Does your company have a Content Manager?

With Content Management Systems (CMS) Websites becoming the most popular websites on the Internet today, a new skillset within your organization is now required to manage your website. Ladies and Gentlemen – Introducing – “The Content Manager.”

“But we are a small business – we can’t afford a Content Manager!”

OK – don’t panic. Generally every small (and large) business has a Content Manager lurking within. If you have had a website for any length of time – then you most likely have a Content Manager. The Content Manager is the person responsible for updating the content of your website. With the new class of Content Management Systems, updating your website is very similar to using a publishing or MS Word-like writing tool, making it very easy to use.

“OK – tell me again – What Exactly is a Content Management System?”

A Content Management System is a website that is a web-based computer program (or series of programs) that allow the actual content of the website to be updated directly through an administration tool.  The Administration is accessed through a web browser so there is no need for additional software.  Content can include text, images, online shops, events, photo galleries and even menus, modules, and templates – pending the human web content manager’s expertise. The truth of the matter is the Content Management System has (and will) replace the traditional webmaster’s role of updating the website.

“Awesome – we no longer need a webmaster!”

There is no doubt that the requirement of having a webmaster for web content management is certainly going to disappear from the landscape long term. That doesn’t mean your webmaster won’t be supporting your CMS system as a whole, or providing technical and educational support on using the CMS – but the actual process of updating the web content should definitely fall into the hands of your content manager.  The interesting thing is that the company was always the provider of content to start with – something that to this day remains confusing.

“Content should always originate with the Website Owner!”

During my time as a webmaster to date we have developed close to 100 websites. We have worked with our clients (once their sites were developed) and managed and supported approximately 20 websites per annum. When you work with this many clients you develop methods of obtaining client content and helping the client establish the content they need for their website. You also see what the best methods are. When designing a new website, content can be overlooked or at best be underestimated. When the development is very focused on the look of the site, it is easy for both the owner and developer to assume content can be easily created and populated at development time.

During this process, it became obvious to me who the content expert was – the website owner, of course! My role was to collaborate with that expert. With that, I would iterate that no webmaster is going to be able to create (or copy) content as well as the client who knows his or her industry. A collaborative effort (in which the design company works closely with the web client) ALWAYS produces the strongest websites.  And a good design then creates the format to maintain that content in the future.

“So, CMS Systems Make Absolute Sense!”

With the fact that the best content always comes from the client, you can really see why CMS Systems are so popular. The client knows the information he wants to add or update on his website – he understand what his web visitors, clients and prospects will be focusing on when they visit his website – and of course if his website is designed well, it will be a very manageable job to update the website content.  There is no doubt that the speed of being able to update your website makes CMS very attractive, and the fact that you can update your website from anywhere in the world (even from Australia…) is really outstanding in my book.

“So, what kind of person makes a good Content Manager?”

The Content Manager can be anyone in your company who shows an aptitude for using computer programs such as Word, Excel, Publisher, and Outlook – and is involved with the communications of the organization – which may be Public Relations, Human Resources, Sales & Marketing, or Corporate Communications. Generally, it should be a person who has strong communications skills and works well with staff members. Of course, if you are a one man shop, then you would add this skill to your already long list of skillsets that are part of being a small business owner.  In fact, a lot of small business owners developed their own sites in the early days, so CMS combined with a great looking website is probably a dream come true!

“And the company reduces its cost of managing the website?!”

With a person responsible for updating your website content (that ain’t the jolly ole webmaster), most companies will also see a reduction in the month to month costs of managing their website.  When my company BeareWare was managing the content for clients, our average client cost was $125.00 per month. Today we still have some clients that we manage content for, but the majority are now updating their own content and pay between $30.00 – $50.00 per month for hosting and technical support (once the website is designed and developed). That is significant to a small business – and the results are a great looking website that is up to date and well within a small business budget.

In summary, I will add that the migration and learning curve in becoming a Content Manager varies from client to client. But the model is sound and here to stay.  The CMS system also reinforces how important the design of the website is – as the design will not be changed while managing the content. The design must sparkle at all times.  And like most things in the tech world you have to have a positive approach to learning and working with your website.  This is something we try to promote heavily with all our clients in reinforcing that their investment in knowledge and understanding of their website (and participation) will be a sound business decision.  And today – a great investment will be made in identifying your company’s future Content Manager!

Cheers Mate,

Peter Beare – Webmaster
Interview with a Webmaster – Full Blog – Click Here

Send us your comments and questions – Click Here

Peter Beare is CEO of BeareWare, a Website Design & Development Company located just outside of Nashville, Tennessee. Since building his first website for a local sports club in 1998 Peter has been a webmaster. Over the years Peter’s duties with BeareWare have included strategic website planning, design and development, website marketing and sales, as well as database application programming & project management. But when all is said and done, Peter is still primarily a webmaster. And this is “Interview with a Webmaster.” 

Recently I was requested to pay a sales call on a prospective client (by another associate) and included in my sales call was a request to sell the prospect on why they actually need a website.  That’s right, there are still companies and organizations that don’t have websites and don’t know why they would need them.

So this organization has never had a website?

Perhaps there was a site once, back in the early days of the Internet – a page designed by Uncle Joe’s nephew, Jebadiah (who subsequently graduated high school and became involved in other pursuits). The company’s web page, of course, was neglected almost from the instance of its birth. Soon, the e-mail addresses and cell phone numbers listed on it no longer worked. Finally, the domain name expired and the forgotten site just literally disappeared. “Well, I think we had a website once,” says the prospective client. “But I don’t think we ever got any business from it.”

Well, isn’t it obvious why you would need a website?

Actually it isn’t that obvious to a business owner unless you use the “everyone has one” philosophy.  I suspect that many companies cannot actually tell you the specific purposes of their website – what their site accomplishes  – what type of visitation it has – what kind of results it gets – and what can be added as their business grows and changes.

But these questions really help you start identifying why you do need a website. A website should be a reflection and extension of an existing business and/or business model.  That is IT, in its simplest form. There are lots of functions that websites can do, but the main reason to have a website is that you are adding a great marketing and technology teammate to your business team, and it is a teammate that will be a key part of your business from this point on.

OK – seems like every organization needs a website – are websites the same for every industry?

I think every website has, as its primary aim, accurately reflecting and presenting the company or organization. But each industry has different functions that the website will provide, and each industry (if not business) may be looking for different results (also called “conversions”) from its site. These aims are generally discussed and established during the design phase of your website. The Real Estate Industry, for instance, uses websites to promote Realtors and to list houses for sale. Obviously, there are other areas of focus within a Realtor’s website, but these are the primary functions. If a web visitor decides to actually tour the house, they will contact the Realtor via phone, e-mail, or tour request, and the game is afoot. The website has performed its job – delivering a potential buyer for the house that is for sale.

As another example, for an online store the name of the game is to establish the store brand, provide products for the shopper to browse, and then to ultimately sell a product and create a repeat customer.  The aim of the retail site is to sell product – but keep in mind a visitor may come to the store three times before making a purchase – so the shop must be well presented and use strong online marketing to ensure a potential sale. Keeping these processes in mind will result in more traffic for your site and better results for your organization.

A few extra key points as to why you need a website…

• Your company’s primary brand and marketing vehicle…

Make no mistakes about it – your website is a marketing vehicle. Its aim is to promote your brand, highlight your services and products, and produce a positive result from a web visitor. The website is there to attract business, reinforce existing business, and provide functionality for existing clients. But first and foremost it is a statement about your company.  And today more than ever it is a visual commercial representation of your company.

• Your organization’s most controlled (and best) word of mouth vehicle…

There are several ways a new prospect will find out about your business, and one of them is “word of mouth” – which many business folks still believe to be the strongest form of referral. Today when someone refers your organization, most likely the referral will point them directly to your website (unless your website is awful). A great looking website will immediately reinforce the referral, and most likely will produce a direct call or contact. Once you have a professional website, it will make it easier for people to refer you to their friends and associates — after all, it’s far easier for someone to tell you a website address (assuming it’s fairly easy to remember) than to tell you a company’s physical location or phone number.

