Article 6: How to Get Your E-commerce Website Right

As technology and internet use increases, many businesses are looking to sell products online through e-commerce. The article, “How to Get Your E-commerce Website Right,” gives great tips for having a successful e-commerce website.

When selling products via the internet, it is important to give enough content and product information in order to eliminate consumer fears. Trust is very important for online businesses. Businesses can establish credibility in website design. Customers need to have quick access to customer service online. Bank of America is a perfect example of a company with excellent online customer service. Private policies, return policies, shipping methods, and testimonials should also be in easily accessed. Since customers are unable to handle products before they buy them, businesses should provide detailed product information and pictures of the product on the page. They also should prove that the products are convenient to use by providing demos and free samples. I think this is also a great way to get potential customer information for marketing, since companies have to ask for customer information when sending samples.

I also think purchasing products online should be very convenient. Companies need easy-to-use shopping carts from reliable sources. One problem with shopping carts is that shoppers abandon their carts before completing the check-out process. To prevent this from happening, the check-out process should be quick and effortless; involving the least amount of required information possible. Consumers are impatient and don’t want to fill out pages and pages of information. Sites that save credit card information make it easier for consumers to purchase products. Consumers will also leave the check-out process if there is an error on the page. Before launching the e-commerce site, designers should use beta-testing to check for usability and errors.

If companies can eliminate consumer fears of purchasing products over the internet, they will be able to sell many more products. Companies need to make sure their sites are secure, credible, and easy to use.


Images from:
www.southbourne.com/images/e-commerce.gif
www.shoppingcart-shoppingcarts.com/
http://www.time.com/time/digital/reports/ecommerce/25best.html

Article 5: The Ultimate SEO Checklist


Search engine optimization (SEO) is an important element to consider when developing a website. SEO is finding the optimal keywords and phrases that will show up on a keyword search in engines, like Google or Yahoo. When developing a website, designers should research the most popular keywords that potential customers use on search engines. The website with the most keyword matches will appear at the top of the list of search engine results.

The article, "The Ultimate SEO Checklist," discusses the importance of SEO and provides good examples for how to use keywords to draw search engines to a site. Websites can attract search engines by having numerous keywords throughout the site title, homepage, search pages, general content, and HTML code. Providing strong keyword hyperlinks in your site will also help searchers find your site quicker. Companies should also avoid using URLs with unusual characters, because they make search engine crawlers wary and avoid them. You can also have SEO by submitting your site to directories for a fee. This ensures your site will have faster recognition in search results.

"The Ultimate SEO Checklist" provides some great tips on constructing a website for SEO. The author says ,however, that designers should not use splash pages for SEO. I disagree with this viewpoint. If a company has a unique name or has enough keywords in its site content, the search engine will be able to find it. Besides the splash page assumption, the article is very helpful and innovative in its SEO techniques.

Image: www.seo-pr.com/

Image from Article 4 post:
www.istockphoto.com/.../restroom_vector.html

Article 4: Sex and Web Design

The article, Sex and Web Design, discusses gender differences in website design. When designing a website, it is important to know your target audience. Studies have proven that men and women react differently to websites according to their preferences. A website that does not appeal to its audience will not be as successful.

The study done by the University of Glamorgan in the UK found that men prefer straight lines, simple colors, formal language, and pictures showing action. The females prefer curves, lots of bright colors, informal language, and casual pictures. As a female, I definitely agree with the findings of the study. I am more likely to stay at site that is soft, pretty, and bright than a site that is plain and has dark colors. After surfing the net, I found examples of differences in designs for males and females. The website for the car magazine Autoweek is a perfect example of a design for men. The website is filled with straight lines. Except for the pictures, the site is relatively plain. Everything is very boxy, as opposed to curvy feminine sites like Always or Havaianas. ABC and Cheesecake Factory websites are good examples of sites using a mix of gender preferences. Both sites have the perfect combination of bright and dark colors; casual and action photos; and round and straight shapes.

I think it is very important for companies to take gender into account when designing websites. They must also use the right designer for their sites. The website design field is predominantly male; therefore many websites created by males are designed with their own tastes in mind. I think companies should survey potential customers to see how the sites appeal to them. Businesses that have equal gender targets should make sure they have design components that appeal to both genders. I think companies should survey potential customers to see how the sites appeal to them. By testing different designs, companies can find the optimal website that will be the most effective.

