Vroom, Vroom... Increasing Traffic Online
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Posted By Rochelle Knight on 02/06 at 03:46 PM |
In the spirit of my post-Super Bowl glow (yay Colts!), I came across this blog about Toyota Tundra’s commercials’ “actual demonstration” disclaimer.
Now, I usually don’t pay too much attention to the ads unless they’re pretty funny but I did in fact see one and thought something along the lines of “Actual demonstration? That’s weird they’d put that there since that would take a lot of work.”
Turns out I was wrong as well. More interesting to me now is that the end of the video had no compelling call to action to go to toyota.com to see the behind-the-scenes video.
Well, I went to the site today and the video -- although shorter than I expected -- is surprisingly interesting. Even though it's a great idea, I just can't help but feel that if you were going to spend money on an ad during the pricey Super Bowl timeslots, then there should have been a call to action to push viewers to go online for the video. By using a cross-media reference, the web site's traffic would have increased as well as audience exposure (to more than just the one truck) without costing any more.
Though I’m now promoting the video myself, I would be curious to see the ad campaign results in relation to the behind-the-scenes page views and compare the ad's success vs. how many people will “happen across” this page. It’s not likely I’ll find out, but I’m still curious.
The Web is a Serial Killer
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Posted By Matt Certo on 01/22 at 07:53 PM |
Laurence Haughton points us to an article from The Economist in which the Web's industry changing nature is very candidly characterized:
“The web takes its victims one at a time. First, in the mid-1990s, print media started to feel the terrifying effect of losing their monopoly on publication…in the early 2000s, the same thing happened to music…Now it’s television’s turn. In 2007 TV will have its first “music moment”—the realisation that a core audience (the 18-34-year-old male) has moved online, possibly for good.”
The Web is a Serial Killer
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Posted By Matt Certo on 01/22 at 07:53 PM |
Laurence Haughton points us to an article from The Economist in which the Web's industry changing nature is very candidly characterized:
“The web takes its victims one at a time. First, in the mid-1990s, print media started to feel the terrifying effect of losing their monopoly on publication…in the early 2000s, the same thing happened to music…Now it’s television’s turn. In 2007 TV will have its first “music moment”—the realisation that a core audience (the 18-34-year-old male) has moved online, possibly for good.”
One HUNDRED MILLion Web Sites (ah-ha)
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Posted By Rochelle Knight on 11/06 at 11:15 AM |
Jakob Nielsen’s Alertbox email came in and the “100 Million Websites” title caught my attention (as well as started me quoting Austin Powers / Dr. Evil lines in my head). Those who use the web always talk about the internet in terms of “large” and “vast” and that weird cloud image but probably never really think about what those words really mean when it comes to numbers. The article quotes "even if only half the sites are maintained, there are still more than 100 M sites that people pay to keep running” --- that’s a lot of information out there… 101,435,253 million and growing to be exact.
Nielsen, one of the founders and advocates of web page usability (read his bio), further goes into a little bit of the history of web sites, the growth stages, web usability changes, and future predictions. Ultimately it’s just a teaser for an upcoming seminar on web usability but I thought this information was interesting in showing how many people currently use the internet and not just for searching.
So… 200 million by 2010? I agree with Nielsen, I think we’ll surpass that as more and more companies recognize the benefits of having a presence online (not to mention the personal sites, blogs, etc.).
The Customer Speaks
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Posted By Matt Certo on 08/22 at 12:51 PM |
Someone parked their mobile opinion today in our parking lot. This particular individual seems pretty upset at T-Mobile! Goes to show that consumers do have a limit...and a will to get even when they're not happy!
On the flip side, I'm a T-Mobile customer--and a pretty happy one at that...
Google dominates Yahoo and MSN for market share
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Posted By Keith Ort on 06/01 at 09:29 AM |
Google has done something that has to have Steve Balmer and Bill Gates of Microsoft along with David Filo and Jerry Yang of Yahoo very frustrated. As of April 2006, Google accounts for 1 of every 2 searches performed in the United States according to Nielsen/Netratings. I have Google set as my default search engine at home and here in the office. The other interesting nugget Nielsen/Netratings shows is how frequently people are searching for major department stores through searches as opposed to just typing in the name in the address bar of their browser. Hopefully with Home Depot receiving more searches than Wal-Mart, it means people in the Gulf States are getting ready for today’s official start of Hurricane season.
