Internal search relates to keywords that people use while visiting your web site. On average, 10% of all visitors to web sites will use ‘search’ for one reason or another.

When using internal search, visitors are able to search web site content on their own terms, specify their intent through refinements and evaluate related content for further exploration and discovery¹. If there is a disruption in finding content or if visitors feel that they do not get satisfying results, they will abandon the effort and possibly leave the web site altogether. 

How do you know if your internal site search is meeting visitor expectations? And more importantly, is the internal search function aiding in converting visitors? Internal site search is successful only when it works in tandem with well defined content or properly segmented product or services (navigation and taxonomy).

Check these quick metrics to gauge the effectiveness of your web site’s internal search: 

What is the average number of searches per visit? The average is roughly 2-3 times per visit. A ratio above this benchmark could be a sign that your content is not relevant or your navigation structure needs work. 

What is the percentage of visitors going directly to search from their initial entry page? For example, a retail site with a high percentage of new visitors going directly to search is probably not optimal. Visitors should be able to get to product by navigation, product links or targeted content. 

How many searches resulted in “0 matches” as a percent of search attempts? You want this number to be as low as possible. Misspellings, buzzwords, the use of phrases associated with a competitor, or even lack of your search solution crawling all your content can be the issue. You would be surprised how often the entire site is not crawled (sections such as about, news etc.) with site search concentrating solely on product results.

What percent of visitors gave up on your search and abandoned your site from the search page as a result of too few or too many results?  Moreover, if a null page is returned, are there help, FAQs or ‘suggestions’ to keep the visitor interested? 

Excerpts:

• Kick Butt with Internal Site Search Analytics¹
• Internal Search Report  
• Internal Search: 7 ways to ensure your users can find your information

Internal Search Tools and Resources:

• Endeca
• Fast Search (Microsoft Subsidiary)
• Google Search Appliance 

Best

Denice MacDonald

Clients were the driver for most of the blog content written in 2008 for MacDonald Consulting. The blogs ran the gamut from brand awareness, product review, transitioning web technology and metrics reporting. Because of their key ranking (and as evidenced by subscriber page views), the following "Top 5 Blogs" are a reflection of issues facing B2B and B2C marketers. 

McDonalds Marketing Strategy - This blog elevated MacDonald Consulting Services to a top organic spot on Google. The purpose of the blog was to show clients how easy it is to elevate listings by concentrating on keywords that are both related and non-related relative to SEO efforts.  

Creating iPhone Microsites - With iPhones flying off the shelf, online marketers and advertisers are working diligently to get portions of their web site to emulate via mobile technology. This particular blog focused on a short-term solution to 'right size' a web site for a B2B client.

Kindle: Amazon's Reading Device - Amazon's top selling reading device for e-books was the topic for a client seeking a hand-held device for leisure reading as well as periodicals. As a product review blog, the topic was the center of conversation with team members who were reluctant to use advanced technology.

Content is King! Evaluating Content Management Systems - This particular blog was used in numerous instances for clients moving from static to dynamic web sites. Inundated with numerous choices, clients were happy to learn that there was a process of evaluating the right content management system - one that meets their demands today but agile enough to manage long-term needs.

The Key to Great Tradeshow Exhibiting is Marketing - Although online marketing continues to take a llarge portion of marketing dollars, it's interesting that many clients still use tradeshows as a major marketing initiative for lead generation and overall visibility. I found that most clients had a fragmented approach to tradeshow exhibiting. This particular blog is a response to a client frustrated with tradeshow results and was looking for some insight on the effectiveness of an integrated online/offline tradeshow campaign.

Next Top 5:

• Learning from the Best: Blogging Gurus
• Social Networking Can Boost Your Business
• What Makes a Great Blog?
• Business Bonding on Social Networks
• When is it Time to Dump a Client?

Best,

Denice MacDonald

2008 has definitely been a year of growth (and change) in many segments of technology and the web. Consider the big story of early 2008, Microsoft’s attempted takeover of Yahoo! – only to see Yahoo! reject the offer – go figure. With the ebb and flow of the economy, it will be interesting to see what happens with my favorite top stories from 2008: 

Google Chrome – With a mixed bag of reviews, Google Chrome did make a big splash - garnering over 1% of total browser users in its first three months of launch. It will be interesting to watch Chrome’s ability to give Google a compelling platform for the delivery of web applications while hopefully playing nice with Firefox in 2009.

