[Web Results Advisor] Internet Marketing & Web Analytics

Sunshine Coast Accommodations - Bonniebrook Lodge

2008-02-14T06:53:28Z

Booniebrook Lodge is an historic Oceanside Sunshine accommodation. We're pleased to have just rolled out the Lodge's new website. The Lodge also hosts Chaster Dining Lounge - a fine dining room with ocean views and menus using local produce and foods. The website is built in CSS (cascading style technology). This type of programming keeps the file size of each page small thereby allowing faster page load time, better search engine optimization and easier maintenance. We also used Lokesh Dhakar's Lightbox technology for the site's photo gallery. We've been using this cool photo gallery software on nearly all of our recent websites. Thanks to Sunshine Coast photographer Duane Burnett for the great photos and Sunshine Coast YouToube.com video. We have also been contracted to market this newly launched site. While booniebrook.com was built to be search engine friendly it's still important to build a strong and balanced incoming website linking structure. These are links from other websites that point to booniebrook.com. I regard one of the absolute essentials for link built is to purchase a paid Yahoo directory submission. Paid directories like Yahoo, Best of the Web and JoeAnt are essential to announcing a new website to the search engines. However, there has to be a balance of incoming links from a variety of sources including "one-way" website links from other sites and blogs, reciprocal links that you trade with other sites, etc. Thanks to Lina Jakobs and Mark Darlington for choosing Custom Fit Online Solutions to develop their new web presence. By the way... we'll be back to writing about Internet marketing and website development soon. After a winter season that overwhelmed us with work and team illness we're getting back on track and will soon have time to get back to more routine blogging. If you have any recommendations on topics that you would like us to address please leave a comment.

Another 2 Local Websites Launched - RosalindsDesserts.com & CowboyWildlifePhotography.com

2008-02-07T03:20:43Z

Again... while I haven't blogged much of late because we're so busy with some larger web development projects we have just launched two more smaller websites. RosalindsDesserts.com - Whistler Pastry chef Rosalind MacLean has recently opened her new pastry shop in Whistler's 'Function Junction'... that's Whistler's industrial / commercial area. Rosalind specializes in wedding cakes so if you are planning to get married in Whistler b sure to check our Desserts by Design. Cowboy Wildlife Photography - Pemberton-based photographers Jeff & Krista Simms share their photography from around the word including Australia, Africa and beautiful BC Canada.

Thanks to Rosalind MacLean from Desserts by Design and Jeff & Krista Simms of Cowboy Wildlife Photography for choosing Custom Fit Online Solutions to develop their websites.

2 New Websites Launched - SilvhornAutomotive.com & CopperdomeLodge.com

2007-11-23T02:47:16Z

We haven't been posting regular comments to our blog these days because we're so busy. Between Internet marketing for a variety of Whistler businesses who are readying themselves for ski season and some large web development projects it's been a VERY busy fall. Here are two relatively smaller website projects that we've just launched. CopperdomeLodge.com - a learning centre and group rental retreat located in the heart of the Pemberton Valley BC Canada. Thanks to Stacey Bodnaruk for web design help with this project. SilvhornAutomotive.com - a Pemberton automotive repair shop. Bob and Mike have been servicing our cars for years. I'll personally attest that this shop is a first-rate automotive repair and service business. Great guys who deliver great service. While we're doing a lot of larger projects outside of our immediate area these days we still greatly appreciate the support of our local businesses. Thanks to Ian & Michelle Porter at Copperdome and Bob Farrell and Mike Dymus at Silvhorn for supporting us.

What to Avoid When Registering Your Domain

2007-11-14T06:10:00Z

I've got nothing against the Domain Registry of Canada. In fact, they seem to like me because I regularly get mail from them telling me my domain renewal is due. Some of our clients also get these letters. Several of our clients thought that this company was the "official" domain registration company" and/or the original company they registered their domain with.

