Newsletter - October 2006

Is Your Company Ready for the Christmas Rush?

Every retailer looks forward to increased profits from the end of year Christmas rush. This year, however, some unprepared retailers will be in for a big shock. Cheery decorations and special deals at brick-and- mortar stores are not going to be enough to bring in more customers in 2006.

Are you properly positioned to take advantage of the Christmas shopping trends this year?

Christmas Shopping Changes in 2006
More and more people are tired of having to search for parking at shopping centres and struggling through crowds - especially now there is an easier way to shop.

As e-commerce businesses become more aware of customers' needs, the customers, in turn, are becoming more trusting of them. Today, online shoppers can find exactly what they're looking for, research what other shoppers have to say about the products they're interested in, find wonderful deals and even have their presents gift-wrapped for them - all without leaving the comfort of their own homes.

A survey by shopping rewards site Mutual Points shows that 44% of Londoners plan to spend less money in brick-and-mortar stores this year; instead, they will turn to e-commerce for their shopping needs. Recent data confirms this trend: in the first half of 2006 online shoppers in the UK spent 40% more than the £13.5 billion they spent online last year.

Even for those who do buy in person, the Internet still plays a major role in their shopping experience. More than 80% of these shoppers say they research their purchases online before buying.

How You Can Prepare for the Online Rush
If you want to take advantage of the Christmas rush this year, you will need to have a conspicuous online presence - ideally one that will cater to shoppers looking for information. You can then lure them into your offline store or, better still, supply them with an easy and convenient online ordering method.

Many businesses are finding it increasingly difficult to survive without an online presence. If you don't already have an established website, you are losing a vital opportunity to attract your share of the billion-pound online marketplace, while frustrating customers seeking basic information, like your location or opening hours.

If you do have a website, now is an excellent time to review it thoroughly. Is it informative and well organised? Can customers find the information they need with a minimum of clicking? Is your shopping cart user-friendly?

Relying solely on your brick-and-mortar business for revenue could cost you dearly during the critical Christmas season. To ensure your presence in the Christmas e-commerce rush this year, you should start reviewing your online practices now.

If you would like a no-obligation consultation, please call 01242 570330 or email me now.

• Does your website need a re-design?
  If your website is stagnant, difficult to navigate and too busy, it's time to consider re-designing it. Internet consumers today want websites that are fast to load, easy to use, and crystal clear. If you want to share your message effectively over the Web, simplicity is crucial.
• Can You Make Your Business More Social?
  By creating a dialogue between your customers and your business, you can make people feel valued and more invested in your company. Try adding a forum to your website, or ask your customers to participate in the new content you add to the site, new features for your products, and so on - then reward them for participating.
• How Can You Reach Out?
  Consider adding a corporate blog or a regular podcast seminar as part of your website services. This will add a personal touch to your company, and help your customers feel as if they are participating in a conversation, rather than being talked at.

If you want to be successful online, it is a good idea to understand the trends and principles driving the Internet today, and apply them to your own business.

To find out more, call 01242 570330 or email me now for a no-obligation consultation.

10 Misconceptions that Could Derail Your e-Commerce Business: Site Navigation Isn't Very Important

You have the best and most relevant content, the most attractive graphics, and the easiest shopping cart on your website. Yet, you are still seeing a very high abandon rate.

Few visitors are taking the time to see all your company has to offer. The exit rates from your homepage are far too high, which means your marketing budget is being wasted. What are you doing wrong?

Seventh E-commerce Misconceptions: Site Navigation Isn't Very Important

Far too many companies underestimate the importance of good website navigation. The best content in the world won't make the slightest difference to your site visitors if they can't find what they want.

Making it easy for your viewers to access what they need is vital - you have only seconds to gain and keep your site visitors interested. Otherwise, they will abandon your website and go to a better-organised competitor's site.

When designing your website's navigation, consider these three vital factors:

1. Visitors don't always start on the home page! Don't fall into the trap of designing a website to be easily navigable from the home page only. What happens if a site visitor winds up on an internal page through a friend's link or a Google search? Will that visitor be able to determine what your company offers and be able to find more information seconds after arriving on the page?

2. Meet surfers' expectations. Every business searches for ways to stand out from the crowd. As a rule, however, your website navigation system is not the place to be overly creative. Site visitors expect certain actions to have certain results, and feel most comfortable when their experience applies across the board. When your site navigation conforms to expected standards with factors like menu location, link appearance, and navigation structure, you will reduce the chances of your site visitors becoming confused or frustrated.

3. Visitors hate to click. Research has shown that site visitors hate to have to go through too many clicks to get to the information they are seeking. Every click translates into time wasted while waiting for pages to load, and that delay translates into frustration. Your goal should be to organise your website so any information can be reached within three or four clicks.

Content, design, and site navigation are three pillars of a strong website. When you organise your information clearly, your site visitors will have a positive experience and increase the likelihood of returning to your site and becoming paying customers.

If you would like to review the effectiveness of your website navigation, call 01242 570330 or email me now for a no- obligation consultation.

Hitting the Bull's-eye with PPC Targeting

Of all the people using the Google search engine, you only have the chance of converting a certain subset of them to paying customers. After all, if you are selling used cars in Oxford, the likelihood that your target customers will be searching from Los Angeles is very low.

So how can you avoid wasting money on Google clicks from site visitors who are unlikely to buy from you?

Luckily, Google has provided an array of options to help you display your ads only to people who are most likely to be in your target audience. By showing your advertisements only to those who are most interested in your products and services, you can avoid paying for curiosity clicks from others who will have little to no interest in your website.

Being picky has another advantage as well. Targeting your ads will also increase your click-through rate, which means you could end up paying a lower price per click.

Targeting methods Google currently offers include:

• Geographic targeting. With Google AdWords you can decide which countries, regions, or even cities will see your advertisements. If you are selling only to people within England, your ads will not be displayed to those with foreign IPs, unless they specify your location in their search.
• Language targeting. If you believe only people who speak a specific language will be interested in your site, you can display your ads only to searchers whose language settings match your preferences.
• Targeting profitable times. Are you a B2B company that does most of its business during office hours? Or perhaps have a site about day trips that people usually browse on the weekend? If you see a certain pattern to your conversions, you can specify that your Google Ads are only displayed during certain times or on specific days.
• Content targeting. If you are running your PPC ads on content sites, you can pick specific sites where you would like your ads to appear. If you know a site where your target audience hangs out, this would be a great place to display your ads.

Google is focusing on providing even more targeting opportunities in the future. They have already tested ways to display ads to people of a specific gender, household income or age. No doubt, these options will follow soon.

In our first segment on PPC marketing last month we covered how PPC campaigns make a wonderful test bed to determine the effectiveness of your advertisements. To complete this short sequence, in our third and final segment next month, we'll talk about making PPC easy and effective, by using a professional to manage your campaigns for you.

If you would like to learn more, please call 01242 570330 or email me now.

Writing an Effective Contact Us Page

Contact Us pages - every website has them, but how much thought do business owners put into getting them right? The answer is, not a lot. Ineffective Contact Us pages can drive away potential customers, frustrate site visitors, and waste company time and resources.

So here are three steps that will help you get your contact pages right the first time.

1. Make Contact Information Easy to Find
A site visitor who is attempting to contact your company is trying to tell you something valuable. Perhaps this visitor has a question that's preventing him or her from becoming a paying customer. Or maybe the visitor has a suggestion that could make your site more profitable.

However, that visitor is unlikely to be so invested in your website that he or she wants to spend valuable time searching for ways to get in touch with you. To avoid losing important information or the chance to gain another customer, make your Contact Us pages as visible as possible. Include Contact Us pages as a prominent part of your menu structure, and mark them clearly so they are easy to find.

2. Give Your Site Visitors Options
It's amazing how many companies try to force site visitors into using a communication method that is easiest for the business, instead of what the potential customer might prefer.

To enhance the chances of receiving valuable feedback, offer as many contact options as possible. Give your site visitors the choice of reaching you by telephone, by contact form, e-mail, through postal mail, or even via live support. This will enhance your visitors' experience and make them more likely to start a dialogue with you.

3. Make it Easy to Reach the Right Person
Many companies have numerous contact options on their Web pages, but the information is presented as a list, with no clear guidance. Your site visitor probably doesn't care that Bob is Vice President of Sales and Margie runs the Marketing Department. What's important to your visitor is where to direct his or her questions and comments.

A much better organisation structure is developed according to your visitors' needs. Instead of listing roles and titles, group your contact information according to commonly asked questions. For extra value, add links to your FAQs right on the Contact Us page.

Think about solving your customers' problems, instead of presenting them with irrelevant information.

Another benefit of this organization structure is that visitors' comments will be more likely to reach the right person the first time, reducing wasted time redirecting the inquiries.

By following these three easy steps, you will help present and potential customers start a dialogue with your company. A little bit of time developing your Contact Us pages to be as effective as possible can strengthen your business relationships, reduce frustration, and increase overall profitability.