• Will Google Chrome Gain Acceptance on Corporate Desktops? by Amit Agarwal, Digital Inspirations  

Video Content Kicks Butt – According to comScore, Hulu, a joint venture between Fox and NBC that offers professionally created content, made the list of the top 10 video sites on the web. With video in general becoming widely accepted (ala YouTube), tv video content on demand via the web is the next big logical step to capture ‘strategic’ advertising dollars. Take a look at the hulu web site and get hooked – like me!

• Web Site’s Formula for Success: TV Content With Fewer Ads by Brian Stelter, The New York Times

Amazon Kindle – Like most professionals, I’m finding it harder and harder to read all the feeds and e-mails I get each day – not to mention grabbing some leisure time for reading. I believe the ongoing rollout and use of e-books (Kindle) will bridge that gap and suddenly make reading ‘cool’ again.

• Amazon's Kindle

Social Communities – I personally belong to 10 different social web communities – several for pleasure and several for business networking. We’ll begin to see the social communities evolve (and share) technologies thereby elevating networks that are working and eliminating those that don’t. Of critical importance, will be the evolution of Facebook - Facebook will debut a "Social Rank" algorithm which will determine which of your friends are most relevant and important. It will be fun to watch Facebook in 2009!

• Predictions for 2009 by Charlene Li (author of Groundswell)  

As web marketing professionals, it will be interesting to see how the above-mentioned trends will evolve in 2009.

To all my subscribers - the best to you in 2009.

Denice MacDonald

Google has rolled out a new product feature, short message service (SMS), which will let you send text messages from your Gmail chat window. The feature was developed for frustrated users to chat with colleagues once they go offline. 

How does it work? 

To turn it on, you will need to go to the Labs tab within Gmail’s settings or to this dedicated product page for instructions and demo. Once you turn on the option, start typing a phone number into Chat’s search box and you’ll see the option to send an SMS.

If you already have your friend’s phone number stored in your Google account’s contacts, try searching for them by name. When your friend’s name appears in the drop-down list of contacts, you’ll see an option to send them an SMS. You can also hover over or click on anyone in your Chat buddy list to send them an SMS. 

Google using dedicated 406 area codes 

The first time you send a text message, it will appear on the person’s phone as coming from a number in the 406 area code. Google has made several thousands of these numbers available for Gmail users, and once a number is associated with your account, all of the text messages you send through Gmail will come from that number. 

The 406 number works both ways, so your friend can reply to you via text message. Also, your friend can save that number in their phone as belonging to you, and they can even use it to initiate new chats with you. 

More About Google

Google SMS Demo

Google Watch  

Google Applications and Products

Best,

Denice MacDonald

Here's a number worth putting in your cell phone, or your home phone speed dial: 1-800-goog411. This is an awesome service from Google, and it's free -- great when you are on the road. 

Don't waste your money on information calls and don't waste your time manually dialing the number. For example: I am driving along in my car and I need to call the golf course and I don't know the number. I hit the speed dial for information that I have programmed. The voice at the other end says, 'City & State.'  I say, 'Garland, Texas.'

He says, 'Business, Name or Type of Service.' I say, Firewheel Golf Course.  He says, 'Connecting' and Firewheel answers the phone.                                   

How great is that? This is nationwide and it is absolutely free!  1-800-goog411 (1-800-466-4411)

Happy Thanksgiving!

Best,

Denice MacDonald                                                

Website Magazine is the one magazine that focuses exclusively on the business of running a website: tips for successful websites, solutions for enhancing website traffic, the latest Internet industry trends and statistics, as well as news analysis on the Internet industry.

By providing a broad scope of useful articles and tapping premier talent in the industry, Website Magazine covers all the elements that together make websites successful: search engine optimization and marketing, website design, content management, blogging, E-commerce, online advertising, email marketing, analytics, web software and applications, customer service/customer relationship management, web hosting, mobile web and more. 

I highly recommend that anyone who is involved with web site development, strategy or execution (including internet marketing) subscribe to this publication. Website Magazine has also developed additional content exclusive to their digital edition which is available only to subscribers.

