Internet Marketing Start to Finish
Drive measurable, repeatable online sales with search marketing, usability, CRM, and analytics
Published on 25. August 2011
Book
Paperback/Softback
320 pages
978-0-7897-4789-1 (ISBN)
Description
Internet Marketing Start to Finish
A breakthrough system for attracting more customers on the Internet
Internet marketing is the fastest, most efficient way to attract profitable new customers-if you run it strategically and systematically. This book shows you how. You'll discover how to integrate marketing, sales, and operations functions to work together far more effectively, capture the right real-time data for decision-making, and apply it to drive dramatic improvements in performance. Drawing on extensive in-the-trenches experience, the authors help you implement a more iterative, measurable, and repeatable approach to Internet marketing, deliver better-qualified leads, build an online sales engine to track and improve every customer relationship...and, above all, grow profits!
You'll Learn How To:
* Craft flexible strategies that can quickly learn from experience
* Eliminate "silos" that prevent effective measurement and execution
* Overcome obstacles ranging from culture to processes to individual behavior
* Build a powerful online sales engine to track customers through the entire relationship
* Avoid dangerous data and weed out junk leads
* Integrate web KPIs into business decision-making
* Link web to lead to CRM analysis
* Redefine messages to respond to your key audiences' personas
* Architect and design sites to improve user experience and conversion
* Write highly findable content, and then make it even more visible
* Start a feedback loop for continually optimizing both tactics and strategy
* Globalize Internet marketing for diverse languages and cultures
* Translate your performance into boardroom-ready reports
CATHERINE JUON, Co-Founder & Catalyst of Pure Visibility, has worked in the Internet space for nearly 20 years. She has extensive experience helping companies develop integrated online marketing strategies that leverage online advertising, search engine marketing, and social media.
DUNRIE ALLISON GREILING, Director of Happiness at Pure Visibility, works with analysts to derive actionable recommendations from complex web data and develop strategic Internet marketing plans. She has more than a decade of web content and project-management experience.
CATHERINE BUERKLE has 18+ years of experience in usability design, web-based media, technical communication, project management, and marketing. She founded ArborComm, Inc., and co-founded the Digital Design Institute of Michigan.
ISBN-13: 978-0-7897-4789-1
ISBN-10: 0-7897-4789-8
A breakthrough system for attracting more customers on the Internet
Internet marketing is the fastest, most efficient way to attract profitable new customers-if you run it strategically and systematically. This book shows you how. You'll discover how to integrate marketing, sales, and operations functions to work together far more effectively, capture the right real-time data for decision-making, and apply it to drive dramatic improvements in performance. Drawing on extensive in-the-trenches experience, the authors help you implement a more iterative, measurable, and repeatable approach to Internet marketing, deliver better-qualified leads, build an online sales engine to track and improve every customer relationship...and, above all, grow profits!
You'll Learn How To:
* Craft flexible strategies that can quickly learn from experience
* Eliminate "silos" that prevent effective measurement and execution
* Overcome obstacles ranging from culture to processes to individual behavior
* Build a powerful online sales engine to track customers through the entire relationship
* Avoid dangerous data and weed out junk leads
* Integrate web KPIs into business decision-making
* Link web to lead to CRM analysis
* Redefine messages to respond to your key audiences' personas
* Architect and design sites to improve user experience and conversion
* Write highly findable content, and then make it even more visible
* Start a feedback loop for continually optimizing both tactics and strategy
* Globalize Internet marketing for diverse languages and cultures
* Translate your performance into boardroom-ready reports
CATHERINE JUON, Co-Founder & Catalyst of Pure Visibility, has worked in the Internet space for nearly 20 years. She has extensive experience helping companies develop integrated online marketing strategies that leverage online advertising, search engine marketing, and social media.
DUNRIE ALLISON GREILING, Director of Happiness at Pure Visibility, works with analysts to derive actionable recommendations from complex web data and develop strategic Internet marketing plans. She has more than a decade of web content and project-management experience.
