|
|
================================================================ The Promotion World Informer Issue #54 January 25, 1999 ================================================================ This issue of the Informer is sponsored by: ------------------------------------------------------------------- Get your money's worth and get results! Looking to get your products to a discriminating audience of educated high-income earners? Why not reach them today? - INEXPENSIVELY! Your ad will get attention nested in quality health content with limited advertising. Looking for banner and newsletter opportunities? We've got fantastic discount specials. Contact us today as space is limited. mailto:adv@bodyatlas.com or visit: http://www.bodyatlas.com/advertisingindex.html ------------------------------------------------------------------- ================================================================ Contents Of This Issue: - Editor's Notes - Cool Quotes - Common Design Mistakes - The Discussion Board - Sponsor Message - Searching With Hayden - Ins and Outs of Affiliate Programs - What's New At Promotion World - Sponsor Message - Website Usability - News Headlines - A Small Request - Misc. Information =========================== Editor's Notes ====================== We have yet another new feature writer joining us this week! I am very pleased to introduce Jennifer Johnson to the "regular writers" team here in The Informer. Her writing is excellent, and I am sure you will enjoy her column each week. Her website at http://www.promotingyoursite.com is also well worth visiting, and includes some valuable articles. The Informer is sent only to those who have expressly requested it. If you no longer wish to receive it, simply follow the simple unsubscribe instructions at the end of this newsletter. ============================ Cool Quotes ======================== Keyboard: A device for entering mistakes into a computer. - Unknown 42.7 percent of all statistics are made up on the spot. - Unknown No pessimist ever discovered the secret of the stars, or sailed to an uncharted land, or opened a new doorway for the human spirit. - Helen Keller Download all the past Cool Quotes by sending any email to quotes@promotionworld.com. Enjoy! ===================== Common Design Mistakes ===================== Common Design Mistakes by Jennifer Johnson Since opening my new site and having a few of my articles published in various newsletters, I have received lots of requests for site evaluations. As I visited these sites, I began to see a pattern forming. Almost without exception, all the sites had the same basic mistakes. If I had the inclination, I could've copied and pasted the same recommendations on virtually all the sites. For the benefit of new site designers and for the "old pros" who are looking to improve their sites, I'm going to detail the common mistakes I believe many designers make. DESIGNING FOR A SPECIFIC [FILL IN THE BLANK] You know, it's so common today to buy a CD only to get it home to find out it will just play on Pioneer systems. Darn the luck! I would have to own a JVC, wouldn't I? It's just like those videotapes that will only play on a specific brand of VCR. What? Haven't had that happen to you? To be honest, me either. There's a very simple reason why. If you are selling something, it's common sense that you would want the largest number of people possible to be able to use it. Using our CD example from above, you would be shooting yourself in the foot in a major way if you decided to cut out a share of the potential market for no reason other than they didn't want to play your CD on the same type of system you use. Do you have any idea how many site designers do this in some manner to their visitors? I can tell you, judging by my experience, PLENTY. Not everyone has a monitor that will allow you to have a desktop area of a googol by a bazillion. In other words, have pity on us folks who choose to surf at 640x480. On my sites, 800x600 is the most common screen resolution, but 640x480 is not far behind. The problem that arises if you design for a large screen res is that you will spawn one of the most vile creatures known to Webkind: the horizontal scrollbar. What this means is that in order to view the entire width of the page, visitors who are using a lower res must read, scroll right, scroll down, scroll left, read, scroll right, scroll down, scroll left...are you beginning to notice an extremely annoying pattern here? On most of the sites I've seen, this could easily be avoided by rearranging a few elements or slightly reducing the length of some of the graphics. It's also best not to design for an extremely high color setting. Some people still use 256 colors (or less). What looks magnificent at 16 or 32 bit can look downright U-G-L-Y after a good dither. I'm of the opinion you shouldn't design specifically for Netscape or for MSIE. It's OK to utilize some of the features specific to either as long as you can view it in the other browser and have the page still look good. You might be wondering how you avoid these things. Look at your page at different screen resolutions, color settings, and in AT LEAST Netscape and MSIE. You should *always* do this before publishing your page; that way, you can catch (and