You'll find insightful articles on SEO for WordPress, product videos and ROI, advantages of being a certified Google AdWords Professional, Internet usage market share, domain names and SEO and the ultimate PPC bid matrix.

Lastly, you can join Website Magazine's online community and get a free listing!

Subscribe Today!

• Free Subscription Here
• Sample Issue

Enjoy!

Denice MacDonald
 

As most of you know, I'm an avid reader and find it hard to keep up with all the reading required to stay ahead of technology. AND, I am finding little time to sit down and read novels, books or magazines.  I've learned recently that Amazon has introduced a convenient, portable reading device with the ability to wirelessly download books, blogs, magazines, and newspapers. The device is called Kindle.

Kindle provides an exceptional reading experience. Thanks to electronic paper, a revolutionary new display technology, reading Kindle’s screen is as sharp and natural as reading ink on paper—and nothing like the strain and glare of a computer screen. Kindle is also easy on the fingertips. It never becomes hot and is designed for ambidextrous use so both "lefties" and "righties" can read comfortably at any angle for long periods of time.

Kindle is completely mobile and simple to use for everyone. No PC and no syncing needed. Using the same 3G network as advanced cell phones, content is delivered using a wireless delivery system, Amazon Whispernet. Unlike WiFi, you’ll never need to locate a hotspot. There are no confusing service plans, yearly contracts, or monthly wireless bills.

Many have endorsed Kindle, including Oprah.  The device runs about $359 and books around $9.99. 

Other Reviews 

TechCrunch Review

ZDNet

Best,

Denice MacDonald

Kindle is portable reading device with the ability to wirelessly download books, blogs, magazines, and newspapers.

(Credit: Amazon Kindle)

Recently, Stewart Mader from Grow Your Wiki, wrote a timely article on the 5 Effective Wiki Uses--and How Companies Benefit from Them in the Fall edition of Website Magazine. Citing such successful wikis as Wikipedia, Mader stresses that wikis have proven to be valuable tools - yet few companies are using them to their full potential.   

Here is a synopsis of the article citing five examples of how your business can benefit from wikis: 

Project Management - A wiki is ideal for project management because it provides a central hub to organize everthing in one place, streamline workflow, inform on progress and ultimately involve everyone. 

Customer/Client Collaboration - Wikis allow customers and clients to interact - allowing more rapid buyin and productivity. 

Documentation - Wikis are a great vehicle to build content, reports, whitepapers and other resource/technical material offering feedback, progress and input mechanisms. 

Online Community - Wikis allow for ongoing community participation (comments, responses, viral exhange) resulting in content, product or even subject matter to be scrutinized by the participants. 

Policies, FAQ, Guidelines and Best Practices - A wiki can be advantageous for commonly needed information. Editing permissions can be determined so that responsible parties can easily and readily update content.   

Ready to start a wiki?  Consider these great resources:

MediaWiki (The original wiki platform for wikipedia)

TikiWiki (Groupware/CMS (Content Management System) solution)

DokuWiki (Targeted at developer teams, workgroups and small companies)

Confluence (Enterprise-level)

PBwiki  (This one's free and great for beginners)

PhpWiki (Open source)

Wetpaint  (Create a wiki in three easy steps)

Best,

Denice MacDonald

You finally launched a much-anticipated Web 2.0+ web site and you can’t wait to hunker down and review your analytics. How do you gauge if your analytics for your site are appropriate, measurable and definable? And most importantly, who in your organization would benefit? 

Moving from a silo to a working team 

In the past, most web sites were created and managed within a silo. Now, it is recommended that organizations have a dedicated department or team leader focused to web statistics, watching the performance of various campaigns and then analyzing certain key metrics leading to higher ROI. After keen observation and reporting, useful recommendations are made to the various departments regarding how to increase conversions. 

Connecting the dots 

In many cases, the statistical information from web pages are important to the sales and marketing department as they relate to collaborative online and offline initiatives. The information technology department may find the numbers helpful in determining browser and network bandwidth needs. Web designers would be interested in the numbers to determine if each web page is attracting the number of visitors it should.

If a web page, or the entire site is underperforming, the web traffic statistics will reflect this and specific parts of the web site may need to be re-designed to attract more traffic. Lastly, management will want to see that the ongoing investment in the web site is yielding a definable ROI. Connecting disciplines and/or departments will help the organization perform on all four cylinders - defining and redefining web strategy as necessary. 