CATHERINE BUERKLE has 18+ years of experience in usability design, web-based media, technical communication, project management, and marketing. She founded ArborComm, Inc., and co-founded the Digital Design Institute of Michigan.
ISBN-13: 978-0-7897-4789-1
ISBN-10: 0-7897-4789-8
Reviews / Votes
"In Internet Marketing Start to Finish, Catherine Juon and Dunrie Greiling reveal their hard-won secrets and strategies for better online visibility. If you sell online, buy this book!"-Peter Morville, Author of Ambient Findability and co-author of Information Architecture for the World Wide Web
"This is a must-read for anyone who wants clarity in the complicated world of online marketing. This is an excellent work informed by deep experience in the Internet marketing arena."
-Terry Oprea, CEO, Mort Crim Communications, Inc.
"This is a really fascinating look at advanced techniques for building a web presence, yet the authors have made it simple enough for beginners. By demystifying information architectures, online personas, and web analytics, they have created a guidebook that will enable even web newbies to drive new business through their websites-and and after all, isn't that why we're all spending so much time on our websites in the first place?"
-Patrick Fetterman, VP Marketing, Plex Systems, Inc.
"There is a definite science that underpins the art of online marketing; Catherine and Dunrie have demonstrated a tremendous command of that science through their work with our team and now have taken it a step further by documenting it in a clearly articulated and consumable manner within this book. If you're marketing your business online, you need to have command of these concepts or else you're missing the boat."
-Eric Kushner, Director, Marketing Strategy, Compuware Corporation
"Internet Marketing Start to Finish takes you from the front door through the back office of online sales, design, development and metrics-and then how to get noticed. Measurable results are the 'killer app' in today's online marketing strategy. With social and mobile so tightly integrated and expanding quickly, if you miss the metrics between your online brand and your customer, then you're missing the entire game. The authors bring all their years of proving to their own customers first-hand that this stuff really works-it can work for you too."
-Richard S. Tombelli, Web Director, Thomas M. Cooley Law School
More details
Persons
Catherine Juon is co-founder and Catalyst of Pure Visibility, passionately leading the charge for companies to grow via the Internet. Catherine traces her love of the Internet back to Poland, where in 1991 she began teaching at the University of Warsaw. There, she experienced the power of the Internet to transform international communication, from weeks to seconds, in a way we now take for granted. Catherine believes a similar transformation is taking place in commerce-and dubbed the system of harnessing the power of the Internet for commerce Your Online Sales Engine. Based on the experience of helping companies from the corner store to global enterprises, Catherine and her company teach companies how to benefit from the web by sharing the foundations you'll learn in this book.
Dunrie Greiling is Pure Visibility's Director of Happiness and its lead Relationship Manager, responsible for national and global online sales engine engagements for Pure Visibility clients. Dunrie often draws on the hypothesis testing and data analysis skills she learned during her doctoral dissertation in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of Michigan and her undergraduate degree in that field from Princeton University. She left academics in 2000 and has since managed software design, web design and development, and search marketing projects. She supplemented her lessons learned with training and certification as a Project Management Professional by the Project Management Institute.
Catherine Buerkle is an independent User Experience and Technical Communication Consultant currently living in Germany. She has extensive experience defining and writing interactive content for a broad array of industries and applications (both web based and offline).
Before moving to Germany and under her maiden name of Titta, Catherine founded and ran a technical communication and user-experience consulting practice that won several international and best-of-show awards. Based on both the wide variety of her consulting experiences and her extensive time spent in the IT world, she has become a strong user advocate and an evangelist for applying practical and sound methodologies.