Article 3: ESPN.com to Drop Yahoo Text Ads

When developing a website, it is important for businesses to take into consideration the types of advertisements and search engines they want to include on the site. Businesses also need to decide if they want to sell the advertising themselves or use an ad network to do the dirty work for them. ESPN.com is an example of a company that used an ad network. According to the article, however, ESPN.com is breaking its contract with Yahoo’s ad network in order to sell the advertising space itself.

The most popular search engines, Google and Yahoo, have developed ad networks which allow companies to run advertising campaigns by category or network in order to reach certain target markets. The ad network companies, like Yahoo, buy advertisement space on websites, such as ESPN.com. They then place text-link ads from other companies in those ad spaces. Because search engines like Google and Yahoo create a lot of traffic, many companies choose to use their ad networks. The ad network services, however, do not come without a fee. Google and Yahoo keep about 20 percent of the revenue generated from the clicks on the advertisements. Instead of having only 80 percent of the revenues generated, the companies that host the ad space could keep all of the revenue if they sell it themselves.

ESPN.com has decided to auction its ad space to the highest bidder. It is going to sell text-link ads on the website, so it can allow advertisers to choose the location of their text-link ads according to certain keywords or sections on the pages. Although it will not be the placing the advertisements, Yahoo will remain on the website as the primary search engine.

I think it is smart, from a revenue standpoint, for companies to start selling their own advertising spaces. Without the cost of ad networks, companies are able to keep 100 percent of the revenue from the ads. It could, however, be a problem if they are unable to provide the number of clicks that advertisers have come to expect.

Images from:
pspupdates.qj.net/category/Madden-NFL-06/cid/112
news.k.co.il/20060406_yahoo-improves-my-web/

Article 2: Top Ten Web Design Mistakes of 2005

The article, “Top Ten Web Design Mistakes of 2005,” provides a checklist of internet marketing do’s and don’ts for businesses. Although almost a year old, the article remains relevant to current website mistakes. In order for websites to attract, maintain, and keep viewers coming back, they need to be interesting, informative, and user friendly.

Content, both verbal and non-verbal, is the most important aspect of a website. When customers visit a site for information, it needs to be easily accessible. Product and contact information should be easily accessed through the navigation bar. Content should also be written in a clear, simple manner. Visitors scan websites quickly, and do not have the attention span for lengthy wording.

Design is another key element of website development. For more clarity, each page of a website should follow a similar design as the home page. Websites also need to have readable texts. Clean fonts and significant color differences between texts and backgrounds are essential. Website links should be descriptive, so the user knows what to expect when they click on them. When using graphics and animation, website designers should be careful not to go overboard. Animation, such as Flash macromedia, can sometimes be overbearing and annoying to viewers. A website should, however, include images and photos that can be easily enlarged when clicked on.

Another important aspect of web design is construction. Browsers need to be compatible with different platforms, such as Internet Explorer 6 and Firefox. Layouts also need to be flexible, so they can change with different monitor and page sizes.

Before launching a website, a company should make sure it portrays them in a professional, credible manner. The best way to look professional is to have a visually appealing, error-free website. The website should also be easy to navigate; giving the customer access to product information, contact information, and company policies at the click of a mouse.

Image resource: www.chapel-perilous.net/dos_and_donts.jpg

Article 1: Web Site Marches to a Brazilian Beat

Introduction

Hello, my name is Laura Greenholt. I am a senior at the University of Delaware with a double major in Marketing and Operations Management and a minor in Economics. I have created this blog for a project in my Information Technology Applications in Marketing class. The purpose of the blog is to discuss important articles pertaining to marketing on the internet. I have chosen the topic of “Marketing Site Development,” because the content, design, and construction of a website are crucial to its success.

Web Site Marches to a Brazilian Beat

The article, Web Site Marches to a Brazilian Beat, is about the colorful, upbeat website of the famous sandal company, Havaianas. The Brazilian-based company engages website visitors with bright colors and Flash animation on every page. It also incorporates Brazilian culture by playing music on each page. Havaianas.com is fun, easy to use, has multiple languages, and gives detailed product and company info. Although it may not appeal to people who are impatient or prefer plain visuals, the website is very informative and easy to navigate. Havaianas.com is the ideal website for any flip-flop fanatic.