Web analytics – the PLAN 

Start with figuring out what you want to do with web analytics. You need to have a plan to have an idea of what your return will be on your investment. Again, this will include collaboration with other departments and disciplines. Then, you will need to select an analytics tool that works in tandem with Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for the organization resulting in reporting that makes sense to the various stakeholders. 

The right tools

Not all analytic tools are alike. Take time to review and possibly demo various options. Here are a few popular and time-tested solutions worth reviewing.

Google Analytics

IndexTools

Omniture's Site Catalyst

Unica's Net Insight

Web Trends

Coremetrics

For web statistics 'best practices' and more, visit: The Web Analytics Association 

Best

Denice MacDonald

I’ve had a chance to download and test Google's new Chrome browser and what a gem it is!  As a 1.0 product built in open source, Chrome is ahead of the pack leveraging the same base WebKit as Apple's Safari browser and launching the product in unison with the release of Windows IE 8.0.   Although considered in beta, Chrome offers some unique advantages over other browsers.

First and foremost is the slick user interface – keeping it simple and clean, Chrome combines several features into one, allowing more screen room for more important content. No doubt, it takes a bit to get used to, but once you’re in play, you won’t miss the clutter that was there before. 

The new-tab page is one of Chrome's most critical and useful design elements. This is the page that comes up by default every time you launch the browser or open a new tab. It shows you thumb images of the web pages you most frequently visit, and input boxes for the search engines you most frequently use and for searching your browser history.  

The new-tab page also shows a list of recently bookmarked pages, and another list of recently closed tabs. All of this is populated automatically -- you don't need to do a thing to create the page! 

Chrome is faster than most browsers and can multithread. Other browsers are single-threaded, which means they can only do one thing at once. If your Gmail session hangs for example, your entire browser is frozen.  

You have the option of importing bookmarks, passwords, and other settings from Internet Explorer or Firefox. So, you won’t need to re-establish all your credentials after installing Chrome – you’re basically up and running immediately. 

Lastly, Google has done a great job of launching Chrome by using a web comic book to introduce the product and its main features. You have to check it out!

Best

Denice MacDonald

The release of Apple’s iPhone revolutionized mobile phone technology and web browsing with its ease of use. One of the most talked-about features of the iPhone has been its ability to use Safari to browse the “real” Internet.  

However, until recently, this idea has proven to be less than rewarding because the larger pixels used by most web sites designed to display information on a full screen did not translate well to the iPhone’s different shape and size.  

Because of that, the iPhone’s ability to see and access data and pictures on most web sites was plagued by problems and content which was hard to read and interact with - until now. 

We’re beginning to see the arrival of web sites formatted specifically to fit the iPhone’s small screen and unique configuration. In addition, we’re seeing techniques developed that make iPhone compatible web sites capable of visually displaying and selling products, over secure satellite connections, and accessed by mobile phones from anywhere in the world.

Those interested in learning how to develop compatible iPhone microsites will find a full tutorial section here that includes:

1. Great examples of optimization, design and usability.
2. Steps to ensure your visitors a great mobile experience.
3. Examples, news and articles.
4. Downloadable samples of how to create content for iPhone’s MobileSafari browser.
5. Resources and links to code and source files.
6. Information on how enhancing your website will bring better experiences to your iPhone customers and increase sales. 

Resources

• Microsite Mobile
• iPhone Microsite Tutorials

Best

Denice MacDonald

Recent video metrics are showing that visitors or users of YouTube are no longer geeks, nerds or techno’s.  In fact, recent statistics are showing that YouTube video downloads are being viewed by varying demographics, including an older crowd and business professionals. 

How can you tell who's watching your videos? YouTube now offers a free tool (YouTube Insight) that enables anyone with a YouTube account to view detailed statistics about the videos that they upload.  

For example, uploaders can see how often their videos are viewed in different geographic regions, as well as how popular they are relative to all videos in that market over a given period of time.

You can also delve deeper into the lifecycle of your videos, like how long it takes for a video to become popular, and what happens to video views as popularity peaks.  For now, you can find currently available metrics by clicking under the "About this Video" button under My account > Videos, Favorites, Playlists > Manage my Videos.

