Registering a Website
Registering a domain name is a necessary step in the process of publishing a website. A domain name the unique address that identifies the location of a website on the internet. Domain names often contain the name of a business, government agency or other organisation, and an ending such as .com or .co.uk or .biz or .net. etc.
Registering a domain name gives you a licence to use that name for a specified period of time, subject to the terms and conditions defined by the registrar. A domain name can be registered before or after a website has been created.
Domain names always have two or more parts, separated by dots. The domain name follows the 'www' in a website address - a website address is also called the Universal Resource Locator (URL). A URL is the address of a file, such as a web page, that is accessible on the internet. The URL describes the resources location and access method. For example, a typical UK commercial web address or URL might look like this:
http://www.typicalbusiness.co.uk
The URL describes the internet access method being used (HTTP) and the domain where the website is located (typicalbusiness.co.uk).
Email
Domain names are also used to specify email addresses. In an email address, the domain name follows the @ symbol. An email address attached to the website example above might be:
mailto:enquiries@typicalbusiness.co.uk
Where to register
Domain names can be registered directly with a registrar, through a reseller or through a hosting service package. Depending on your business needs, your preference may be to:
· select a registrar from the list on http://www.nominet.org.uk and follow their application process - some registrars provide services directly to the public, others may use resellers
· Nominet is the Internet registry for .uk domain names
· arrange your registration through an Internet Service Provider (ISP) or web developer as part of a package of web hosting and publishing services such as www.brandwebdesigns.com
Registrars and registries
A domain name registry is a database of domain names. A registry controls the visibility of domain names on the internet.
Domain name registrars have direct access to update a registry and to issue licences to users. If you are setting up a website within the .co.uk domain, look for an Nominet Accredited Registrar. The cost of registration varies.
Web hosting services
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) often include domain name registration as an optional service, either charged separately or as part of a package. An ISP or web developer can also offer to 'host' your website. Hosting usually includes:
· provision of a domain name and email addresses
· redirection of previous email or website addresses to an alternative address
· space for a large website using your domain name
· support for additional functionality on your website, e.g. secure commerce software
Policies and regulations
Legal and administrative issues may affect the choice of your domain name. Different regulatory organisations administer the different domain name types. Therefore there are specific rules of registration for each type of domain name ending. If these rules have been satisfied, domain names are then allocated on a first come, first served basis.
No one automatically has the right to a domain name, and it is important to remember that the systems for registering domain names and trademarks are separate. However, if you use a domain name that is identical to or very similar to a registered trademark, there is a risk of trademark infringement, particularly if the name relates to the same or similar goods or services covered by the trademark registration.
Domain name endings
Most businesses in the UK choose the domain name endings co.uk or .com, as this indicates the UK location of the website and therefore the business. Domain names ending in .com indicate a commercial organisation seeking an international identity on the internet.
In general, .co.uk domain names are intended for commercial entities and are regulated by the UK commercial domain name registry operator, Nominet.
Tips for choosing a name
· make it recognisable - the domain name should be easy to remember and clearly link back to your business name
· check the status of an existing domain name - find out whether a .au name is available for registration by using the public WHOIS service
· connect the website with email - use the domain name to setup email addresses
· consider the importance of a UK domain name ending
· take care with trademark infringement
Designing and Publishing Your Website
When sustained effort is put into planning and designing a website, the end result is more likely to match your initial expectations and result in improvements to your business.
Plan your strategy
There are three main alternatives for developing your website:
· do-it-yourself: if you are developing a smaller site and are confident about your in-house technical abilities, you may feel confident about building your own website using a software package and a contract with an Internet Service Provider (ISP)
· professionally developed: employ the services of a web developer or designer
· via a portal: sign up for a simple 'mini-site', enabling you to add your own content to a template with limited design flexibility
If you opt to have your site professionally developed, you will need to put some time, thought and effort into planning and budgeting for your site and choosing a web developer.
Survey the competition
Browse the internet to find examples of websites from other businesses, in particular those of your local competitors or international equivalents. Collect and analyse what is successful and unsuccessful within these sites and use this research to discuss your requirements with a web developer or to plot out your own design approach.
Define the core content
Your website will be competing with many others for the eyes of your potential clients and it must have immediate impact on your target audiences. It should answer the following questions:
· who is the company: including information about your business practices and contact details.