• Your organization’s best salesman (and one that doesn’t ask for lunch breaks)…

A website provides a permanent salesman for any size organization. By simply taking the process of an organization’s sales model, and then applying it to its website, you will end up with a website that will lead to direct buying (e-commerce) or direct contact of a sales team member.  When a visitor goes to your website, they get the “feel” from the look of the site (hopefully liking what they see),  then usually head to the “About” page to learn a little about the company or maybe to the FAQ for some frequently asked questions direct from the sales team. If they like what they see and read there, it’s just a simple click to the “Contact Us” page, and badda bing, badda boom – the sales process has been initiated by your website!

• Key Information ranging from services details to your office location & key company staff…

When I go to a website to check on a company, I like to check out their company staff and find out who I am working with, who are the key players. This kind of information is very valuable on a website, as it immediately helps you get a feel for the organization. Additional info might be your office address, contact numbers, e-mail addresses, hours of operation, and driving directions (possibly linking to Mapquest or Google Maps). Once this information is set up, it will generally not change. It sure can save your clients and prospects valuable time – and can even save your staff taking calls from people asking some of these general questions.

• Being online will make your organization competitive in the 21st century…

Last but not least. When a prospect is looking for a place for a service or product, and they don’t know you, they will go to a search engine more often these days than not. They may be on their computer – they may be on their phone or mobile unit – but there is no denying people search the Internet more and more ever day. Having a website puts you in the hunt for new business. It doesn’t guarantee it, but it does give you a fighting chance. And the better developed your website is, the higher your website will rank in search engine key words. You can also use services such as Search Engine Optimization (SEO) that can help improve rankings. You could even be a listed sponsor on a search engines for very little cost – so the key point is when you are online you are competing with others for business – new business.

In hindsight I think the question of “Why do we need a website” – is a great one that should be asked by every website owner at the start of a new design project and thereafter on an annual basis. Your website needs to be a living breathing member of your corporate team and like every other member of the team the website needs to have clear missions and focus. And annually just like an employee – your website should be reviewed with new missions established based on your business and its future aims.

And as technology continues to grow and your business and its clients mature and change your website will most likely play an even greater role for your company in the 21st century.

Cheers Mate,

3-5 seconds and The Decision is Made!

I hope the title to this week’s blog has caught your attention. In truth, I hope everything — or at least SOMETHING — on the BeareWare home page catches your attention.

The reality is that, in the wonderful world of websites, the behavior of web visitors is becoming much clearer. Their behavior is becoming more and more discriminating. A visitor will go to your website, and either your site will have “The LOOK” or it won’t – and that visitor will make his or her assessment. If you haven’t captured the visitor’s interest almost instantaneously, he/she might immediately leave your website, potentially establishing an association in his or her mind between your company and your website, based on what they saw in only a few seconds.

Wow – this seems to be very brutal behavior by web visitors.

Actually, it isn’t brutal as much as it is human nature. And we as humans are becoming more educated on what is a good website and what is not – so, really, in a world in which time is so important, multi-media is dominant, and there are so many other choices – deciding whether you like a website quickly actually makes sense. I have to admit:  every website I go to gets the “Thumbs Up” – or “Thumbs Down” assessment. Of course, developing websites for a living makes me overly critical, but the feeling is undeniable and immediate, and that feeling tends to extend to the organization that owns the website.

So if they don’t like the “LOOK” of the website, they just LEAVE?

Well, it actually isn’t that black and white. But, firstly, the look of the website will get a response from the web visitor – “I like the website or I don’t”.  The way the website is designed visually is the bottom line. And the feeling the visitor establishes in his or her mind will probably stick. If you are a small business and the web visitor doesn’t know you, then maybe your website has helped them make a decision to consider using your services (or to not use your services!) in the future.

Based on website statistics for our clients at BeareWare (presented when we do our annual client website reviews), around 50% of all web visitors come and leave the website within 30 seconds.  Now this of course includes unique first time visitors and repeat visitors. So if a web visitor doesn’t particularly like the look of your site, they might hang around and look for the items they are interested in – and if they find them (quickly) they may continue the visit or at least decide the website has information that can be revisited in the future. It is definitely clear that within 30 seconds, your future relationship with this web visitor is established one way or another.

Doesn’t functionality and content on the website count?

Sure it does – but if your visual representation of your site is not “up to par”, then the web visitor may never get to see or experience your functionality or your great content. Websites today are leading people by images (more so than text) to content, action items, and functionality – with design imagery establishing brand, themes, and the targeted aims of the website. It is through this visual design that all paths now lead.

With respect to many hard working folks – in particular small business owners who have spent a lot time developing and managing their websites – 3-5 years ago “Content Was King”. And it was text content in particular that would keep visitors on your website. Loading of images was slow – of course, there were webmasters who helped perpetuate the value of content versus images with the classical “Website Loading – Standby – Nearly Ready to Launch – OK… Here we go & the grand finale – SKIP INTRO” which may have become the most clicked link in website history. A lot of people were still using a dial-up connection, and Flash start ups showing on the home page was really the graphical look of the time – but lost its effectiveness rather quickly.

The times have changed and so have the players!

Let’s agree that there were (and are) many good sites, which had really good content, though the images on the site were small and conservative at best. The web today is not that same place! The web is now a multi-media environment – we watch movies on our laptops – and we expect to see the same quality on our PC’s that we see on our televisions. Professional, attention-grabbing graphics are now a must.

In conjunction with visual design importance comes the connection of our first generation webmasters (mostly computer programmers and tech folks) versus more graphics-oriented web designers. These separate disciplines have become very clear and obvious to me. I see lots of goods websites (technically strong, programmed sites) that just don’t have any visual “Va Voom”. Generally you can bet the webmaster is more of a programming/tech “type” without much if any input from a designing/graphic “type”. And to be frank, you actually need both.

For a website development company to be successful today, it must have a good graphics person. Unfortunately, it doesn’t matter how many great programmers you have on staff – you have to have the person(s) who produces the “LOOK”.  With respect to many of my programming colleagues (as I too was once a computer programmer), this is where I see many small web company start-ups actually closing shop – or migrating into other areas of the Internet (such as application development) versus web design. The skill set requirement to develop websites today is absolutely multifaceted. This is also why I am not a big fan of “web builders” (the do-it-yourself web design templates readily available on the Internet). These basically hand the “design” aspect to the client – generally the client has absolutely no experience in design at all – so the chances of producing a visually appealing website are very low.

OK – It’s the LOOK – but what about my customers – they still use my website!

Correct. And they most likely will continue to use your website. They are already committed to you as a client. When you consider your website you really have two types of visitors – those who know you (your existing customers) and those who don’t.  The “LOOK” and the 3-5 second decision making process is about a potential customer – some one that doesn’t know you. Whether he or she has been referred to your company, saw or heard an ad that listed your site’s web address, or found you on a search engine, this first-time visitor is the one you most want to impress.

For every website BeareWare develops, we have these focuses to consider:  what we expect the first time visitor to experience, and what outcomes we want from that visit. Then we focus on functionality and services for visitors who are repeat visitors and existing customers. And don’t get me wrong – functionality and content for your website are paramount – you must provide superb services in order to retain customers, and this goes for web customers, too. Great looking websites with poor functionality won’t retain visitors and will make for very dissatisfied clients.

In summary, I hope this blog has given you a little insight and food for thought into the behavior of web visitors. Now that I have your attention, it would be a great time to go to your company’s website and visit it through the eyes of someone who doesn’t know you. What impression will they get? And what impression will they leave with? If you find that the impression is not reflective of who you are (or who you want to be) – then maybe it’s time to call a good web design company and change the winning odds back into your favor.