correct) any errors before the public does. USING SPECIFIC WIDTHS IN TABLES When specifying a WIDTH for a TABLE or TD, it is almost always better (in my opinion) to specify a relative width as opposed to an absolute width. All this means is that instead of specifying a width in terms of pixels, you should specify it in terms of a percentage. For example, instead of WIDTH="some number", you should use WIDTH="some %". This usually allows your page to display more nicely on a wider variety of browser window sizes. Of course there are times when it becomes necessary to specify an absolute width. As a general rule, though, use percentages when you can. POOR GRAPHICS Realize your limitations. If you aren't capable of designing professional looking graphics, hire someone else to do it for you. Bad graphics can let the air out of your web site's tires. Have you ever visited a site and been reluctant to do business with them because of the graphics they used? I have been in that position many times. Don't misunderstand me; I'm not saying that unless you're Van Gogh you don't have any business doing business online. What I'm saying is that if you're operating a business site, your graphics shouldn't look like a toddler's first experiment with finger paints. When people come to your site and see low quality graphics, I'd venture a guess that they wonder if A) you didn't have enough money to hire a professional or B) you don't care what image you're projecting. Either perception could be very detrimental to your online business hopes. I believe almost everyone is capable of designing his or her own graphics, but if you don't feel like you're up to the task, do your business a favor and hire someone else to do the job. If you put a little effort into looking, you can probably find someone who will do the work at a surprisingly reasonable price. You might ask fellow site owners to recommend a good designer. META TAGS Don't be fooled into thinking that with some magic META tag incantation you'll suddenly appear in the top 5 on every search engine. META tags do have their place as a promotional tool, however. What I would like to discuss here is the META NAME="keywords" tag. I see far too many sites who don't utilize this tag to its full potential or don't use it at all. To get the most out of your keywords tag, I would suggest using some 2+ word keywords. For example, let's say you're operating a site like mine that offers free promotional advice. If you list "free" for one of your keywords, you'll probably be somewhere in the middle of several thousand (or several hundred thousand) results. The reason is because "free" is a highly searched for word. You would be much better off using "free promotional advice" or something along those lines, because a search performed for that phrase shouldn't return as many results. Try to make your keywords tag keyword *dense*. Ex: cat toys, cat food, cat names NOT cat toys, food, names, pet products, cats. Avoid repeating any word or phrase too often, though, so you won't be accused of "spamming". On my sites, I try not to use the same word or phrase more than 3-5 times. POORLY CHOSEN TITLE TAG Your TITLE tag should be descriptive, interesting, and it should contain keywords. According to Danny Sullivan of Search Engine Watch <http://www.searchenginewatch.com>, pages that are relevant to searched for terms can rank lower because they lack keywords in the TITLE tag. In some search engines, your TITLE tag is the only thing that is displayed on the search results. Which is more descriptive: -- home page or -- Picture of Lil' Bit, My Cat, Eating Cheese Puffs I've seen a number of sites with TITLE tags like "Jack's Page" and even some without a TITLE tag. This is just another example of small things you can do to hurt your site in a big way. Granted, more than likely, none of these problems will be the kiss of death for your site, but seemingly insignificant things can make a huge difference. Why not give your site the best possible chance? There are enough things that will work against you once you set up shop online, why add to that list yourself? ASPiRE Internet Marketing http://www.PromotingYourSite.com Articles, tips, tools, tutorials, and other resources to help you effectively design and promote your site. Free newsletter. To contact Jennifer directly, send email to: jenny@promotingyoursite.com ===================== The Discussion Board ====================== This week's quote from the discussion board: "I found a great program I think I should let you guys in on. It's at Goto.com and what it does is this: you type in a keyword and it gives you suggestions for that keyword and other phrases with that keyword in it. It tells you how many people used that keyword last month (in Goto.com) and which phrases people are using to do their searches. It was shocking to say the least. Check it out: http://inventory.go2.com/inventory/searchInventory.mp Because of this handy little tool, I will be redoing my entire website. Renee Kennedy For more great website development sites, including brief reviews, check out: http://www.thewritemarket.com/links.htm Free clip art: http://www.thewritemarket.com/Gallery/directory.html " Visit the message boards to comment on this quote or just to catch up on the other