Shooting for… Reality
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Posted By Rochelle Knight on 04/14 at 10:46 AM |
Almost everyone looking for a new Web site wants it to be the latest and greatest, to be better than the competition. But more often than not, the wow factor is not practical and you have to bring them back to reality gently in order to achieve a successful online presence while remaining practical.
MSN has a great example of a wow factor that is not realistic for this type of media: high-definition videos online.
Things like bandwidth and filesize are constant concerns for those involved with online media. In this case, high definition filesizes almost triple the standard filesize – resulting in enormous delays during download, a much slower internet speed, and poor quality of video… It would be hard to find a practical reason for using that level of clarity online for most Web sites out there.
One part of the article that stuck out in my mind was a comment by Josh Martin, an analyst for IDC:
"Is that story less compelling because it's not high definition?" Martin said. "I don't think so."
When it comes to the Web, the ability to browse through sites quickly is one of the most compelling reasons to go online. While you should always want to shoot for greatness, it's more important to accomplish your users' goals successfully than to overshoot your own.
Connecting with the fans
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Posted By Keith Ort on 01/31 at 03:48 PM |
Last year I became addicted to The Ultimate Fighter and by association, Ultimate Fighting Championship. I cannot get enough of this competition. The UFC has really turned around from what I remember watching in the late 90’s with Ken Shamrock and Dan “The Beast” Severn. Recently I was trying to get the latest news on the 3rd season of “The Ultimate Fighter” and noticed that the UFC has created individual blogs for many fighters. This is amazing to see. How many NFL teams have created this feature? None that I am aware of. The UFC has always been a grassroots organization with a rabid fan-base and having blogs for fans and fanatics to get the latest news straight from their favorite fighter really brings everything together and creates more excitement.
Get paid by Bill Gates
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Posted By Keith Ort on 12/14 at 08:50 AM |
It seems Bill has an issue with other companies hording their income selfishly so he is proposing something to change that. In his campaign to prove MSN search as the superior search engine, Bill said Microsoft may kick start a new program where you, the user, is paid to use MSN Search. In the current business model, Bill argues, Google keeps a large chunk of its revenues from advertisements. To my knowledge, Google does not publish an exact figure of how much they distribute to publishers of adSense. So would either a check or free software entice you to change your homepage from Google.com or Yahoo.com to MSN.com or Search.MSN.com?
Have a Happy Turkey Day!
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Posted By Rochelle Knight on 11/23 at 11:43 AM |
Today's MSN site features a Happy Holidays page which has some very season-appropriate stories, tips, etc. to help you out this Thanksgiving holiday. I really like the additional emphasis they put on special occasions and the easy access to this sort of information without having to search all over the Web.
A few that caught my attention were:
- Thanksgiving Shopping Guide
- Holiday airport guide
- Thanksgiving myths by Martha Brockenbrough
- Celebrating the Season
Hope everyone enjoys the holidays and has a safe and Happy Thanksgiving!!
The answer to splog.
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Posted By Rochelle Knight on 11/18 at 09:19 AM |
I've mentioned the issues with email spam attempts in a recent post but am becoming pretty disheartened with splog's increasing popularity in my life. Lately, I have been spending more and more time babysitting posts, specifically comments, to move one here, another there, to be filed in the junk section. While it's not a huge time eater, it does become tiring to deal with over and over and over and... over again. Yep, good ol' splog.
What's splog, you say? Well, some compare it to the zombies in Night of the Living Dead - seriously, read the article. But it's really spam + blog and can vary from nonsensical content, to adlinks that link to unrelated Web sites, to stolen content that falsifies search engine results (hurting those who deserve those results).
So I decided to look around a little and not only found that people who do this have nothing better to do with their time but that splogs cause major search engine issues, require you to constantly watch for malicious activity (especially if you don’t have a junk filter), and who knows what else will develop should it continue. I also came across Frank Gruber's "Spam + Blog = Splog : How Is It Affecting The Blogosphere?" post which led me to his answer to splog: SplogReporter.com. According to the site:
Splog is a terrorist to our blogosphere and needs to be stopped. This site was created for "good willed" bloggers to report splog in an effort to help to clean up the blogosphere of splog. It was spurred by the called to arms of Mark Cuban here and then followed up by a post on Somewhat Frank.