· what is the purpose of the website: is it easy to identify the key functions on the site, e.g. online purchasing, directories or simple, descriptive information
· is the information about products and services accurate, up-to-date and comprehensive
· are there clear instructions about services such as online ordering, payments, deliveries and cancellations
· does the business seem reputable and reliable: is there clear information about your track record, privacy, ordering, warranty and security policies
Keep a user focus
It's essential that the potential users of your website are a strong influence on decisions about how the site looks and operates. Navigation, or the way in which users access the site's information and tools, is a key concern of successful web design. Intuitive navigation should:
· assist your customers to quickly locate information
· provide multiple pathways to key content
· target the most relevant tools or functions
· help customers to easily identify where they are and where they have been in the site
Use best practice
There are a number of online resources that provide valuable advice on the success and failure of various web design approaches. Consider the following tips for best practice web design:
· think of your business from the perspective of your customers and use this to label and group your products and services
· keep menu labels simple and use clear, precise language to describe your business
· maintain elements of consistency across the site through unity in navigation, branding and writing style
· organise the site structure to avoid sending users deep into the site and plan to minimise the number of mouse clicks it will take to locate a relevant page
· place the most popular or most frequently used elements of your site close to the home page, ensuring that users can access these quickly when they enter your site
· browse the web for guidelines on usability (the website design features that enable something to be user-friendly)
· review the accessibility recommendations published by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C)
· take care with using graphics and visual icons: they must be clearly comprehensible to users from many different backgrounds
· clearly show users where they are located within your site structure
Measure performance
There are a number of tools that will allow you to measure and track the success of various pages or tools within your site.
Systems such as electronic customer relationship management (eCRM) can be a valuable function within your website. With an eCRM system, your staff can log in to measure customer activity on the site and record their own daily interactions with clients. Reports on this information can be generated at any time through data that is stored in a central database.
Keep content current
Fresh, accurate and relevant content is vital within the online environment. When planning your website, ensure that it is simple for your staff to add, edit or delete the information on your site without relying on complex technical expertise or continually re-engaging the services of the developer.
Plan for updates
Websites are often developed in stages. This enables businesses to respond in a controlled way to the changing needs of their online customers. Each stage should deliver obvious improvements and new functionality or content.
Writing and Managing Content
Studies repeatedly show that people read differently online than they do with printed material. Writing for the web requires attention to both the content and the format of the text. Most users scan quickly through text looking for keywords that catch their attention. Writing that is best suited for the web states key facts first and concludes with background information, in the manner of the journalistic style called 'inverting the pyramid'. Using descriptive subheadings and short sentences can assist users to quickly scan and understand the key messages within your text. Other tips for writing web content include:
Identify your purpose
· what are you trying to say
· why do you need to say it
· what are the key pieces of information that need to be communicated
Know your audience
· identify your target audience by age, geography or niche market (e.g. rural, ethnic, youth, etc)
· ensure you know how much they know about the issues and how much they want (or need) to know about them
· use appropriate language rather than technical terms with which they may not be familiar
· don’t patronise your audience
· provide the information they really need - anything else is optional
Say it simply
· use plain, clear language
· keep sentences short - an average of 15–20 words
· avoid too much text
· keep paragraphs short
· each paragraph should cover only one issue
· avoid cliches, jargon or technical language and overuse of acronyms
· don’t use complicated technical descriptions
· summarise complicated topics before you describe all the details
· summarise key points or provide abstracts for long articles and documents
· be punchy but not overly dramatic or self-promoting
Display it simply
· use descriptive headings
· write short sections, using white space to separate them clearly
· use lists to rank information such as the steps in a process, the order in which things happen or the most important to least important issues
· don’t use confusing colours or rely purely on graphics for hyperlinks
· use headings and bullets to break up the text
· put the most important information first
· use meaningful words for hypertext links rather than asking the reader to 'click here'
· avoid unnecessary or excessive use of links
· check and double check spelling
· think visually and use screen readable fonts and colours
· dark text on a light background is easier to read and print
· emphasise by using bold not italics
· only use underlining to indicate hyperlinks
Test and improve
· conduct a reader test with a representative sample of your target audience
· check that you’ve used the right medium for the message
· avoid lengthy pages - website usability testing has shown that people don’t like to read extensively online or to scroll very far down a page to read
· check that the page can be easily scanned - people usually read from a computer screen about 25 percent slower than from paper, and readers of webpages tend to scan the text on screen
· allocate time and resourcing for ongoing content maintenance into your eBusiness strategy
Further study
There are many short courses available for people wishing to hone their web writing skills. Use the internet and research effective writing techniques and continue to seek out credible information about how your audience reads information on the web.
