Four steps to profiting from a decent domain name
If you're an entrepreneur, or budding entrepreneur, making money online can sometimes seem like a real challenge. In my opinion, that's often because entrepreneurs focus on the wrong thing. They want to create a 'startup' and become the next Facebook or Twitter.
That's a tall order and, for most of us, a recipe for disappointment. But if you're willing to start out small and work hard, profit on the internet isn't so elusive.
Mobile web experience letting users down: report
After years of too much hype, it's safe to say that the mobile internet is here. Sure, a lot of the activity is taking place in closed gardens (App Store, cough). But thanks to the wide availability of internet-enabled handsets, the rise of smartphones and 3G networks, more and more people are accessing websites through their mobiles.
Unfortunately, access and demand haven't yet produced the ideal mobile web experience. In fact, according to a recent study conducted by Gomez, Inc., in the past year two out of three mobile users have run into problems while trying to access websites on their mobiles.
Which auto websites are getting it right?
A study of automotive website usability has named the Audi website as the best by a manufacturer, with Volvo and Mini the runners up.
The eDigitalResearch study was commissioned by Auto Trader, and looks at various features of car websites, including selector tools and customer service options.
I've been looking at some of the winners' websites...
Eight tips for boosting lead gen conversions
The internet is arguably the most powerful tool for generating leads the business world has ever known. Using little more than HTML forms, it's possible to set up a simple mechanism for generating leads on a website and thanks to cost-effective internet advertising options, reaching an audience of potential customers has never been easier.
But even given these things, generating quality leads online isn't always as easy as it looks and a lot of leads are lost because the forms and web pages designed to generate them are poorly implemented. Here are eight tips for making sure you're maximizing your lead gen conversions.
Site review: M&S relaunch
Marks & Spencer launched a revamped version of its website yesterday, the first major update since 2007.
According to M&S, the aim is to 'dramatically improve the customer journey from browsing to basket'. I've been seeing how well the site achieves this goal...
The New Statesman vs The Guardian - spot the difference
Redesigning websites is always a challenge. On the one hand you want to improve things and innovate. But on the other it’s a case of ‘why reinvent the wheel?’.
Why indeed? But even wheels should have their own identity. In some cases the idea of doing what works best isn’t executed with distinction.
Mirroring usability and functionality is one thing, but copying the look and feel from another website is not particularly big or clever. Especially when that website is one of the world’s larger media sites.
You be the judge...
Google wants to crawl your AJAX
Every day, more and more web designers and developers are taking advantage of new technologies and tools that enable more enjoyable user experiences. From jQuery to Flex, designers and developers have no shortage of options for building more intuitive, responsive and efficient websites.
But many, if not most, of these options come at a price: an SEO hit. That's because it's difficult for search engines to make sense of content that is controlled by these technologies and tools.
Adobe looks to extend Flash dominance to the mobile
When it comes to the desktop, Flash Player is one of the more dominant plugins. Adobe claims it's "the world's most pervasive software platform...reaching 99.0% of Internet-enabled desktops". There's just one problem: internet-enabled mobiles are where much of the internet's future growth is usage is expected to come from.
But Adobe is trying to make sure that Flash Player is as dominant on the mobile as it is on the desktop and is making lots of announcements about its Open Screen Project at the Adobe developer conference in Los Angeles today.
Where should you spend your online budget?
The amount spent advertising online has finally exceeded that amount spent on TV promotions. So, if you're planning to dedicate more marketing money to the web platform, where should you spend that cash?
People are spending more online, both shoppers and advertisers. That means your customers are on the web but it also means your competitors have upped their game.
So you probably plan to increase the amount you spend, but where should you spend that cash? Should you boost your email marketing or ramp up your paid ads?
The 37 things I want to see on a product page
I’ve been working on a new community-orientated startup lately, which also has an e-commerce / marketplace element to it. As such it needs some beautiful product pages.
Product pages are absolutely crucial to the success of your website. They often double up as a landing page, and they must tick all of the right boxes to boost conversions (and reduce bounce rates).
However, product pages on a community-powered websites need to go the extra mile. They must help convert visitors into customers, but they must also engage and drive interaction. I want to encourage buying (a 'hard' goal) as well as rating, reviewing, bookmarking and sharing products (a 'soft' goal).
For my new site the thinking is very much along the lines of 80% community / 20% marketplace, and I believe that viral functionality (and related information) on product pages is essential. But there is now a surfeit of options from which to choose, which leaves us in a bit of a dilemma. What to leave out?
Social media: the best and worst of 2009
Email marketing: six steps to improving customer engagement in 2010
Web 2.0
Graham Charlton
Strategy & Planning