Cheers Mate,

Peter Beare – Webmaster
Interview with a Webmaster – Full Blog – Click Here

Send us your comments and questions – Click Here

Peter Beare is CEO of BeareWare, a Website Design & Development Company located just outside of Nashville, Tennessee. Since building his first website for a local sports club in 1998 Peter has been a webmaster. Over the years Peter’s duties with BeareWare have included strategic website planning, design and development, website marketing and sales, as well as database application programming & project management. But when all is said and done, Peter is still primarily a webmaster. And this is “Interview with a Webmaster.” 

Nightmare On Domain Street

The stories you are about to read are true. Only the names have been changed….

One dark and stormy night, a prospect called me about a new website. During that conversation, the prospect stated that his domain name was in “Deletion” mode, and that he’d been informed that it could take up to six months for the name to become available for repurchase. The prospect’s webmaster, who was the registrant on the domain name, had mysteriously “disappeared” (not an unusual occurrence in Web World). This disappearance had caused a great road block for this business owner to simply renew the domain name and get on with his business.

So, I have to ask – is this a one-off case or does it happen often?

Sadly, I suspect this is happening very frequently, and will happen even more often as we move to what I call the second phase of the Internet – and web development and management – when we find that a lot of the “so called” webmasters have retired or recognized they did not have the skill sets for this industry. In their hasty departure we (BeareWare) will get phone calls just like the one above. Usually, the domain is in jeopardy of being lost (and may have to be bought back for hundreds or even thousands of dollars), or – even worse – if the domain name was snatched up by a competing business, it can be kept away from you  (and from potential web traffic looking for your business). In my opinion, domain name management is one of the least understood aspects of owning a website.

Well – if we paid our webmaster for the domain name – we should be set – RIGHT?

You can register a domain name for one year or for multiple years, and so long as you maintain the payment on your domain name as it comes due for renewal, you really should not encounter problems retaining it. Sounds simple – but now add the fact that you yourself didn’t actually register your domain name (“Web Dude” did) and he actually didn’t put your name as the Registrant (he put his own) AND for contact information, he used a now-defuct e-mail address (webdude@groovybaby.com), an old cell phone number, and his old credit card securing the account. To top it off, “Web Dude” has now quit the webmastering business, moved to Santa Monica to pursue a career in seashell sales, and your formerly viable and informative website is now completely off-line.

OK – I get it – Now we have some major problems!

At this point in time, the website and domain owner is in a “spot of bother”. Depending on what they know – what accounts, passwords, renewal dates, etc. they were given privy to by the former webmaster – their website could be basically paralyzed. At best, the owner may end up with a Registrar’s Customer Support group that may or may not be able to direct the domain owner in a course of action. Of course, if your name is not associated with the domain, you technically are not the registrar’s customer.

How about some terms clarification – Registrar – Registrant – Who are these folks?

Good question. I think some description of terms will help put the domain game into a more understandable format.

ICANN (Internet Corporation Of Assigned Names & Numbers) is the governing organization of domain names on the Internet.

ICANN is the relatively infant, world-wide governing body of the Internet. Unfortunately, it is not easily accessible yet for resolving the “smaller” problems like domain disputes – in other words, it sure doesn’t operate the same as visiting the county clerk to register a business name, even though the function appears similar and is probably most relatable to our process in registering a domain name.

REGISTRARS – Companies that have been “appointed officially” by ICANN to register domains on behalf of domain owners.

You are probably familiar with some of these companies – Network Solutions, Go Daddy, Aplus.NET, etc. These registrars deal with thousands and even millions of domain registrations. They are very strict in their policies regarding domain ownership, and maintain support policies for domain name owner/registrants only. (The owner of a domain name is, for all practical purposes, the same as its registrant.)

Many of these registrars have started selling auxiliary services including hosting & web development. The auxiliary services, in my opinion, have created an even greater level of confusion for domain owners – who quite often think that hosting the website is the same as managing and maintaining the domain name.

REGISTRANTS – The person or organization that registers the domain name – with the registrar.

The owner/registrant of the domain name should be the name of the person and/or company that owns the website. This is the BIGGIE, the detail that causes so much trouble when “Web Dude” vanishes but is listed as the registrant and has his contact information in the registrant info.

ADDITIONAL DOMAIN CONTACT INFO – When you register a domain, the Registrant is the primary contact, and his/her contact information should be listed – but you are also required to fill in the following contact info, and this can help you in terms of differentiating between the owner of the domain name and webmaster.

ADMINISTRATIVE CONTACT – The person who administrates the domain name.

Now, this a far more logical place for “Web Dude” to be listed. The administrative contact does not have to be your webmaster, but be aware that the more people you list as contacts, the greater the chance that some information will become incorrect or out of date when it comes time to receive the notices that your domain name should be renewed.

TECHNICAL CONTACT – The person who technically manages the domain name (and most likely your website).

The technical contact is a great place for your webmaster to be listed. They manage the domain technically to ensure it is pointing correctly to your website, and should also manage contact information updates.

BILLING CONTACT – The person responsible for ensuring that payment is made on the account when it is up for renewal.

The billing contact can also allow for an additional person to be listed, who would be responsible to ensure the domain is paid for on renewal (usually by way of keeping a valid credit card on file with the registrar). However, I would recommend using the owner/registrant as this contact – or the webmaster if he or she is providing domain management services – versus another individual who may be unreachable when the time comes for renewal, or may not hold the same position in your company, for instance, as when the domain name was first registered.

In a nutshell, you want to use the most PERMANENT names, addresses, e-mail addresses, and phone numbers possible for your domain name contact information. You do, however, want to have at least two different, reliable persons listed as contacts, each with their own e-mail address, etc. Domain name renewal is something you will only have to deal with once a year (if not even less frequently), and things can change dramatically in the course of a year. Don’t let your domain get hijacked unnecessarily by not providing good contact information when it is first registered, or by not keeping that information updated whenever it changes.

If you are following me at this stage, we are in good shape and you have the basic structure of your domain name and what is involved in its long term management. There is one more loop to this process – which also can add confusion – and that is the Account that you setup with a registrar. When you go to a registrar to register a domain name, you set up an account as part of this process. So, if I go Aplus.NET to register a new domain, I will end up with an account with Aplus.NET and within my account I will have one domain name.

Every Domain Name Sits In A Registrar’s Account!

A good way to manage your domain names, in particular if you have more than one, is to manage them within one account. You can have as many domain names in the same account as you like. This of course is how many webmasters manage domain names on behalf of their clients – but it also causes greater hardship when a domain owner has lost contact with his webmaster, and it is identified that the domain is in the webmaster’s account (not theirs), and they have no immediate rights to access or update the information in that account.

This then requires some significant paper work to verify your domain ownership – around 3-4 hours to actually get around this scenario and get the domain name listed in the rightful owner’s name. You will generally need a company that knows what they are doing in this situation, as well. If your domain name goes into deletion mode, then from 30 to 60 days later the domain will be released to the general market, and whoever gets to it first becomes the new owner. If it is a valuable domain name – or one that a competing business might be keen on owning – there is no guarantee whatsoever that you will get to the domain name first when it comes up for sale.

In BeareWare’s experience of managing over 400 domain names for clients, we have really learned that the domain world is one in which the consequences for lack of knowledge or diligence can be absolutely devastating. Losing your company’s domain name is a major issue, and one from which your company may never fully recover. In other words, once it’s gone you may NEVER get your domain name back.

I would recommend to all domain name owners to be proactive in understanding this part of the web, and to be sure to have a company that can assist you with this process. I would not recommend relying on the registrars solely, as they are very much geared to mass domain selling and are not as well geared to serving an individual client. They are not responsible for your domain if it is not renewed correctly and if your current e-mail contact is now incorrect – they don’t pick up the phone and call. If the domain name expires and someone else comes along and registers the domain with them, they have merely fulfilled their function – selling and/or renewing registrations.