Actually, the Domain Registry of Canada bills itself as discount domain company. But when I checked their prices for a ".com" registration their online cost is $40 per year. Here's the insider news. I have no doubt that the Domain Registry of Canada is a legitimate business run by nice people. But they are NOT the "official domain registration company" and you can register a ".com" domain name for a lot less than $40 per year. So if you get an envelope like that shown above know that you can register with them but that you also have other alternatives... like Uniserve, GoDaddy.com or Yahoo Domain Registration for less. By the way, the length that your domain is registered is rumoured to make a difference with your search engine rankings. The feeling is that the longer the domain registration the more it shows that your website is 'secure' and for real.... which makes sense. Hence, the longer the registration the better in the eyes of the search engines. I typically recommend our clients to register for a minimum of 3 years. One other really important note. No matter who you register your domain with keep the registration information on file. If you ever want to switch your domain to another web host, transfer your domain to another domain registrar, etc you'll be glad you have this information readily available!

The Rogers Mountain Wireless Technical Expo - Whistler BC

2007-11-08T18:45:09Z

The Rogers Mountain Wireless Technical Expo Tim Allix, a "hi-tech colleague" of mine in Whistler, is involved with a Wireless Technical Expo in Whistler. I let him know I'd help get the word out about the event so here is some info... Manufacturers Representatives from RIM (Blackberry), Palm (Treo), LG, Samsung, Motorola, and Sony Ericsson will be showcasing their products and services. Top Data Experts from Rogers will also be on site at this one-time only event, designed specifically for businesses in Whistler, in particular executives, administrators, managers, developers, and IT staff. Take your cell phone or PDA solution knowledge further than ever before and REGISTER NOW for this exclusive, free event. The day's events are designed to offer you solutions for your business, practical advice and insight so you can get the most out of your PDA's and Blackberry Enterprise Server deployment. Welcome to the next level... In just ONE DAY, expand your knowledge…What is HSPA? And what advantage will it give me? Need your email on the go? What is Blackberry Enterprise Server? What is Video Calling? How do I synchronize my smart phone wirelessly with my PC organizer software? Just What can your "Phone" do for you? Your Smartphone is capable of so much more than mere voice communications... and we are just at the tip of the iceberg. You probably have more features in your existing phone than you are utilizing, or perhaps you are waiting for the next generation of Smartphone so that you can take advantage of the many conveniences and features these new devices can offer. This event is for you to find out what you need to know to do your business – better! Hosted Exchange Services Microsoft Exchange and Blackberry Enterprise Server solutions can be purchased for larger companies with a fairly large IT budget; however due to recent advances, for individual executives who requires the same tools, Hosted Exchange solutions are available through third party vendors for as little as $10 per month. Now, smaller companies, consultants and executives can have the same powerful tools as the larger companies. Video Calling... 3G The next best thing to being there! Rogers is FIRST and ONLY wireless carrier in North America to offer video calling. With the touch of one button, video calling will truly revolutionize the way that you connect with the important people in your life. When you make a video call, you'll be able to see and hear the person you're talking to in real-time AND they’ll be able to see and hear you too! If you have questions, we have the answers Conference held at: Delta Village Suites, 4308 Main Street, Whistler, BC. November 15th 2007, 3:30pm - 7:00pm Book your seat early! Seating is limited! Reservations Are Necessary: CALL: 907-2900 EMAIL: sales@mountainwireless.ca

Fail to Plan, Plan to Fail - How This Applies to Web Analytics

2007-09-14T20:16:03Z

I'm a fan of Dr. Ralph Wilson and John Marshall. Ralph Wilson is a long-time authority on Internet marketing and all things web-related. He has written several books, publishes an excellent newsletter and does a very good job at putting complicated Internet marketing concepts in the grasp of non-technical users. John Marshall is the former CEO of ClickTracks Web analytics software. John has recently begun another venture, Market Motive, with a few other web analytics heavy-weights including Avinash Kaushik and Michael Stebbins. Watch Ralph's interview with John. The first half of this interview is devoted to the process or approach one should take when utilizing web analytics. The second half of the interview is more about what John has been up to recently. I found this interesting as well but the first part is what I would focus on.