Website Measurement and Tracking
Evaluation of a website should be systematic and ongoing. The most appropriate analytical tools and methods will depend on the size and scope of your website and organisation. Members of a web management team could undertake aspects of the evaluation themselves while some aspects may require third party expertise, such as reporting on site traffic and conducting focus groups and surveys.
Site traffic reports
With analysis of website performance and visitor traffic, it is possible to find out detailed information about:
· partnerships with other sites
· user profiles
· geographic targeting
· popular search keywords
· referrals by links and search engines
· how a user’s systems are interacting with the online applications available on your site
There are various measurements used to express how websites are used. These range from a simple counter on your website to count every 'hit' or visit to the home page to comprehensive reporting on the movement of site visitors across your site. Web developers and web hosting services can include tracking services within their development or hosting contracts. Statistical reports on site traffic are also available through specialist suppliers, enabling you to install software or log on to an online system that can be used to collect data and present statistics within a report format.
The aspects of your site typically measured in this way include:
Hit rate
Systems for analysing a website's performance can be static and dynamic. Static systems analyse a site's log files using specialised software. A log file contains lines of code that record a 'hit' by a visitor to the site. Recording one hit indicates that one image on a page, such as your organisation's logo, has been downloaded onto the user's computer screen. This means that if you have many images or files on a page (as most webpages do), then the 'hits' will be misleadingly high. The number of hits is not equivalent to the number of visitors to a site.
Unique visitors
The unique visitor count refers to how many different people access your website in any given period. This is measured by the company that hosts your website. Their web server records every time a request comes from a new computer address (called an IP address) to view the site in a given period. But because a unique visitor may re-visit the site four times in a day, it is also important to count the number of user sessions (each visit to the site) for each unique visitor.
Dynamic analysis
Dynamic systems allow for further research using tools that function with 'tails', or markers placed at the bottom of each web page. This method shows real-time operations based on such variables as visitors, hits and pages viewed. Compared with static analysis, this technique provides more accurate statistics.
User paths
Information about how users navigate through your site is available through reports that show where visitors enter your site from and which pages they view once inside. The 'bounce rate' measures the percentage of visitors that arrive at an entry page, then leave without proceeding further into the site. Not all visitors arrive at the home page, so understanding which pages your visitors exit from and where they go to upon leaving your site will assist with fine-tuning your site design.
Visitor-to-customer conversions
One measure of an effective site is the number of visitors who convert from simply browsing to taking an action that either results in a purchase or indicates a serious interest, such as submitting a form or downloading a file. These details provide vital information about the return on investment for an online business.
User profiles
User profile reporting provides you with demographic information about visitors to your site, including aspects such as:
· a user's computing environment - browsers, operating systems and plug-ins
· a user's location - languages used, country of origin, time zones
· use patterns - length of visit and frequency of return
· access type - domains and ISPs
Referrals
Data on how users arrive at the site allows you to assess:
· link popularity - which sites are linking to you and the amount of traffic they send to your site
· search engine visibility - which search engines visitors are using to find your site and what keyword phrases they enter to find you on the Web
· campaign tracking - how many visitors came from paid promotions, e.g. a pay-per-click advertisement or a directory listing, and which specific campaign they came from
· the number of email referrals you receive
· the number of people that visit your site via bookmarks
Scheduling
Some software tools also provide time-based data that site managers can use to analyse visitor behaviour over different time periods. For example, statistical reports may be scheduled daily, weekly, monthly or periodically. Real-time tracking will supply instant access to statistics regarding visits to a site in both real time and online.
Other analysis tools
In addition to site statistics, analysis tools can provide other important information about your site and its usage.
Link checking software
Obsolete and inaccurate links will frustrate your web visitors, leaving them with the impression that the site is out-of-date and poorly maintained. Software tools are available that will locate and manage broken links to pages within your site or to other websites on the internet.
Performance and load testing
Load testing can be performed during the development of the site or as a retrospective assessment. This type of testing measures the impact of visitor numbers on the performance of the site by simulating a large group of users accessing the site at the same time.
Client feedback
A simple way of collecting information about the visibility and success of your site is to survey your online visitors via the website. In parallel, contact your existing clients to find out if they’ve used your site and what they found useful for their needs. Further research could be collected through:
· interviews – gather internal feedback from staff
· usability testing – ask your target users to comment on the website's look and feel, ease of use and content by observing their progress through a sample set of online tasks
· online forms - create an area in your website that invites users to provide feedback
· best practice survey – compare the websites from one or more similar organisations and analyse how your site performs
Interpreting the data
Developing a better understanding of how visitors locate, navigate and exit your site is a powerful marketing tool. Interpretation of traffic and user statistics should be undertaken by someone who knows the company well. This ensures that data can be related to the type of company and its customers, products and/or services in a meaningful way.
