November 27th, 2010 by typhonvision

Internet Advertising has revolutionized the way we market our business in the last 10-15 years.  As Advertising traditionally reserved for companies with a large advertising budget.  Whom could afford the high cost of distribution for Media on TV, Radio, Billboards, Signage and Print.  Yet year over year, statistics have demonstrated that advertising budgets are shifting in their allocation.  Moving away from the traditional advertising systems.  While traditional advertising systems  still have there place, there is no question that budgets are being reduced in that area and increased on the Web.

When discussing the Internet Advertising systems, this includes reference to the Pay per click (PPC) and Affiliate Advertising methods.  The main topic of discussion in this article will be the PPC advertising system.  Since today, it is the most popular and by general consensus considered the most effective.

Some of the reasons for the success of Internet Advertising over traditional advertising are listed below :

Flexibility in Budget : Traditional advertising was thought to be very expensive.  And often could be unaffordable for medium and small businesses.  However the new Internet Advertising systems allow for affordability on some level for businesses.  Providing a varied range and scope with low, medium and high budgets.

Advanced Tracking and Demographics : One of the challenges of the traditional advertising systems is the inability to track down which methods produced the best results.  Like all things computerized,  the Internet advertising model allows for greater precision and measurability.  Giving a better cope of what advertising networks produce the best results for your campaign.  As well, Internet Advertising has greater potential in reaching your target market.  (Discussed further later in this article when outlining the benefits of Facebook advertisements).

More people are Searching / Shopping online : Internet phobia is reducing.  As today, often any shopping for a product or service begins with research on the Internet.  Whether your product or service is Business to Business (B2B) or Business to Consumer (B2C).

Acknowledging the growth Internet Advertising, often the question occurs which particular Internet Advertising systems are beneficial for your business.  Which can be answered first by determining whether the PPC method or the Affiliate Advertisement route is favorable for your business model.

How do PPC and Affiliate Advertising differ?

The two major categories of Internet Advertising are listed below:

Affiliate Advertisement : An Affiliate advertisement often can be seen when visiting a website which a banner ad is displayed at the top or the bottom of the website.  Affiliate advertisements are paid on the basis of how many times a significant action has occurred, such as how often a Sale or Lead is generated.  Affiliate advertisements are designed that once the user visits the site from the ad, the advertiser is only committed to pay if the consumer purchased the product after seeing the ad.  Alternatively the Affiliate advertisement can also be setup for other concrete measurable actions, such as a lead being generated.  Which the landing page of the ad is setup for the user to fill out their information as a potential lead.  Which the sales team may follow up with that lead at another point

The benefit of Affiliate advertising is that you are only paying on the basis of your bottom line results.  Therefore if the traffic numbers you receive in response to the ad are strong, but the actual sale of the product is weak, the Advertiser is not committed to pay.

Ultimately Affiliate ads are more difficult to setup and often requires someone with a fair degree of technical knowledge to setup the tracking code.  And it’s  a less popular choice since many website publishers choose not to take the risk of have an advertisers ad show 1000 times in a day and not being paid anything.  (Which is more favorable for the advertiser, but not the website publisher).

Affiliate Advertisements share greater popularity with E-commerce stores.  Since it is easier to measure the concrete trigger for the payout based on on-line sales.  Most of the Affiliate Advertising systems work with similar systems with some variations in back end management.  So recommendations will be limited in this article to some reputable companies such as Dark Blue, Commission Junction and Neverblue.  With the main purpose of this article to investigate the PPC systems, due to the greater popularity and equality.

PPC Advertising (Pay per click Advertising) : The way the PPC advertising system works is by selecting the trigger action for your ads.  In search engines like Google, Yahoo and Bing, it often is the specific keyword combinations that trigger your advertisement.  For example. when the user to types in “home renovation toronto” in the Search Engines, your advertisements appears on the top and side margins of the Search Engine results.  For social networks like Facebook or LinkedIn, it may include other triggers.  Such that if the user of the given social network is of a certain age, the advertisement would be displayed (Since enrolling in a Social network likes Facebook or LinkedIn users often include this personal information).

