Every once in a while, I read something so simple, clear, and essential I wish I’d written it myself. The Elements of Style for Designers is well-written prose that was fun to read and reinforces the basics of balancing good design with usability. That balancing act is the most difficult and relevant task of results-oriented designers.auditory christine sloancalculator cibc loanciti consoladation loansloans citibank educationauto citifinancial restructure loanrate citifinancial loanbank citizens loan savingsloans definition classified Map
July 25th, 2006
I need to do more conclusive testing on this issue, but I want to start a dialog and see if anyone else found anything similar regarding the use of Google Adwords and landing pages.
I set up a PPC campaign using Google Adwords and landing pages. Browsers from Google’s campus hit my site landing pages then clicked through to the sitemap 3 times in two days, apparently to check if the pages were orphaned.
On the third day, I woke up to ZERO page rank across my entire Web site except for my blog. I sent a complaint and explained that what Google (apparently) thought were cloaking pages were legit landing pages. It seems that even “legit” landing pages cause problems with Google because they restored the rest of my site the next day be demoted my home page to PR 2.
I could see no other correlation and I know it wasn’t foolproof as a test, but it seems clear that the landing pages were the issue. I am hoping for an explanation from Google, but so far have had none.
Has this happened to anyone else?
July 24th, 2006
This evening, I finished the rough draft of the new Design Delineations Web site (http://designdelineations.com) and integrated the template into the existing pages. The new Web site uses the latest CSS techniques and unobtrusive Javascript for tabbed navigation with submenus and sports a completely new look and feel.
Over the next few weeks, I will continue to rework the content on the site by creating new copy for most pages and adding graphic elements where needed. As time allows, the blix theme being used by this blog will also give way to the look and feel of the main site.
July 21st, 2006
The MindValley Way to Ecommerce Success offers mentoring wisdom based on the real-world experience of its authors. Covering 40 eCommerce Tactics modular enough to be read on their own, this ebook will provide any e-business newcomer with an excellent source of advice.
Much advice offered by experts on web marketing is theoretical and difficult for a newcomer to apply. By contrast, the MindValley Way is almost completely applied information. With only a rudimentary knowledge of Internet technologies, a reader will be able to apply and test much of the tactics offered. Many of the tactics presented here will also help marketing veterans to see a new approach or hone their existing procedures.
The main subject areas covered are:
- Creating products that sell online
- Setting up your site for success
- Pay-per-click advertising secrets
- Turning browsers into buyers
- Closing the sale
- Profiting from untapped channels
- Growing into a million dollar business
What I Learned
Pay-Per-Click Advertising Needs Focus
Though I found the whole book to be of value, several subject areas were especially helpful to me. Time and again, I have made attempts at using pay-per-click advertising to send traffic to client Web sites. However, I have rarely showed a measurable gain for these clients. While many factors are relevant to this short disclosure (should a professional ever admit failure? … publicly?) I now have a better understanding of some key shortcomings of my Google Adwords campaigns. Edit: See my comment on this post for some relevant information that this eBook does not address, and notice a more thorough discussion here.
These factors that cause a pay-per-click campaign to fail include:
- too broad a range of keywords for each ad group
- reluctance to create landing pages for each ad group
- a focus on quantity of traffic generated rather than the specificity of the keywords that drive traffic
While I was aware of these issues while running the campaigns, I didn’t have the language to communicate my concerns clearly or troubleshoot effectively. Thanks to this ebook, I am now more equipped to discuss these issues with clients and to plan more intentionally for success.
Copy Writing Is Key
The MindValley Way also discusses sales copy writing for the Web in various contexts including pay-per-click campaign landing pages, advertisements, Web pages, and email messages. Through repetition and many examples, the basic concepts of quality sales writing are reinforced and clearly demonstrated.
In addition to their own experiments and advice, the authors present valuable copy writing advice from experts and often link to Web sites, ebooks, and other resources to expand on their presentation.
What Did I Think of It?
Though every tactic presented here is worth absorbing carefully, the two areas of pay-per-click campaign management and sales copy writing are worth the price of the book when looked at as a business investment. If you do not have an experienced mentor to guide you, this book could stand in for many of the questions you would ask.
- How can I select or create a product that will sell online?
- Is there a way to get more site visitors to contact me or buy my product?
- How can I attract more keyword targeted visitors to my Web site?
- Can I improve my customer service without increasing my workload?
There are some possible drawbacks to this ebook. First, if you don’t like reading lots of information on your computer screen, you will find it necessary to print each tactic as you read the book. Second, though there is plenty of information here to help sellers of physical products that require shipping, most examples provided refer to digital downloads. The challenge of setting shipping rates and finding the best distribution methods will need to be addressed elsewhere.
Still, this resource is in a class of its own due to the breadth of time-tested advice it provides. I hope my review does not sound like any magic bullet solutions are offered. It will require testing and a great deal of thought to successfully apply the principles and examples it contains. However, it is the most comprehensive repository of online marketing knowledge I have ever seen in one place. As such, I recommend The MindValley Way to Ecommerce Success to newcomers and eCommerce experts alike as an investment in their business marketing plan.
July 12th, 2006