So, if you are dealing with splog, please report the site to SplogReporter.com -- if anything, so these people can find something else to do with their time. Thank you.
Hello, my name is __________.
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Posted By Rochelle Knight on 11/16 at 05:28 PM |
I'm sure our office remembers the discussions we had when trying to decide whether we should add author photos to our blog (not to mention the trouble actually determining a shot to use). Well, here's more proof that we made a beneficial decision to the Web world -- and that what used to ooze with anonymity is now becoming pleasantly personable.
Tony Ruscoe, on the Forty Faces site, commented on the benefits of including personality online and "to some extent" agreeing with Jakob Neilson's Web Usability: The Top 10 Design Mistakes regarding Web and real worlds. He also made note of these ideas becoming potential upgrades in the future for Philipp Lenssen's (the creator of Forty Faces) project.
...Jakob Nielsen claims that a photo “offers a more personable impression of the author” and connects the virtual and “physical worlds”. To some extent, I think he's right. He also suggests that author biographies add credibility to the opinions and thoughts expressed in a blog, so it will be interesting to see whether Philipp adds these to the Forty Faces site too.
With my face added to the list, I am looking forward to seeing where this will take us. To INFINITY and BE--wait, we're supposed to be people here. You didn't read that.
2 fingers on the pulse of search
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Posted By Keith Ort on 11/15 at 10:57 AM |
Google has 2 different ways for those curious enough to wonder what people are searching for and how they search. Since July 2001, Google has had their Zeitgeist available. It shows what people are searching for in various areas of interest. The great thing about it is that they archive this information. So say you want to relive what was the big story 1 year ago in January, it is right there for you.
The fun doesn’t end there for stat freaks though. I just came across an area where Google posts marketing information in various business fields. If you are curious to know averages of what people are spending to get a ROI, the information is there for you. This is all very good information and time saving for marketers.
Searching Sites or Blogs
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Posted By Rochelle Knight on 11/11 at 04:00 PM |
We've talked before about search engines’ expanded options (Web sites, photos, news, and now blogs) but it's interesting to see the increasing popularity of blogs and how this will affect searches. While there are a lot of people who still ask "what exactly IS a... blog?" (their tone dripping in utter disgust that you would mention such an awful thing), there are many others who are quickly embracing the growing community of bloggers.
Before blogs, you might have been perfectly happy to do a search for something you're interested in using Google or Yahoo!'s indexed sites. But now, with the help of blogging communities, search engines' blog searches, and actual blog search engines such as Technorati, you can also look for other people's (real people's) thoughts, ideas, and even comment on a topic whether it be healthy lifestyle tips by Kathy, traveling ideas, even movie reviews.
The options online are truly endless but will one become more popular than the other or will it always be skewed to what people have been used to? And how do you get non-technical people to understand the word ‘blog’ without going into a huge discussion?
Be Cool. Upgrade your iPod
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Posted By Rochelle Knight on 11/10 at 03:25 PM |
Wondering just what you can do with your old equipment when you want the newest iPod out there? Trade it in, of course. And the options becoming available won’t make you laugh or cry (unless it’s with joy).
Apple itself will give you a 10% discount via their Recycling Program but they’ve also been known to shut down sales before. Regardless, there are also others out there that will offer you a higher percentage for your iPod. And, if you want to try out a used iPod yourself, you can find some decent perks as well as competitors trying to get you to try their mp3 players.
According to CNN.com’s “Market growing for used iPods” article:
…Several iPods up for auction include the sellers' music collection and instructions on how to transfer the music from the iPod to the buyer's computer. Some even take requests for additional songs to be added prior to shipping.One video iPod for sale contains an entire season of TV show "King of Queens" included.
Even Apple competitors have tried to use the swap as a promotional tool. Dell offered a $100 mail-in rebate to any customer turning in an old iPod when buying one of its MP3 players…
Not a bad idea considering the ever-changing iPod models and the costs to keep up with the popularity contest.
