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IchessU
18 October 2008 09:45am
Hi,
www.ichessu.com (International Chess University) is a small company, we give online chess courses.
I believe we have a great product, but the conversion rate is very low.
We are looking for re-designing the web, to make it sell.
The major improvements will be the conceptive and clean design, usability, easy navigation, calls for actions etc - all staff which suppose to boost the conversion rate.
We need a specialist who can advise "the selling flow" and implement it.
We tried a few India companies, but they are software-oriented, not e-marketing.
USA/UK companies look too expensive - our estimated budget for the change is ~5K USD.
Can you recommend us someone?
Thanks in advance, Albert Fishman
Technical Project Manager (MBA, MBCS, CITP, CEng) at Naxtech.com
18 October 2008 11:00am
Hi Albert,
Well, it all comes down to what exactly you're after but you're probably right in saying that a US/UK firm would be expensive if you wanted them to do both web design, web/database development and seo. Maybe a freelancer in the US/UK would be somewhat cheaper?
My personal recommendation would be to perhaps start with the design and seo first in the US/UK and then use that cheap indian company you mentioned to merely do programming but based on the guidelines provided by the US/UK firm. The total cost may be a little but over you budget but it will most likely be only a little bit/ Anyway...just food for thought.
Does that help at all?
regards,
Denis
www.naxtech.com
Programme Manager at Iridium Interactive Europe Ltd
20 October 2008 09:42am
Hi Albert,
Hope you are doing well. At iridium Interactive(Europe) Ltd, we are into what you are looking for. We are a London based Online agency with development centres in India. I guess we got the best of both worlds.
Our motto in webdesign is Acquire.Convert.Retain.
That is our strategy for our clients to Acquire eye balls to the website, Convert them into paying customers and then go for repeat custom for sustainability. We have tremendous experience in usable web design, organically health websites with search engine optimisation and SEM to achieve sustainable sales.
Please taka a look at our website www.iridiuminteractive.com for details. And please buzz me on or 0207 096 0480.
Best Regards,
Nish.
Web Marketing Manager at www.venuebirmingham.com
21 October 2008 14:53pm
Hi Albert: first off - I would advice you to think long and hard about what it is you want people to do on the site - and then remove the barriers to them actually achieving that.
Get someone who has never used or seen the site to sit in front of it and get their honest reactions - and ask them to try and use it as you want people to.
I would also say get rid of the scrolling text; it is universally loathed and only ever distracts from people.
As for resources - well if you have the time, check out:
Hope that all helps!
Director of ecommerce at Mezzo Marketing
25 October 2008 18:42pm
Hi there, i can recommend a little company called Mezzomarketing.co.uk - they spicalise in helping smaller (growing) companies refine their web presence, so no big fees, but a flight to quality and practicality in line with your budget...
Hope that helps
Chris
On 09:45:36 18 October 2008 IchessU wrote:
IchessU
25 October 2008 21:48pm
Thanks all for your inputs.
Some of the recommendations are really helpful.
The problem is that www.ichessu.com is a small company with limited financial abilities.
Are there any common rough numbers of the budget / standard costs for this kind of work?
We want to estimate how much to invest till we see initial results, which will generate more income, which we can invest back in further improvements / SEO...
All these UK companies are quite expensive.
Of course, quality costs, but I guess it's possible finding experts in "cheaper" countries, like India. Or even US is cheaper.
Thanks in advance.
Web Marketing Manager at www.venuebirmingham.com
27 October 2008 09:00am
Argh! - do NOT try and outsource this!
India and the US might be good (and I stress the word "might") for large projects where all you need is progamming, but they are very bad for any project where subtle understanding of nuance is required.
Think about it - are you goingto go over there for the duration of the project and literally sit over them until they do it right? - are you able to define in legal-binding terms exactly what the outcome of the project is?
If "no" is your answer then don't go there!
You need to educate yourself on what is needed so that you can tell your designer how to change the site: get a copy of "Don't make me think" by Steve Krug from Amazon and go from there: http://tinyurl.com/6444o3
Marketing Architect at ConversionAdvice.com
22 November 2012 19:28pm
Hi Albert,
I know this is an old thread but I found it while surfing through Google.
I provide a conversion rate service were I will review your website page by page alongside any current analytical data you may have. I then provide a conversion report (two types available) with actionable points that will help you to increase your conversion rate.
My knowledge is based upon my experience of building, testing and marketing websites effectively so I know what works and what doesn't.
Visit my website at www.conversionadvice.com for more information.
Regards,
Cain