Here is a summary of this interview: Ralph - What's wrong with web analytics? John - It's not the tools. It's the preparation that usually creates problems with Web analytics. There is often just too much data for users to utilize. John calls it the "wall of data". John feels that users need to ask what business questions they want answered BEFORE they consider or utilize a web analytics tool. Write 2 or 3 questions you want answers down on paper! Remove the analytics tool from your mind while you are formulating your questions. Once you have your business questions articulated only THEN should you start using a tool. Spend about a half hour looking to answer these questions. This provides you with focused time to respond to your questions. Don't worry if you don't get the perfect answer. The results you do get will likely get very useful. I couldn't agree more! Good advise from one of the world's leading Web Analytics experts.

6 Tips for Successful Domain Registration

2007-09-13T04:32:51Z

Follow these 6 tips when you register your domain and you increase your chances at increased web visibility and few hassles. 1. DOT COM rules There are several choices for domain extensions. e.g. .net, .org, .info, etc. If you are a not-for-profit organization then a .org extension might be worthwhile. But for a commercial enterprize use .com wherever possible. I'm Canadian. Our Canadians clients ask whether they should use .ca extensions. My typical answer is no. Go .com here too. Other countries don't "get" a .ca extension. A .com extension carries a sense of legitimacy world wide.

2. Don't Loose the Access Codes for Your Domain Registration! Write them down, save the email... do whatever it takes. Whether you select the access codes to your Domain Registration or are provided with them don't loose them. I've dealt with clients who don't have their access codes and don't even know whom they registered their domain names with. Arrggghhhh! What a hassle if you ever want to change your web hosting provider or renew your domain name. 3. Deal with a Legitimate Domain Registrar Some people recommend not to register your domain with the same company that you host your website. Reason being it might be a hassle when you want to change web hosts. That might be true. However, we've found a few good hosting providers and we haven't found it necessary to change web hosts. As a result we've actually found registering domain names with the hosting company an advantage. The reason is that the web host has all access and the ability to make changes if you want to move your website from one server on their site to another, for example. This results in less hassle when maintenance is required. The bottom line is if you have the access codes to your domain you typically shouldn't have a hassle with our hosting provider if you want to change hosting companies. 4. Keywords in Your Domain Does Matter The search engines tweak their algorithms constantly so the weight that they give to relevant keywords in your domain name can change. I've been registering and monitoring domain names for almost 10 years and I can tell you from my experience that have relevant keywords in your domain name does have a positive effect on search engine ranking. It's not the only thing and not the most important thing but it certainly helps. If you want to good search engine visibility for the keywords "blue widgets" having a domain name like "bluewidgets.com" or will positively impact your search engine rankings. 5. Shorter Domains are Generally Better This is just common sense. Shorter domain names are typically more memorable and this can make a difference in the number of visits you get. The easier the domain is to type the better. 6. Typically Older Domain Names Are Better for Search Engine Visibility It's generally agreed among the top Internet marketing experts that Google tends to favour older domains because they provide some legitimacy. And older domains typically have had an opportunity to build up a network of backlinks. Backlinks are defined as other sites, blogs, etc that link "back" to your website. A number of backlinks naturally built over a period of time is another positive factor for increase search engine visibility with the major search engine - and with Google in particular. So does this mean that buying an established domain name is worthwhile? Yes, depending on the price required to purchase it. Happy domain registering!

Google's Matt Cutts Talks About White Hat SEO - You Should Listen

2007-09-09T04:31:56Z

Who the Heck is Matt Cutts? ... and Why Should You Care? Matt Cutts is the cat-loving spokesperson for Google. Matt Cutts works for the quality group in Google, specializing in search engine optimization issues. He is well known in the SEO community for enforcing the Google Webmaster Guidelines and cracking down on link spam. And Matt is an avid blogger! Matt even has his own page in Wikipedia. Wow!? So when Matt talks people in the SEO community listen. Matt recently spoke at an industry event. View the video and read the summary of Matt's workshop.

