Web Analytics: Measuring Success By the Click

As appeared in the Presence Pointers column of the December 2008 issue of “Business Watch” magazine.

Is your Web site successful? Was this year more successful than last year; this month more or less successful than last month? These are important questions to try to answer. If you sell online, success might be based on selling more. This may be a start, but it may not be the entire picture. If you don’t sell online, this may seem even more daunting.

The beauty of the Web is that you can gather and measure more information to answer these and many other questions much easier than you can in the offline world. For those who feature both a brick-and-mortar location and an online presence, there are even powerful ways to connect the dots between the two. Continue reading “Web Analytics: Measuring Success By the Click”

Buying Position with Paid Search Marketing

As appeared in the Presence Pointers column of the November 2008 issue of “Business Watch” magazine.

You’re on the verge of the holiday season. You’ve had best intentions to audit your Web site, employ some best practices around search engine optimization (SEO) or accessibility — but the reality is, that didn’t happen, or it didn’t happen soon enough. Or maybe you did all that, but are still challenged to achieve search results positions that deliver the needed traffic. All hope is not lost.

Paid search marketing can be especially useful when you simply can’t achieve the natural listings you want, are trying to drive traffic and results within a very short window (30-60 days or less), or with regards to content ads, are trying to reach a specific target through a relevant website. Online marketing may serve as a complement to your natural search efforts even when you perform well naturally. Continue reading “Buying Position with Paid Search Marketing”

Are You Accessible? – Accessible Web Design

As appeared in the Presence Pointers column of the October 2008 issue of “Business Watch” magazine.

What has always fascinated me about the Web isn’t all the graphics, images, sounds, and videos; it’s the ability to access all kinds of information. Just about anything you could ever want to know is often just a few clicks away. That’s pretty incredible. All that other stuff is just icing on the cake.Yet for some people, the access that many of us now take for granted, still seems like a distant dream. Believe it or not, I’m not talking about people in far away countries who don’t have the technology to access the Web or who may be prohibited from or limited in their access. I’m talking about people right here who may even be your neighbors. Continue reading “Are You Accessible? – Accessible Web Design”