2.1 INTRODUCTION
Sorry - there are no links or additions in this section.
2.2 DOMAIN NAMES
*pg 40*
For which country has what suffix, check out this
list
or this
map.
*pg 41* Choosing a domain name: For more information try
a marketer's perspective on
choosing the right domain name
and
choosing a domain name.
Here's an example of why you need to think carefully when communicating a domain name verbally, in this case, on the radio -
poor verbal-domain-name practice.
Although it is nothing to do with domain name selection, how it is configured online is still a domain name issue - take a look at
what happens when you get it wrong -
holy-bad-website batman.
Don't forget there are also domain name sections on my own website in
tips, hints and advice
and
interesting articles. There is also a a whole section on
domain names
from me.
2.3 WEBSITE HOSTING
*pg 47*
For an example of (a) problems that can occur, and (b) the sort of data that can be collected by a third party,
take a look at this article from Netcraft.com -
BBC News Knocked Offline by Performance Changes.
12:14 16/06/2010
*pg 47*
The cost of downtime: Not a complete shutdown, but this was a serious 'blip' for
Google,
Microsoft
again in December 2009
and
Twitter
in June 2010.
2.4 WHO DEVELOPS THE WEB PRESENCE?
Throughout the book - and particularly in my classes - I rail against websites being 'owned', or under the control of,
techies or designers. My comments about marketers 'owning' the organization's web presence is based on my own
experience. For those who think I am just prejudiced against designers and techies and that this view is not held
by others, take a look at:
- What one of the world's top e-commerce guys has to say in this
interview.
Take note of the answer to the question What if someone was starting off and needed to hire his first main player. What would you look for?
He says that for an e-commerce site, he would look first for a retailer or any other type of site, a marketer.
Wise words.
-
David Meerman Scott's views on website management
from his book The New Rules of Marketing & PR
My stance that the organization's website is the property of the marketing department doesn't go down too well in some quarters [notably, techies, see
what is it with me and IT?],
but I have stood by my argument since 1996 and I'm not going to change my mind anytime soon. However, one thing I perhaps do not cover
in sufficient detail in both my 'dream team' section and sections the 'Decision Time' is that of whether the work be completed in-house or
have it out-sourced. Realistically, few organizations will have the 'dream team' experience in-house.
Even the likes of Tesco who have
their own 'online' department will use external suppliers for specialist functions of the website [the check-out, perhaps]. Indeed,
there are many software companies who have built businesses around supplying specialist elements of e-commerce sites - everything from
keeping product images up-to-date, through 'customer experience management' to linking customer's online orders to the company's logistical support. As with all other apsects of
Internet marketing, the answer lies in the organization's dependency on the web. I've developed [and maintain] everything on this website myself,
and I have very basic 'design' and 'technical' skills - but my business or livelihood do not depend on this site, it is a support service
for the book. A similar argument can probably be made for many offline organizations, particularly SMEs. At the other end of the spectrum are organizations like Amazon who depend on the web for 100% of their income, and so
employ all the skills necessary to compete effectively in their market.
The 'out-source or not' issue is the subject of this commentary -
Etailers should minimise in-house development work
- make sure you read the comments at the end. There is no conclusive answer to this issue.
For those of you who haven't experienced the great marketing vs IT debate and may consider it is my own personal
view, take a look at this research from a respected organization -
Bridging the Ecommerce Technology and Marketing Divide.
Note however, in the book I concentrate on IT's involvement with website design, this research takes a wider perspective.
*pg 49*
Boo.com is a 'text book' example of how poor website design [plus a business plan that
was, well ... rubbish] can sink a business. See what the BBC had to say back in 2001 -
Boo's journey to failure.
Boo is also in this list of
Top 10 dot-com flops.
2.5 WEBSITE ANALYTICS AND E-METRICS
The title of this article from two of the best in the business at FutureNow -
The marketer's common sense guide to e-metrics
tells why I have included it in this section, but it has lots of good stuff about website design also.
*pg 52*
For more information on server-side and browser-based e-metrics take a look at
Web Analytics: Client-Side, Server-Side or Hosted?
- note however, that the author uses 'client-side' rather than 'browser-side'. Another article that
covers the basic issues is
The marketer's common sense guide to e-metrics.
In the previous section of the book I talk about the skills required in a 'dream team' of participants in website design. This article -
Building Out a Web Analytics Team
- considers the same issue for e-metrics.
*pg 52*
Definitions of terms used in e-metrics from the
Web Analytics Association.
In this section of the book I have included an image from my Google analytics indicating where visits to alancharlesworth.eu originate -
this one
is an update as the site approached 5,000 visitors [NB I would really like to know why I had 21 visitors from Belarus one day in April 09!].
Don't forget there are also e-metrics sections on my own website in
tips, hints and advice
and
interesting articles.
2.6 THE INTERNET AS A TOOL FOR MARKET RESEARCH
*pg 64*
How to Hear the Voice of Your Customers -
Hone First-Person Intelligence From All Forms of Feedback.
Along similar lines to my 'property abroad' example - and from the same source - is
this data
on holiday searches. If you were in the travel industry this would be valuable information.
Although I do address some of the issues raised in this paper in this section and some more in chapter 9, you will learn a lot
about using the web as a medium for market research from it. It's so good I'm taking you to my review before you see the actual thing -
strategic planning for the real world.
Using pretty basic software [available free online, or more complex that you have to pay for] you can track entries
on blogs or other CGM websites for keywords, like your brand or product name. This means you can be proactive
in reacting to criticisms. Is this an example? See
unintentional bait and switch by Argos.
[Note that I have also included this link in chapter 9 where we consider the issue as part of social media marketing].
Don't forget there are also market research sections on my own website in
tips, hints and advice
and
interesting articles.
2.7 PROMOTING THE WEBSITE OFFLINE
Sorry - there are no links or additions in this section.