Try to include a number of different methods in your analysis mix. Relying on just one evaluation methodology may give you a skewed view of the website or your eBusiness strategy, so it is worth collecting evidence through a variety of tools and techniques.
While there is no magic formula, careful analysis of quantitative statistical data and qualitative user feedback can result in an improved site design, increased visitor numbers and an increase in the number of visitors who become clients or customers.
Legislation & Compliance
There are a number of laws, industry recommendations and best practice guidelines that will affect what you can publish or collect on your website and how this information is gathered, stored, displayed and edited. It's important to be aware of your obligations and to regularly review the website to ensure that it continues to comply.
Privacy
Businesses should have systems in place that balance their need to collect and make use of customer information with the need to protect privacy. As a minimum, all websites should have a clearly defined privacy policy, explaining how the business abides by the requirements of the Privacy Act.
If the site has eCommerce functions, then security and data protection will be of significant concern to your customers.
Consumer protection
When a user enters into an internet contract, (e.g. purchasing a product online) they are protected by consumer protection laws. Therefore it is important to check that the consumer:
· is identified accurately
· understands the terms and conditions of the contract
· has undeniably accepted the terms and conditions
· has undeniably received notices where required
Fair trading
UK business websites are governed by The Office Of Fair Trading. The Trade Practices Act prohibits conduct which is misleading or deceptive or which is likely to mislead or deceive. For example:
· ensure that a consumer using your website is not actually, or likely to be, misled or deceived by any material on your website
· ensure that when linking between websites there is no confusion as to the ownership of each website
· if you make statements or implications about goods or services on your website they must be accurate
The Office Of Fair Trading also requires that suppliers disclose their full business address or telephone number, the total price, postal or delivery charges and the availability of any cooling off rights.
Copyright
The copyright protection that automatically applies to words, pictures, music and other 'works' is applicable to anything published on the internet.
Copyright gives creators of these works a set of rights to control how their creation is re-used and copied. A website will have copyright content on it which should be protected by:
· including a statement in the terms and conditions that users of the website must obtain permission before copying, downloading or altering your material
· seeking copyright assignment for material created by your website designers or consultants to control how you can update the site in the future
· displaying the copyright symbol (c), the name of the author, year of publication and terms of use on pages where users are able to download or copy material from your website
· controls such as a password, acceptance of terms and conditions or a payment of a fee to restrict access to material that is not for general public use
'Borrowing' an image or text from another source and publishing it on your website could infringe third party copyright rights. Make sure you obtain the correct licences to use and reproduce the copyright material before you place the material on your website.
If you link your website to third party websites, only do so in accordance with their terms and conditions and provide a statement to limit your liability where applicable.
Patents
Patent protection is becoming increasingly important within the online environment for protecting both computer-related technology and the business methods related to this technology. Patents grant monopoly rights over a product or process for a limited period. To secure this protection, an invention must be registered and meet minimum requirements of novelty, usefulness and inventiveness.
Trademarks
A trademark protects the exclusive rights of a business to use the recognisable icons of its marketing identity. These icons can be things such as names, symbols, logos and images that are used to represent the business, its products or services.
One common area of trademark dispute is the registration of domain names. Your website may contain elements such as logos, words or sounds that act as trademarks, so seek advice about how to register them. You must also obtain permission from the owner of any third party-registered trade marks on your website which you're not authorised to use.
Disability discrimination
The Disability Discrimination Act requires businesses to make reasonable adjustment in the provision of goods and services to ensure that they are accessible to all members of the community, including people with a disability.
As a general principle, businesses should ensure that the electronic delivery of goods or services can be achieved without specialised software or hardware, unless the requirement for such specialised software or hardware is made clear to the consumer beforehand. Consult the recommendations produced by the World Wide Web Consortium for compliance with such disability discrimination laws.
Defamation
Under UK law, if defamatory material is displayed on your website, or you link to sites that display defamatory material, you may be sued for defamation. Reduce this risk by adding disclaimers to your website, clearly stating that your organisation will not accept any liability for defamation in relation to third party material on your website.
If you allow other people to post information or links on your website you should pay particular attention to the risk of defamation. Include a clause in your terms and conditions stating that anyone who posts content or links your website to theirs, will indemnify you for any loss or damage resulting from a defamation action as a result of their posted content or link.