Search Engines: Taking Phone Books Down
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Posted By Rochelle Knight on 11/07 at 02:10 PM |
I was meeting with a client about their Web site redesign and we started talking about how important it is becoming to ensure that your Web site is search engine friendly. So many people (including myself) simply throw out their bulky phone books – preferring to search for companies online (in turn making their homes less cluttered and not quite as bug-friendly – yes, another bug reference, sorry it fits).
Smileycat.com posted the other day on “10 Tips for Search Engine Optimization”. While the article referenced is very sales-y, I think some of the guidelines are important enough to repeat.
- Optimize your site for your target audience, not search engines. [You know what you’d look for to find your site, but what would your audience look for?]
- Research your keyword phrases extensively. [Make sure your keywords have a purpose and will be used by your audience.]
- Program your site to be "crawler-friendly." [If search engines can't properly read your site, they won't list your site... meaning no one will be able to find you from a search.]
- Label your internal text links and clickable image alt attributes (a.k.a. alt tags) as clearly and descriptively as possible. [A picture is worth 1000 words, but not to search engines. ALT tags are your way to tell search engines what that image is about.]
- Incorporate your keyword phrases into each page's unique Title tag. [The Title tag is one of the easiest places you can include a variety of keywords. Don’t be afraid of variety.]
Ph-Fishing Fun
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Posted By Rochelle Knight on 11/03 at 10:14 AM |
Comparable to the cockroaches of the world, phishing scams are now targeting more precise groups (it's called spear phishing) to ensure that their scamming plans last as long as annoyingly possible. In June, small, local institutions (i.e. banks and credit unions) were the target. Today, small businesses, eBay members, and even cell phone users --to name just a few-- are the prime targets.
If you're wondering "Why are you calling fishing, phishing?" Well, it's time to be educated. Phishing, according to The Daily Item's Business News, is an:
... e-mail that tries to trick you into giving away personal information such as account login names, credit card numbers, bank account numbers, passwords, PIN codes, and social security numbers. The e-mail will pretend to come from some financial or shopping site online. It will probably even use the standard graphics and advertising look of that site. And the message will claim that you need to click to go to the website and enter your numbers or codes to activate, secure, reopen, or somehow protect your account. But the message is a fake and the information will actually go to some crook who will quickly steal your money and identity.
It's also time you learned how to protect yourself by avoiding the schemes, defending yourself, and not taking the bait. While wiping out the scam completely won't be a simple task, educating yourself on how to avoid the risks will only help keep these creeps at bay.
Googling Ghosts and More
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Posted By Rochelle Knight on 10/25 at 04:39 PM |
With less than a week until Halloween, I thought it was time to start getting in the spirit of things (Yes, pun intended). So, here are a few sites I found to help put you in the mood to have a ghostly good time this Halloween season. It's also an example of how important it is to use the right keywords on your Web site. Some might even say it's a matter of life or death. Ok, maybe that's a little drastic, but using the right keywords is definitely important for search engines to allow people to easily find what they're looking for.
- Costume ideas, decorating tips, ghoulish recipes and everything else you need for a fun and creepy Halloween from About.com
- Carving Tips from the Pumpkin Masters
- Graveyard, Lockergnome's Game of the Day to celebrate Halloween
- Sesame Street's Trick or Treat Tips for Children
The WB Brings Podcasting to Viewers
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Posted By Rochelle Knight on 10/21 at 09:55 AM |
Last night I was watching this week's One Tree Hill which mentioned podcasting not once, not twice, but three (!) times. The third time was during the ending which referenced "For more information on Peyton's podcast, visit theWB.com or iTunes now." If you have no idea what this refers to, Peyton's Dad suggested she talk to a therapist so she decided to broadcast her thoughts to the world via podcasting in an effort to clear her head. Listen to Peyton's Podcast.
Anyways, I just thought it was interesting how all the talk about podcasting is spreading in popularity regardless of an individual's positives or negatives on it.
While finding the actual link for the podcast wasn't exactly effortless (iTunes required), the TV/Internet media integration has many benefits: improving ratings, captivating audiences and giving viewers an opportunity to develop a relationship with the characters. Just something to think about for other media avenues as well...