exciting discussions going on! http://www.promotionworld.com/discus/ ========================= Sponsor Message ======================= INCREASE TRAFFIC for FREE with a link from your visitors' Start Pages to your web site. The Start Page is among the most often visited pages. It's the first page your browser shows, and the page that appears when you click the Home button. People will see a link to your site every time they surf the web. Linking to your site from your visitors' Start Pages is FREE and as easy as adding a couple HTML lines to your site's Home Page. Visit http://www.startpad.com/inpw.asp for everything you need to get started in minutes. Don't hesitate to send any questions to webmaster@startpad.com. Why wait? Get FREE traffic flowing now! -- Editors Note: Quite an interesting idea! See how I am using it on the homepage of http://www.promotionworld.com/. ====================== Searching With Hayden ======================= Q. One if my major problems [in moving to my own domain name] has been getting my listings in the search engines changed over to the new domain. Even after I had tried to 404 the old listings, some are still there, and multiple listings of one site get penalized sometimes by the search engines. Any tips on how to remedy this? A. Usually removing a page so a 404 message from the server replaces a page and then resubmitting will take care of the problem. These days, one or more engine will not be processing submissions in the normal fashion, Hot Bot has been a good example recently. If your 404 is not being processed, the chances are your new page is not either. That aside, if you have gotten a new domain and the old listing remains, you are unlikely to have a problem unless you end up with identical listings on the same page of results. This can be avoided by making the new page different in some fashion. Even if your page is identical, and someone turns you in for spamming, it is my opinion that the incident would be investigated and the old listing would be found 404 making you not guilty and the end result would be the old listing would disappear. Hayden Mitchell ======================================================================= 100% On Target Advertising, Marketing and Promotion "Life is good at the Top" - Search Engine placement and much more! For details send email to Auto-responder webhitman@infofree.com Web Themes - http://www.webthemes.com ph. 805-270-1607 Send in your question for Hayden. It might be answered in an upcoming issue. webmaster@promotionworld.com ===================== Ins and Outs of Affiliate Programs ===================== This issue, I would like to answer a question that Bob Cortez sent me that I feel may be of interest to many sites that rely on affiliate and pay-per-click programs as a source of income. Earlier, Bob Cortez wrote: <<<Ryan, Thanks for the great info on your site. I am currently developing my own web site--with my own domain name, mind you :)--that caters to areas of interest in Nashville (for example, scenic and country music attractions) and I am considering using either affiliate programs or pay-per-click programs to support the site until I grow it and am able to attract local businesses to advertise. I am wondering which you think will be most successful, given my site's very general audience (no specific target accept that they live in or near Nashville)? Any advice you can provide would be great. Bob>>> I always recommend that you match up the programs you choose to your site's audience and their specific interests. However, with a very general audience like Bob's site might attract, it can be more difficult to pinpoint what types of programs would be most successful. As for choosing between affiliate programs and pay-per-click programs, I would recommend that Bob begins the site testing both avenues. Although Bob's site might attract visitors from all walks of life, they obviously have some interest in their city and community. For an affiliate program, I would consider joining one of the leading book programs such as Amazon or 1bookstreet.com. Then, take a trip down to your local bookstore and take a look at what kinds of books they display about local interests. If you can find these types of books through one of the affiliate programs, that would be a good place to start. Other options might be a music partner highlighting many of the Nashville area's famous musicians. Or videos from a retailer such as Reel.com or even better, PulseTV which offers commissions for life on many special interest videos including country music and dance. Other programs may offer similar synergies, including some of the travel related programs or even stretching to real estate if they relate to the Nashville area. On the pay-per-click side, many of the top banner networks do cater to general interest visitors. Matter of fact, that has been one complaint I have heard from some sites that target a very specific audience; that the banners are too general in nature. This probably won't be a problem however for Bob's site. The TeknoSurf program and ValueClick are good places to start, and up until a few months ago I would have also recommended highly Safe-Audit. However, with recent problems some affiliates have had in getting paid, I would only recommend