Archive for November, 2006
How Looks The Content
Good navigation and legibility are important to inviting customers to visit your Web site
What expect the customers to find on the Web in most - the content or the content itself? Believe it or not, it is the former. That’s definitely true - the world’s best content does not make anyone happy if they can not find it. Besides customers find the content, it must be readable too. Don’t think that’s simple. When Chesterton created 210 Web sites, it established good navigation and legibility an oddity. Worse, it also determined that minor flaws add up to a major problem a lack of trust that the site will deliver what customers want.Senior Analyst Moira Dorsey tells why good navigation is not important for its own sake—it improves the bottom line.
Question: Draw the link for me between an online client experience and the bottom line.
Answer: It is very simple: The two matters do not compete. If you know your customers, their behaviours, and the targets they are trying to complete, and after that plan your website to back those targets, they will be content. Your target is really to replace costs from a call center to website or into a phone-based self-service system, but doing it in a course that delivers a best experience to the client. There is a high correlation between good self-service and client gratification.
Question: It is the used mantra that people do not needs require to speak to another individual—they just require to here their answers. Why is this so hard?
Answer: There is an important change between seeing a client visibility, which you need to commercialize to people, and creating a website for that use—that is, planning what amounts to a product that people have to use.
Question: When they are stressing to better this merchandise, as you see it, what should companies be thinking about?
Answer: I consider you need a portfolio of tools to see how good your lines are. You need direction groups, surveys, Web analytics, and usability laboratory tests. Ultimately, you are searching at four matters: rate, navigation, demonstration, and confidence.
For rate, we search at whether the important content and the functionality for getting it are there. Navigation covers the practices that give to getting what clients are searching for, like search capabilities and menu design. Demonstration means that, assuming the content and functionality are available, can the client take it—is it formatted legibly? Confidence covers whether contextual help is available, and whether privacy and security policies are demonstrated.
Question: Any visible examples of this?
Answer: We get companies doing well in some of the categories, but not in others. Across our past 200 evaluations, I can show you that some of the biggest failures were in matters that have known solutions. For example, all of our brains are to some level wired the same way, and we know that text wants contrast in terms of the foreground and ground, and it should be no smaller than 10-point type. But 80 percent of the sites failed the legibility examination. In existing privacy and protection notices, 85 percent failed.
Sometimes the answer depends on the website, like in good menu design. The menu categories should be free and clear, so that people do not slow down or get down the wrong way. We know that is a difficulty, but the answer depends on the specific website. We discover incompatible reciprocal factors, or menu items that had different names on different parts of the website.
Nobody spends on all cylinders 100% of the time, particularly when you are running to get those two other attributes I mentioned: how good it supports the brand, and how good it supports the client’s targets.
Question: From a tactical standpoint, what causes the difficulties you site about Web sites within corporations? Is it an imperfect architecture, a lack of consistent design, or a governance issue?
Answer: All those matters are interrelated. If you do not consider that you need to design the website to back the people who are meant to use it, so it would not look like a bad idea to simply follow the structure of the corporation. As an answer, we find companies organize their home page based on the organizational structure of the company, unlikely that will make sense to the people outside the company who have to use the website. Â Either they do not have the skills to see this or they do not have a process in place to have certain they design a website right in the first place.
Using eBay
Posted by: zaur in E-Commerce Business on November 21st, 2006
As per spokesmen James Griffith, in July of 1997 eBay had 6,500 officially registered users, shown on the site alphabetically by his or her email addresses. Nowadays, email addresses are no longer user ID’s, and listing all eBay users would be hard work— being as how eBay has grown to over 153 million officially registered users world wide, making it maybe the seventh or eighth largest ‘nation’ on the planet. Basically, according to A.C. Neilson analysis, there are almost 750,000 USA traders who intend to start a part-time or permanent working on eBay. Is it possible to increase on this tremendous growth?
eBay believes so. To grow its traders and expand trade and income, eBay started the latest version of its traveling road show known as eBay University in July 2005, teaching three courses on how to notably trade on the site. Since after that and through the rest of 2005, eBay University will have visited 43 cities, and is going to continue the program in 2006.
eBay University is promoted to registered eBay users through emails and a link on the eBay site. The three, day-long courses are “eBay Basics,” “Beyond The Basics” and “eBay For Business,” all taught by a group of eBay and common business experts, many of whom have written how-to guidance on notably trading strategies for the site or their areas of expertise. The payments are moderate —59,9 USD for each course, with a ‘package’ payment of 89,9 USD for the ‘Basics’ and “Beyond the Basics’ classes.
The moderate prices can’t start to cover eBay’s costs for running a program such as this, but after that eBay’s agenda here is to promote the site, and the eBay University program does merely that. In addition to the “eBay Basics” course — which is aimed to segue eBay purchasers and non-users into the trader mode — the two advanced courses strongly promote PayPal, selective features, egg on International trading, and propose strategies designed to propel puny volume and occasional eBay traders into Power Trader status.
This reporter caught up with eBay University at the Jacob Javit’s Convention Center in New York City in late October and sat in on the “eBay For Business” and “Beyond The Basics” courses. Though trading on the site starting from 1998, I expected to find cues and tips that were effective in future trading. These I found, along with much basic business and mail order data and insights that would be helpful for anyone trading online.
Each course is accompanied by a 100-plus page guidance covering in detail what the presenters discuss. Some course experts can be exuberant, by using demonstrations sprinkled with such adjectives as “awesome” and “very awesome” (whatever that might be), but they are all skilled speakers, and the offer problems are demonstrated by a 20 foot projection screen, emphasizing and summarizing each point.
eBay for Business
In comparison with the other two courses, eBay for Business is presented once rather than twice over the three-day program, possibly because of the schedule of its tax/legal issue expert, attorney Cliff Ennico, a nationally syndicated columnist and author on the subject. Issues include selecting from the different types of business entities, that which suit’s the individual situation — such as sole proprietorship, partnerships, “C” and “S” corporations, and limited liability companies — each presented by using the pros and cons in a clear, concise manner.
The demonstration moves on to legal liabilities for trading on eBay — warranties, express and implied, legal disclaimers, refund and return policies, etc. Under dealing with deadbeat bidders, you can call and threaten to sue, but it’s advised that you can’t imply that the debtor has committed a crime, call in the midnight, or threaten to attach a debtor’s wages or property — unless you really intend to do it!
The final suggestion is to consult an attorney before calling a deadbeat bidder.
Tax difficulties are complex and covered in detail, starting by using the basics of tax compliance such as Federal and local tax ID’s, filing on time, tax payment schedules, requirements for trade tax collection, and the same. Deducting home office space used to automatically trigger an audit, but this is no longer the case, though home office space must be precisely measured, and a baby’s stroller or any other non-business item in the space kills the deduction.
Accounting and bookkeeping difficulties are also covered at length, including what to look for in an accountant or bookkeeper. Also covered are the legal aspects and responsibilities of hiring and firing employees. Under the delicate topic of firing a worker, it is advised to lock he or her out of the computer before the meeting, fire on a Monday, instead a Friday, have a viewer present, keep emotions out of it, and, strongly emphasized — the less said, the better.
In all, Ennico’s demonstration should provide highly useful data to all but the most experienced and savvy entrepreneurs.
The Business course after that transits into operating an eBay business, beginning with creating objectives, and the first of several pitches touting Power Trader status and why and how to accomplish it. (Power Trader status starts at ‘Bronze’ with trade of at least 1,500 USD a month, and extends into the stratosphere to ‘Titanium,’ at 200,000 USD a month.)
There are common sense suggestions, like avoiding the use of music in listings and keeping image sizes reasonable (since 50% of the U.S.A. still uses low-speed dial-up connections,) taking in account your competition, avoiding spelling errors and combative trader terms, and, in general, doing an attractive demonstration in your trade.
The section on Analysis Tools should be useful to many eBay traders. Trading something without making analysis the past performance of item is a way for wasting time and, often, losing or leaving money on the table. eBay presents several services that provide insight into what moves on the place by using a link in it’s Marketplace Research page, accessed via web browser at http://solutions.ebay.com
The first of these is the “What’s Hot” page linked through Trader Central. By clicking on “Trade By Category,” then “In Demand,” a trader can resolve prevailingly popular items in most categories.
Relatively new to the area is the “Want It Now” page linked through the eBay home page. There, purchasers post items they would like but can’t find on the site.
For those who wish to tie his or her trade to eBay’s promotions, there is the “Merchandising Calendar” linked through Trader Central that gives advance notice of offers — one tool particularly effective to Store traders.
The course segues into common sense solutions for finding merchandise to trade on eBay, suggesting the usual suspects — garage and estate trade, flea marketplaces, thrift shops, auctions and the like, as well as cueing traders into the “Whole Sale Lots” category on the site, then using search words such as ‘bulk,’ ‘pallet,’ ‘case,’ ‘lot.’ The problem with this strategy is that many traders are wholesaling goods for some reason and it is basically because the item can’t be sold individually on the site. In the “Beyond The Basics” course, finding independent eBay certified wholesalers is dealt by using in detail.
The afternoon sessions offers micro detail cues on how to begin, create and expand an eBay business in the auction and Stores formats — from pricing, listing, keyword strategies to shipping advice and virtually every issue in within. Interspersed throughout are touts for eBay product or services such as PayPal, payments that are offered by a huge majority of eBay traders. eBay claims that traders who demonstrate PayPal average 5-6% higher trade-through costs than those who don’t.
eBay — Beyond the Basics
There’s a particular amount of redundancy between the ‘Business’ and ‘Beyond the Basics’ courses, but deeper detail and additional demonstrations, such as International Trading, add to the worth of this course.
International Trading covers an untapped source of income for many eBay traders. The truth is, eBay claims that 48% of his or her trade are now international, and that cross-border trade average 6.5 % higher than domestic trade-through payments. The demonstration whets the appetite of the audience by using the fact that someone in Germany was willing to pay 79 USD for a 3.99 USD five-pack of Oreo cookies. Whether anyone else will ever again pay 79 USD for the same cookies on eBay is another matter, but the point that many products in USA can do well overseas, is reality.
The demonstration covers the basics of how to fill out a customs form, legal issues including accurate and honest declarations, the most price efficient shipping (ordinarily USPS), language and money conversions, and foreign purchaser- friendly ways to list. And, again, pushing traders to use PayPal. eBay claims that foreign traders who use PayPal payments average 16.5% higher trade-through prices. This makes sense because transferring funds from overseas can be costly and troublesome for international purchasers who don’t have an expedient such as PayPal, Bidpay or Western Union checks payable on banks of U.S.A. For anyone who trades principally or exclusively to overseas purchasers, PayPal is a necessity.
In the “Beyond the Basics” course, eBay screams the following: Grant the purchasers what they expect to have! To this effect, huge number complicated search and marketing report tools that help in nailing down what is hot and when, are covered. One such pay-for, eBay certified site is Terapeak, which demonstrates sophisticated data on category results, key ratios, listing features and successful duration times, among other features. Free and choicely eBay features like “Trade Report Plus,” are also covered in considerable detail.
Under the topic of search engine marketing, there’s also an interesting demonstration on the necessity of having a ‘top-30′ search result placing on Google and Yahoo!, as well as ways of achieving the top five results, or “before the fold,” which yields the greatest results in search engine queries. This is achieved by bidding on a pay per click (PPC) basis for top placement on the search engines. Bids or costs paid per click-through range from a few pennies to 100 USD. Also covered in detail are important keyword cues for linking with purchasers and many other aspects of search engine marketing. This should be a fascinating demonstration for all those, who like myself, are semi- to totally clueless on the process and its worth.
While many aspects of the “Beyond The Basics” course are covered elsewhere, here they’re covered in marvelous detail. Under finding merchandise to trade, for example, eBay certified but independent wholesalers who don’t trade on the site (and thus don’t, theoretically, compete against you) are offered, as are others. (The rub here’s that basically you have to buy BIG: one speaker contacted wholesaler on the minimum order for an item and was told it was five shipping containers — for 150,000 USD.)
eBay claims that it takes 20 minutes to manually list a trade, and if you list one-of-a-kind-items as I do, this can precisely be the case. eBay demonstrates a variety of absolutely free and selective charge automation tools like Turbo Lister, which can be useful for any trader who deals in bulk listings. File Exchange, a new eBay tool that’s platform independent, allows medium to high volume traders to record o eBay auctions, fixed-price or Stores by using a single application from an MS Excel spreadsheet, MS Access or other software.
Cross-merchandising and offers are covered, as well as linking to stores and external web pages by using free and selective eBay tools.