If you have a webmaster who has “taken” care of this for you past, ask some questions: “Who is my registrar? Can you send me a copy of my registration, including contact info and renewal dates?” Your webmaster should’t mind providing this info, and you will be able to see for yourself who is listed as registrant, administrative contact, etc. and will be able to get any corrections made.

Remember, this is unlike any other area of management on the web – a downed server can be brought back online and a hideous website can get a makeover. Once a domain name is lost, however, it might very well be gone forever. The website at the beginning of our story, incidentally, was miraculously rescued from Deletion Mode by an anonymous hero in a bear costume. (Go figure.) Anyway, after a few hours of phone calls and paperwork, the storm had finally passed. Take ownership of your domain name, and do it today. You’ll greatly minimize your chances of starring in the next edition of “Nightmare on Domain Street”.

Cheers Mate,

Peter Beare – Webmaster
Interview with a Webmaster – Full Blog – Click Here

Send us your comments and questions – Click Here

Peter Beare is CEO of BeareWare, a Website Design & Development Company located just outside of Nashville, Tennessee. Since building his first website for a local sports club in 1998 Peter has been a webmaster. Over the years Peter’s duties with BeareWare have included strategic website planning, design and development, website marketing and sales, as well as database application programming & project management. But when all is said and done, Peter is still primarily a webmaster. And this is “Interview with a Webmaster.” 

March 10, 2008

Among the many great benefits of using Content Management Systems (CMS), having the ability to add on compatible products (components and systems) to your CMS website is definitely one of the best. For those who missed my recent CMS Blog, CMS websites are the future and backbone of most professional websites today. They are database driven, and allow “non tech people” to thoroughly update and manage their website content. Open Source is one of the formats in which Content Management Systems are offered – meaning that programmers (like BeareWare) are allowed to customize the system for each client’s requirements. Compatibility between the CMS and Add-ons is a must and by selecting Open Source Add-ons, we can really keep the clients’ costs down while providing tremendous functionality to your website visitors.

Important – these systems must be completely integrated into your website’s CMS system!

A very important opening statement, before I review these systems, is to clarify that add-on systems should be seamlessly integrated into your website. Today it is still all too commonplace to click on a function appearing on a website – for instance, to buy a product or subscribe to an e-mail or even search for real estate – AND THEN BANG – a “new window” opens up and you are now on a new website – with a different look, different brand, and quite often different design features.

This is not a good practice – and the results of sending visitors off your website can range with website visitors worrying about whether the site is secure enough to enter their credit card information (since they are no longer on the site they were shopping on) – to folks sending an inquiry to the Real Estate MLS Search which ends up going to someone other than the realtor whose site you were on in the first place. It is tremendously important to keep your web visitors on your website, and to get them to produce an outcome (conversion) you are aiming for, such as a shop purchase, newsletter sign up, phone call, or e-mail inquiry.

Here are some of the products that can be added to your CMS website:

• Online Shop – VirtueMart
• E-News Marketing – PHPList
• Events Calendar – JEvents
• Photo Gallery – Gallery2
• 3rd Party Framing Software

Online Shop – VirtueMart

VirtueMart online shops provide the marketing look and feel to attract customers, while combining the shop functionality to generate sales and secure customer payment transactions. The online shop comes with customer, inventory, order and shipping management modules that are directly managed through the website’s administration area. The VirtueMart system integrates into your CMS website to maintain your brand completely – providing the rich and full experience of same-site online shopping. Combined with secure server and payment gateways, VirtueMart also provides account capabilities that make it easy for repeat customers as well as first time buyers.

Online Shops & e-Commerce includes:

• Online shops graphically designed to showcase and sell your products
• Full inventory system including product detail & images, pricing & taxes
• Shipping modules interface with USPS system (world wide shipping)
• Secure server certificate to provide safe and secure online purchasing
• Payment gateway direct from website to your bank account
• Easy to use standard customer shop interface for product maintenance.
• Online administration via CMS for managing orders and client database

e-NEWS Marketing – PHPList:

e-NEWS Marketing with PHPList provides you with the complete set of tools necessary to market your goods & services to your current client/community base while attracting potential clients. An e-NEWS is an electronic newsletter, but can also be a special announcement, a press release, or an invitation. Since the inception of the Internet, e-NEWS has been the most consistent formal marketing tool to help your customers and prospects connect with your website.

e-NEWS Marketing includes:

• Creating a customer e-NEWS template using current website flavor
• Creating an e-NEWS database list that is self-managed by subscribers
• Subscription forms that are placed on your organization’s website
• Client based or custom e-news blast-outs to subscribers
• Automatic management of bounced or blocked e-mails
• Custom design services to support marketing campaigns
• Data conversion of existing e-mail/mailing list data to e-news list

Events Calendar – JEvents:

A great way to make your website more interactive is to add an events calendar (JEvents). This is particularly valuable for websites that have a community focus – and ones where the target demographic you are aiming at will have an interest in upcoming community events. And like all open source systems, JEvents not only allows the you, the site’s owner, to update these events directly online – but you can also provide the ability for community groups to update the calendar directly (from the “frontend” of the site), creating a great diversity of calendar events – and ultimately bringing greater traffic to your site.

Events Calendar includes:

• Creating a custom integrated Calendar using current website flavor
• Database driven calendar that allows ongoing annual reccurring events
• Direct registration module for additional calendar contributors
• Home Page integration that links to larger size calendar
• Pop Up mouse-over features giving detail about specific event
• Click-thru to full event detail including hyperlink and photo capabilities
• User-defined color coded category system for events
• Calendar is fully managed thru your CMS Administration Panel

Photo Gallery – Gallery2:

Never has there been such a visual time in the Internet’s history. What used to be promoted and clarified in words alone is now often done more effectively with images. As the saying goes, ”A picture is worth a thousand words” – and man oh man – has this become the case on the web. Photo Galleries are becoming the most visited pages on many websites today – and quite often they are being integrated into online shops (since good product images have a huge influence on ales results). A Photo Gallery is a collection of photo albums. You can have as many Galleries as you want on your web server, with each gallery containing as many photo albums as you want. Configuration of Gallery and administration of the photo albums is done entirely via an intuitive web interface.

Photo Gallery Includes:

• Custom integrated Photo Galley using current website flavor
• Dynamic photo editing and management tools for sizing and image quality
• Slideshow capabilities that allow for sequenced image displays
• Customized defaults for adding as many photo albums as you like
• Multiple user capabilities with permissions & user setting capabilities
• Album and image description boxes & captions to enhance viewing experience
• Custom thumbnail image management for album and photo links
• Fully managed thru your CMS Administration Panel (web browser)

3rd Party Framing Software

3RD Party Framing Software is a very fast growing area in website development & management. With companies and organizations now spending key advertising and marketing dollars on their own websites (and brands), the requirement to be able to offer state of the art functions and applications –without having the visitor leave the primary website – has opened the door for software that is developed with the premise of being “framed” into another website. Our big experience to date with this has been with real estate software – with the goal being to keep a prospect who is looking for a home on the Realtor’s website (not being led off to other locations by real estate search software that may potentially link to thousands of realtors). The key is maintaining the brand while providing the functionality.

Framable solutions that are “brand free” to maintain the current web brand

• Customizable with colors, fonts and themes to match current website
• Software designed specifically to be framed to – not a stand alone product
• Provides extensive programmable features that enhance the visitor’s experience
• Custom link capabilities to send visitors to a specific function or location
• Has interactive subscribing capabilities so visitors can interact with application
• Fully managed and supported in conjunction with your website

Alrighty then – I guess I am more of a geek that I really take credit for. I constantly claim I am not a normal computer person (more right brained than left brained), but reading this blog sure wouldn’t support that. I really am a fun guy!