to test them and watch the results carefully. Just remember that the key will be to watch carefully which programs perform best, to not be afraid to try several different ideas, and if possible, to use creative linking methods beyond banner ads. As I highlighted in a previous article, personal testimonials can be particularly effective in improving responses from your visitors. And, as always, the Top Opportunities section ( http://www.clickquick.com/topops/ ) is a good place to start. Ryan Adams ClickQuick : http://www.clickquick.com Reviews of the top affiliate and pay-per-click programs Free Bi-weekly newsletter packed with strategies, tips and reviews (mailto:subscribe@clickquick.com) =================== What's New At Promotion World =================== ~ We just updated our FanMail page... and wow! You guys have said some pretty nice things about this site and newsletter! http://www.promotionworld.com/fanmail.html ~ Review: LinkExchange Just because they run the largest banner exchange doesn't mean they are the best. Learn why here. http://www.promotionworld.com/reviews/linkexch.html ======================== Sponsor Message ========================= The best way to make money with your web site is to make sure the customer can pay you! If you don't accept credit cards on your site you will not survive. Your competitors are accepting credit cards. Shouldn't you? We can provide a low cost merchant account solution. We will also give you a free "accept checks by e-mail, fax and phone software and 100 blank checks"! You can accept credit for as low as a $22/mo lease! We can even guarantee the checks!! Why wait? Click Here. http://www.ez-creditcard.com ======================== Website Usability ======================== The Hidden Truth About Web Content by John S. Rhodes Many Web developers have failed to realize that Web content goes far beyond the text of the site. Most people throw around the word "content" as if Web sites that have many pages and many words are great. Take a moment and reflect on this key question: Is text the same thing as content? The answer is simple: No, text is not synonymous or identical to content. You shouldn't think that content is all about words, sentences, paragraphs, and pages. Here is the reality: Web content is about user interactivity. There are many, many types of content. I would argue that everything on your Web site is content. Yes that's right, everything. Think of things this way, users want to experience your Web site, they don't just want to read an endless stream of words. I admit that hypertext allows users to move around and interact, but that isn't enough. Text is sometimes great, but it is not always great. Indeed, for the goals of your site, text might even suck! You want to make your site an interactive experience. It is difficult to turn a visit into an interactive experience if you are only using text. What about this site, WebWord.com? How have I looked beyond text? Well, I admit that use text...mostly. It makes a lot of sense (i.e., I write a lot of articles and I interview people). However, I have recently made a great effort to add interactivity to the site. Look around the Web and you will find that the better Web sites think about content beyond text. Here's how I am creating user interactivity. 1. I recently added the WebWord.com Friends page to my site. The idea is simple: If you promote WebWord.com, I will promote your site for free. This has given me a way to offer something beyond text. It gives my users a chance to interact with me and the site. We both know that a transaction can occur and that we can work together. http://www.webword.com/friends.html 2. I recently added a Web site recommendation CGI script. For example, you can very easily recommend this article. Go ahead, give it a try. http://www.WebWord.com/cgi-bin/birdcast.cgi. Using this tool, you can interact with the site and you create your own type of experience. It is this kind of user experience that constitutes true Web content. 3. I recently upgraded my email alerts to a full-blown newsletter. In a sense you might think that I am sending out more text content. However, the newsletter is well designed to ask and address usability questions. Moving WebWord articles and my expert interviews don't work in the same way. The newsletter is also done by email (not Web pages) -- so the experience is different. People send questions, and I address them. People also get recognized for their participation. This type of content development encourages people to subscribe to the WebWord.com Newsletter. 