Notes within terms and conditions and disclaimers do not, however, always protect your business from a legal action.
International obligations
The relevance of international law to your website can be a complicated issue when electronic transactions take place between parties in different countries. The terms and conditions on your website should specify which laws are being applied within the website.
Ensuring a Quality Website
Understanding the needs of visitors to your site is a key process in both the initial design and ongoing improvement of your website. A user-centred design approach is motivated by the following topics:
· who will be using the site
· what they will be using it for
· how they will be using it
Ease of use
Visitors to your site are more likely to return if they find the site easy to use, achieving their goals with a minimum of effort, time and frustration. Usability is a term that refers to the extent to which a product can be used by particular users to achieve specific goals in specific circumstances.
Any product can be assessed in terms of its usability. However, specific guidelines and checklists for web usability can be found online and are based on research gathered from focus groups and the testing of human behaviour within the online environment.
Common areas of usability research include:
· expectations and conventions – how most users currently behave when browsing the web
· information gathering – how users click, scroll and scan a website for details
· speed – how users are prepared to wait for a page to appear or respond
· navigation – what is needed to efficiently guide users through a site
· simplicity – how to balance complex features with a desire for clarity
· search – can users find information by a keyword search and/or site map
· content – how users read and consume information online
· multimedia – how to incorporate sound, images and movies into your site
· registration – how to collect personal information
Branding
The 'look and feel' or graphic design of a website is the way in which colour, typography, graphics and layout are used to communicate a message to the intended audience. Consistency with your existing business branding can be achieved through the use of logos, images and colour schemes. Within your business, there may be multiple audiences and therefore the graphic design should not only reflect your overall branding but also communicate across multiple user groups.
Interactivity
The internet enables businesses to empower users through tools and features that encourage them to interact with the site. Bear in mind the impact of the feature on the speed of your site, staff workloads and business expenditure. Consider the relevance and benefit of:
· customisation and personalisation of the site for each visitor
· online feedback forms
· 'members only', password-protected areas
· questionnaires, surveys or polls
· animations and simple games
· downloadable files
· subscription email lists or e-newsletters
· multilingual versions of the site
· message boards and discussion forums
· searchable databases of web pages, files (e.g. music or video) or documents
Currency
Up-to-date, contemporary and relevant content is a key characteristic of a quality website. Outdated or obsolete material will discourage regular visitors and can be a significant legal concern for some businesses. Regularly check that the external and internal links are connected to the correct destination and that the content on your site is relevant and up-to-date.
Accessibility
Many people tend to forget to design their sites in a way that allows disabled people to access them. An accessible site is one that takes account of the web browsing needs of people with visual or other disabilities. The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) provides globally recognised guidelines for creating accessible websites.
Online Marketing
Latest developments in information and communication technology can open up new and innovative opportunities for business communications and marketing campaigns. However, simply having a website or email address does not guarantee that new and existing clients will find your business online. There are a number of eBusiness advertising strategies that, when used in parallel with traditional offline marketing, can increase traffic to your website, keep the people who visit your site engaged, encourage return visits and build customer loyalty.
Advertising online
Looks at the traditional and internet-based techniques for promoting your business online. Covers advertisement of web and email addresses, search engine placement, cost-per-click and banner advertisements, online forums and reciprocal links.
Email and newsletters
An overview of the potential benefits and pitfalls of email marketing campaigns. Covers issues such as compiling a client contact database, avoiding spam, managing email newsletters and measuring campaign effectiveness.
Privacy and spam
Discusses privacy legislation and the implications of using personal details in online marketing activities. Also includes information about complying with laws regarding unsolicited email (spam) and using email legitimately for marketing purposes.
Search engine optimisation
What is a search engine or directory and how do they work? Explore ways to optimise the exposure of a site to search engines through improving metadata, keywords and reciprocal links.
1. Advertising Online
Using the internet gives you access to a number of powerful marketing techniques to promote your business. In addition to building and publishing a website, there are a number of internet-based promotional techniques that can help to extend your marketing reach and increase local and global awareness of your products and services.