Dunrie Greiling is Pure Visibility's Director of Happiness and its lead Relationship Manager, responsible for national and global online sales engine engagements for Pure Visibility clients. Dunrie often draws on the hypothesis testing and data analysis skills she learned during her doctoral dissertation in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of Michigan and her undergraduate degree in that field from Princeton University. She left academics in 2000 and has since managed software design, web design and development, and search marketing projects. She supplemented her lessons learned with training and certification as a Project Management Professional by the Project Management Institute.
Catherine Buerkle is an independent User Experience and Technical Communication Consultant currently living in Germany. She has extensive experience defining and writing interactive content for a broad array of industries and applications (both web based and offline).
Before moving to Germany and under her maiden name of Titta, Catherine founded and ran a technical communication and user-experience consulting practice that won several international and best-of-show awards. Based on both the wide variety of her consulting experiences and her extensive time spent in the IT world, she has become a strong user advocate and an evangelist for applying practical and sound methodologies.
Content
1 Why Online Sales Matter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
First Things First . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2
Internet Research Equals Internet Sales . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2
Advantages of Internet Marketing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3
The Bird's Eye View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4
Standard Practice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4
Your Online Sales Engine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5
Back to Basics: Business Strategy 101 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7
The Customer Is King . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7
Understanding the Buying Process . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7
Remove Organizational Silos . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8
Get the Most Bang for Your Buck . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8
Find Out What's Working . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9
Lessons We've Learned . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9
Keywords, Keywords, Keywords . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9
Paid Search Mismatches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10
Get the Fundamentals Right First . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11
Bigger Is Better . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11
Content and Inlinks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12
Websites Are for Spiders and People . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12
Small Business Safety . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12
Budget for Marketing the Website Itself . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13
Learn by Example . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14
B2C Example: Happy Puppy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14
B2B Example: TropiCo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15
Online Sales Engine Success Stories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15
Case Study: Moving into New Global Markets . . . . . . . . . . . .16
Case Study: Manufacturing Company Improves Sales . . . .16
Case Study: Large Childcare Provider Increases Web Conversions . . . . . . . .17
Case Study: Major Software Company Grows Sales . . . . . . .17
Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19
2 What an Online Sales Engine Can Do . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
What Is an Online Sales Engine? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22
Why Adopt the Online Sales Engine? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22
The Online Sales Engine Components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23
The Components Form a Process . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25
Avoid "Dangerous Data" Nightmares . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25
Case Study: Identifying Junk Leads . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .26
The Customer-Driven Process . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .26
1. Define Your Goals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .27
2. Configure Tracking and Set Goals for Metrics . . . . . . . . . .28
3. Conduct Research and Improve the User Experience . .30
4. Sell Online . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .32
5. Manage Your Website . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .34
6. Increase Visibility with SEO and Paid Search . . . . . . . . . . .34
7. Revisit the Metrics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .38
Close the Loop with Metrics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .38
Maintain Your Analytics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .39
The ROI-Driven Process . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .39
Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .40
3 Building a Metrics-Driven Practice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
The New Era of Website Metrics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .44
Which Metrics Matter Most? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .44
Influencing Leads and Revenue . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .44
The Conversion Funnel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .45
Lead-Generation Businesses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .46
E-Commerce Businesses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .47
Choosing a Contact Method . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .47
What to Measure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .49
SEO Key Performance Indicators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .50
Paid Search KPIs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .53
Use Business Analysis to Define Your KPI Benchmarks and Goals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .55
When to Measure Matters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .56
Integrating Web KPIs into Business Decision Making . . . . . . . . .58
Case Study: Landing Pages with Custom 800 Numbers . . .59
Web to Lead to CRM Analysis: Close That Loop! . . . . . . . . . . . . .60
The Impact of Internet Marketing on Sales . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .60
Case Study: Reviewing Customer Conversion Data in Salesforce . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . .62
Moving Data into Salesforce . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .63
KPI Reporting on Leads and Sales . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .64