4. I have added a page of free stuff to WebWord.com. It allows me do several things. It is a follow up to an article I wrote on associate programs. I can look at how well affiliate programs work. Similarly, you get a chance to see how data is collected. The insight that you gain (i.e., your learning) is also a kind of content. http://www.webword.com/freestuff.html 5. I added a Recommend Services page to WebWord.com. I figured that if I can't offer something, then I should point people in the right direction. Also, I found out that many people wanted information that is not usability related. I can understand that -- some people do not think that usability is the most important aspect of a Web site. So, I have added content that my users will appreciate. http://www.webword.com/services/index.html 6. The advertisement at the top of this page is another type of content. I am offering you an opportunity to get free samples of a very popular product. Advertisements are content! How I manage this content, and how I refer to it is quite important. When I say that I can give you something free, I am creating interactivity. You now have something beyond words alone -- you have an opportunity. Let's Talk About Your Web Site What is content for your site? You must be aware that both the online and offline advertising you do creates content. Business cards, fliers, radio ads, even word of mouth advertising creates Web content through branding and association. You make content all the time; in your sleep people are visiting your site and this interaction creates content. For example, a discussion board has a life of its own. If you post a message to a newsgroup and you used a signature, you are creating Internet content. If you sent an email to a client, and you mentioned your site, you are also creating content. Virtually any of your communication leads to content creation or content references to your site. The key again is user interactivity. Also be aware that JavaScript, logos, images, navigation, phone numbers, email addresses, and so forth, are content. Any time you add information or interactivity to your site, you are creating content. The best content is created by user interaction. Do everything you can to foster an interactive Web site. Find out what your users want and add it. Make sure it is usable by conducting tests, and by sending out surveys. Get the feedback so you know that your content is right. This is crucial for "higher-level" content development, such as your site navigation or a new discussion board. As a brief aside, let me say that I think text is great. I like text content more than any other content, but the interactivity of other content is quite useful and usable. Also remember that more text is not always better, based on how people read on the Web. Here are some final words. If your site is all about graphics and design, or programming, for example, then you ought to think beyond words. Images can be great content. Also think about allowing users to download materials. Use online demos. Add interactive content. In the very near future, only those sites with both text and non-text content will win. As you would guess, Web content that is interactive is easier to learn and use. It is also more fun and more memorable. ========================================================================= John S. Rhodes -- mailto:john@WebWord.com Human Factors Engineer and Usability Professional Internet Usability and Web Site Development: http://www.WebWord.com/ ========================= News Headlines ========================= Here is a compilation of URLs to interesting news pieces on an Internet or website promotion theme. ~ When Design Is NOT Design http://www.searchz.com/Articles/0122993.html ~ The Smell of Success http://www.searchz.com/Articles/0122991.html ~ E-Planet has users jumping http://www.zdnet.com/zdnn/stories/news/0,4586,2181862,00.html ~ Block That Click! http://www.zdnet.com/yil/content/mag/9901/football.html ~ AOL may consider satellite deal http://www.news.com/News/Item/0,4,31272,00.html ~ Microsoft To Get AOL/Netscape/Sun Deal Docs http://www.techweb.com/wire/story/TWB19990122S0021 ~ Domain Name Competition Expected In April http://www.techweb.com/wire/story/TWB19990122S0014 More Internet related news headlines at http://www.promotionworld.com/news.html ========================= A Small Request ======================== If you enjoy reading this newsletter each week, why not tell a friend about it? Even better, why don't you recommend The Informer on a discussion list? After all, you wouldn't want to keep all this free information to yourself. Just tell 'em all to subscribe by sending a message to informer@oaknetpub.com with SUBSCRIBE in the BODY of their message. ======================== Misc. Information ======================= To comment on the issues covered in this week's newsletter, use the appropriate forum on our Discussion Boards. http://www.promotionworld.com/discus/ Browse the archives at http://www.promotionworld.com/informer/archives.html If you are looking for some good advertising deals, you might like to consider Promotion World and the Informer as places to advertise. http://www.promotionworld.com/sponsor.html To subscribe put SUBSCRIBE in the BODY of an email to informer@oaknetpub.com To unsubscribe put REMOVE in the BODY of an email to informer@oaknetpub.com I appreciate all your mail with your comments and suggestions! webmaster@promotionworld.com Newsletter Credits: Joshua Reimer, Editor webmaster@promotionworld.com http://www.promotionworld.com John S. Rhodes, Usability Specialist john@WebWord.com http://www.WebWord.com/ Ryan Adams, Affiliate Program Specialist webmaster@clickquick.com http://www.clickquick.com Hayden Mitchell, Search Engine Specialist hayden@webthemes.com http://www.webthemes.com And now for the mandatory legal stuff: This newsletter is copyright 1997, 1998, 1999 Joshua Reimer. No part may be reproduced in any way without prior permission. |