imposed on them from both Google and Yahoo when they used these types of tactics.
The best means of avoiding this is to remove the “invisible” links and fix the architecture of the website. Having the search engines find your website and spider the content naturally is the best means of getting in and staying in the search engines database. Creating doorway pages and new links is only a band-aid for a larger problem, and never a good substitute.
Hopefully, you can use this article to evaluate your own website. Here are some helpful tools to evaluate these issues:
Redirect & Header Check Webbug One important little detail on WebBug: Make sure you select HTTP/1.1 instead of HTTP/1.0 - most servers are set to 1.1, but WebBug defaults to the 1.0 setting.
Matt Bailey is the owner and founder of SiteLogic and has over a decade in the web marketing industry. He focuses on consulting and training to help companies take control of their websites and marketing strategies.
Many times businesses are so focused on their own sales and return, that they neglect the very people that provide those sales. I find this on many sites, where there is no information available to make even to slightest decision about the product or about the company.
Contentment for a Dollar
This became very real to me the other day, from the simplest of situations. I went to the store to pick up a few things and saw some Play Dough in the impulse section (where the kids can see and beg for things). It was only a dollar, and they hadn’t played with some for a while, so I picked it up.
No sooner that I got it home than my daughter took it to her playroom, I didn’t see her for the rest of the day. For the next week, she spent hours playing with that Play Dough. Here’s what struck me: That one dollar investment was worth hours of playtime for her and hours of production for me. It kept her busy and allowed us to get many things done around the house. The investment of one dollar provided a massive return on investment for our family.
In a similar situation, Jennifer Laycock told me about a drop-in daycare that she has been using. She drops off her kids and goes to a nearby coffee shop with wi-fi and she can get hours of work done. After she picks up her kids, they eat lunch and are so tired from playing that they nap for 2 hours afterwards, so she gets even more time to herself. Again, the small investment pays off for the entire family.
Do companies realize the return on investment for the consumer?
Information on some sites is so company focused; I have no idea what it can do for me. On other sites, the information is simply presented in a “here it is, now buy it” format, with no persuasive content or helps to convince me to purchase. The winners are those companies that realize that if they sell to the benefit of the customer, they will create a lasting impression.
FisherPrice.com sells parenting advice more than toys. They provide age-appropriate toy selection advice and how you can educate using toys - they help you be a better parent.
Woot.com makes it fun to buy impulse items that you really don’t need. The goal is to buy it first and before they run out. The loftier goal is to buy the elusive Bag O’ Crap.
Wine.com doesn’t just sell wine, they help you become a little more intelligent about wines - you may be able to even hold your own in a discussion about a Pinot Gris.
Can you Learn from a Shower Curtain?
ThinkGeek.com sells fun in the office and products for distraction or enjoyment. Their product benefits often include stress relief or even (gasp) self-improvement. Check out how they sell a shower curtain decorated with the periodic table of the elements.
How many times has this happened to you? You’re showering, lathering up your hair, and as you read the ingredients, you notice Sodium Laureth Sulfate. Of course, you know it’s a straight-chain alkyl benzene sulfonate (I mean, who doesn’t?), but you forgot what Laureth is! The horror!
If only you had paid more attention to your Chemistry professor!
This might not remind you what Laureth is (it’s a contraction for lauryl-ether, made from the sulfation of lauryl alcohol, but you knew that), but it’s hard to deny the Periodic Table Shower Curtain’s usefulness. All the time you spend in the bathroom, you might as well brush up on your transition metals, and your lanthanide and actinide series. Jog those brain cells with some steaming hot water, and a giant six-foot tall periodic table.
The Periodic Table Shower Curtain is 71 inches square, and made from 100% EVA Vinyl (Ethylene vinyl acetate, but you knew that), and is semi-transparent with the Periodic Table of Elements printed in large friendly letters and colors.
What’s the Bigger Picture?
A family vacation is bonding, memories for a lifetime, and seeing your children marvel at the world, which is invaluable.
Toys are more than toys, they are educational opportunities.
Software is a time-saver; relieving hours of stress, work, and increasing productivity
A hotel is a relaxing and rejuvenating experience - not just someplace to sleep
Obviously, my willingness to purchase more products, buy from a company repeatedly, and recommend to my friends increases as I realize the benefit. Sometimes that realization takes days or weeks, maybe months. I also find that the longer it takes for me to realize the savings or the benefit I received, the greater my personal ROI and the increased perception of the company that provided the product or service. Interestingly, the reverse holds true as well. The worse a product is or is found to be, if it ends up costing me time and money, then my brand loyalty will diminish.
It is obvious that companies make money from selling products, everyone knows that. But how often to you sell value to your customers? How can you help them realize an ROI from their actions?
Matt Bailey is the owner and founder of SiteLogic and has over a decade in the web marketing industry. He focuses on consulting and training to help companies take control of their websites and marketing strategies.
Subscribe to Marketing Logic
Companies that understand that analytics can be valuable, but not enough to change their culture, provide the analyst with the tools they need, or provide them with the freedom to make changes that will improve the profits of the company itself.
Matt Bailey is the owner and founder of SiteLogic and has over a decade in the web marketing industry. He focuses on consulting and training to help companies take control of their websites and marketing strategies.
Jackie Baker is an internet marketing analyst at SiteLogic with concentrations in usability, information architecture, SEO, social media, and online PR.
The interest in the first was one spawned by Nick Usborne, after listening to his presentation on Writing for the Web in 2004. He showed the John Deere website that had promotional copy for the 4000 series tractor that was some of the softest, spineless, non-committal and vague content one could ever find. Don’t take my word for it, Nick’s caption for this example was “What has the reader learned?
Awesome tagline! You know what they sell and what they are about in only a split second of looking at the page. The links and groupings allow people to instantly get into the deep content of the website, either through the pet product finder (relational links) or specific product links (utility links).
From years of troubleshooting websites for companies, I have consistently run up against the same problems. The size of the company, or the website for that matter, has very little to do with these problems, however I usually find that larger companies have these problems at unusually higher rates than smaller companies.