Quantity Versus Quality . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .64
Projections for Future Gain Based onPast Performance . . . . . .65
Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .67
4 Breaking Down Silos to Get the Metrics You Need. . . . . . . . . . . 69
Do More Than Gather Data: Build a Team . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .70
Web Analytics: Types, Purpose, Popular Tools for Each . . . . . .70
Logfile Versus Script-Based Analytics Tracking . . . . . . . . . . .71
Click Analytics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .81
Call Tracking: Why It's Essential and How to Select Granularity Needed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .82
Measuring If the Phone Rings (Memory Doesn't Count) .82
Selecting the Granularity Needed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .83
Lead Management: SFA/CRM Integration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .84
CRM Products . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .84
CRM Basics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .85
Next Steps for Follow-Up . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .86
Next Steps for Analysis: Quantifying "Assists" Through Lead Attribution . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . .88
A Case Study in Lead Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .90
Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .91
5 The Audience Is Listening (What Will You Say?). . . . . . . . . . . . . 93
Where Do You Start? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .94
Start with the Tasks and Goals of Your Potential Audiences . . . .94
Other Important Audiences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .95
Listen to and Watch Your Audience . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .97
Develop Website Personas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .100
Persona and Scenario Development Process . . . . . . . . . . . . .101
Sample Personas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .102
Adapt Your Website to Your Personas' Needs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .105
Next Steps: Gather More Feedback . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .105
Consider Their Path to Your Content . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .105
Case Study: Persona-Driven Redesign . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .107
Speak Your Audience's Language: The Real SEO . . . . . . . . . . . . .109
Do Your Keyword Research . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .109
Evaluate Your Keyphrases in the Context of the Entire Word Market . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .110
Case Study: Word Market Focuses Tutor Time on the Right Descriptors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .113
Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .114
6 Putting It All Together and Selling Online . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117
Designing Your Website . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .118
Incorporating Information Architecture Techniques . . . .118
Experiment with an Unconventional User-Driven Architecture: McKinley.com . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . .119
The Information Architecture Process . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .120
Investigate and Inform Your Information Architecture . .122
Develop a Website Skeleton or Wireframe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .122
Test the Information Architecture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .126
Graphic Design Comes Later . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .127
A Process Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .127
Information Architecture Case Study . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .128
User Personas and Keyword Analysis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .128
High-Level Information Architecture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .128
Page Templates with Content Specified . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .131
How the Website Mission Can Affect Information Architecture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .133
Designing Your Landing Pages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .133
Landing Page Basics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .134
The Design Cycle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .138
Getting More Granular: When Do You Need a New Landing Page? . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . .138
Long-Term Maintenance Is Critical . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .139
Optimizing Your Landing Pages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .140
When to Optimize . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .141
Use Your User Research . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .142
How to Measure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .143
You Have Data. Now What? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .145
Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .145
7 Making Websites That Work. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147
Improving User Experience and Conversion Rates . . . . . . . . . .148
The Basics: What to Fix Before Testing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .149
Follow Web Conventions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .149
On Key Pages: Form Optimization Basics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .150
Template-Level: Automated Attention Analysis . . . . . . . . . .151
On Every Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .152
Beyond Best Practices: User Research . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .155
Where Do Surveys Fit In? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .155
Quantitative User Research: Form Analytics, and A/B Testing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .156
Qualitative User Analysis: Observations, Usability Tests . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .158
UX Checklist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .161
Website Planning and Maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .162
Plan for Graceful Failure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .162
Website Maintenance Tasks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .165
Planning a Website Refresh or Relaunch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .168
Case Study: Poor SEO Execution Hurts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .173
Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .175
8 It's All About Visibility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 177
Who Sees What and How . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .178
What Search Engine Spiders See . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .178
What Search Engine Visitors See . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .179
Writing Web Content for Users and Spiders: On-Site Optimization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .181