While Matt addresses blog in this video he raises some excellent points that can be applied to blogs and websites. Here's a summary of Matt's workshop: Put keywords in url (website address) paths: e.g. www.mydomain.com/my-words * Dashes are best * Next best is underscores * No spaces is worst Think about the keywords that users will type. * Include them naturally in your posts * ALT tags (tags you add to your images) are handy (best practice = 3-4 relevant words) Don't forget image search, videos, etc. Make sure your site is "crawlable". * Hint: Visit http://www.seomoz.org/crawl-test. This tool is used to test how accessible your site is to search engines and can help you quickly diagnose potential crawling issues and give you an overview of your site's search friendliness. Use Tools to Optimize Your Site or Blog * Google's Webmaster console (oh what a surprize Matt would suggest this.. but it is an excellent resource) which provides all sorts of valuable data like what pages aren't getting indexed on Google, keywords people are using to find your website and much more. * Offer visitors a site search on your site or blog that provides you with information on what they are looking for. * Use analytics tools like Google Analytics to data-mine your site and find out invaluable information about your traffic patterns. (Surprize, surprize again... as I've noted before while I have my reservations about sharing my clients' "GA" info with the advertising supplier of AdWords this is also a great tool... especially when you consider it's free) Provide a useful service to encourage visitors to link to your site. Ever heard the terms "viral marketing"? Creativity creates buzz/word-of-mouth... here are some examples: * Lonelygirl15 - "the Internet's most popular show" * Million pixel home page * Humor: e.g. Mac vs. PC * Free hugs campaign * Photoshopping, e.g. Perez Hilton * Analyze someone else's blog or website * Sell your moustache on eBay - yes, someone did and it got all sorts of attention * "Say Google fast" - someone put together a video and it brought tons of traffic to their site! * Create controversy ... OK! I think you get the point! Make Lists - people and social media sites like Digg.com love content and articles with lists!

Link Love - Is Reciprocal Linking Worth the Effort?

2007-08-23T20:15:26Z

Today's question on "link love".... Hi Roy, Links Page? Good or bad? Would having a links page on our website help us with better search engine visibility - assuming everyone reciprocated with a link back to us? I don’t know if it would be such a great idea to have their links, but I wanted to see what you think? Thanks Valerie ---------------- Valerie, In my humble opinion.... links pages on websites are typically "OK" given the following.

To exchange "Link Love" or not? That is the question!

Google reps keeping telling us that reciprocal links don't (or shouldn't) provide much incoming "Google link juice". Exchanging links in a your website's links page or resource section typically carries moderate to no benefit. Swapping links "within" the website with a link embedded within a page's content is better e.g. the "catering company links" on Aloha Whistler's catering page.

Swapping links with "bad neighbourhoods" like pornography, casino, gambling, drug or pharmacy sites or those sites who exchange links with such sites is typically always a very bad practice. So avoid these like the plague!

The best links are ALWAYS one-way incoming links where someone links to your website because you have great content! Google has a way of figuring these types of links out and they reward these links with "Google link juice"... examples of great content = useful articles, great maps, compelling video, online tools or applications, etc. etc. If you can provide something useful and compelling for your target market you increase the opportunity of attracting incoming links.

There is a saying in the SEO community that "content is king!" and at the end of the day you can't beat great content to attract visitors and quality ONE-WAY incoming links.

So bottom line = swapping links within "links page" or "resources pages" is lukewarm OK. Probably can't hurt but usually provides limited benefit for link juice unless the link is from a very well regarded website (think CNN.com, NewYorkTimes.com, etc - then this type of swapping is probably very worthwhile).

When swapping links first thing "could an incoming link from another businesses website provide some targeted traffic to my site?" If yes, then that's a good link. The link juice should be an after thought.

- Roy McClean, Principal - Custom Fit Online Solutions

Recovering From a Page "Not Found"

2007-08-23T00:54:36Z

Making the Best of "404 Pages"

Have you ever gone to a website and found the dreaded "Page Not Found" error? When you request a web page that doesn't exist (from for example, a broken link) you get what is technically referred to as an "404 Page Error".