Hopefully this is not too much information to digest. As with all aspects of your website, you – like me – are on a perpetual journey. And you’re running a marathon, not a 100 yard dash. Your website success is something that will grow with your business over time and over the years.

A key aspect of a great website is great functionality – and these products and systems provide that – all within your brand and on your website. Keep that in mind when you decide to select or upgrade your content management system. Ask questions (and then ask some more) but make sure your CMS website has all the applications you may need, not only now but in the future.

Cheers Mate,

Peter Beare – Webmaster
Interview with a Webmaster – Full Blog – Click Here

Send us your comments and questions – Click Here

Peter Beare is CEO of BeareWare, a Website Design & Development Company located just outside of Nashville, Tennessee. Since building his first website for a local sports club in 1998 Peter has been a webmaster. Over the years Peter’s duties with BeareWare have included strategic website planning, design and development, website marketing and sales, as well as database application programming & project management. But when all is said and done, Peter is still primarily a webmaster. And this is “Interview with a Webmaster.” 

The Domain Game – Location – Location – Location!

We have all heard the statement in Real Estate – Location, Location, Location. Well I have a new statement for you – Domain Name, Domain Name, Domain Name. The cyber real estate of the 21st century is domain names, and it is quite clear that the value of a domain name is at an all-time high, with expectations that it will continue to grow. A domain name today is either a direct brand (your company name) or it can be synonymous with search words – and the closer that name is to a key search word (an obvious word that someone would type into a search engine), the more traffic that website will receive, and thus the more value that website has.

Today a domain name is quite often the actual brand or the most visited and viewed location of that brand. It is interesting to think that walmart.com has more visitors to its website than any one Walmart store could have (in actual fact, more than many Walmart stores combined). I think this is a good analogy because it really emphasizes that association between a store – a physical place you go visit and shop at – and a website – a virtual place you go visit and shop at. In ten years time, unless the physical store is rebuilt it will still have the same stocking capabilities that it has now. It might sell more product pending demographics and demand, and pricing may increase, but the overall store is bound by its physical structure and size. On the other hand, walmart.com may have 10 million more visitors to its website 10 years from now, and it may sell millions of products directly from that website. The website has no physical boundaries and will most likely continue to grow annually simply by the growth and proliferation of the Internet. I think this example helps to clarify the long term value of a domain name and how important walmart.com is to the Wal-mart company.

Great – but I am a small business – how relevant is my domain name?

Of course, many small businesses may say to themselves: We are not Wal-mart. No you’re not, but you probably have the same aims as major companies do. You want to attract more customers, you want to sell more products and services, and you want to grow your business annually. Your domain name and your website should be a key part of your business plan. The basics of choosing the right domain name is to match your actual business name if you can – e.g. BeareWare – beareware.com – but this is not always possible. Then you have to become creative and come up with a domain name that fits into your marketing concept and is easily identified as yours. This could include slogans or identifiable phrases. If Miller Brewing Company in Milwaukee owned the domain name www.beer.com, it could well be that their primary marketing would always include www.beer.com. This is a good example of an identifiable phrase used for a domain. Recently beer.com (the domain name only) sold for over six million dollars. Can you believe it?! (Now, why didn’t I register THAT one…?!). The cost is based on the number of people who visit (or could potentially visit) the site, and the advertising revenue that might be generated from that site. But, let’s say neither miller.com nor beer.com is available – some remaining options might be millerbrewing.com, millerbeer.com, tastesgreatlessfilling.com… as I said, this is a great opportunity to get creative (while recognizing that you want, above all, a name that is memorable).

Are all the great domain names taken?

Not all the good names are taken. And sometimes a great domain manages to become available again. I am seeing a lot more slogans and action statements being incorporated into advertising campaigns that are designed to send a branding message (in the name itself) and drive traffic to the website. If you watch an hour of television you will see this being incorporated more and more – you will see an ad for a healthcare/drug asthma related product – and then the domain will be www.breatheasyagain.com or similar which has been specifically registered for that marketing campaign – as well as the expectation of people searching for this term online.

If a domain name you are interested in is taken then you can also consider purchasing the domain name, pending the price and ownership status. And just like the walmart.com analogy – if you consider the business 10-20 years down the track, the cost of that domain name may make a lot more sense (just like real estate).  Some domains sell for $100.00 – some sell for $1,000.00 – and some sell for $10,000.00. It does depend on the perceived value of the name, and of course the seller’s motivation. Quite often someone registers a domain name to run a business – or to start a new business plan. They do their research and realize that business is never going to happen, but they still decide to retain the domain name. They spot other companies with the same business plan and they ultimately sell the domain name to an interested buyer.

I think you will see domain finance companies appearing in the horizon as the value of these domains increase (and more to the point the knowledge of their value increases) – and the recognition that your domain starts to be seen as a long term investment.

Be creative – even slogans make great domains!

Based on my experience of managing over 400 domain names for our clients I have really got to see first hand the value of using domain names. The cost to register a domain name ranges from $8.00 (in bulk) – to around $35.00 for an individual name per annum. When you think about registering a domain name – and then making that domain active within your web environment – and then a year later you look at your website stats and you had an extra 1,000 visitors. (Rather they typed the domain directly or found it thru a search engine).

Can you possibly find a better advertising investment than that? That’s far less expensive than a mail-out or any other advertising you could do. And most likely it might be 1,500 visitors next year! Companies that spend big bucks on advertising campaigns really should consider incorporating domain techniques into their advertising plans. Imagine a strategy that comes up with 10 to 20 key domain names that drive traffic to your website – all of sudden with some very well thought out domain names you have an extra 20,000 visitors coming to your website annually – costing you a grand total of “EIGHTY BUCKS” – I can’t help but get excited about that!

And don’t discount mismanagement and plain domain neglect!

With domain names being such a new business entity I have seen many companies loose or struggle to maintain domain names due to mismanagement or neglect. The worst offender is usually the companies old webmaster (you know the type – the dude who decided to get out of the web game and go back to college!) – and simply dropped the responsibility of the client’s domain name without any notification or instructions to the client).

I would love to know how many companies have lost primary domain names over the past thru years. But as much as this is a loss to one company on the internet it is a gain to another. If you have done any amount of domain name purchasing you will see there is a host of services being offered such as  backordering a domain name or snapping up a domain name – and they are based on the owner of the domain name deciding not to re-register the domain name – or as I see so often – the webmaster simply forgets to or the owner simply doesn’t understand the process – and bang the domain name becomes available for someone else to register it. This is an industry unto itself right now – and in a future Blog I will be talking in more detail about domain management – but for right now my main point is for you to keep in mind some of these services for acquiring a domain name.

Domain names are the key asset of your website – no matter which way you cut it. You can always replace a webmaster or build a new website – but your domain name will be with you (forever!). And building a domain portfolio is a great way to bring additional traffic to your website.

And don’t ever forget – its all about…”Domain Name – Domain Name – Domain Name”!

Cheers Mate,

Peter Beare – Webmaster
Interview with a Webmaster – Full Blog – Click Here

Send us your comments and questions – Click Here

Peter Beare is CEO of BeareWare, a Website Design & Development Company located just outside of Nashville, Tennessee. Since building his first website for a local sports club in 1998 Peter has been a webmaster. Over the years Peter’s duties with BeareWare have included strategic website planning, design and development, website marketing and sales, as well as database application programming & project management. But when all is said and done, Peter is still primarily a webmaster. And this is “Interview with a Webmaster.” 

Visited Your Website Lately?