Page-Level SEO Best Practices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .181
Page-Level SEO Guide: An Example . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .183
Case Study: Call It What It Is to Increase Findability . . . . . . . .185
Special Considerations: Blogging for SEO Benefit . . . . . . . . . . .185
Blogging Best Practices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .186
Get Out of Your Own Way: Make Sure Your Content Is Findable . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .187
A Digression into the Guts of Web Code . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .188
Watch Your Web Technologies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .190
Take Advantage of Universal Search: Tag Your Media
Files with Target Keywords . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .190
Have Fun with Widgets, but Avoid Putting Interesting and Relevant Content Inside Frames . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .192
Don't Spread Yourself Too Thin: Consolidate Your Content Power on Your Main Domain . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .194
Crawler Control: Speak to Your Spiders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .194
Increase Your Findability via Link Building . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .200
How to Approach Website Owners for Links . . . . . . . . . . . . .201
Increase Your Findability: Claim and Maintain Your Local Business Listings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .202
Monitoring, Responding to, and Encouraging Reviews Online . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .203
Advanced Visibility Strategies: Going Social . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .204
Extending Your Reach with Paid Search Advertising . . . . . . . .205
Search Engines as Paid Search Vendors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .206
Effective Paid Search Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .206
Define Your Market . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .208
Qualify Your Market with Specific Ad Copy . . . . . . . . . . . . .209
Convert Your Visitors into Customers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .211
Revisit, Refine, and Refresh Your Campaigns . . . . . . . . . . . .211
Advanced Visibility Strategies: Display Advertising . . . . . . . . .212
The Best Ways to Target Display Ads . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .214
Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .215
9 Running the Feedback Loop . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 217
Revisiting the Project Goals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .218
Your Goals Will Change as Your Process Matures . . . . . . .218
Analyzing Across the Online Sales Engine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .220
Pulling Data from Various Silos . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .221
Common Data Analysis Pitfalls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .223
Proving ROI . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .226
What to Consider When Calculating ROI . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .226
When ROI Doesn't Matter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .228
How to Set Projections for Future Performance . . . . . . . . . .229
How to Set Projections for Future Performance . . . . . . . . . .229
Boardroom-Ready Reporting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .234
Provide Context for the Numbers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .234
Boardroom Reporting Best Practices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .236
Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .237
10 Special Considerations for International Organizations . . . 239
Going Global in the New World Order . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .240
The Return of the Silo Problem . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .240
Triage for International Disorientation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .240
The Impact of Language, Culture, and Transparency . . . . . . . .241
Working with Translators and Localization Experts . . . . .241
Case Study: Spidering to Keep All Localized Websites Up-to-Date . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .246
Basic Mechanics for a Global Metrics-Driven Practice . .246
Use a Single Website Analytics Program Globally . . . . . . .247
Set Your Web Analytics to Track Across Top-Level Domains . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .247
Unify Your CRM or SFA Process . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .248
Talk to Each Other! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .248
Basic Mechanics for Global Organic Search Visibility . . . . . . .250
Focus on the Correct Search Engine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .250
Tune Your Social Strategy to the Right Channel . . . . . . . . .252
Mind Your Website Top-Level Domains . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .252
Basic Mechanics for Global Paid Search Configuration . . . . .253
Create Regional Campaigns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .253
Set Geographic Targets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .254
Use the Right Language . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .254
Working with Time Zones . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .256
Basic Mechanics for Global Usability . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .258
Before You Translate: Character Set Issues . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .258
Working with Forms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .258
Working with Other Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .259
A Note for E-Commerce Websites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .259
Making It Usable . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .260
Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .262
Appendix: TropiCo's State of the Web Report. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 263
Table of Contents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .264
Executive Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .264
About Part I . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .264
About Part II . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .265
About Part III . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .265
Part I. The Year in Review: The Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .265
General Traffic Trends . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .265
Geographic Distribution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .266
Traffic Sources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .267
Quarterly Leads Trends . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .268
Part II. How It Happened . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .269
Paid Search (Setup, Management, and Expansion) . . . . . .270
Search Engine Optimization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .274