Many 404 Page Errors Look Like This...

Sending website visitors to this type of 404 page doesn't provide a good user experience

When people see something like this they typically move on to another site and you've lost out on your hard earned efforts to get them to your domain. Check your website by typing in something like this into your browser.... www.yourdomain.com/bob... assuming that you don't have a directory named "bob". This will force your web host to look for a page that doesn't exist on our website. Here is a More User-Friendly 404 page

Adding some user-friendly features to your 404 page is well worth the effort!

You can customize your "404 page" so why not do so to improve your website guests' experience if (and when) they request a page on your site that evokes an error message. Here is what you should add: 1. Use the page title to let people know that the page requested wasn't found (see the blue box in the image shown above). 2. Repeat this in the page header section a few inches from the top of the page in the middle of the page... where people's eyes typically settle once they have finished scanning the page (see the red box). 3. If your site has a "Site Search" feature make sure it's on the 404 page (see the green box). 4. And provide some links to other main sections of your website. Think of it like a sitemap (as shown in the maroon box). Contact your webmaster or web designer to setup a more user-friendly 404 page. Provide these features and you'll keep more visitors on your site - even if they come to a "page not found" you can snatch victory from the jaws of defeat.

Broken Website Links Are Bad for Business!

2007-08-17T17:36:31Z

It's simple... Check Your Website Regularly for Broken Links! What Is a Broken Link? Have you ever clicked on a link within a website to find a blank page with an error message "Page Not Found"? That's a broken link. Broken links can occur for links WITHIN a website or with external links to ANOTHER website.

And monitoring broken links and fixing them matters. How do broken links happen? If you link to another site pages may be taken offline or page addresses may change. This happens often. Within your website you or your webmaster might make an error when changing a link. Why check for broken links? 1. Broken links frustrate website guests. Visitors that encounter broken links leave your website! And broken links can make you and your business look unprofessional. 2. Broken links can also confuse search engines. Search engines use programming that "spiders", "crawls" or "indexes" your website. This programming is often referred to as spiders, robots, bots or crawlers. When a spider encounters a broken link within your website this may result in the search engine stopping or impairing their ability to find or "index" all the pages on your website. That's hurts your website's search engine visibility. Fortunately, there are some pretty easy ways to monitor broken links on your website. An excellent FREE tool is Xenu's Broken Link Checker. Download this to your computer and either manually run broken link checks or schedule Xenu to run checks on a routine basis. We use Xenu plus the Broken Link Checker tool found in our copy of Web Position. We schedule our copy of Web Position PRO to check all of our clients sites at least twice and month using the application called Link Defender. Once done our clients get a report by email. If any broken links are found we then fix them right away. So maintain your website. Check for broken links regularly and fix them as required. It's good for business!