Traditional advertising
Make use of the traditional media to advertise your website and email addresses. These outlets will also allow you to integrate online marketing with existing marketing strategies. Your web and email details can be advertised as part of an overall campaign or on their own through:
· newspapers
· television
· radio programs
· mail-outs
· press releases
· magazines and newsletters
· posters and billboards
· merchandising
Increase awareness of your online presence by including web and email details in:
· signatures at the foot of email correspondence
· verbal conversations with clients
· recorded messages on telephones
· stationery, invoices and business cards
· catalogues, brochures and manuals
· cartons, boxes and packaging
· uniforms and signage
Search engine advertising
Search engine advertisements are usually displayed at the top of search listings as sponsored links, or in boxes down the side of the search results. These types of ads are generally priced on a cost-per-click basis. The key benefit of these advertisements is that your product or service appears in front of web users when they are searching for specific keywords, or at the moment when they're actively demonstrating an interest in searching for words related to your products and services.
Cost-per-click advertising
The most cost-effective pricing method for buying web advertising is a rate based on the number of people who click on the ad and follow the link to your site. This is known as a 'click-through rate' or a 'cost-per-click' model. Advertising on a 'per impression' basis is generally a less cost-effective approach, as it means you're charged for the number of people who glimpse your advertisement, rather than the number who respond to it.
Keywords on search engines that match particular products and services are bought by a company, usually via an auction. Businesses bid against each other for words that are related to their product or service and the amount that a business pays for each click determines the position of their advertisement on the search engine's pages. When a user enters the specified search terms, a text advertisement and site link will appear in a defined area of the search results, distinguishing sponsored links from the rest of the search results.
Banner advertisements
A banner advertisement is graphical image, usually in the shape of a rectangle, used as an advertisement on a website. When a user clicks on the image, they will be taken to the site of the advertiser. These advertisements can be displayed in a number of ways:
· incorporated into the site
· in a separate browser window, or as a 'pop-up'
· as an animated image embedded within or displayed over the top of the site
Pricing for banner ads is usually a set cost per thousand impressions, or a 'CPM', which represents the number of times an advertisement is displayed to the users of the website. Simple banner graphics can be created in-house, but the services of a designer are valuable if you want to create a striking advertisement that attracts new customers to your site. Banner advertisements are increasingly unpopular as many users are annoyed by a pop-up window that stops them from reading a website's actual content. However, with careful placement on websites that will be visited by your potential clients, a banner advertisement can be a productive online promotion option.
Reciprocal links
Under a reciprocal link agreement, your website agrees to link to specific sites in exchange for your site also being displayed as a link on their pages. This free exchange potentially increases the number of visitors to your site, and will help search engines to find and rank your website. Spend time researching the most appropriate sites for exchanging links. Competing or unrelated businesses are unlikely to agree to mutual links; however, other sites in your local community and your suppliers or clients can be good sources for reciprocal links.
Online forums
A newsgroup or online forum encourages and manages online text discussions over a period of time among members of special interest groups or project teams. Therefore, joining a discussion group that is relevant to your business will present opportunities for collecting research about your market and making potential customers aware of relevant products and services. It's important to be aware of sensitivities around the use of newsgroups for online marketing. Concentrate on establishing the credibility and relevance of your business rather than using heavy-handed and overt commercialism. For example, take the opportunity to respond to specialist questions with useful, practical and unbiased answers. Include a signature section within your postings with your business details, including the website address.
Legal considerations
Online advertising must take account of the obligations within the Trade Practices Act and similar legislation, requiring that all representations made by an advertisement regarding description, quality, performance and price are accurate.
· make sure advertising material is clearly identifiable and can be distinguished from other content, such as editorial comment, terms and conditions and independent product reviews
· make sure the business is identifiable from the advertising
· be able to back up advertising or marketing claims
2. Email and Newsletters
Email, short for 'electronic mail', allows you to send information such as newsletters, product updates and other marketing material to customers and suppliers via the internet. Email can be an effective and flexible tool for low-budget marketing. Its advantages include:
· reduced design and print costs
· broader distribution networks
· rapid delivery times
· messages sent for cost of a local phone call
· targeted information directed to a client's desktop
· increased customer loyalty through regular distribution of information
· interactive response to sales enquiries
· instant, simultaneous distribution of press releases to the media
· tailored messages for specific customer types
Although email campaigns are usually cheaper than other, more traditional advertising models, there are a number of costs to consider:
· website development: emails can be kept brief and direct if they link through to an up-to-date and comprehensive company website or webpage
· broadband infrastructure: for large volumes of email, a faster internet connection will result in increased business efficiency
· content development: busy clients will demand well-written email that has clear relevance to their needs and is not seen as spam
· client response: can your business handle the response generated from an email marketing campaign (the average response rate is three to four per cent.)