Usability . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .275
Strategy, Analysis, and Reporting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .276
Local Search . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .278
Referral Media . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .279
Part III. Looking Forward to 2012 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .280
Localize the Online User Experience . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .280
Engagement: Move Online Strategy Toward
Interactive Brand Experience . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .281
Maintain Momentum from FY 2011 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .281
First Things First . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2
Internet Research Equals Internet Sales . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2
Advantages of Internet Marketing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3
The Bird's Eye View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4
Standard Practice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4
Your Online Sales Engine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5
Back to Basics: Business Strategy 101 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7
The Customer Is King . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7
Understanding the Buying Process . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7
Remove Organizational Silos . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8
Get the Most Bang for Your Buck . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8
Find Out What's Working . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9
Lessons We've Learned . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9
Keywords, Keywords, Keywords . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9
Paid Search Mismatches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10
Get the Fundamentals Right First . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11
Bigger Is Better . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11
Content and Inlinks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12
Websites Are for Spiders and People . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12
Small Business Safety . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12
Budget for Marketing the Website Itself . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13
Learn by Example . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14
B2C Example: Happy Puppy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14
B2B Example: TropiCo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15
Online Sales Engine Success Stories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15
Case Study: Moving into New Global Markets . . . . . . . . . . . .16
Case Study: Manufacturing Company Improves Sales . . . .16
Case Study: Large Childcare Provider Increases Web Conversions . . . . . . . .17
Case Study: Major Software Company Grows Sales . . . . . . .17
Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19
2 What an Online Sales Engine Can Do . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
What Is an Online Sales Engine? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22
Why Adopt the Online Sales Engine? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22
The Online Sales Engine Components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23
The Components Form a Process . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25
Avoid "Dangerous Data" Nightmares . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25
Case Study: Identifying Junk Leads . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .26
The Customer-Driven Process . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .26
1. Define Your Goals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .27
2. Configure Tracking and Set Goals for Metrics . . . . . . . . . .28
3. Conduct Research and Improve the User Experience . .30
4. Sell Online . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .32
5. Manage Your Website . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .34
6. Increase Visibility with SEO and Paid Search . . . . . . . . . . .34
7. Revisit the Metrics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .38
Close the Loop with Metrics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .38
Maintain Your Analytics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .39
The ROI-Driven Process . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .39
Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .40
3 Building a Metrics-Driven Practice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
The New Era of Website Metrics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .44
Which Metrics Matter Most? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .44
Influencing Leads and Revenue . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .44
The Conversion Funnel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .45
Lead-Generation Businesses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .46
E-Commerce Businesses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .47
Choosing a Contact Method . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .47
What to Measure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .49
SEO Key Performance Indicators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .50
Paid Search KPIs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .53
Use Business Analysis to Define Your KPI Benchmarks and Goals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .55
When to Measure Matters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .56
Integrating Web KPIs into Business Decision Making . . . . . . . . .58
Case Study: Landing Pages with Custom 800 Numbers . . .59
Web to Lead to CRM Analysis: Close That Loop! . . . . . . . . . . . . .60
The Impact of Internet Marketing on Sales . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .60
Case Study: Reviewing Customer Conversion Data in Salesforce . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . .62
Moving Data into Salesforce . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .63
KPI Reporting on Leads and Sales . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .64
Quantity Versus Quality . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .64
Projections for Future Gain Based onPast Performance . . . . . .65
Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .67
4 Breaking Down Silos to Get the Metrics You Need. . . . . . . . . . . 69
Do More Than Gather Data: Build a Team . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .70
Web Analytics: Types, Purpose, Popular Tools for Each . . . . . .70
Logfile Versus Script-Based Analytics Tracking . . . . . . . . . . .71
Click Analytics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .81
Call Tracking: Why It's Essential and How to Select Granularity Needed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .82
Measuring If the Phone Rings (Memory Doesn't Count) .82