The rest of the course demonstrations advanced suggestions and solutions for virtually every other aspect of eBay trading — from photography, headers and descriptions through packing and shipping to feedbacks and trade and inventory management. It is mentioned that the dreaded task of packaging isn’t thankless: well-packed goods give a sense of professionalism, and do lead to more positive feedback — not to mention that the item doesn’t spin back because it broke in transit.
The demonstrations are lively and upbeat, interspersed by using anecdotes and eBay success stories by using examples that would incite greed in a hermit, like the absolutely free box at a garage trade which contained a fish lure that sold for 33,000 USD. (On the screen we see a rather silly looking lure, in our hearts we feel money passion.)
eBay University is also offered online, but the live demonstrations are recommended. For most people, the impact of the live demonstrations accompanied by a 20-foot square projection screen and frequent question and answer periods should enhance and ease the teach yourself experience over just reading a downloaded guidance or PC screen.
Overall, eBay University by using its moderate prices constitutes a bargain in today’s ecommerce solutions marketplace, and should prove itself valuable for many, if not most, eBay traders.
Promotion of Your Local Business on the Internet
If you’ve got a local business — or serve as a consultant or web designer for local businesses — then I am pretty confident you will want to read this 44-page guidance.Question: If I own a local business that trades with traditional goods and services, what good is the Internet to me?
Answer: If you live in a city of any size — especially in a place where new people are moving in — people are extremely using the internet to find local businesses. That may not be your method of research, but for many, basically younger people, the internet is their key to knowledge — both local and global.
In July 2004, Nielsen//NetRatings new MegaView Search service stated that 24.5 percent of searchers on major search engines conducted searches that were local in scope, averaging 4.5 searches per searcher. In November 2004, a Kelsey Group-BizRate.com study stated that more than 75 percent of respondents said they had conducted local searches and confirmed that 21 percent of all searches among respondents were local. Using the Internet to find local businesses is now actual tool and can only grow in frequency.
Some of the businesses that can be helped by local Internet marketing include: chiropractor, computer retailer, travel agent, locksmith, massage therapist, insurance agent, real estate agent, mortgage broker, maid service hardware retailer, plumber, auto repair, physician, dentist, florist, limousine service, accountant, auto dealer, lawyer, restaurant, and movers, among others.
Fortunately, for a local business you do not need a big, complex, and expensive website to be helpful. You are not competing with the best of the best nationally; you just need to submit yourself well to local residents and those within driving distance.
This guidance will explain how to use the internet to market a local or regional business. It’s not, however, created to be a dumped down guide for people who know nothing. I shall assume some understanding of how the Internet works (what a domain name is, etc.) and that you’re willing to teach yourself. There is much guidance that’ll explain the basics, so I would not cover all the basics here, but center on the exact Internet marketing methods that are helpful for local businesses.
Nor will this guidance describe all the traditional off-line ways to market your business. You will need to use many of these to market successfully locally — since the Internet is merely one piece (though a growing piece) of the local marketing puzzle. If you need a wonderful guidance on traditional local marketing I heartily recommend Jay Conrad Levinson’s Guerrilla marketing (third edition, Houghton Mifflin, 1999).
But little guidance approaches the Internet from a local marketing viewpoint. The guidance you are reading is created to be a brief, focused, no-hype how-to-do-it guide to marketing a local business on the Internet. It’s meant to be suggestive rather than comprehensive, since every aspect of the internet is changing — especially local Internet advertising — because expect to use this guidance as a jumping off point for the spots that interest you.
My hope for yourself is that you will teach yourself how to do effective Internet marketing for yourself local business and so increase many of new and returning customers 25 percent or like. How is that for a modest, but realistic target?
Google gives more credits to mobile sphere
Posted by: zaur in News and Events on November 18th, 2006
Google is going to expand their services in mobile devices around the world. This news issued by John Hanke, manager of product management of Google, during a conference which held last Wednesday in New Work.The manager said that Google is trying to expand it in beggining of the 2007, to put advertisement on consumers mobiles phones.
As Hanke told, wireless owners and advertisers can unleash a stream of money if they adapt their products development aroung cunsumers mobiles. He also issued the fact that’s ads markets is worth 100 billion dollars.Most of it is going to influence on mobiles phones.