5 Steps to Segment Website Traffic Using Analytics

2007-08-12T00:06:13Z

The REAL power of Web analytics is the ability to segment website traffic data... either by traffic type and/or time. Knowing what segment of your website traffic results in desired action is vital to optimizing websites. For example, what search engine drives traffic and conversions? Which campaign results in longer average time on site and/or conversions... pay per click, regular search engine traffic, email campaigns, banner ads or offline advertising. Here are 5 steps I use to segment traffic: 1. Determine your critical "Key Performance Indicator" What's the most important action(s) you want visitors to do while on your website? For example, is it selling products directly online? ... creating a lead using an contact form? ... having a white paper downloaded? ... getting clicks on Google AdSense campaigns? 2. Segment this traffic using your Web analytics application Virtually all of the top Web analytics applications allow you to "customize" segmentation of your website traffic. For example, in ClickTracks PRO I create a "label" that shows when visitors go to our "Thank You for Requesting a Quote" page. This allows me to track how many online leads have been generated. In Google Analytics you can configure conversions in the "Goals" section of their online control panel. 3. Determine what campaigns I'm using to acquire traffic for this action For example, I will list campaigns such as Pay per Click, Email Broadcasts, Search Engines, Non-Referred Traffic (traffic that comes from typing in the domain name directly or from a bookmark) and Referred Traffic (e.g. traffic from other websites or blogs). 4. I then segment Conversion Traffic by Campaign Again, using CilckTracks PRO I create labels to segment each of these campaigns (e.g. Pay per Click, Email, Search Engines, etc.) By adding some "URL parameters" to the end of a Pay per Click ad or to links from an email I can tell my Analytics program how to track data for each campaign (in this case, I can distinguish Pay per Click from Email Broadcast traffic). And then I create "combined" labels for each campaign (e.g. Converting traffic that reach our website from Pay per Click, Non-converting traffic for visitors that reached our website from Pay per Click, and so on).
Here are some of the "standard" segmentation options provided with ClickTracks. You can also create customized labels (or segmentation). 5. Monitor - Read & React Once I have reports that show the distinguishing features between those visitors who convert and those who don't I can make better decisions on how and where to spend my time and money marketing and optimizing my website. I'm always looking for the campaign or activity that allows me to get the best bang for my buck. Segmenting traffic and analyzing the results helps me make better business decisions. Do you have any questions about segmentation? Please feel free to add a comment or a question below. I'll do my best to answer all question within 24 hours. -- Roy McClean, Principal, Custom Fit Online Solutions

3 Top Travel Websites & Why They Work

2007-08-03T02:58:10Z

Learn from Travel Websites Award Winners! Everyone in the travel business knows (or should know) how vital the web is to today's travel industry. (Phillip Wolf of PhocusWright Research recently noted that 55+% of all travel related business happens online.) With so much focus on web travel development and research we can learn a lot from the best travel sites.

Three were selected at the best Travel Websites at the 2007 Web 2.0 awards:

#1. Farecast - Predicts U.S. domestic price changes, lets users book airline tickets online and provides refunds if they get their predictions wrong! You can't go wrong using Farecast and that's a good reason why they were voted top Web 2.0 travel site for 2007. # 2. Kayak - Search for flights, hotels, cars, cruises and travel deals, and check in on the latest "buzz" in the travel industry. Kayak.com searches hundreds of travel sites to give you the widest possible choice of flights and prices. #3. Real Travel - "RealTravel is the best place for real people to find and share travel advice and experiences." Read users’ advice about their travel experiences and use RealTravel’s Free Trip Planner to map out your ideal vacation. You can also create blogs to share your trips with others. What do each of these sites share in common? Well... have a look and decide for yourself. But in my humble opinion they all have a strong and clearly identifiable objective. Each site provides visitors with a compelling reason to use them. Farecast let's visitors know where and when to buy. Kayak provides the widest choice of flights and services. And Real Travel is an ultimate place to research and share travel information and reviews. And they all use a simple, clear and clean interface that reinforces their objective. That's something worthwhile to learn from and emulate if you are in the travel business!

