Over the last few weeks I have had some interesting discussions with several people about the “what really works” for optimizing websites.  Of course, there are as many opinions on the subject as there are people.  The funny thing is that in all of the confusion there are some common themes. 

Tanya Vaughn may be one of the most practiced SEO professionals in the Treasure Valley, and in a short discussion on the topic she admitted a little frustration about hearing the same old stuff at the various conferences she attends.  Shortly after we chatted she posted about which upcoming event to attend.  Now, while I sympathize with her frustration, here are two possible reasons I think that may cause the “same old stuff” problem (very conflicting reasons): (more…)

Web analytics in a vacuum is not effective.  I would even go so far as saying that “analyzing” your data without some sort of context is actually harmful to your ability to make good business decisions.

One of the problems I see beginners (and even novices)  have is basing success on some nebulous concept of personal fulfillment.  It smacks of the feel-good approach people take to ad design — the highest paid person likes it, and therefore it is good.  I am being a bit over the top, but the reality is:  making decisions without context is dangerous.

So, here are three suggestions for getting some context on your data.

1- Compare Recent Data to Prior Data

This is sort of a no-brainer, but that’s why it is the first one; it is the easiest too.  Some web analytics packages don’t allow you to easily compare two time periods (if you have one, nuke it and get Google Analytics or ClickTracks Appetizer).  If you had 8,000 visits this month one way to tell if that is good is to compare it to prior months. (more…)

Well, I had a fantastic chat with Barry Teppola from the Legend Company today (he is one of the most progressive home builders in the Treasure Valley, IMHO), and I left with a big smile.  Why?  Because he gets it.  He gets web analytics.

We helped Barry get rolling with web analytics a few months ago, and followed up with him today to see how things were going.  As he explained how they were using the data the analytics provided warmed my soul (no kidding).  You see, the decision makers in the company meet once a week to review the data, and use it to shape their forward progress.   (more…)

A year ago the search marketing space in Boise wasn’t extremely crowded. In fact, when Marc and I first embarked on our venture (2005) I think there was basically nobody in the space. Well, over the last few months I have met several people in the industry that are specifically “search marketers.” Granted, some of the people reading this are saying, “Well, I have been doing search marketing in Boise for years.” And, they probably have. I think there are few things at play here…

First, have you ever noticed how when you buy a car all of a sudden you see the same make and model all over the place. I bought a Chevy S-10 Blazer when I was in school, and the next thing I knew they were the most popular car on the street. Was it because I was so cool everyone wanted to be like me? No, I was just more aware. So, I freely admit that is one possible reason why there seem to be more search marketers in Boise than there used to be. (more…)

So this is a little slower than I had hoped, but as promised here are the slides from our presentation (in a handy PDF):  Internet Marketing Slides. 

 Okay, so these are not exactly the slides I promised, but they are essentially the same.  After the SBDC presentation Marc and I were invited to teach two of the “capstone” GB450 courses at Boise State University.  These are those slides — essentially the same though.

Key points from the presentation were basic trends in online marketing — I particularly love the example Tim Kopp shared at a Web Trends conference I attended, regarding Diet Coke and Mentos.  It is an amazing example of the movement in marketing from a highly controlled message to transparency.

Basically, the concept is that with many mediums we can control our message very carefully, and the success equation is a function of reach and frequency.  On the web, as with word-of-mouth marketing, the equation changes significantly.  Product quality, customer service, and the other very important business stuff is taking the starring role of the “marketing message” and it will be your customers, partners, and market mavens that extend it.

So, the moral is, people will see you for what you are and the word will get around — so be great :-).