Web Writing Made Easy
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Posted By Rochelle Knight on 10/19 at 04:09 PM |
I was scanning through abstract after abstract of news stories and articles --immediately dismissing two (maybe three) here, selecting one there, ignoring another one a little further down, and so on-- and started thinking about the lack of attention people have when surfing the Web and how different getting, let alone keeping, a visitor's attention has become.
In the middle of this, a client calls to tell me they're having trouble with copy for their Web site and, although they know they really wanted to finish their site asap, they're going to need some time to figure things out. This doesn't surprise me in the least as I've become pretty accustomed to the difficulties clients run into when developing content. I'd even say that it is probably one of the most intimidating tasks a client will come across, even more so than the initial design phase, if it’s done right.
While a client didn't really call me to tell me this in the middle of my thoughts, let's pretend that one did as it is pretty believable this would actually happen. Not to mention that I really wouldn't be surprised with the notification. So, a client tells me they’re having trouble and I respond with some variation of the usual pep talk --don't worry about it, you'll be ok, we offer copywriting services, no? ok, just keep it simple, concise, descriptive, etc.-- but I wondered what other advice there was out there that might be a little more in-depth and useful across the board.
After some searching and yet another episode of sorting through lots of rejects and a few potentials, I finally came to peace with what I felt would provide a decent overview on writing for the Web. Hopefully you will feel the same. If not, well, we do offer copywriting services.
- Effective Web Writing by Crawford Kilian
- What’s Different about Writing for the Web - 8 guidelines by Trenton Moss
- Writing Well for the Web from webreference.com
Released from my shackles... almost
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Posted By Keith Ort on 10/12 at 10:13 AM |
Over the years we have been inundated with news stories talking about how Microsoft has a stranglehold on innovation and a total monopoly on the computer market with their Windows operating system. However the same people that clamor for options are ignoring the 400 pound gorilla named Linux. At home I use an older computer (I use my Xbox for gaming so I have no need to upgrade… yet) to do all my web browsing and personal finances. However I got inspired to do something silly so I acted on it. I researched that curious little ape. After trying a few of the 100+ flavors of Linux (most of which are completely and totally free of charge including getting support), I settled on Ubuntu.
Out of the box, it is great. After spending a few hours reading and learning, I noticed the quirks but I also longed for something out of my control. There are so many highly popular Web sites that embed movies into their pages. Normally this would not be an issue however when the embedded file type is that of Windows Media Player, the Web site becomes pretty useless to me until I spend about a day (still riding that learning curve) to get the work arounds running and figured out.
So this brings me to my point, with so many other people researching and trying out Linux, it's popularity growing (just check the shelves of the computer section next time you are in Borders), and the world opening up, why be closed off to a sect of potential customers and clients. Next time you are working on your project, do not ignore a group because it intimidates you. The open source community typically welcomes with open arms those who embrace them. Now its time for me to teach my new friend some tricks.
Leaving The Flintstones for The Jetsons
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Posted By Keith Ort on 10/05 at 01:28 PM |
The recording industry is focusing on their own full fledged war against thieves and consumers are suffering. However they are a perfect candidate of what happens when a business model antiquates itself over time. In their campaign to "save the artists" and protect copyrights, they are suing people who may or may not be guilty of crimes, instituting protections into cds to prevent copying that affects its compatibility with some cd players, and publicly criticizing both Microsoft and Apple who want to help, all the while, not commenting about the correlation between their reduced output and decreased profits.
In my eyes, the retaliation to the RIAA's campaign shows the power of the Internet. The Internet is giving bands a more direct way to connect with fans and hear their music as showcased by Story of the Year, Weezer, and 1-hit wonders Harvey Danger.
I can only do so much but I must encourage businesses to investigate various technologies before essentially declaring it good or evil. More specifically for us in Web design, technologies such as Flash can be great for the additional pop and wow factor it gives a page. Yet too much Flash can cause long load times for users who tend to be impatient in this evolving world of instant gratification. Just like most things we love to consume such as chocolate and alcohol, use Flash (or any technologies) in moderation.
Convergence
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Posted By Matt Certo on 10/03 at 02:24 PM |
Convergence--the notion that the Web and television will ultimately be one and the same--has long been talked about in the Web world. This New York Times article characterizes Yahoo's position on convergence and the strategic thinking of two of its leaders: Lloyd Braun and Terry Semel (CEO). Perhaps more interestingly, the article talks about Yahoo's 4-pronged competitive strategy:
Semel describes a strategy built on four pillars: First, there is search, of course, to fend off Google, which has become the fastest-growing Internet company around. Next comes community, as he calls the vast growth of content contributed by everyday users and semiprofessionals like bloggers. Third, there is the professionally created content that Braun oversees - made both by Yahoo and other media providers. And last is personalization technology to help users sort through vast choices to find what interests them.
I find the most intriguing element of this strategy to be the content piece. I think that the content (entertainment) piece is one where Yahoo currently surpasses Google. They seem to understand it more fully which come through in the site itself.
I am of the opinion that watching the moves of Yahoo and Google is a wise move for Web marketers. Most know that the two combine for the lion's share of the Web search market. Who better to both (a) understand the behavior of Web users and (b) shape the direction of content.
No to Nano?
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Posted By Matt Certo on 09/30 at 02:04 PM |
The iPod Nano has been all the rage over the past few weeks. My brother got one of the first off the line (it's now his fourth iPod). My friend Mike in Connecticutt has yet to own an iPod--he's still waiting for, as he puts it, the 'right' one to come along.
When I first saw the ads on television, I immediately thought that I needed to have one. The ad makes you really excited about the thought of having one. The effect is similar to the conversation last night on The Apprentice in which the teams were challenged with developing an ad campaign for Lamborghini.
But the more I think about it, I'm not too sure why I would want one. I have an iPod mini which works great. Most of the folks here have the iPod Shuffle. The Nano, to me, is a blend of the two: the packaging of the Shuffle with the storage space of the mini.
What does this device do for me that my other iPod doesn't already? Like much advertising, one often wonders whether a consumer's need is being met or created. With this product, I think more of the latter than the former.
Sales are rumored to be strong, though, so kudos to the Apple marketeers. By the way, if you haven't seen the Nano parody over at ifilm.com, you should check it out.
K.I.S.S. or die
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Posted By Keith Ort on 09/28 at 09:09 AM |
In an era of Super Wal-Mart, iDrive and 3 hour airport check-ins, customers want simplicity. I'm among those clamoring for a time of simplicity. Give me a bare bones car like the Lotus Elise, 30 minute meals from Rachael Ray and the news in an easy to read format. When we had a design review meeting yesterday, Jennifer brought up how some clients were asking for features that were flashy and cool but totally unnecessary. Clients should be thinking about their Web sites as if they were customers visiting their Web site for the first time. There should be no need for a tutorial, training sessions, or FAQ about how to use a Web site. A Web site can have its 37 pieces of flare and still be simple to use. Just look at the iPod.
Incentives, Incentives, Incentives
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Posted By Matt Certo on 09/26 at 11:45 AM |
Our 5 year lease on our company office suite is expiring. We're currently deciding between moving to a new building which includes a build-out to our specifications or staying in our existing suite. When I asked our current landlord about what sort of amenities (our carpet and paint are wearing) they might provide in exchange for a lease renewal, she politely informed me that they only provide lease incentives for new tenants, not existing ones. I scratched my head and asked her if we (a low-maintenance tenant that always pays its rent on time) would be eligible for incentives if we moved out first and moved back in the next day.
The question was rhetorical (and more than a bit sarcastic), but it reminded me of a few business truths that I have come to believe:
1. Your current customers are usually more valuable than your future ones. Too often in business the emphasis is placed on the latter instead of the former. (Did I mention that our current building is approximately 30% vacant already?)
2. All things being equal, people (consumers, businesses, etc.) will usually act in their own best interests. Our job as providers of value is to provide more than the next guy for a fair price.
3. An extension of #2, if I want a person or customer to behave a particular way, I usually have to give him/her a reason to do it. I'm always amazed that Dell sends me customer surveys to fill out that they say will consume 25 minutes of my time with nothing (except, presumably, more selling opportunties for them) in return. I wonder what their response rate is!
I'm not sure where we'll renew our lease or move, but I'm hoping that our current landlord will at least see it our way!