YouTube Resources:

Businesses are now realizing the potential of social networking sites like YouTube in using digital formats to engage prospects and customers and elevate recruitment efforts. 

Learn more at these links below. 

• How to get yourself on YouTube, for business or pleasure
• Cisco pumps out some emerging tech products: YouTube for business 
• View YouTube Video: Cisco: The Business Solutions Provider
• YouTube Example Recruitment Video - Recruiting at Aerotek

Flash and AJAX are two technologies that enhance the user experience on a web site and are supported by almost every browser and operating system.  Only pitfall -- this technology is not SEO-friendly.

However, in early July, Adobe Systems Incorporated announced the company is teaming up with search industry leaders to dramatically improve search results of dynamic Web content and rich Internet applications (RIAs). Adobe is providing optimized Adobe® Flash® Player technology to Google and Yahoo! to enhance search engine indexing of the Flash file format (SWF) and uncover information that is currently undiscoverable by search engines.

This will provide more relevant automatic search rankings of the millions of RIAs and other dynamic content that run in Adobe Flash Player. Moving forward, RIA developers and rich Web content producers won’t need to amend existing and future content to make it searchable — they can now be confident it can be found by users around the globe.

BUT, a few technical bloggers out there say that the technology is not quite there yet:

Flash's New SEO is Over-Hyped by IckyDime

Flash indexing and SEO; Remember testing? by "Dion"

This blogger definitely has some sound solutions for Flash and SEO challenges: 

4 SEO Solutions for Flash by Benj Arriola

Best,

Denice MacDonald

“Web Content Management Systems (CMS) are software toolkits that automate the rapid deployment from multiple sources.  Web content management systems (CMS) are collections of application programs and middleware that automatically organize the content for your website according to rules you set up.”
Tony Freeman at DeepBridge Technologies 

Stay true to the rationale

The benefits for a CMS that is the right fit for your organization can improve brand position, elevate the user experience, aid in customer conversion while providing content that is timely and relevant.

Most times, organizations will agree to a CMS as they think it will reduce the need for IT services and/or eliminate full-time positions.  On the contrary, the use of a CMS will actually require dedicated resources and several defined skill sets.  Moreover, if the wrong CMS is deployed, financial risks can be high.  Be aware that it's not software you're introducing to your company, but change.

What kind of software do you really need?

Defining the exact nature of your CMS requirements can be daunting but a necessary business process.  Sites often termed brochureware will migrate to a CMS that is strictly content-based whereas sites with e-commerce, digital assets, sophisticated collaboration (CRM) or enterprise integration will require a hardier CMS with more functionality. 

Start by drafting your CMS requirements and creating a formal RFP. This should be a project in and of itself, with the appropriate resources and relevant stakeholders allocated to make sure that it is done well. The RFP should include suggested infrastructure and technologies and offer vendors an opportunity to suggest alternatives as long as the suggestions are accompanied with a detailed explanation and justification.

Careful scrutiny should be given to vendors that provide training, yearly licensing and version upgrades, maintenance and support – bundled or unbundled in the fee negotiation. 

If you do your homework correctly, your CMS will have a five to ten year shelf-life and provide the organization with a defined return on investment.

Best Resources:

• CMS Watch Report
• CMS Matrix

My Pics:

Ektron CMS

Sitecore CMS 
 

Best,
Denice MacDonald

If you are looking for the technology to put your video on the web, the variety of choices can be staggering.  That’s because as web video has flourished, so have the number of companies providing the tools to deliver video across the Internet. Large media companies and individual video bloggers can now choose from among multiple firms when looking for a web video product. Many of the technology providers are quite similar and anyone in the market for a web video platform should 'test the waters' and try out the ones that seem like the best fit.  

Web video technology services can be divided into the following categories:

CONTENT MANAGEMENT: The process of ingesting content, moving it around, converting to different files and organizing video properly before it goes online.

PROGRAMMING AND PUBLISHING: The presentation of the video on the web site, including the player and the playlists.

DISTRIBUTION: Delivering the video across the web, to either the main site or to distribution channels and portals.

MONETIZATION: Making money off the video, by integrating advertising or offering video on a download or pay-per-view basis.

REPORTING: Providing analysis and reports on number of views, length