Website Magazine August 2014

3 Webinar Solutions to Know & Love, Page 30

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THE MAGAZINE FOR WEBSITE SUCCESS AUGUST 2014

WEBSITEMAGAZINE.COM

E-COMMERCE Growth Hacking INSIDE THIS ISSUE...

Dark Days for Big Brand SEO Costly Enterprise Conversion Errors Storytelling & The Rise of Experiential Commerce

50 TOP

Mobile Movers & Shakers

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50 Facts & Stats About Digital Marketing

So You Think You Don’t Owe Sales Tax?

This collection of new marketing stats will help you stay in sync with the latest industry trends and inform your marketing automation strategies, including lead generation, email, social media and more.

Sponsored by Act-On

Think because you’re not a retailer you don’t have a sales tax obligation?

Think again. Read the whitepaper to understand four of the most common tax compliance offenses that can cost you big.

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Why Shoppers Abandon Their Carts

Best Practices For A Lead Management Strategy

All online retailers experience significantly high shopping cart abandonment rates. To recapture as much of that revenue as possible, you need to be aware of reasons for abandonment and the top strategies for bringing them back.

Discover these reasons and get postabandonment email strategies and tips for maximizing conversions.

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New customer acquisition is the lifeblood of many businesses, but it can be costly.

Comprehensive lead management strategies have been developed to maximize lead value and bring order and efficiency to the top of the marketing funnel. Such strategies emphasize quality, precision and the increased probability of conversion.

SEO 101: The Basics & Beyond

RWD & The Mobile E-Commerce Revolution

Most of your potential buyers are going to search online for information before making a purchase. In order to have a chance to make the sale, you have to be found and you have to be find-able. In this eBook, you’ll learn the current best practices in SEO that companies of all sizes can use to increase site visibility, the number of visitors coming to your site and most importantly, how to improve conversion rates.

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Download free at www.WebsiteMagazine.com/resources

E-COMMERCE Growth Hacking

24

E-commerce is nearly a $1 trillion industry, but believe it or not, there’s still room for growth. Despite the undeniable shift occurring from bricks to clicks, only 7 percent of retail sales are completed on the Web today. How can your e-commerce enterprise capitalize on the opportunity provided by modern retail?

Start hacking…. growth hacking.

THIS MONTH IN WEBSITE MAGAZINE

30 Webinar Solutions for Web Pros

Explore Website Magazine’s

DEPARTMENTS

Discover three Web-based solutions to hold webinars and experience the benefits of more leads and higher brand awareness.

32 Costly Conversion Errors Stop making these common conversion mistakes and start adapting to the rapid changes in technology and consumer behavior.

10

Enterprise Ready: Marketing Automation Done Right

12 13

Small Business Lab: Maximize Your Mobile Game Plan

Quiz Time: Mobile’s Momentum

34 Mobile App Testing

The technology landscape is constantly changing and demands that developers rethink their mobile application testing process.

36 The Secret to Tenancy Deals Performance marketers can stand out from the crowd and secure more tenancy deals with a strong media pack.

14

50 Top: Mobile Movers & Shakers

16

Mastering Search:

18

Design & Development:

20 40

Downfalls of Big Brand SEO Learning How to Code

E-Commerce Express: The Power of Retail Storytelling

Web Commentary: Trust Your Gut?

37 3 AdWords Ideas to Know

See how small but savvy brands can compete with large competitors by running similar AdWords campaigns.

38 Specialized Web Hosting

Consider one of these specialty hosting companies for the three most popular opensource CMSs: WordPress, Joomla and Drupal.

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GET THE DIGITAL SCOOP Check out Website Magazine’s email newsletters covering e-commerce, search, SoLoMo, design and more at wsm.co/webscoop.