Once your trigger is defined, you then select your monthly budget.  Your monthly budget determines the ceiling in which you do not wish for your bill to go above.  Advertising networks like Google Adsense and Facebook start at $31 per month.  So your advertising budget can range from the minimum rate to thousands of dollars per month, depending on what you can afford.  However the higher monthly budget gives greater leverage.

Next you select what the range you are willing to pay for each time someone clicks on your ad for your selected trigger. (Ie. how much you are willing to pay when someone clicks on your ad after typing in “home renovation toronto” in Google).  The higher monthly budget will allow you to use more aggressive bidding ranges for what you are willing to pay per click.  Providing you with a wider spread per click.

Based on the bidding ranges you enter, you ads appear in a given frequency.  Where during certain days and times of day the bidding ranges are more competitive.  And certain triggers or keyword combinations are more expensive based on their demand.  Which the more aggressive bidder would appear more frequently.  Although it is possible for the advertiser with a $31 budget to appear on the 1st page of Google when compared to the $100 budget per month (During certain times of day).  Yet the frequency of the ads being displayed with the smaller budget will be less.

The beauty of the Pay per click system is you are only obligated to pay when someone actually clicks on your advertisement.  Therefore you are paying based on the given response and not on how many times your ads shows up.  This is drastically different from the traditional advertising systems such as Print, Radio or Television, which you are essentially paying for how many times your advertisement is displayed.  Giving limited accountability for the Advertising media to how responsive people are to your ad.

Which PPC Advertising system to choose.

Choosing the right PPC advertising Network can be a daunting task.  It it all depends on who you are trying to target and how you are trying to target your audience.  Whether you are looking to use a push / pull marketing strategy.  Or if your product or services are B2B or B2C.  Below are some of the advantages of the different advertising networks with their respective Pro and Cons.

Google Adsense Advertising

Description : The Google Adsense is by far the most popular advertising system on the Internet today.  And lead to the revolution in the advertising world, proving that Internet Advertising can be effective.  As often other advertising networks look to model the success of the Google Adsense program.  The Google adsense program is mainly triggered when users are performing google searches and ads rank favorably in the top and right margins.  However, the Google Adsense program also includes the Google Partner program.  Which looks similar to an Affiliate ads system in appearance.  In when a given user is visiting a website, a banner advertisement may be shown somewhere on the top or side of the website.  Or while a user is watching a Youtube video an advertisement may appear at the bottom.  Which the Partner program ad is triggered by keywords on the page.  Therefore if the user is reading an article on Do-it-yourself home renovation, the banner ad promoting home renovation would be displayed.  And the advertiser would only be obligated to pay if the user clicked on the ad.

Pros : Google by far is the predominant search engine today in the Internet World.  And is only continuing to grow in popularity, as it’s the most frequently visited website in the world.  Making a fair portion of most Internet advertising budgets allocated towards the Google Adsense program.  As it is an effective ‘Pull’ Strategy for users that are researching for a product / service in your related field.  Google is continues to be a pioneer in the Advertising world by being quick to implement new features.  And always looking for better ways to improve the quality of its system for both advertisers and users.

Cons : Being the most popular Internet advertising system out there, it often is the most expensive in the cost per click.  Since the cost per click is based on the law of supply and demand.  And the demand for favorable placement on Google is high.  Also Google has a strict quality control team.  Which they can have some unforgiving policies of banning or suspending advertisers that do not follow their guidelines.  That can be considered a plus, however some well meaning advertisers may get burnt in the process.

Yahoo / Bing Advertisments

Description : When web users can’t find what they are looking for on Google, they often go to search engine like Yahoo and Bing next. In 2010, Yahoo and Bing have now merged there advertising system in order to remain a competitive force with Google.  However Yahoo / Bing advertisements mirror the Google Advertising system very closely working on similar principals of showing ads when keyword searches are typed in. As well, Yahoo and Bing have a partner program which mirrors Google.

Pros : Based on the law of supply and demand, Yahoo / Bing ads can have a lower cost per click.  And it can be argued, the quality of the lead does not change, whether the web user found your website through Google or Yahoo.  It may in fact increase the quality of the lead since the web viewer is taking time to throughly search for a good respective partner.