Selecting the Granularity Needed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .83
Lead Management: SFA/CRM Integration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .84
CRM Products . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .84
CRM Basics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .85
Next Steps for Follow-Up . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .86
Next Steps for Analysis: Quantifying "Assists" Through Lead Attribution . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . .88
A Case Study in Lead Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .90
Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .91
5 The Audience Is Listening (What Will You Say?). . . . . . . . . . . . . 93
Where Do You Start? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .94
Start with the Tasks and Goals of Your Potential Audiences . . . .94
Other Important Audiences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .95
Listen to and Watch Your Audience . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .97
Develop Website Personas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .100
Persona and Scenario Development Process . . . . . . . . . . . . .101
Sample Personas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .102
Adapt Your Website to Your Personas' Needs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .105
Next Steps: Gather More Feedback . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .105
Consider Their Path to Your Content . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .105
Case Study: Persona-Driven Redesign . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .107
Speak Your Audience's Language: The Real SEO . . . . . . . . . . . . .109
Do Your Keyword Research . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .109
Evaluate Your Keyphrases in the Context of the Entire Word Market . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .110
Case Study: Word Market Focuses Tutor Time on the Right Descriptors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .113
Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .114
6 Putting It All Together and Selling Online . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117
Designing Your Website . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .118
Incorporating Information Architecture Techniques . . . .118
Experiment with an Unconventional User-Driven Architecture: McKinley.com . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . .119
The Information Architecture Process . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .120
Investigate and Inform Your Information Architecture . .122
Develop a Website Skeleton or Wireframe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .122
Test the Information Architecture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .126
Graphic Design Comes Later . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .127
A Process Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .127
Information Architecture Case Study . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .128
User Personas and Keyword Analysis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .128
High-Level Information Architecture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .128
Page Templates with Content Specified . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .131
How the Website Mission Can Affect Information Architecture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .133
Designing Your Landing Pages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .133
Landing Page Basics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .134
The Design Cycle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .138
Getting More Granular: When Do You Need a New Landing Page? . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . .138
Long-Term Maintenance Is Critical . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .139
Optimizing Your Landing Pages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .140
When to Optimize . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .141
Use Your User Research . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .142
How to Measure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .143
You Have Data. Now What? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .145
Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .145
7 Making Websites That Work. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147
Improving User Experience and Conversion Rates . . . . . . . . . .148
The Basics: What to Fix Before Testing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .149
Follow Web Conventions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .149
On Key Pages: Form Optimization Basics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .150
Template-Level: Automated Attention Analysis . . . . . . . . . .151
On Every Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .152
Beyond Best Practices: User Research . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .155
Where Do Surveys Fit In? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .155
Quantitative User Research: Form Analytics, and A/B Testing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .156
Qualitative User Analysis: Observations, Usability Tests . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .158
UX Checklist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .161
Website Planning and Maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .162
Plan for Graceful Failure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .162
Website Maintenance Tasks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .165
Planning a Website Refresh or Relaunch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .168
Case Study: Poor SEO Execution Hurts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .173
Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .175
8 It's All About Visibility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 177
Who Sees What and How . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .178
What Search Engine Spiders See . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .178
What Search Engine Visitors See . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .179
Writing Web Content for Users and Spiders: On-Site Optimization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .181
Page-Level SEO Best Practices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .181
Page-Level SEO Guide: An Example . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .183
Case Study: Call It What It Is to Increase Findability . . . . . . . .185
Special Considerations: Blogging for SEO Benefit . . . . . . . . . . .185
Blogging Best Practices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .186
Get Out of Your Own Way: Make Sure Your Content Is Findable . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .187
A Digression into the Guts of Web Code . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .188
Watch Your Web Technologies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .190