Influential Topics for a Passionate Audience

Newsletter

topic e-editioN/ priNt/ipad

Monday

tuesday

wednesday

thursday

Friday

E-Commerce Express

Mastering Search

Social, Local, Mobile

Design & Development

Hot Trends

Feature

e-commerce

Mastering search

design & development

top 50

stat watch

enterprise ready

small Biz

april

Web Design Trends to Watch

Product Page Design

Content Optimization

Innovative Navigation Techniques

Affiliate Networks to Know

May

Performance Matters

Retail Reviews in Focus

Emerging SERP Trends

Frameworks to Know

JuNe

Essential ‘Net Tech

Hosting for Merchants

SEO Software to Know

July

Local Web Biz Guide

Check-In Services

august

E-Commerce Growth Tactics

septeMBer

ad deadlines

Experience

Growing Global Quick

Saving Money in the Cloud

3/10

Digital Customer Service

Affiliates

Ensuring Digital Quality

User Experience Evaluation

4/4

App Builders in Focus

Essential ‘Net Tech

Hosting

Customer Service Exposed

Big Data for Small Brands

5/8

Earning Citations, Building Links

Product Page Design Challenges

Local Web Biz Guide

Local

Mastering the CRM

Marketing Automation in Focus

6/6

E-Commerce in 2024

Big Brand SEO Strategy

Educating Developers

E-Commerce Growth Tactics

E-Commerce

Optimizing the Digital Experience

Advanced Networking Tactics

7/3

Mobile Web Strategies

Merchants Go Mobile

Mobile Optimization Tips

Analytics for the UX

Mobile Web Strategies

Mobile

Fostering Creativity

Real Mobile Barriers

8/6

octoBer

Insights on Analytics

Essential Retail KPIs

Technical SEO Matters

Social Media Design Strategy

Insights on Analytics

Analytics

Choosing an Enterprise CMS

Generating More Business

9/6

NoveMBer

Managing the Social World

Social Shopping

Key Metrics in Optimization

Tools for Every Digital Designers

Social Media Management

Social

Website Security Issues Top of Mind

Building Niche Influence

10/6

deceMBer

The New Rules of Email

Merchant Email Design

SEO in 2015

Emerging Design Trends

Email Service Providers

Email

Paying the Price for Innovation

Better Email Management

11/6

Download Website Magazine’s 2014 Media Kit at wsm.co/mediakit2014 Contact 773.628.2779 info@websitemagazine.com

From the

EDITOR

The Magazine for Website Success

Start Hacking Your E-Commerce Presence

CONNECT ON YOUR MOBILE Access the August 2014 issue online at

wsm.co/wmaug14 or by scanning the QR code below.

WEBMAG.CO Check out Website Magazine’s new virtual pinboard highlighting infographics, videos, events and more.

The modern e-commerce industry is hyper-competitive. In order to achieve success as an Internet retailer and stay ahead, online merchants need to differentiate their digital presence, futureproof their technology and marketing initiatives and create experiences that satisfy today’s increasingly sophisticated consumer.

Make no mistake, the business of Internet retail is booming: it’s a $1 trillion industry and there is serious growth potential remaining. Merchants are heeding the lessons of their fallen e-commerce predecessors and optimizing digital experiences to ensure they are more personalized to users’ expectations and more profitable for the e-commerce business itself. Still, there’s so much more that can be done to accelerate success and expand retailers’ online footprint.

With just over 100,000 e-commerce websites generating revenue of any meaningful scale on the Internet today (source: RJ Metrics), retailers are taking the necessary steps, innovating and hacking their own growth, leveraging the latest technology, engaging in the most edgy marketing tactics and conducting incredibly detailed data analysis to help raise awareness, deepen engagement and sell more products, which, of course, is the ultimate aim.

This month’s feature, “E-Commerce Growth Hacking” provides a view into the tools, tactics, techniques and tech that are helping merchants make that growth happen – let it inspire you to make changes now for the success of your enterprise in the future.

The August issue of Website Magazine also covers a variety of other topics, including how to track and optimize marketing performance with automation and maximize an enterprise’s mobile strategy for smartphones and tablets, as well as offers practical guidance on big brand SEO, experiential commerce, conversion optimization and a whole lot more to help grow your business online.

Be sure to read this issue from cover to cover as it is packed with useful information that will help set your enterprise on a course to success. And as always, be sure to visit us on the Web at www.WebsiteMagazine.com to stay up to date on all the news that matters to your online success.

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Reaching the largest audience of Web professionals of any Internet industry publication

999 E. Touhy Ave. Des Plaines, IL 60018 Toll Free: 1.800.817.1518 International: 1.773.628.2779 Fax: 1.773.272.0920 PUBLISHER:

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Sandra Woods sandra@websitemagazine.com Website Magazine, Volume 9, Issue 11, August 2014, (ISSN# 1942-0633) is published 12 times a year, January through December by Website Services, Inc., 999 E. Touhy Ave., Des Plaines, IL 60018. Periodicals Postage Paid at Des Plaines, IL and at additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Website Magazine, 999 E. Touhy Ave., Des Plaines, IL 60018.

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*The opinions expressed by contributors are not necessarily those of Website Magazine.

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The Authenticated Testimonials seal lets people know we can be trusted.

And trust has its advantages such as increased website conversions & sales.

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How AutHenticAted testimoniAls work: We contact your customers to verify each statement.

Authenticated testimonials provides a verification seal to display on your website.

Prospects are more inclined to trust and purchase your products or services!

Phone: 1.866.904.5414 InternAtIonAl: 1.773.272.0998 AuthentIcAtedtestImonIAls.com

Net

BRIEFS Organic Search Quality Rating Guide Leaked...Again Google has, once again, revamped the guidelines used by its independent team of search quality raters, and once again, it has been leaked. The 160-page document, which provides insights into how the search engine defines high-quality and low-quality Web pages (and how raters evaluate sites), is a valuable resource for any search engine optimization professional seeking a broader and better organic search presence. Discover several important highlights from the fifth version of Google’s Quality Ranking Guidelines at wsm.co/5gquality.

Gets Flashy Pinterest unveiled a flashier follow button to help brands grow their audience on the social network. The new button appears in a small dialog box and includes a preview of the brand’s latest pins. From the dialog box, consumers can follow without leaving the websites they are browsing. Pinterest notes that brands can add the button to their sites by copying and pasting a couple of lines of code to their Web pages. Brands already using the original follow button aren’t required to do anything to get the new version.

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Marketers Not Responsive to Responsive

Despite the mobile momentum that has taken the tech world by storm, many email marketers are still not optimizing their campaigns for the small screen. In fact, recent YesMail data reveals that even though there is a 21 percent positive difference in clickto-open rates for emails with a responsive design, only 1 percent of the surveyed marketers send responsive emails exclusively. In fact, 44 percent use responsive design in less than half of their emails, while 31 percent don’t use responsive design at all.

100% Visibility for Display Ads

Brands have the ability to run display ad campaigns at a 100 percent viewability rate, thanks to Yahoo’s new vCPM (viewable cost per thousand) product. The vCPM product, dubbed Prime View, leverages the SafeFrame protocol, a standard for display ad viewability from the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB).

Yahoo notes that Prime View should help increase campaign performance by reducing wasted impressions without making dramatic changes to workflow, reporting or creative.

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T.J. Gentle, President, SmartFurniture.com

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BRIEFS A Gem of a Deal LivingSocial is getting personal with daily deal shoppers, thanks to some new features. For starters, LivingSocial unveiled a “Daily Gem” initiative, which provides consumers with extra savings on certain offers – for example, if a deal is used by 3 p.m., it will save shoppers an extra 15 percent. The Daily Gem deal is based on shoppers’ preferences and is featured on users’ LivingSocial accounts as well as delivered via email daily. LivingSocial is also giving merchants more control over promotions. For instance, through the LivingSocial Flex and LivingSocial Select programs, merchants can get their deal published on LivingSocial’s website and mobile app in as little as five days. They are also offering more targeting options.

Twitter Data Goes ORGANIC Twitter is providing visibility into the reach of organic tweets, thanks to a new analytics dashboard that the social network released for verified users, advertisers and Twitter Card publishers. Until now, marketers only received information on their promoted tweets. The upgraded dashboard includes data on the total impression of organic tweets, a breakdown of how people are engaging with tweets as well as an hour-by-hour look at the first day of a tweet. To view a particular tweet’s analytics, users just have to click on the tweet inside the dashboard.

Top Programming Languages Ranked Everyone seems to be interested in learning to code, but with which language should they begin? Based on the results of a research study from IEEE Spectrum, the answer is Java (followed by C, C++, Python and C# to round out the top five). Dozens of programming languages were analyzed based on metrics from 10 data sources (including Google, Github, Stack Overflow, Reddit, Career Builder, Dice, Topsy and IEEE Xplore), showing which languages are in the highest demand in the professional workplace today and which are most popular on social sites and open source hubs.

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MOBILE APP WATCH LinkedIn Job Search Find employment while on the go with LinkedIn’s new Job Search app for iOS, which comes with many of the network’s core job search features (e.g. filtering open positions by title, location, company, etc.). Perhaps the most noteworthy feature, however, is the app’s ability to send notifications to a user when a recruiter has viewed his or her resume, when saved jobs are about to expire or when new, relevant opportunities are available.

Google My Business Similar to the Google My Business Web platform, its new complementary app enables businesses to update and add information on Google Search, Maps and Google+. Through the app, users have access to select Google My Business stats, including data on how many times their business shows up on Google’s search results.

Getty Images & iStock Getty Images revamped both its iStock and Getty Images apps for iOS devices. Both apps feature an updated interface and more intuitive experience, with better search, saving and sharing functionality. Plus, the updated Getty Images app features the company’s new Embed tool, which allows users to embed and share Getty Images’ collection of photos for non-commercial use on websites, blogs and social media channels.

Slack Slack is an internal communication tool that brings employee conversations together in one place. Through the platform, users can create channels for team projects, groups and topics. Communications on the Slack platform are also searchable for quick access. Plus, users can enable mobile notifications so they can stay informed on projects even when they are away from their desks.

Stat

WATCH All About

AMAZON

E-COMMERCE

30%

Mobile e-commerce is now a $40 billion market, up from $2 billion in 2010, according to a new report from Custora. The market has not only increased 19-fold, but mobile also accounts for roughly 30 percent more of all e-commerce transactions than it did four years ago. The report illustrates that retail is changing, and cross-device shopping is at the heart of that change.

One of the biggest retailers in the world has not only taken notice, but will, potentially, disrupt the space forever. In mid-June, Amazon released Fire, the first smartphone produced from the e-tailer. Although designed to house and integrate with its vast virtual ecosystem (33 million-plus songs, apps, games, movies, etc.), more than anything, Amazon Fire Phone makes it extraordinarily easy to buy products from the online merchant.

The seamless shopping experience that the phone offers further establishes Amazon’s cross-device shopping strategy that began with its Kindle Fire tablets, which according to the 2014 report from Custora, now account for 4.1 percent of all tablet e-commerce orders, falling third to the iPad (80 percent) and Samsung tablets (12 percent).

“Mobile commerce continues to grow at an astounding rate,” said Corey Pierson, CEO of Custora. “It’s only a matter of time until mobile orders represent the majority of online commerce. Meanwhile, as mobile is growing, the landscape is dramatically changing. Mobile shopping used to be synonymous with Apple, but that’s no longer the case. Samsung is truly making a dent in mobile shopping, and Amazon Fire is growing quickly.”

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Enterprise

READY

Do It Right, Or Not At All How to Track and Optimize Performance in the Age of Marketing Automation

By Mike Nierengarten

Customer relationship management (CRM) changed how B2B marketers track online marketing campaigns, and marketing automation has only evolved it further.

Gone are the days of reporting on-form fill conversions; now is the time to report on marketing-qualified leads (MQLs), opportunity size and revenue. Managing performance based off MQLs and Opps not only drives more value from marketing campaigns, but also increases the marketing department’s contribution to revenue.

If your enterprise is still in the dark ages of measuring conversions, now is the time to better manage and track campaigns. With a better picture of PPC performance and revenue contribution, it is then possible to answer what is perhaps the most important question of all: Do campaigns drive more revenue than they cost?

What and How to Track

Big Picture Reporting

You cannot manage what you can’t measure, so it goes without saying that proper tracking is essential to optimizing online marketing campaigns. Digital marketers and advertisers should be tracking source, ad network (e.g. AdWords, LinkedIn), PPC campaign, PPC ad group, keyword, offer (e.g. white paper, demo), ad ID and region. The more data sent into marketing automation, the more valuable the insights provided will be to optimize online marketing performance.

There are a few steps involved in order to track these campaign aspects: 1. Create fields inside the CRM and marketing automation systems, mapping each field to the outlined parameters above.

2. Once each field is built into the marketing automation forms, all marketing campaigns’ ad destination URLs need to be updated to include URL parameters.

Tracking will not work correctly if this doesn’t happen.

Better reporting yields a more complete picture of marketing’s value to an organization – see what you might be ignoring at

3. To pass the values from the URL parameters through the form, utilize hidden form fields that connect to marketing automation.

wsm.co/mapeople

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Add Forms to Landing Page Templates

Marketing automation solutions such as Eloqua and Marketo (see Website Magazine’s, “Big List of Marketing Automation Software” at wsm.co/masoftware14) allow users to build landing pages directly in the platform— simplifying the placement of tracking code into the template without having to adjust each landing page or thank you page individually.

For maximum efficiency, consider creating a standard “gated offer” landing page template that utilizes a progressive form. For example, a technology company can make it so their whitepapers are not accessible without signing in or creating an account. Then, it can ask new questions every time the user wants to access new content to gain more insights about the person.

Additionally, use a universal thank you page for all online marketing efforts. By creating one thank you page template that is used in all online marketing campaigns, adding conversion tracking code for all ad platforms can be done quickly.

Make the Most of Your Reporting

Reporting is essential to optimizing online marketing campaigns. It is incredibly difficult to manage lead quality in the ad network interface because ad networks do not report ad performance data such as impressions, clicks and costs. As a result, it is necessary to combine reporting data from the ad network and marketing automation platform and do so in a way that illustrates which ad groups are generating opportunities and where spend should be increased or decreased.

The easiest solution for combining the two sets of data is to pull reports directly from both platforms and combine in Excel. The lead status by ad group report should include ad group name, ad group spend, new leads, opportunities, average ad position and cost per opportunity.

This type of report can provide a quick snapshot into what’s working, as well as where cost per opportunity is too high or where there is high spend without generating opportunities.

MASTER AFFILIATE MARKETING Affiliate 360: Fundamentals of Performance Marketing provides a foundation for understanding the challenges and opportunities in affiliate marketing, so you can shorten Use Cost per Opportunity tor’s key executive’s name in search. To optimize these your road to Web success.

Visual to Classify Campaigns campaigns, marketers should work on minimizing cost Once the ad group performance report is created, mar- while meeting a specific threshold that fulfills higherketers should group different campaign types based on ups’ wishes. published bychanWebsiteRun regular Test campaigns to identify new Core cost perAffiliate opportunity.360, Separating campaigns and nels into Core, Peripheral, HALO, Vanity, Test and Poor and Peripheral campaigns and shut down Poor PerformMagazine, is an action plan for achieving Performer campaigns (described below) will allow enter- ers immediately. prises tosuccess determine what to focus on with each. as an affiliate marketer. You’ll find Core campaigns are a marketer’s bread and butter. The Result? Reporting highlighting andandearmarking They areyourself highly relevant to a product or service gen- that Drives More Value Settingtools up proper tracking and reporting in marketing erate the majority of opportunities below the optimal the pages, as you discover practical automation can require significant time and effort, but target cost per opportunity (CPO). and effective strategies from top the minds inoptimize campaigns for marketing to a ability to Peripheral campaigns have a slightly higher CPO but with optimization efforts canmarketing. be moved into the Core qualified lead or opportunity is worth it. Take the time performance campaigns category. HALO campaigns generate a large to report on all aspects of online marketing, and your number of leads cheaply, but opportunities are rare. With enterprise will be able to identify what is working, gain HALO campaigns, marketers should focus on education internal traction for marketing efforts and get more budlearnin more, visitconversion rate. get for additional online campaigns. and leadTo nurturing order to increase Vanity campaigns are campaigns that are run for a WebsiteMagazine.com/Affiliate360 non-revenue generating purpose. For example, the CEO Mike Nierengarten is the president of Obility Consulting, a leadmay be interested in being in top position for a highly ing B2B demand generation company specialized in Internet relevant term or may want to regularly target a competi- marketing for businesses with long sales cycles.

Learner?

Check out this infographic on how to make marketing automation work for you at

wsm.co/mawork14.

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Small

BUSINESS LAB

Maximize Your Mobile Game Plan

By Juan Fernandez

Does your business have a real mobile strategy, or are you responding with quick fixes? Are the mobile solutions in place based on how your site is used (or how it should be used)? Are you doing enough to keep clients and customers engaged?

It is possible that enterprises may be compromising peak performance simply by making inefficient business decisions when it comes to their mobile strategies.

Whether the aim is to create mobile-optimized websites or platform-specific apps, the first two steps to smarter, more effective mobile decisions demand that a business knows the needs of its company and users.

With a little forethought, enterprises should be able to take some of the confusion out of the mobile options and come up with the right game plan.

Everyone Needs a Mobile-Optimized Website

Websites are still of critical importance to Web businesses, serving as the virtual calling card for customers, but consumers’ cross-platform demands makes a mobile-optimized website essential for all companies.

Responsive or dedicated – the choice is yours. What option will work best for your audience’s needs?

Responsive websites adapt content depending on the screen size of the device. They make a good gateway choice because they use a single code base across all formats, making them less expensive to develop. On the downside, it will be more difficult to optimize the website to every device, which could result in user frustration.

Dedicated websites create an entirely separate architecture for each family of devices. This option works best if a business wants greater specialization for each kind of device, or if users are grouped around a particular device type (e.g. tablets). Customization allows customers to see content exactly as it is intended.

Looking into current visitor analytics reveals essential data toward deciding if dedicated mobile sites are a worthwhile endeavor for a small business.

Mobile-enabled websites are easy to use, cross all platforms, and have a huge advantage when it comes to easily and quickly updating 12

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content. On the downside, they cannot be accessed offline, and the user experience may not be consistent across devices and platforms. To rectify those concerns, there are two other options.

Should There Be An App For That?

Mobile apps are ubiquitous for a reason. They are scaled to make the most of the mobile format, can interface with native devices and are accessible virtually anywhere. A big advantage of apps is that they can be accessed offline, which, depending on your business, can make the app route considerably more attractive than just having mobile-enabled websites that rely on Wi-Fi or a mobile network connection. Once again, businesses have two options in the application game – to go hybrid or native.

Hybrid apps use Web technology, are usually developed using standard programming languages and are generally less expensive than their native cousins. However, by using only a single code base for every mobile system, user experience can be compromised. Why use a hybrid at all? The cost effectiveness makes them a good solution for disposable apps that are used for a single event or time period. Think of them as a target app.

Native apps are written specifically for each individual platform, offering the most compelling mobile user experience available. A big advantage is that each platform is completely optimized, though this does come at a cost. Mastering multiple code bases translates into more time in development and a slower release cycle.

For many, the option to go native is still well worth it, particularly when the experience is critical and performance can’t be compromised.

The Solution Is Simple! Kinda…

Mobile-enabled website, mobile app or combination?

There are advantages and disadvantages to each, mostly along the cost versus user experience continuum. Knowing what to choose means knowing your options (and budget), knowing your business and knowing your users. If you’ve checked those boxes, the mobile strategy that fits your needs should start coming into focus.

Juan Fernandez is a product manager (with a particular focus on mobile) at Liferay, an open source portal and collaboration software for the enterprise.

Quiz

TIME

1)

What is the amount of time spent on mobile devices per day by the average U.S. consumer in 2014? a. 20 hours and 14 minutes b. 12 hours and 14 minutes c. 5 hours and 57 minutes d. 2 hours and 42 minutes e. 38 minutes

What Do You Know About

MOBILE’S MOMENTUM?

The amount of time spent using mobile devices is at an alltime high, with consumers picking up their smartphones and tablets for everything from finding directions and searching for local businesses to editing photos and sharing videos. Internet professionals, in particular, are aware of this channel’s importance, as a recent Econsultancy and Responsys study reveals that 63 percent of marketers are increasing investments into their mobile marketing acquisition strategies in 2014.

Although it is easy to see that mobile’s momentum isn’t slowing down, it is important to know just how impactful this channel is. Test your mobile knowledge with this month’s Quiz Time. Then, visit wsm.co/qtaug14 to see how you did.

2)

What percentage of worldwide Google Play revenue do Freemium apps account for? a. 98 percent b. 72 percent c. 38 percent d. 17 percent e. 53 percent

3)

In what app category do U.S. smartphone users spend the most time interacting? a. News/Info b. Communications c. Shopping/Commerce d. Games e. Social

4)

What percentage of consumers are watching videos on their smartphones? a. 75 percent b. 93 percent c. 25 percent d. 42 percent e. 12 percent

5)

As of June 2014, how many mobile Internet users are there worldwide? a. 890 million

Find the answers to Website Magazine’s mobile quiz on the ‘Net at wsm.co/qtaug14 or by scanning the QR code.

b. 1.2 billion c. 106 million d. 7.1 billion e. 3.4 billion

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Top

50

MOBILE

Movers & Shakers Desktops are not necessarily going anywhere in the near future, but it’s quite difficult to deny the importance of mobile within today’s ‘Net ecosystem – and today’s smartest brands are taking notice (and increasingly, action).

A recent survey from Affable Digital revealed that 59 percent of respondents (which included such notable brands as Rolex, Audi and Nestlé) planned on increasing their mobile advertising budgets by more than a quarter in 2014 - with 20 percent intent on doubling it. This doesn’t mean, however, that digital enterprises are completely comfortable operating in the mobile world (at least not yet). In fact, 57 percent of those surveyed indicated they were unsatisfied with their current mobile strategy – with the lack of quality data and the ubiquity of mobile seen as the primary barriers to understanding its role and how it can be applied to their enterprises’ digital initiatives.

Fortunately, there is no shortage of mobile-focused solutions – including those for advertising/ marketing, analytics, testing/optimization and design/development – to support today’s enterprises in their pursuit of cross-channel success. In this edition of Website Magazine’s Top 50, readers will find some of the most popular platforms, solutions and tools available in the market today to make mobile work for their own benefit and the benefit of their prospects and customers.

As you might imagine, there are thousands of additional offerings readily available to support a brand’s future mobile initiative. Check out Website Magazine’s Mobile Matters channel on the Web at wsm.co/mmatters14 or explore these companies in greater detail in the Digital Resource Directory at WebMag.co.

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Annie intro2duced– App its Advertising Analytics service in early May ’14, which enables developers to connect revenues and downloads from iOS, Android and Amazon app stores with advertising data culled from different digital advertising platforms. The same month, App Annie acquired Distimo, a mobile analytics company.

– Popular mobile 8advertising platform Millennial Media is growing its Millennial Media Exchange platform (MMX), as the company unveiled a new set of targeting features earlier this year as well as announced the program’s expansion into 20 new countries.

– Twitter is continu14 ing its mobile momentum, announcing that its MoPub ad network now reaches 1 billion-plus iOS and Android users monthly. The social network also recently began rolling out its mobile app ads - units that take users to app downloads or the apps themselves if installed.

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Mastering

SEARCH Dark Days for

Big Brand SEO

By Amberly Dressler, Managing Editor

If money, fame and compliments are the benchmarks for success, big brands truly have it all. In fact, they have it so good that many of them are instantly recognized by simple symbols like an apple, a bull’s-eye, a shell and the list goes on.

To a degree, these brands’ popularity extends to the Web. Even when large enterprises overlook SEO fundamentals, they can still benefit from their name alone.

“If you are listed on the New York Stock Exchange, Google is going to give you more traffic than a small no-name brand,” said Ken Gaebler, CEO of Walker Sands. “In part, that’s because when you are publicly traded, you get a ton of great inbound links that raise your stature in the eyes of the search engines. But the reality is that two smart guys working in a garage who are SEO gurus can get more organic traffic than a big company that is taking SEO for granted.”

When big brands grow complacent or don’t recognize the value that SEO can bring to their organizations, this provides ample opportunities for marketers at any size company to expose and capitalize on their weaknesses. If they’re not careful, even the richest and most famous enterprises may face dark days - losing market share to businesses that are hungrier for traffic and leads.

leads come from, and as a result they know how many leads they get from SEO,” said Gaebler. “As an SMB owner, you only need to get one big sale from SEO to recognize its power to drive business growth.

“In a large organization, in contrast, a sales rep might get an SEO lead and never know that it came via SEO. Even if she does know the lead came from SEO, she can’t drive any organizational energy toward getting more SEO leads. So, SEO tends to be underappreciated and underinvested in at many large-brand organizations, unless they happen to have people who understand the power of SEO and can harness and unleash that power within their organization.”

Getting those people in place is never an easy feat, as there is yet another misconception about SEO – that it’s gimmicky or unethical.

“There’s this sense that it’s a fringe marketing tactic,” said Gaebler. “The reality is that it aligns incredibly well with traditional marketing objectives: define an audience; understand what they are interested in; and give them engaging content that advances the interest of your business. If you do that, you are 9-10ths of the way to having a great SEO program.

“These days, SEO is mostly about creating good content, but doing it with SEO in mind. Many large brands haven’t yet realized that their content marketing programs and their SEO programs need to be one and the same thing.”

A Misguided Perception

A Content Collapse

With 63 percent of marketers planning to increase their SEO budgets this year (source: Econsultancy and Responsys), it’s hard to believe that any enterprise would devalue search marketing. Still, digital marketing agencies like Walker Sands often see organizations underestimating SEO’s contributions. There is, however, a pretty good explanation.

“SMBs tend to be closer to information about where 16

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Being a large, well-known brand is seen as an obvious SEO advantage and while some argue that Google gives them special treatment, the enormous influence and engagement that big brands bring to the Web cannot be mistaken. They can grow so accustomed to the power of their brand, however, that they become a bit lazy, according to SEMrush Director of Marketing Michael Stricker. He warns that spending little

time, money or effort on exploring other keyword types (like Once the abuse has ended, the trademark owner can cut informational, transactional, navigational) beyond branded back advertising, and continue to monitor using SEMrush. keywords can impede their success and make them vulnerable to new, disruptive competitors.

Needed Change Take a large beauty brand as an example. Using SEM- As much as large brands have going for them, their biases rush, it discovered an over-reliance on traffic resulting from and passiveness toward SEO can inhibit their online suctheir branded keywords. There were virtually no landing cess, as can their bureaucratic structure. Gaebler of Walker pages or fresh content being created to capitalize on emerg- Sands notes that the antidotes are education, planning and ing keyword queries in their product’s “wordspace,” which communication. He continues that large companies should Stricker defines as an imaginary boundary that encompasses always have an SEO program with educational sessions that all text-based content within their domain. Consequently, explain what SEO is and why it’s important - getting more several competitors had made great strides in attracting or- people interested, involved and contributing. ganic and paid traffic using related The second driver of change is planterms. ning, which can be as simple as creating The fact that some of these were and maintaining a calendar of due dates By acting as if it longer-tail phrases that included price, and responsibilities. Finally, if an orgaquantity and other transactional denization truly wants to control its digital were still early days tails, indicated that they were savvy presence, they need to establish commuin a company’s enough to seek searchers who were nication channels. further down the conversion funnel “Microsoft, for example, has an anhistory, brands will and likely to convert. nual SEO Summit that is attended by 500 attendees who are on the front lines start competing for of the SEO effort,” said Gaebler. “They Unmonitored Trademarks SEO traffic and stop have monthly SEO meet-ups in local Similar to how brands can underesgeographies where they get between timate the need for new content, so relying on name 30 and 60 attendees. There’s constant too do they forget about protecting day-to-day communication on a varitheir trademarks. By not using the recognition alone. ety of SEO issues. That’s how you keep tools available to detect trademark things moving forward without making words and phrases (like SEMrush, any big mistakes.”

SpyFu, KeywordSpy, etc.), they not only miss out on sales and leads, but may also need to take legal action against competing brands that might be abusing A New Day their trademarks.

Big brands shouldn’t take search engine traffic One way or another, enterprises need to regain control. for granted. By acting as if it were still early For example, SEMrush was used to examine a particular days in a company’s history, brands will beauty product whose household name was hijacked as the start competing for SEO traffic and stop primary keyword in ads that were performing very well – relying on name recognition alone. for the competition. The advice that resulted was that even “You still need to execute the basic though the brand name attracted great interest organically, blocking and tackling fundamentals the company should advertise using its own trademark, to of marketing, and that includes havpreserve the trademark and to compete with the trademark ing an active, strategic and well-exehijackers. This turns out to be a good strategy. cuted SEO program,” said Gaebler.

Travis Bliffen of Stellar “The brand’s own Web pages are so relevant to the term “Big brands die off all the time and SEO audits these two that the resulting Quality Score will make it far less expensive it’s usually because they got fat and global delivery services for the trademark owner to bid for those ads,” said Stricker. complacent, and started neglecting at wsm.co/upsvsfedex “The ‘trademark thief’ will have to pay more and is likely to the little details. Their founders would become discouraged.” be rolling in their graves.”

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UPS vs. FedEx Who Delivers SEO Better?

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Design &

DEVELOPMENT Into the Deep End

Learning to Code

By Derek Schou, Associate Editor

There is no shortcut that aspiring developers can take to obtain all of the knowledge they’ll need to properly code websites or apps - at least not quickly. It takes good ole’ fashioned hard work.

In order for future developers to keep their heads above digital water, it’s important they are honest with themselves about their current skillsets. Skipping ahead to a harder lesson, for example, will likely cause them more frustration (not to mention time and money) in the future. With so many learning options that cater to different experience levels, choosing one to fit their current needs is the easy part.

Put on those floaties

Code Avengers is a free online platform that helps developers learn three of the most common languages on the Web today: HTML, CSS and JavaScript.