Recently I was selecting business prospects from a mailing list of local companies. I was specifically looking for small businesses that either did not have a website or that had a website which needed improvement. I must admit, I was very surprised at the results of my research. For each business I was selecting, I would Google them to find their domain name (and also to get an idea of how high their search engine ranking is). I’d then go to the site itself for a few minutes and look around. My research really made me wonder when the website was last visited with objective eyes and analysis from a company officer. On each site I visited, I would ask myself the same question I would pose to the website owner if I were meeting with him or her:

• Did I like the site’s graphical look?
• Was my immediate reaction “Wow!” or “OK to adequate” or something even less?
• Was it obvious from the home page what the organization’s primary business is?
• Were the menus and action links obvious and easy to navigate?
• Was the “About” menu option easy to find, and was it well-written?
• Was the website content clear, concise, and up-to-date?
• Were the website functions specific to that company, and were they well-developed?

And most importantly, did the website seem to reflect the organization’s business & marketing models?

I notice the first two points listed are about the first impression of the site. How important is that?

It is everything to your target demographic. Most visitors will have made their judgment on your website within 3-5 seconds. That is it – if the website is not graphically attractive (in many ways like a good TV or print advertisement) then you may just have lost that prospective client there and then. In the first generation of the Internet, the name of the game was to get a website. It was almost magical in some ways: “Oh yes, we have a website – and you can find that information on our website.” (Many times the statement should have included “Good luck finding it, though!”). Now it’s not just about having a website, but about having a great one. Your website is a permanent, 24-hours-a-day, seven-days-a-week advertisement and is your company’s most accessible, cost-effective, and important advertisement.  No doubt about it, your website has to look great.

Part of having a terrific home page – which runs along the same lines as good advertising – is that the visitor sees very quickly what you do. What is your primary line of business? Whether it’s “We Sell Coffee” or “We Sell More Than Coffee” or “We’re the Best Coffee Brew in Kalamazoo” – the website should succinctly describe the company in its title line (the top line of your website browser) and then primarily your page header (the wide band of graphics & info at the top of the web page) will describe in more detail what your services and products are, as reinforced by your images and branding throughout the site. Today, authentic images, versus stock photos, are an important aspect to identifying you to your demographic. If your visitor spots recognized landmarks on a realtor’s website, that recognition will reinforce the message that the realtor knows his or her area.

All right, we get it – the look is everything – but what about what’s under the bonnet?

(The “bonnet” in Australia is the car hood – or it was back in the last century when I was growing up!) Once we have judged the website’s general look and feel, the next key to analyzing a website is to look at the design and functionality, with a focus on discerning what the site is attempting to accomplish with regard to its visitors. In other words, if the purpose of the site seems to be to direct visitors to its online shop, are the links to the shop presented in an attractive way, and are there enough graphical and/or text “enticements” featured throughout the site to make a visitor want to visit the shop? Or is the link to the shop just a small, easy-to-miss word off in the corner of the home page? Even if you visit your business’s website every single day or week, try to look at it with fresh eyes, as though it’s your first time there. Better yet, sit down at a computer with a friend or colleague who’s never been to your site and have them look around and offer you some objective comments.

Are menus and action links obvious and easy to navigate?

OK – let’s say I like its look and so I decide to continue my visit to your website. Let’s say you’re selling real estate, and I am searching for homes – so I had better find the search options REAL QUICK. Of course, each website and each industry is different. At a real estate site I am going to search for homes, and then I will probably look at the “About” section to get a feel for the realtor and his or her team – and if everything looks good, I will submit an online inquiry or place a phone call to actually set up some appointments.  I like to think that each website has two types of visitors – those who are already somewhat familiar with the business, and those who aren’t. Effective menu design is the key to allowing both of these types of visitors to quickly access whatever they might be looking for on the site. Make sure your navigational menus and links on the site are easy to find, easy to use, and absolutely relevant in getting the visitor to where he/she needs to go QUICKLY.

Was the “About” menu option easy to find and was it well written?

When I go to a website – if I don’t know the organization – I look for the “About” menu option. If you don’t have this option, you have probably lost me. I am most likely not going to take the time to go elsewhere to find out about you. I am simply going to visit the next website choice. The “About” page is a critical part of your website. It should include some pertinent details, such as: How long have you been in business? When was the business founded? Whom does your company service? What are your primary and secondary lines of business? In 10-15 seconds, I should have a good feel for your company. I hate to keep referring to time in seconds – but that is the name of the game on the web. People don’t have time (or are not willing) to search, so good content is key.

Was the website content clear, well-written and up-to-date?

Your content on the site is critical and sends loud messages to your visitors. I am constantly stunned when I browse through a website and I see the big “COMING SOON” notification on key linked menu pages. Once a visitor likes the look of your website, then content is king. Many of these pages that have “Coming Soon”, or simply no information, are pages of content that may just require one paragraph to actually make the page work. You tend to wonder who would go to the trouble of having a website – but not actually add any content or information to it. In particular with Content Management Systems (CMS), you don’t have to rely on ‘Alvin the computer geek’ to update your site. You can do it directly yourself, from any computer with Internet access. But when you don’t update your site or fill in its content, you’re sending a strong message – “We obviously couldn’t be bothered putting basic information on the site — and since it is our primary advertising tool, that means that we are probably not a company you will want to do business with!”

Remember, looks get them in – but content keeps them there!

Were the website functions specific to that organization, and were they well developed?

Many websites today have third party or additional operating software on their website (or link to sites or pages using such software). MLS (Multiple Listing Service) software in Real Estate is a good example. An online shop is another. These functions are quite often why the visitor has come to the website in the first place, so this is a good area to focus on. Is your 3rd party software integrated into your website (versus it being on a completely different website that you are sending your visitor to)? Do the graphics and layout fit into and “match” your website? If a visitor likes your website and likes the look and feel of it, and its ease of use – and then goes to the online shop to make a purchase and BANG – he is suddenly on a completely different website which has a totally different design and feel – there’s a chance the visitor might rethink his decision to make a purchase. Part of what a business’s website (or any good advertising) should do is to help win a customer’s trust and loyalty. In the area of online credit card transactions this is especially important. If your website gives visitors the impression that your company is rock solid and reputable, and one that seems to know what it’s doing, then sends you to yet another website to buy from, that first impression is likely to be diminished. All sorts of questions arise – “The company’s site said it guarantees its customers satisfaction, but I don’t see anything about that on this shopping website!” On the other hand, if the visitor can move through the entire shopping process seamlessly (or through a property search on a real estate site), while remaining on YOUR website, the impression is that this company has REALLY got its act together! Integrating 3rd party software into your website can come with a slight additional expense in setup – but it will deliver great returns if done properly.

And most importantly – did the website reflect the organization’s business & marketing models?

Putting all the different aspects of the website together, you really end up with the key question: Does your website reflect your organization? Keep in mind that when I visit your website, it is like I am visiting your organization – I am walking into your office foyer, and I am being greeted by your friendly receptionist. Is that experience translating when I visit your website? Or is there an arrow on the door to your foyer saying “Door Broken, please use other door”. Then, a sign on the OTHER door reading, “Hard Hat Required – some areas still Under Construction”?! And instead of a friendly receptionist, you’re greeted by one of those visitor counters (this one displaying a negative number)… or a calendar that says it was last updated in 1998! You get the picture!

You might think I’m exaggerating, but there are plenty of websites out there sending just these kinds of messages to their visitors and potential customers and clients. Would you still open the door and go inside this foyer? No, of course not! If your pleasant sales staff and comfortable showroom environment are the key to your company’s bricks-and-mortar success, then that experience should translate to your website.  And don’t be mistaken, your website should be (and will become) your Number One Salesman – one that doesn’t get a commission, doesn’t take breaks, and can send the same consistent & professional message any hour of the day, day in and day out.

So once again I ask you – Have You Visited Your Website Lately? Maybe it’s time to swing on by and ask yourself some tough questions about your website. It may be the most important thing you’ve done for your company in quite a while!

Cheers Mate,

Peter Beare – Webmaster
Interview with a Webmaster – Full Blog – Click Here

Send us your comments and questions – Click Here

Peter Beare is CEO of BeareWare, a Website Design & Development Company located just outside of Nashville, Tennessee. Since building his first website for a local sports club in 1998 Peter has been a webmaster. Over the years Peter’s duties with BeareWare have included strategic website planning, design and development, website marketing and sales, as well as database application programming & project management. But when all is said and done, Peter is still primarily a webmaster. And this is “Interview with a Webmaster.” 

Since the early days of the Internet, one of the great challenges has been to keep repeat visitors coming back to your website, and coming back in a timely fashion. You may hope their visit will coincide with news on your site about an upcoming sale, the introduction of new products or services, or the announcement of an exciting upcoming event.

Of course, a visitor may choose to go to your website at any time, but there is one great tool for bringing repeat vistors back to your website when it is strategically the most advantageous – and that tool is e-NEWS. E-NEWS has been around since the early days – primarily because it was originally text based (like the web) which made it very easy for anyone to create, as long as they could type and tell a reasonably good story.

So What Exactly is e-NEWS?

e-NEWS is an electronic newsletter. The newsletter is generally based on one key topic (for example BeareWare’s e-news is about Web Design and Development). A newsletter is focused on a group that is interested in that key topic, such as clients, associates and prospects. I don’t actually know where the newsletter originated from (I’d love to know if someone knows the history of a newsletter) – but I have vivid memories of going with my mother in the mid 1970’s to watch her produce a newsletter for the local tennis club for which she was the secretary. She used to use an actual printing plate and ink – no room for typos back then. And I remember thinking how magic it was when she rattled off all the copies. Maybe I caught the e-NEWS bug all the way back then.

I created my first e-NEWS in the late 1990’s. It was an extension of a local sports club’s printed newsletter, which I had written for several years. Over the course of two years, the electronic newsletter completely replaced the printed version – primarily from the cost savings (and the time that went into getting the newsletter printed, collated and mailed). From my very first e-NEWS, I was amazed at the immediate website results. I would send out an e-NEWS – and bang – within that next 24-48 hour period the website stats jumped. In other words – we would send out a newsletter for the club – folks would read the newsletter and rather by links or just by generating general interest, the readers would end up on the club website. And to this day that same behaviour holds true – e-NEWS is great at driving repeat visitors back to your website. This behaviour highlights the value in converting a web visitor to an e-NEWS subscriber.

So Does The Content of the e-NEWS Matter?

e-NEWS is a soft selling tool – just like a newsletter. It should contain information that is of value and interest to the subscribers, and I think it should be informative and personable. This means that developing an e-NEWS takes some time and thought. The content should be relevant, professional, well written, and edited. It should be broken into short stories or introductory paragraphs with links to longer stories, allowing the reader to read more of the story if interested, or to move on to the next story. It can contain graphics that reinforce a story or advertisements, pending the line of business you are in. Online retailers have really started using e-NEWS well over the last few years – and its helping consumers see when specials are available so they can save money.

When I create an e-NEWS for BeareWare, I write 3 to 4 stories and then have an opening “G’Day” that is personable and friendly. The stories I create are reinforced by research and fact checking, and include our knowledge and experiences. I try to keep the e-NEWS light and informative, and estimate that most readers will give me around  1-3 minutes to decide if there is anything of interest they wish to read. I don’t want to waste my clients’ and associates’ time, so the e-NEWS has to have good information that will be of value to them and will show our expertise – which in essence sells our company. An article may talk about a product or service, which also opens up the opportunity for increased sales.

Let’s Define the Target Audience!

I am sure it is tempting for some people who are sending out e-NEWS to think, “If I could get my hands on a big e-mail list, then this will really increase my chances of getting good results from e-NEWS.” To that premise I have to say – I DON’T THINK SO! Your target audience for an e-NEWS is a subscriber (that means they have either subscribed through your website, filled out a form at a trade show or other event, or otherwise expressed interest in belonging to your mailing list) – or they must be a valid client prospect or close associate. I don’t think e-NEWS is a great (or even an acceptable) “cold call” tool. I believe a lot of folks misunderstand this – and also try to take the easy way out on developing a strong e-NEWS list – which ultimately is produced over time with good solid e-NEWS editions. Your target audience is the absolute bottom line of your e-NEWS. A great deal of “spam” on the Internet can be attributed to folks believing that mass e-mails to millions of people results in great profits. My suspicion is that if money is made at this level, it is primarily by the company selling the lists or sending out the spam – but not by the content owner. The demographics on large lists can be very questionable and when you get an e-NEWS or e-mail from someone you don’t know, the common practice (today more than ever) is to just DELETE IT!

e-NEWS is a Formal Communication and Privilege

Another key aspect of e-NEWS is its frequency. Part of the hesitancy of people signing up for e-NEWS is the fear of their e-mail address being sold, shared, or otherwise abused. People may genuinely want to receive a weekly, monthly or quarterly e-NEWS from your company or organization, but whatever your planned frequency, this and your other policies should be made clear to the person subscribing. And you should NEVER, EVER sell or share a subscriber’s e-mail address! Also keep in mind that if subscribers begin receiving e-NEWS from you daily or randomly, they will most likely unsubscribe quickly. There is a distinct privilege to be able to communicate to folks about your services and products. This privilege should never be taken lightly. Sending out e-NEWS on a planned formal schedule is the best way to go. Try diligently to meet your deadlines every single time. It again shows a great level of professionalism when an organization sends out its e-NEWS on schedule every single time.

What’s Involved Technically? 

Your e-NEWS system should be database-driven, and simply using MS Outlook or other popular e-mail programs definitely won’t cut it. You want a system that manages your e-mail lists – including subscribing, updating preferences, and unsubscribing. The subscription page should blend aesthetically into your website (i.e., should “match” your website, so that subscribers remain confident that they are subscribing to e-NEWS from you and you alone). And you want an e-NEWS system that will manage these lists electronically and automatically, so that you can devote your valuable time to writing great content for your website and e-NEWS. The system should be set up with a graphically designed template that can be used for each new edition, and it should definitely be designed with your website flavor – maintaining your brand.

Most e-NEWS systems come with an MS Word-style WYSIWYG editor, which really helps in the learning curve, making it simple and intuitive to type out the content of an e-NEWS. BeareWare uses a system called PHPList, which we integrate into our CMS system websites – so our clients have all their management tasks, including e-NEWS, accessible from their website’s control panel. It is quite remarkable what e-NEWS systems such as PHPList can do these days: they send the e-NEWS to the subscriber individually; their graphical and professional HTML presentation is wonderful; and they come with statistics such as number of e-NEWS e-mails viewed and opened. The system makes sure that each subscriber only receives an e-NEWS once, and allows the sender to batch or set timers for sending out an e-NEWS. There is a learning curve when using e-NEWS – learning how to use the system and learning how to write good newsletters – but with all things being equal, producing a great e-NEWS with great content can produce immense rewards. And just like your website, your e-NEWS lists will continue to grow annually.

How Much Does It Cost?

The cost of e-NEWS systems vary. Some companies do everything for you and will charge you a set fee per e-NEWS edition. Other companies charge a transaction fee (which is a cost per e-NEWS sent out – this pricing method can get overwhelmingly expensive as your subscriber list grows). PHPList, which is used by BeareWare, is an Open Source system, with in effect means that the program itself is free and open, with the only costs coming from BeareWare’s initial work in setting up the system, designing a customized e-NEWS template, and client training. There can also be additional hosting costs pending how large your subscriber lists are. PHPList can manage up to 100,000 subscribers and beyond – and your target numbers should be considered when you are setting up e-NEWS. Generally, you will spend a one-time fee of $300 – $500 having your e-NEWS system set up, converting existing e-mails lists, and customizing your graphical templates. When compared to the price of printing, postage, labor, and the use of our planet’s forestry resources involved in sending newsletters the old-fashioned way, there is little wonder why e-NEWS has become such a popular way of communicating.