Take Advantage of Universal Search: Tag Your Media
Files with Target Keywords . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .190
Have Fun with Widgets, but Avoid Putting Interesting and Relevant Content Inside Frames . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .192
Don't Spread Yourself Too Thin: Consolidate Your Content Power on Your Main Domain . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .194
Crawler Control: Speak to Your Spiders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .194
Increase Your Findability via Link Building . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .200
How to Approach Website Owners for Links . . . . . . . . . . . . .201
Increase Your Findability: Claim and Maintain Your Local Business Listings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .202
Monitoring, Responding to, and Encouraging Reviews Online . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .203
Advanced Visibility Strategies: Going Social . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .204
Extending Your Reach with Paid Search Advertising . . . . . . . .205
Search Engines as Paid Search Vendors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .206
Effective Paid Search Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .206
Define Your Market . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .208
Qualify Your Market with Specific Ad Copy . . . . . . . . . . . . .209
Convert Your Visitors into Customers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .211
Revisit, Refine, and Refresh Your Campaigns . . . . . . . . . . . .211
Advanced Visibility Strategies: Display Advertising . . . . . . . . .212
The Best Ways to Target Display Ads . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .214
Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .215
9 Running the Feedback Loop . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 217
Revisiting the Project Goals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .218
Your Goals Will Change as Your Process Matures . . . . . . .218
Analyzing Across the Online Sales Engine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .220
Pulling Data from Various Silos . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .221
Common Data Analysis Pitfalls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .223
Proving ROI . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .226
What to Consider When Calculating ROI . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .226
When ROI Doesn't Matter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .228
How to Set Projections for Future Performance . . . . . . . . . .229
How to Set Projections for Future Performance . . . . . . . . . .229
Boardroom-Ready Reporting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .234
Provide Context for the Numbers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .234
Boardroom Reporting Best Practices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .236
Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .237
10 Special Considerations for International Organizations . . . 239
Going Global in the New World Order . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .240
The Return of the Silo Problem . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .240
Triage for International Disorientation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .240
The Impact of Language, Culture, and Transparency . . . . . . . .241
Working with Translators and Localization Experts . . . . .241
Case Study: Spidering to Keep All Localized Websites Up-to-Date . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .246
Basic Mechanics for a Global Metrics-Driven Practice . .246
Use a Single Website Analytics Program Globally . . . . . . .247
Set Your Web Analytics to Track Across Top-Level Domains . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .247
Unify Your CRM or SFA Process . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .248
Talk to Each Other! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .248
Basic Mechanics for Global Organic Search Visibility . . . . . . .250
Focus on the Correct Search Engine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .250
Tune Your Social Strategy to the Right Channel . . . . . . . . .252
Mind Your Website Top-Level Domains . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .252
Basic Mechanics for Global Paid Search Configuration . . . . .253
Create Regional Campaigns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .253
Set Geographic Targets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .254
Use the Right Language . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .254
Working with Time Zones . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .256
Basic Mechanics for Global Usability . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .258
Before You Translate: Character Set Issues . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .258
Working with Forms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .258
Working with Other Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .259
A Note for E-Commerce Websites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .259
Making It Usable . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .260
Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .262
Appendix: TropiCo's State of the Web Report. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 263
Table of Contents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .264
Executive Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .264
About Part I . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .264
About Part II . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .265
About Part III . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .265
Part I. The Year in Review: The Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .265
General Traffic Trends . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .265
Geographic Distribution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .266
Traffic Sources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .267
Quarterly Leads Trends . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .268
Part II. How It Happened . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .269
Paid Search (Setup, Management, and Expansion) . . . . . .270
Search Engine Optimization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .274
Usability . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .275
Strategy, Analysis, and Reporting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .276
Local Search . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .278
Referral Media . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .279
Part III. Looking Forward to 2012 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .280
Localize the Online User Experience . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .280
Engagement: Move Online Strategy Toward
Interactive Brand Experience . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .281
Maintain Momentum from FY 2011 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .281