WebSpex Design Blog

Very interesting entry on what your customers are thinking about you. Take heed!
http://remarcom.typepad.com/remarkable_communication/2008/04/50-things-your.html

There are conflicting predictions on how SEM spending will grow. According to JP Morgan, they predict that growth in US paid search ad revenue—currently the largest segment of US online ad spending—would fall to 31.9% in 2008, down from 36.8% in 2007. Unlike JP Morgan, eMarketer expects growth in US online ad spending growth to rise slightly in 2008.

“David Hallerman, senior analyst at eMarketer, predicts that online ad spending will grow by 28.5% in 2008, compared with 26.8% in 2007. eMarketer also projects that US spending on paid search advertising will increase by 27.5% in 2008, compared with 26.8% in 2007.”

eMarketer predicts a growth in online ad spending, specifically pay-per-click. They see it reach its peak growth in 2008 with 27.5% increase. It then dips in 2009 to 17.6% until in 2011 to 11.3%. Other online spending areas included video, referrals, classifieds, display ads, sponsorships, and email. All peak this year and suddenly drop next year and continue.

I believe this shows the SEM industry is leveling and normalizing.

But, hold on there, ZenithOptimedia predicts a much sunnier horizon. They are predicting record growth. They are saying…

• Online ad spend will overtake radio by 2008;
• online ads will make up a double-digit share of all advertising by ‘09
• it will surpass magazine advertising by 2010.

I don’t agree with the first and last predictions, as Google has added their new advertising segment within adWords, advertising on the radio and print. I do agree with item #2 but still believe that the spending will normalize over the next couple of years as interest in quick-results advertising and conversely frustration over managing it grows.

2007 October: According to 2007 October figures from Hitwise…

1. Google has the largest market share of U.S. based web searches at 64.49%

• 2007 September 63.55%
• 2006 October 60.94%

2. Yahoo is second with a market share of 21.65%

• 2007 September 22.55%
• 2006 October 22.34%

3. MSN is third with a market share of 7.42%

• 2007 September 7.83%
• 2006 October 10.72%

4. Ask is fourth with a market share of 4.76%

• 2007 September 4.32%
• 2006 October 4.34%

“Note: Data is based on four week rolling periods (ending Oct. 27, 2007, Sept. 29, 2007, Oct. 28, 2006) from the Hitwise sample of 10 million US Internet users.”
Source: Hitwise - Dominance continues with a six percent increase over last year.

Top 5 Search Engines in the United States (The Majors) by Rank

Google
Yahoo! Search
MSN Live Search
AOL Search - Powered by Google
Ask - Powered by Teoma

Love it!! It brings me back. And John Cleese is fabulous.

As with product descriptions, product photos can make or break a customer’s decision to purchase. A poorly photographed product can make it look unprofessional, undesireable. This doesn’t mean you need to hire a professional photographer, although I do recommend it if you have the budget. But, if you budget limits you to your digital camera, be sure to take clean shots.

Why, Christina?

1. It allows your web developer to make easier edits to the photo
2. It allows your web developer to match your photo to your web design or visa versa.
3. With a photo light box you can choose the background color. Most prefer white but for jewelry, black seems to make the jewels sparkle.
4. For smaller objects, it creates a more sophisticated look.

You can either purchase a lightbox or create one yourself. Below are some links to help you.

Make your own.
http://strobist.blogspot.com/2006/07/how-to-diy-10-macro-photo-studio.html
http://digital-photography-school.com/blog/how-to-make-a-inexpensive-light-tent/

Buy One.
http://www.digitalfotoclub.com/product-features.asp?id=964724473&redir=y
http://www.prostudiousa.com/Photo-Web-Box-Collapsible-P3704C81.aspx

Great little tutorial on light boxes and shooting object close-up.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_H9NzGJXDYc

You’ve got the perfect product! You know it’ll sell and it can sell well. I mean, what? It’s the perfect product, right?

Well, hold on there. It’s perfect to you because you built it, mixed it, designed it, thought it up. But to others, you have to tell them how perfect it is. You need to let your online visitors know how great it is. So, how? Your product description is one way. Through words, you need to describe what it will do for them. Tell them why they need it.

Is it custom perfume? Tell them what it smells like, flowers from an English garden? Does it smell like the roads of China with a bouquet of osmanthus, rose, and jasmine? They need to know this.

Is it a new widget for a car? What will it do for them? Will it make their lives easier? Will it let them keep their car cleaner and more organized?

Did you design your product for the Commuter CEO? The Stressed Mom? Write to them specifically. Let them know you were thinking of them when you produced it.

Next..your photos.

I recently joined the local Houston Memorial Chapter of BNI, Business Networking International. There are about 23 members right now. It is a great group of dedicated business people focused on customer service and referrals for each other. It is a great way of increasing your sphere of business without taking on employees or going outside a your expertise.

We meet once per week in the morning, which for me is a great way to get the day started. We meet and discuss our businesses then move on to the referrals. As each industry is only represented once time per chapter, you are not competing with others in your industry. For example, I am the only web designer in my chapter. There is only one realtor and one mortgage broker and one accountant. The screening is rigorous as the chapter reviews your application, contacts your referrals, and makes sure you are serious business person who runs it ethically and properly.

We all want to be able to refer the best to our customers. So if any of my customers has need I might be able to refer them someone in my group that I know will give them the best service.

So if you are in the Houston area, checkout the group for any work you might need. I highly recommend each of them.
http://www.bnihouston.com/cgi-bin/viewmember.cgi?chapter_id=25

It’s almost Valentines Day. When promoting your e-commerce site, don’t forget all of the other holidays. Valentines is showing to be a great holiday for online business owners. “64% of small businesses expect stronger online sales this Valentine’s Day.” (Constant Contact, January 2007)

So now is the time to send out those newsletters to your customers! Remind them of your products and offer a special holiday deal if they purchase from you. Don’t forget, like Christmas, to remind them of when the last day to order for a Valentine arrival.

My husband and I took a quick trip to New York for a dinner benefitting Children’s Rights.We stayed at one of Trump’s hotels and had the most spectacular view of Central Park and the skyline. We took several walks through Central Park. But best of all was leaving the Houston heat for a while. With temperatures in the mid-60’s and clear skys, the city was alive. I was able to sit quietly with my laptop in Starbuck’s and watch New York walk by. Very pleasant!

Every Monday I look forward to listening to various tech podcasts. If you use iTunes, you can easily subscribe to any of these podcasts. Below is a list of some that I subscribe to:

http://www.twit.tv/
http://www.boagworld.com/podcast/ - web design related.
http://www.pwdmag.co.uk/ - web design related.
http://www.theworld.org/technology/index.shtml
http://www.npr.org/
http://www.crankygeeks.com/