Doing Ecommerce with PayPal

2007-07-29T23:01:25Z

PayPal is owned by eBay, the online auction company. PayPal allows any business or individual with an email address to send and receive payments online. PayPal is popular because it’s very affordable; it allows users to make online transactions without a credit card; and allows businesses to do business online without the cost of Merchant accounts. PayPal's service builds on the existing financial infrastructure of bank accounts and credit cards and utilizes the company’s fraud prevention systems to create real-time payment system. PayPal reports having 100 million account members worldwide and is available in 190 countries and regions around the world. PayPal users include buyers and sellers on eBay, online retailers, online businesses, as well as traditional offline businesses. PayPal offers business and personal accounts. PayPal Personal Accounts PayPal personal accounts allow people to make online transactions without a credit card, which is preferable to many who don’t want to share their credit card information with a company. Funds are sent from one PayPal account to another. You then draw your funds out by electronic transfer to your bank account (which typically takes 3 to 4 days) or PayPal will write you a cheque (which takes longer). PayPal Business Accounts PayPal allows merchants to engage in online transaction with credit cards or direct PayPal transactions. You set up your PayPal businesses account with products, services and costs. You then link directly to these options from your Web site. When a user clicks on a link to buy PayPal will open and ask for the amount of money specified for that product or service. Choosing one of the membership options above takes you to the PayPal Web site where the specified amount of money is requested. Payment can be made with a credit card or an existing PayPal account. You need a PayPal business account to use PayPal's processing system which accepts credit card payments. When you receive funds PayPal charges you a percentage of that transaction. There is no set-up fee. What are the advantages of using PayPal on your Web site? * PayPal is easy and cheap to use. You do not need a merchant account, credit card terminal, processing software, and you only have minor development costs. * Time to market. You can set up a PayPal account to accept payments in minutes. * Offers user another payment option. 25 million people have PayPal accounts. What are the disadvantages of using PayPal on your Web site? * Customer needs to leave your Web site to complete the transaction. This may be confusing to the user. * Asking customer to give personal information to an organization they may not be familiar with although awareness of PayPal is ever increasing. * The entire order data is not in your database unless you ask for it twice. * You do not have the flexibility that you may need for things like shipping charges, design, reporting and handling returns. With some clever programming we recently bypassed the last disadvantage on a new website we just finished for Coyote Arts & Custom Framing, a retailer selling First Nation's art, jewelry and pottery. Some JavaScript allows users to select their shipping and handling details before they are forwarded to PayPal's site for processing. There are other options to consider such as BlinkPay, WorldPay and 2CheckOut. Overall, PayPal is an affordable, well known and reliable ecommerce system. Consider offering PayPal as your ecommerce channel or as an option to your existing ecommerce system.

Bad Business Models Don't Benefit from Good Internet Marketing

2007-07-26T01:08:03Z

What's Better... a Well Built and Well Marketed Website Built on a Bad Business Model or a Poorly Optimized Website Built on a Strong Business Model? I spoke with a someone a while back who wanted to know how much money she should spend to market her website. Her business model was based upon receiving Google AdSense revenue. She wanted more traffic to her website even though the percentage of visitors clicking on her site's AdSense ads and resulting revenues were extremely low. I wasn't convinced that her business model was one that would generate revenues through online advertising. Many websites are set up to generate online advertising revenues... throw up some content, get lots of visitors and if enough visitors click on your syndicated advertising then the site generates a nice cheque (that's check for our American readers) payable from Google or other advertisers. I wrote about this on our blog before... Markus Frind from dating site PlentyOfFish.com regularly picks up cheques of close to a million smackers at a time. It's because he has a site built around user needs that brings in lots of traffic, generates an extremely loyal following and hence converts extremely well. Markus is a smart guy and he also knew that the web can be an extremely effective channel for dating sites. The bottom line is that Markus' website is built on a strong business model.

AdSense Syndicated Advertising Can Generate Significant Revenues

You can often judge a website with a good business model because Average Time on Site and Conversion Rates are strong. Websites built on bad business models don't get visitors hanging around very long because the content or the offer isn't worth their time. A bad business model isn't going to make you money no matter how much traffic you can attract... think of a specialty store selling smelly socks with holes in the heels or a restaurant with terrible food and slow service. No matter how much you market smelly socks or crappy food customers they are going to leave your business sooner, they certainly won't return again and as a result you won't stay in business long. So what does this mean? If your website just won't convert is spending money and time to attract traffic worth it? This is a really general comment BUT I often note that if a website isn't converting at a rate of 2% you need to figure out why... and fast. There can be 2 reasons why websites don't convert. Your website might not be optimized properly. This can be fixed! Updating design, content, your call-to-action and other website components can help here. Turn your website into a laboratory. Get some web analytics on your website, then tweak it. Test to see if the changes you make help improve conversions. There are online tools like Google Website Optimizer, Verster or Offermatica that allow you to determine whether one version of a web page works better than another. Your website's business model isn't viable. In my opinion this is a bigger problem. A website with a good business model can be tweaked to increase traffic and conversions. But even a well built and strongly marketed website won't save an online business built on a poor business model. If this is the case and making a profit online is your goal don't waste your time! Move onto a more viable business model that translates to the world wide web and THEN build your website.