In closing, an e-NEWS is a great way to formally keep in touch with your website visitors and subscribers. It is relatively inexpensive to set up and only requires a little creativity and marketing prowess from you to ensure lasting success!

If you were asked today how is your website doing, could you give an informed, statistical answer (or even just a broad, general statement)? Most websites come with lots of statistics and you could actually easily spend hours (daily) analyzing these stats. But what are the important statistics and what should you focus on?

One of the largest misnomers that exists today with webmasters, owners and advertisers is the classic “hits” statistic, which is used to very misleadingly describe website visitation. 

Evidently this has really struck a chord – What exactly is a HIT?

A “hit” is a retrieval of any item, like a page or a graphic, from a Web server. For example, when a visitor looks at one web page with six graphics (photos, logos, graphical buttons, even a tiny arrow or other icon – these are all examples of graphics), that’s seven hits, one for the page itself and six for the graphics. For this reason, hits are never a clear indication of Web traffic. In other words – hits are based on the number of times a graphic is viewed (or another file, such as audio, video, or a document, is accessed). For instance, a website owner may have noticed, or been told, that the new photo gallery added to his/her site had increased the site’s “hits” tenfold. “Wow,” he or she thinks. “That must mean I’m getting 10 times more web traffic now!” Unfortunately, this is NOT SO. It simply means that the pages viewed are more graphic (or photo) heavy, thereby driving up that misleading “hits” statistic.

In a nutshell, a hit has no meaningful correlation with your website’s results.

But I have been quoted hits by my webmaster, by the radio station that sells advertising, and even by some very large and reputable business. Don’t lots of hits mean a very busy website?

A great analogy was given to me by my hairdresser (“Bubba”) when discussing this exact topic. He stated that hits would be equivalent to how many hairs he cut in a day (not how many heads). If he wanted to impress an associate he could claim to have cut 10,000 hairs on a given day – but in reality it would be the number of heads (people) that paid for a hair cut that would produce his bottom line results. I have to say to this very day I cringe when someone tells me how great their website is doing and uses hits as their statistic! Sadly, I know immediately they don’t actually understand their website.

So enough with HITS – lets get some real statistics on the table…

Here are some key statistics that can help you better analyze your website:

• Website Session 
• Unique Visitors
• Number of Visits
• Number of Viewed Pages
• Website Conversions
• Visits Duration
• Frequently Viewed Pages
• Referring Search Engines
• Referring Web Sites
• Key Phrases & Words

Here is a brief summary of these statistics:

Website Session:

A website session is the period of time between a visitor coming to your website and then leaving your website. The website session parameters are set by your website statistics package – so you can find variance in different packages – but generally, a session is a person coming to your website, browsing around, and then leaving your website.

Unique Visitor:

A “Unique Visitor” is the primary measuring unit you will want to focus on. Website owners care about visitors, because having lots of visitors is the target of nearly all websites. A visitor can buy a product, review a service, become a prospect, follow up with a call to your organization, or even simply view an advertisement. Most stats packages give you hourly, daily, weekly, monthly and yearly unique visitors stats. This is your bottom line – no matter what outcomes you want from your website. 

Number of Visits:

The number of visits is the actual recording of each time ANY visitor comes to the site for a session – he or she may be a new visitor or a repeat visitor. You should pay attention to the difference between the number of visits and unique visits. If you are getting lots of new, unique visitors but only slightly higher numbers in overall visits, that means your visitors aren’t finding much on your site to bring them back. The overall number of visits is a great indication of levels of interest or progressions to an outcome on your site.

Number of Pages Viewed: 

Another very valuable stat is pages viewed. A page – any page that is browsed to on your website -records a page view (for that particular page). When people go to websites, they view pages, and this is always one of the most meaningful statistics on your website. Pages viewed always reminds me to make sure that a site’s content is kept up to date and accurate across the entire website.

Website Conversions:

The term “conversion” does not mean a recorded statistics as such, but it is the bottom line outcome you desire fom your website. When you develop your website these desired outcomes should be clearly identified. If you have a retail shop – your conversion is the actual sale of a product. If you are a realtor, your conversion may be an inquiry form being filled out, a house tracking account being opened up, or an e-mail inquiry being sent. For BeareWare, our conversions result in either a new web design inquiry or e-news subscriber. If the website has led a visitor to take some action according to the actual purpose of the site, then a conversion has been created.

Visits Duration:

Visit duration tells you how long a visitor actually stayed on your website. Time measurements are 0-30 seconds, 2-5 minutes, 5-15 minutes, 15-30 minutes, 30 minutes-1 hour, and then 1 hour plus. This statistic is an absolute eye-opener about the general behavior of visitors to your site. If your website’s current information (its “content”) is not up-to-date, or it is difficult for a visitor to find that information on your site, chances are the visits will be in the 0-30 second range. Good sites with rich information should experience 2-5 minutes or above. Either way, understanding visitation duration can really help you make adjustments and enhancements to your site.

Frequently Viewed Pages:

This statistic tells you what specific pages are being viewed by visitors to your website. It also tells you the amount of times a particular page is visited, so you can establish what your key pages are on your  site, as well as what pages you have that people are not visiting (and appropriately analyze why.). Obviously, you want your conversion pages (ones that lead to conversion-specific actions) to be way up there on visitation. Viewed pages also includes entry page statistics (the first page a visitor goes to – which is quite often not your home page if they are taken there via a search engine), and also the page on which they exited your Web site (which can sometimes hint at a page that is out of date or lacks any key information).

Referring Search Engines:

Search engines are a great opportunity for getting new visitors to your website. There are many things that can be done to ensure that you have a prominent listing on a search engine – but knowing which search engines are producing the most referrals can help with your search engine strategy. Of course, there are lots of other methods to get visitors to your site (word of mouth, general advertising, links,) but this stat really is about people not knowing you and finding you by key words on a search engine. Search engines have robots that search the Internet continuously and establish key phrases and words that describe your site. This is how the search engine establishes an index on your website. You can also submit these phrases and words directly to the search engine to improve your chances of appearing on a search (this is one aspect of what is known as SEO – Search Engine Optimization). Google Word ads and search engine advertising will also help increase search engine traffic, but at a price. 

Referring Website:

Referring websites are what I consider “word of mouth” online.  This is the stat that shows you which specific website the visitor found out about you on (and actually took the link on that site to get to you). Online advertising is the primary method that sends visitors to other websites, but key links are also a good way to get additional traffic. Usually there will have to be a key relationship or benefit to have your organization linked on another site, but there is no doubt that getting your website’s link on other sites can help grow your business and also increase your positioning on search engines. This is a great statistic to use to monitor how well your outside advertising or link exchanges are working, for instance, and may help in your future marketing decisions.  

Key Phrases & Words:

Being listed on a search engine is not enough to ensure that people will find you through key phrases and word searches. Your website will also need “meta tags” which are tags that the web robots will look for that describe your site for search engine indexing. Adding these phrases and key words to the search engine directly, and also in your title line on each page, will also help in searching. This statistic tells you which are the primary key phrases and words visitors used to search for your website. They are the words people type into a search engine to find you when they don’t know your company’s name. If your website is missing obvious key words or phrases, then you should make sure your webmaster adds them to your meta tags and search engines submissions to optimize your results.

As can be seen by statistics explanations I have listed here, developing your statistical understanding of your website will take some dedicated time and effort. If you have a good web company that works with you on hosting, support and management – they should be your key contact in terms of reviewing these statistics periodically. Besides your hosting statistics package there are also statistical packages known as “web analytics” which are offered by leading search engines. Statistics reinforce your investment in your website, identify results, and give you a clear path to adjustments for future results. They also are extremely valuable when developing a new website – by knowing what the results are from your existing site, you will be much more in tune with the changes and improvements you will need in a new site.

Take the time to understand your website statistics. It will be time well-invested!