Cons : Often Yahoo / Bings ads look like the “me too” little brother of Google.  In which they replicate the Google Adsense program so closely, they can be appear to be the copycat.  Also, the gap between people searching on Google and other search engines seems to only be growing every day.

Facebook Advertisments

Description : Facebook is one of the greatest threats to the Google Adsense system.  Which will continue to develop and be more significant as time goes on.  Since Facebook is the 2nd most visited website in the world.  But exceeds Google in the amount of time people spend on the website and how frequently they visit per day.  Facebook advertising is displayed when a Facebook users is on the site and a banner ad is displayed on the sidebar.  Unknown to some, this banner ad is targeting the specific demographic of the user profile.

Pros : Part of the process of being involved in Facebook is to enter your personal information such as your Date of Birth, Profession, Interest and Activities.  Facebook is able to target ads based on your personal information.  Which provides massive leverage as a marketing system.  At the time of this article (November 2010), Facebook ads are relatively inexpensive on a cost per click basis when compared to Google.  Making it much more affordable for most businesses of all sizes.  In addition, it provides greater brand awareness, even if your ads are not being clicked on that often.  Since the ads are graphical, it repeats the imagery of your brand, impressing it subconsciously into the mind of the consumer.

Cons : Facebook ads is still a work in progress.  Although the rate of progress is occurring at a very fast rate to be in competition with Google.  Yet it’s still not at the same level of sophistication as the Google Adsense program.  However in years to come, the gap of sophistication between Google Adsense and Facebook ads will most likely reduced.

LinkedIn Advertisments

Description : LinkedIn is the most popular professional social network to date.  In which professionals go online to meet other professionals.  LinkedIn can be considered Facebook with a suit and tie.  Where you often channel people whom you do not wish to reveal details of your personal life.  With the millions of users on LinkedIn, it’s a significant network to take into account.

Pros : Almost every profile on LinkedIn includes the users current profession and professional history (Which not everyone on Facebook includes this information).  LinkedIn has a foothold of this information.  By allowing ads to show only to people in specific professions or industries.  Which makes it one of the best potential Business to Business advertising networks (If not the only viable one at the moment).  Therefore you can target your ads to the specific decision maker for your potential customers, if they categorize in a specific profession(Such as the CEO, VP of Finance, HR manager, Professional Purchaser, Creative Director or Customer Service manager)

Cons : As of today, the LinkedIn advertising system is still within it’s Beta stages(Test software).  And it lags behind in terms of sophistication with its reporting tools when compared to Facebook, Yahoo and Google.  And when compared to a social network like Facebook, people don’t spend as much time on LinkedIn as they do on Facebook.  Since the air of formality doesn’t lend for the same level addictiveness as Facebook.

So is Internet Advertising right for you?

Especially during these challenging economic times, marketers are looking for more effective alternatives.  With the range of Internet Advertising networks to choose from, the ability to reach your potential customer continues to grow.  Especially with the future of developing Internet Advertising systems like LinkedIn and Facebook.  Yet today, many businesses have found great success with the older systems like the Google Adsense program.    As Internet Advertising has proven to be a effective method for promoting business  and will only increase in importance.  So Internet Advertising is here to stay and not going anywhere but up!

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July 22nd, 2010 by typhonvision

Web design is like fashion, we all have our own personal taste.  And what was in yesterday, isn’t so hot today.  As the Internet world also goes through its own fashion trends.

Pre-1992 era, the Internet was not known to the general public, and text was all the rage.  As the graphical layouts with the Internet world we know today didn’t exist.  Then there came the first graphical browser known as Mosaic which changed everything.  Mosaic allowed graphics to be seen and shared on the Internet.  Bringing a new dimension to the World Wide Web, where a picture is worth a thousand words.  The same original developers of Mosaic went onto develop the famous Netscape Navigator.  Which then was duplicated with Microsoft’s Internet Explorer.  And the rest is history as we know it.

From 1995 onward the Internet became more common amongst the average person.  And became a great buzz word to bring up in any conversation.  Similar to how today(2010) the words “Social Media” are brought up at every dinner party, meeting or company gathering.  As it helps to make one to sound more sophisticated, distinguished and with the times (Regardless if you know what it is or what a computer looks like).

With the graphical interface Mosaic exposed, website visuals were taking to the maximum.  Adopting a “LOOK AT ME” philosophy, using everything and anything to garner attention.  Such as Animated GIFs, Flashing lights, Rainbow font colours in a single line of text and MIDI Music blaring from your computer speakers when you first enter a website (For the purpose of waking up the kids).  With all these components combined without any consideration stylistically if they made sense.  As it would be the equivelant to wearing a cowboy hat with a pin stripe suit combined with flip flops.  Although many of these old web designs have been extinct like the Dinosaurs for many years, a place to visit these vast artifacts was on www.geocities.com.  Geocities was a free web server owned by Yahoo.  Thankfully, in october of 2009, Yahoo buried these tired old web designs by closing Geocities.

Then came the era of Macromedia Flash in the early 2000s.  Although Macromedia Flash had originally came onto the scene in 1996, in the early 2000s it grew in prevalence.  Everyone wanted a Flash intro, except nobody would watch them.  Flash designers often touted the benefits of Flash, as a way to stand out from the crowd.  Working with full Flash web designs to Flash Intros when you enter a website (Which thankfully the SKIP INTRO button was invented).  Although Flash does have its place in todays web design world, it is used more sparingly due to its Search Engine Optimization challenges (Discussed further in this article).

The prevalent trend toward simple and clean web designs co-related with the growth of the social networking website Facebook.  Facebook grew out a Hardvard domatory, to the billion dollar company it is now.  Retaining much of its original look in its simplicity.  Although Google(Which came before Facebook) was a proponent of “simple is better” in its own design; Facebook nailed the point home that simple can be also be profitable.  One of many the aspects which made Facebook popular, was it was easy to navigate and quick  loading compared to some of its respective social networking competitors such as Myspace and Friendster.  Which were known for their painfully long loading times.  Part of the reason for this was the complexity in which Myspace users could customize their page.  Facebook was relatively intuitive  in comparison(Unlike Myspace, people over 17 years old could understand it), allowing users to network with their friends and share their latest news.  Users appreciated the simplicity in being able to find information quickly and not having to wait or be confused.  Showing you can have a million dollar website AND be cool, without being overly flashy in your visuals.

So here are some reasons YOU should consider a simple and clean design for your next web design project :

1) Website viewers often speed read.

The truth is, web viewers are lazy, we are guilty of that at one time or other.  In the constant rat race of life, the Internet allows us to find information quickly and move onto the next site if we don’t get what we want.  The reality is most web viewers speed read, as the average time spent on a business website at 30 seconds is not a uncommon number.  Speed reading is often conducted in making a “S” pattern with ones eyes when glancing at the screen.  Therefore it makes sense to visually make sure there is ample space between text.  And that the key points can be picked out during that speed reading process.

2) Google has confirmed better search engine results for websites with quicker load times.

Earlier this year(2010), Matt Cutts, director at Google confirmed that website load times as one of many (200+) factors were added to SEO results.(Search Engine Optimization Rankings)  Now does this mean you need to cut out every graphic image from your site to make it load faster than the speed of light? No, as  the basic principals of SEO still exist with Keyword density and Outside Links being the predominate fundamentals.  And load times are one of many aspects added to its detailed criteria.  So it’s just one more reason to not over burden your web design.

3) It’s easier/more cost effective to design an Search Engine Optimized website.

Before mid-2008, Macromedia Flash designs were a nightmare from an search engine optimization perspective.  However, preceding the summer of 2008 Google and Macromedia announced a partnership to improve search engine optimization with Flash sites.  While Flash sites optimize better these days, optimization is still not great.  The reason being is Google doesn’t read graphics very well. (Or at all – As it reverse engineers the graphics to read text.  Using OCR – Optical Character recognition technology which works with varying success.)  Even though some text may in fact look like regular text, it would technically be a graphic in Google’s eyes.  Since that graphic is made so it can be animated and flashy.  This doesn’t doesn’t only apply to Flash sites, but also static HTML websites as well.  As when a web designer is focusing on a flashy approach, graphics maybe used when text maybe more effective.  Text is the high octane fuel for search engines!

4) Simple and clean web designs present a more modest and professional look.

How do you want to present yourself professionally?  Do you want to convey trust, professionalism and credibility to your potential clients?  Often a simple web design projects a quiet, conservative, reserved and respectable image for your company.  Being, simple and to the point by saying a great deal, with as little as possible.  Being too flashy and over the top is like trusting the salesman in the brightly checkered suit.  Would you trust the smart, conservative, sober professional?  Or the backslapping, oh too positive to be real salesman who seems to think his finger is a gun.

So what your saying is….

So in short, the key is to be simple but NOT BASIC.  As web users of today prime concern is to get the information quickly and efficiently without having to do a whole lot of searching and navigating.  Often we seek to stand out from the crowd by being over the top and too flashy.  However, specific customers at your target market are often best captured with quiet, composed and clean web designs.  As its a true sign of expertise to be able to communicate your message effectively with less.  So don’t be that guy/gal standing out at the party for all the wrong reasons with leather pants in a fishnet top.  Get with the times and make sure your website is clean, clear, simple, professional and to the point in its web design.

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June 25th, 2010 by typhonvision

WordPress is fast becoming one of the most popular CMS’s (Content Management Systems) of today. For those of you who are not familiar with the terminology, the question may arise what exactely is a CMS?

Static websites are becoming less prevelant in the Internet World today. A CMS system allows the general user with little technical knowledge to be able to update their website.

This is a beneficial scenario for most, because it allows the website owner to be able to update the website instantly. Without having to send the request to the original Web Developer.  Furthermore, although a CMS maybe more costly up front. It is potentially more cost effective in the long run if the website owner is looking to make updates frequently. Saving the cost of the website owner in not having to pay the web developer each time an update is made. Finally, CMS websites have become more popular because websites are used differently than they were in the early days. Whereas in the early era of the Internet, websites were mainly considered on-line brochures. Whereas now, they are used as a cost effective means to communicate with current clientele.  And to provide updates on the latest news, promotions and events. Especially when compared to utilizing tradition media such as print material.

There are many CMS’s available, some of the names of popular systems include : WordPress, Joomla, Drupal, Posterous, Typepad and Vignette. And of that list, WordPress remains the most popular. And while WordPress is not technically the most superior, its current success and popularity breeds more success. Similar to the 1980s in the VHS and BETA wars. VHS won as the predominant product by its strong following, even though BETA was technically superior. So the most technically advanced product doesn’t always win the race.   Here are 3 good reasons on why you should select WordPress as your CMS for your website.

REASON #1 – IT’S THE EASIEST TO USE

WordPress began its life strictly as a blogging platform in its inception.  A blog by technical definition is a CMS system.  As a blog allows a user to easily add, update and delete information with little technical knowledge.  However, there is a familiar format with a blog, which resembles an online diary with respective time stamps.  Since a Blog and a CMS system are similar in functionality, WordPress evolved to be a full-fledged CMS, in addition to having blogging functionality.  Being based on a blog system, its user interface was created on a easy to follow system.

WordPress is similar to using Microsoft word.  Including its general structure and being able to format text, add pictures, embed videos etc.  Also since WordPress is the most popular system, user friendliness is always improving.  Since the general consensus of what is most intuitive helps to sway future design improvements.

Other CMS systems like Joomla and Drupal are catered to the more technical user.  Allowing for a variety of features which most average users would never look at.  Which most users would feel intimidated by having too many options.  And find the user interface inundating with technical details.  Which somewhat defeats the purpose, since often the technical user would be able to design their own website from stratch.  And would not require a CMS website when compared to the average user.

WordPress is catered to the laymen user in its user interface.  Chances are if you can use Microsoft Word, you can use WordPress.

REASON #2 - IT’S FREE

Unlike expensive commercial CMS software which may cost upward to $250,000(Vignette).  Wordpress is free and does not require any recurring licensing fees.  The reason for this is WordPress is Open Source software.  Open source software means the programming code is open to the public and free for any programmer to modify and improve upon the general structure.  And the collective WordPress community often looks to continuously improve and expand on its basic functionality.

Open source software has come a long way from its early heydeys.  In the past Open source software was often inferior to its commercial counterparts.  However, with the large growth of proponents of Open source software, often they now surpass commercial grade packages.  Aside from design fees in customizing a WordPress web design, there are no recurring cost.

REASON #3 – IT’S EASY TO EXPAND

Let’s face it, the Internet is never at a stand still.  As it continues to grow at an overwhelming rate.  Moving the bare minimum expectations along the way.

Since WordPress has one of the strongest followings as a CMS website platform.  It also has one of the largest supplies of add-ons and plug-ins.  Such as SEO Plug-ins, Social Networking integration tools, Slide Show plug-ins, etc.  Also, security is an important concern when selecting a CMS website  Especially with the growing threat of Website Viruses (You can read more about Website Viruses from our previous blog post).  It’s always important to get the latest security patches.  Which is easy to apply by a simple click of the mouse.

So you get an up date, expandable Content Management Systems that moves with the current trends in technology!

STILL NOT CONVINCED YET?

Like fashion sense, taste in food and favourite cars, we all have our own preferences.  The more technical users may prefer a more advanced package such as Joomla or Drupal.  However, to most users its important for a CMS software to be easy to use, cost effective and easy to upgrade.  WordPress continues to grow at a rapid rate and will only expand further on the key requirements for the average web user.  WordPress is here to stay and isn’t going anywhere.  So if your deciding in your new design which CMS to choose, chances are WordPress is the way!

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May 29th, 2010 by typhonvision

Presented at Toronto Marketing Power Networking meeting May 2010

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD PRESENTATION SLIDES

After 23 consecutive appearances, Pepsi Cola opted out of the 2010 Superbowl and instead invested its ad budget in Social Media Marketing. This is yet another sign that internet promotion has, and will continue to overtake traditional Marketing channels. Topics such as Internet Advertising and Search Engine Optimization are higher on the priority lists of entrepreneurs and business managers than ever. But what do these terms really mean? And how can you apply these tactics without breaking the bank?  In a no nonsense, plain English approach, a logical and intelligent approach to the Internet Marketing will be demystified.

In this presentation the following topics will be discussed :

1) The strengths and weakness of the two major Internet Marketing Methods: Pay per Click and Search Engine Optimization

2) How Pay Per click and Search Engine Optimization work.

3) How you can engage in Pay Per Click and Search Engine Optimization through your own efforts.

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April 14th, 2010 by typhonvision

One of the greatest challenges in today’s business world is maintaining the attention of prospective consumers. With the variety of companies to choose from, it’s easy for the consumer to be enticed by your competitor. The age of the Internet has not helped with our decreasing attention span. Bringing about a new level of laziness. Whereas TV has made us lazy, the Internet has made us even worse. Since the Internet brings the world at our fingertips. Making it accessible to move onto the next site if your website visitor is not finding what they are looking for.

With all the time and effort put into driving stronger traffic numbers to your website, it’s fruitless if website visitors don’t take the “next step”. Often that “next step” is defined as your rate of conversion. Which can include purchasing the product for an E-commerce website. Or making a phone call inquiry or email for a local business website. While for some it may be to subscribe to your newsletter so they can be aware of your product/service offering at a later time.

It’s difficult to track in an exacting science as to what percentage of website visitors convert into customers. Although, there are some good indications and metrics to suggest things are in the right direction. And often these metrics can be found by installing good web analytics software on your website such a Google Analytics or Sitemeter.

One measurement is the average time your website viewers have stayed on your website.  A healthy number all depends on the type of website you have. For a local business website, a timeframe of 2 minutes would be considered long. Keeping in my mind that is longer than the length of an average 30-second TV commercial. Whereas for an educational website, 10-20 minutes would be considered an acceptable timeframe.

The bounce rate also has some co-relation to the rate of conversion. The bounce rate indicates the percentage in which visitors move to another site. It is similar to the average time spent on the website. However it is much more page specific. Whereas the average time spent is a summary metric.

Unrelated to the topic of conversion, the bounce rate also important since to a certain degree search engines like Google, Yahoo and MSN consider your bounce rate when determining your SEO rankings. Since it helps search engines weed out websites using black hat SEO (Taboo SEO) techniques. Where websites are not delivering relevant content to the search, so the user is quickly “bouncing” to another website. However, the bounce rate is one factor out of many in SEO. With keyword density and link building still being the predominant factors.

There are many aspects which contribute to effective website conversion. In this article we will talk about 3 of them which include : attractive website design, website video and live website chat.

Attractive website design is one of the most obvious aspects of retaining the attention of your visitor. If your website is graphically pleasing, it conveys a strong image of Brand Quality and a high standard. This is particularly important in e-commerce websites. Since the website represents the storefront and builds trust with the consumer demonstrating attention to details are heeded. Such as making sure items are delivered on time and credit card information is held in confidence.

Although the website should be aesthetic, navigation and ease of use should not be compromised. It should be obvious for your website visitor to be able to derive from the broad categories where to find the specific information they are looking for.

Also important is the actual text itself. Font sizes and colors should be legible. The text layout should have action-oriented keywords highlighted. Making it easy for the website visitor to “speed read” the text and identify it has the given contents they are looking for.

The next aspect is the use of effective Web Video. Before the days of YouTube, it was difficult to utilize video on websites. However, technology has increased in efficiency, making it easy for the average website owner to stream video. Often those whom are reluctant to read, will be more likely to see and hear material if presented with Video.

The best placement of Web Video is often in the opening page of your website. Allowing the key benefits of your business to be relayed upon first entry and for them to not be missed. Furthermore, Web Video helps to bring a “soul” to your website. As ultimately people do business with people. Establishing your style and approach to your business for your website visitor. Typically an effective Web Video should be no more than a minute long. Web Video is becoming one of the most prominent techniques for increasing conversion.

Live Website chat has been increasing in popularity as a technique for increasing conversion. The way Live website chat works is when a visitor is at your website, an area of the website is allocated to engage in a chat session with a “agent”. The live chat can be set engage automatically after a given time interval which your visitor has remained on your site (i.e. after 3 minutes, since that may indicate a timeframe which demonstrates some interest in your website).

The “agent” would be most likely a representative from your company. Who is able to answer basic questions about your product or services. Often this is most intelligently assigned to the receptionist. On their end, the agent would be logged into the software and would be notified when inquiries are made. The live chat may also be setup that they receive and can respond to inquiries on their mobile phone(Iphone or Blackberry) if the agent is away from their desk.

Used correctly, a live website chat feature can improve conversion numbers. If done in a manner which is genuinely helpful and not pushy. Similar to when consumer walks into a store. It can be an annoyance when one is bombarded by sales reps asking if you need help. But a worse situation when help is authentically needed and there is no representative to assist.

Live website chat also works since it easier than making a phone call or sending an email. As often a website visitor may not want to wait for an answer to their email which may take anywhere from a few hours to a few days. Or does not have the time to pick up the phone with the fear of being kept on hold.

Live website chat is also relatively inexpensive, considering what it may save you in lost website traffic. With the cost depending on the number of agents managing the system. For most businesses, a 2 person agent license would suffice, which may range from $1000-$1500 depending on installation complexity.

In summary, there are many techniques to help captivate attention on your website. And the right techniques need to be carefully chosen for your business model.  Attention spans are only decreasing and it’s become more important to communicate effectively in a short period of time. With the time, energy and cost brought into bringing visitors to your website, retention of your visitor is an equally important factor. However, with a properly mapped out strategy, effective use of your hard earned marketing dollars can be maximized.

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March 28th, 2010 by typhonvision

Content creation for websites can be a challenge task.  In the Internet world, a number of considerations need to be made when deciding upon the writing style for your website.  One of the biggest challenges today is addressing web writing from an SEO (Search Engine Optimization) and Marketing perspective.  As the two are often classed separately as “SEO Writing” and “Marketing writing”.

One may ask, exactly what are the differences between the two styles of writing?

SEO Writing is meant for the purpose of attracting the attention of popular Search Engines like Google, Bing and Yahoo.  And utilizing the tricks of the trade in the writing style to gain favorable ranking.  One of the most important factors of SEO writing is the proper use of KEYWORD DENSITY.  This concept will be explained further in the article.

Marketing writing is made for purpose of enticing the reader to take the next step in the sales cycle.  Whether that be making a phone call or filling out an inquiry form.  This is often referred to as the “CALL TO ACTION”. (And is related to the term “conversion” referred to in other articles)

In the early days of the Web, of the two writing styles, Marketing writing held greater popularity.  Mainly because websites of the past we’re considered on-line brochures.  And often mirrored the writing style used in traditional media.  As Search Engine Optimization writing was not considered as strongly, since Search Engines we’re still refining their formula.  And a fair amount of traffic could still be derived through the manipulation of Metatags and Banner ads.

Marketing writing is often written in a style which is conversational.  And special attention is paid to the rhythm and flow of words.  While utilizing certain “hot button” words which act hypnotically on the reader.  Making it suggestive for them to proceed to the call to action.  Also, the greater variance in the wording lends itself better to Brand Quality.  Maintaining a level of sophistication in the writing.

So the question remains as to which style should be used for your website?  The answer is BOTH!  As they both have their strengths and weaknesses.  A prudent strategy includes having content for both purposes.  With the most visible pages of your website populated with traditional marketing writing.  And the less obvious sections of your website to have SEO Content which helps to attract the attention of Search Engines.

Now the differences between the two styles has been established, the main factor for SEO writing will be outlined.  Since it is another article in itself to elaborate further on the principals of marketing writing.

As mentioned previously, one of the important aspects of SEO writing is the use of your selected keywords in high repetition.  For instance, if the objective was to rank well on the keyword term “widgets toronto”;  It would be ideal to have a page written in high frequency with that given keyword “widgets toronto”.  The given example may look something like this :

“XYZ Company is the number one company of Widgets in Toronto.  We have been supplying the best Widgets in the Greater Toronto Area for over 20 years.  All we do is specialize is in Widgets in Toronto.  Not many people in Toronto know what a Widget is.  But if ask anybody in Toronto on who is the best widget supplier, and they’ll direct you to XYZ company”

Now the above example is an over exaggerated example, utilizing keyword density shamelessly.  But taken with a grain of salt, the basic example provides a framework on how popular search engines such as Google, Yahoo and Bing think.  As you can see the given text has a high frequency of the keyword “Widgets” and “Toronto”.  Having a high keyword density helps search engines to determine the overall subject matter of the page.

However, the provided example merely serves to outline the basic principals of keyword density.  Since a search engine like Google is sophisticated enough to detect if the overall percentage of the keyword density is overdone.  If the overall percentage of keyword density is TOO HIGH, it is placed in the Google Sandbox.  In the Google Sandbox, the given page is investigated for manipulation of aggressive Search Engine Optimization which are not ethical.  (Which many adult sites have been guilty of utilizing keyword-stuffing techniques).  Having said that, the goal of SEO writing is to include keyword density in an INTELLIGENT manner.  Which doesn’t sound contrived or manipulative.  As the given text does not sound articulate (Unless you are a caveman).

This style of writing of using keywords in a high frequency can often be in opposition to SEO writing.  Since SEO writing focuses on distributing a high keyword frequency and repetition throughout the page.  Whereas Marketing writing in order to sound more articulate, often the goal is to not re-use words in high frequency.

As mentioned previously, Marketing writing should be placed in the most visible areas of the website;  Such as the Main Menu navigation.  And SEO writing should be placed in the less obvious sections of your website.  As the main purpose is to attract the Search Engines attention and have the user to delve deeper into your website.  So the question may be asked where can one utilize these less visible sections of your website?

The best placement for your SEO pages is in the area known as the sitemap.  A sitemap acts as an visible(or invisible) index of all the given pages on your website.  Similar to an index in the back of book to quickly reference specific subjects.  Sitemaps are mainly used for the purpose of allowing Search engine to capture the information on your website more effectively.  Often sitemaps are placed away from the obvious navigation of your website that a user is unlikely to read that given page.  However by having your SEO pages linked from your sitemap, they technically exist and open up opportunities to be found by Search Engines.  However, once they have landed on your website, the viewer is more likely to read your Marketing writing pages.

With the many faucets to consider, SEO and Marketing writing need to be used in conjunction.  Even though the styles of writing are in dichotomy, they address different functions of Marketing.  SEO Writing helps to drive traffic and brings window shoppers in the door.  While Marketing writing helps to convert the casual browsers into customers.  Planning for implementation of both writing styles increases your chances of success!

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