Create an email list
The internet makes it easier for businesses to collect, store and manage information about their current and potential customers. However, sending email indiscriminately will create a bad impression of your business and alienate your customers. Email works best as a tool within a focused campaign. If you've got a large database of contacts, it's worth analysing what you know about your customers, so you can send the most relevant and effective message to specific customer groups.
There are many opportunities to legitimately build an email list targeting those who are genuinely interested in receiving information about your business, including:
· existing customers
· representatives, distributors and dealers
· visitors to your website
· potential clients who enquire by phone, fax or post
· potential clients you meet face-to-face
· via tick boxes on paper-based marketing material
· via lists purchased from a reputable source, i.e. where people have specifically agreed to receive unsolicited email about a certain topic
Distribute an email newsletter
News about your products and services can be incorporated into a regular bulletin and distributed to your email list. Remember to:
· keep the contents of the newsletter relevant, current and engaging
· be clear about why you're sending the email
· tailor content wherever possible for specific audiences
· encourage recipients to phone your business or visit your website
· grab the attention of the reader through the email subject line
· keep messages short and follow up with links to longer articles on your website
· write in simple and clear language
· offer a text-only version if you are distributing the newsletter in HTML
· include special offers for email subscribers
· give recipients the opportunity to stop receiving your newsletter, or 'opt out'
Avoid sending spam
Businesses should be aware of the laws in many countries that control how email data is collected and used. In the UK, there are laws that restricts the sending of email without the recipient's permission, an activity also known as unsolicited or 'spam' email. Ask customers and potential customers to 'opt-in', or to explicitly agree to you sending them email when you collect their address. You must also provide a clear and easy 'opt-out' mechanism in your marketing emails so that recipients can easily remove themselves from your list.
Assess the response rates
It is essential that your campaign includes mechanisms that encourage people to respond to your email communication. Monitoring the effectiveness of the campaign will also enable you to assess its value and improve future endeavours.
· keep track of the number of responses received and the type of customer responding
· ask your Internet Service Provider (ISP) to set up an auto responder, which automatically sends a standard message in response to emailed enquiries
· set up your email software to register when a user has opened your email, or ask your ISP about collecting this data
· set up different email addresses for different campaigns, to make it easy to compare responses
3. Privacy and Spam
Privacy compliance
UK legislation gives people the right to know who collects personal information about them, the purpose of collection and what happens to the information after it is collected. This helps give individuals some control over information about themselves.
When collecting personal information for online marketing it is vital that your business is aware of its responsibilities for ensuring this data is collected, stored and used in an ethical and legally compliant manner.
Privacy legislation
Personal information is any information about an identifiable individual, for example a person's name and address, religion, marital status or income. Small businesses that collect personal information (other than their own employees' information) may need to comply.
Data collection
When collecting personal information from an individual, a business should take reasonable steps to make sure that the individual is aware of:
· business name and contact details
· how the information will be used
· who will see the information, for example other organisations
· how they can access the information that is held about them
· why the information is being collected
· any law that requires the particular information to be collected
· the main consequences (if any) for the individual if all or part of the information is not provided
Opting in or out
It's important that people can also easily opt out of any direct marketing that may be linked to the collection of their personal details. For example, online forms can have a box for users to tick if they wish to receive more information about your products or services, therefore agreeing to "opt in" to a mailing list. Alternatively, online forms may have a box that users select if they don't want to be provided with future information, therefore choosing to "opt out" of the mailing list.
It is better practice to allow your customers to "opt in" to receive marketing material. Email newsletters should also include clear instructions that will enable recipients to remove their address from the mailing list.
Spam legislation
It's against the law in the UK to send electronic 'junk mail' or 'spam'. Spam is a term used to describe unsolicited messages sent to people's email accounts or mobile phones.
Avoiding Spam
Sending spam causes significant inconvenience and irritation for internet and mobile phone users, and compromises the reputation of online marketing. Penalties for breaching the Law include fines, orders for forfeiture of profits derived from spam, formal warnings, court action and payment of compensation to spam victims.
A legitimate commercial electronic message must meet the following conditions:
· the recipient has given express consent. It's also possible to infer consent based on a prior relationship (business or other) with the person and their conduct during the relationship. For instance, adding an advertiser to your enewsletter or emailing a current client about a new product or service
· it contains accurate information about the sender of the message and how they can be contacted
· there is a functional way for the message's recipients to unsubscribe or indicate that they do not wish to receive such messages in the future and ensure requests are dealt with promptly
4. Search Engine Optimisation
The first port of call for many online users seeking specific information is a search engine. Improving how your site interacts with search engines will help your target audience to find your site. It is important to remember that search engines are a primary way people look for websites, however they are not the only way. People also find sites through word of mouth, traditional advertising, the traditional media, newsgroup postings, web directories and links from other sites.
Marketing, submission and optimisation
The term 'search engine marketing' (SEM) refers to the overall process of marketing a site on search engines, including submission, optimisation, managing paid listings and other maintenance activities. 'Search engine submission' is the activity of submitting your website address to search engines and directories, whereas 'search engine optimisation' is the practice of modifying your site to achieve higher rankings in the search engines.
What is a search engine?
A search engine is a web-based tool that enables users to locate information on the World Wide Web. Search engines are very large databases that contain information about web pages. These databases are automatically updated by special programs called 'robots' or 'spiders' that scan the web for new content and then report their findings to the database. Some search engines are used for a single internet site, therefore searching only a specific set of pages and documents. Google, AltaVista and Excite are examples of free-form search engines.
What is a directory?
Directories use human editors to find and organise their listings in hierarchical structures that the user browses by topic. Yahoo and the Open Directory are examples of search directories. Getting listed with the web's key directories is important, because their listings are seen by many people and the robots used by other search engines are more likely to find your site on a directory and add it to their databases.
How search engines work
To use a search engine, users visit a web page and type a word or phrase, also called a query, into a search box. The search engine then displays a list of links to relevant web pages. Ranking algorithms, or rules, are used to generate these lists. This helps to ensure that the sites that are judged to be most relevant to the user's search terms get displayed at the top of the search results page. The rules behind the algorithms used by the major search engines are often closely guarded secrets, and resources such as Search Engine Watch contain extensive analysis of the technology and strategy behind the most popular search sites.
Where to register
Assess the priorities within your business and decide if your site should be registered with:
· UK or international search engines
· community and industry web directories
· industry association sites
· local web portals
· online Yellow Pages
Budgeting
Free search engine submission is still possible. However, fee-based submissions will speed up the listing process and these kinds of submissions usually generate higher volumes of search engine-related site traffic. Fees for registration vary across search engines, and for some sites you may have to wait many weeks before your details appear in their database. Getting listed does not mean that you will necessarily rank well for particular search terms. It simply means that the search engine knows your pages exist. Potential items within a search optimisation budget include:
· fees for express submission to directories such as Yahoo
· web developer fees for lodging your web address with multiple databases
· optimisation consultants, i.e. structured advice and listing services from specialists in search engines and metadata
· search engine advertising, for example cost-per-click, paid placement and banners
What is metadata?
The words that are used to describe your website can influence the way in which the search engine categorises the pages, and the way users find information. Metadata is broadly defined as 'data about data'. Metadata that describes a web page or HTML file might include the name of its author, the language the file is written in, the keywords that describe the file, and the audience the content is targeted for. A meta tag is an element of HTML that describes the contents of a web page, and is placed near the beginning of the page's source code. However, this data is not visible when the page is displayed in a browser. Search engines use the metadata provided in a meta tag to index pages by subject.
Improving your metadata
Tips for improving your search prominence through page content and metadata include:
· research the terms people will use to search for your products and services and prepare keywords and short descriptions for the main pages on your site
· be specific about the page contents and avoid marketing jargon
· each page in your website should have different target keywords that reflect the page's content
· make sure your target keywords appear in the crucial locations on your web pages, for example the title HTML tag
· build your page titles around the top two or three phrases that you would like the page to be found for
· search engines pick up pages where keywords appear 'high' on the page
· keywords need to be reflected throughout the page's content
· monitor your listing and resubmit pages from your site when there are major changes to your content
Link analysis
The number and type of sites that link to your web pages have an impact on how well your site is 'rated' by the major search engines in relation to particular topics or keywords. By developing links, you can help improve how well your pages do in the link analysis used within the search algorithms. Link analysis is not just about popularity or the number of sites that link to your site. Rather, you should aim to secure links from large, established web pages. Try searching for the topics that are most relevant to your business. Explore the highest ranking sites in the search results and assess if the owners of these sites would be willing to add your home page as a link within their site. Be prepared to put a link in for anyone who does the same for you.
Tracking
Website measurement and tracking systems will help you to create profiles of the users who visit your site. These statistics will often include data about the how users found your web pages, e.g. whether they came from a search engine, directory or another referral site. Analyse and assess the success of your search optimisation strategy through tracking the search engines and directories that are pointing users towards your site.
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