For those just beginning their coding journey, HTML and CSS are almost always used together. HTML is used to create the content and structure of a Web page while CSS is used to style the website’s visual elements. Using just these two languages, developers can create a fully functioning, albeit somewhat limited, website. Code Avengers breaks up their lessons by using HTML and CSS to create Web pages, for example, and JavaScript to create apps as well as games.

Another option for beginning developers is Codecademy. This free platform starts with the very basics, like Code Avengers, and eventually builds toward intermediate level skills. Codecademy offers a wide variety of computer languages (HTML & CSS, JavaScript, jQuery, Python, Ruby PHP and APIs) as well as a clear breakdown of the lessons inside of each course.

On the importance of knowing how to code, Zach Sims, CEO and cofounder of Codecademy said, “Coding literacy will be considered a universal, basic skill in the very near future - similar to how reading, writing or mathematics are now considered basic skills in today’s modern world.”

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You’re treading water now

Codecademy and Code Avengers are useful places for developers to start learning to code, but they can only take developers so far. In order to keep increasing their skills it is important to start learning more challenging techniques.

CodinGame offers a fun and exciting environment for developers to test their skills by playing games. At one point or another most people are going to hit a wall. Plateaus are inevitable but it’s important that developers continue to push through them.

Through its use of games, CodinGame keeps learning to code fun, as it provides an engaging experience for developers to test their skills as well as learn a few new ones.

The free platform divides its lessons into four tiers of difficulty with each lesson being some type of game. Themes for the games range from landing the Curiosity Rover on Mars to helping Thor win the battle of Ragnarok.

Swimming with the best of them

For an even greater challenge developers can test their wits using Pluralsight. Formerly known as PeepCode, Pluralsight offers an impressive array of advanced computer language courses that includes jQuery, PHP as well as HTML5 and Java. Each course contains a specific set of lessons that are taught using online videos. Some lessons also contain exercise files, which provide a place for developers to practice writing the code from the video they just watched.

Developers do have to pay a fee ($29-$49 per month or $299-$499 per year) to use Pluralsight to its full potential. However, there is a free trial available so developers can try the platform before they pay for it.

Also, for businesses that want their employees to learn a new language or skill, Pluralsight offers the option to purchase multiple licenses at the same time.

The digital ocean

The path from novice to expert is not an easy or quick one.

However, with each platform allowing developers to go at their own speed as well as get help when they need it, there is no longer any reason why anyone with Internet access cannot learn how to code for personal and business success.

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E-Commerce

EXPRESS Storytelling & The Rise of

Experiential Commerce

By Glenn Conradt

The traditional e-commerce world is very much a transactional place. A customer arrives at a site, looks at some reviews, selects a product and checks out. Others still go online to find information and product specifications only to purchase in-store where they can browse, see displays, discover related products and interact with salespeople who make suggestions.

People spend a large portion of their time online immersed in conversations and stories: news, social networking, entertainment, etc. The online world has always been based in stories, yet this interactive engagement is missing from the majority of online shopping experiences.

Storytelling, which is almost always present in brick-and-

mortar retail, appeals to a customer’s emotional side, and it is desperately needed in online shopping to improve customer experience and conversion.

By addressing only transactional needs, online retailers have historically missed out on the emotional and inspirational side of the human experience. Effective storytelling in e-commerce, which takes an experience-based approach, helps customers not only connect with products, but also helps them connect products to something within their world. Take, for example, mayonnaise. Nobody wakes up and thinks, “How am I going to use my mayonnaise today?” Instead, people think about meals as they exist in the cadence of daily life.

Likewise, customers think about products only in the context of their needs and circumstances. Storytelling adds context to products to help customers imagine how a product will work for them, and which related products make sense to use together. So, where a static catalog experience can deliver straight product facts, an online retailer that has effectively implemented storytelling offers rich media, personalized suggestions, demonstrations of how items work together and sparks a customer’s creativity.

How can online retailers who want to focus on experiential commerce use storytelling to improve customer experience and increase sales?

Invest in Creativity

Storytelling is done within a creative framework, especially in visual industries like fashion. In a store, designers and merchandisers show shoppers how products relate to each other, which serve as inspiration. Everyone has had the experience of going into a store looking for one thing, and walking out with a handful of other items as well. This is because a smart/knowledgeable salesperson or merchandiser was able to make

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suggestions and upsell through storytelling. It’s no secret why stores go to such great lengths to merchandise items and show them in context. According to TMG Custom Media, 78 percent of consumers believe that organizations providing custom content are interested in building good relationships, and 90 percent of consumers find custom content useful. By appealing to customers’ emotions and making suggestions, brands increase sales. Creative merchandising has a place online, as well (see Express sidebar). Make a cohesive experience for customers from site to store by investing the same level of creative talent online.

4 Brand Stories to Remember

See how these Internet retailers are telling their stories and selling their products at wsm.co/4estories

Evaluate Technology

Second, businesses must understand and evaluate whether the technology they have in place makes it easy to integrate storytelling for e-commerce. Many mistakenly try to separate the brand site from the shopping site, but these elements need to be blended. Buyers don’t see the silos – they do experience the results of those, however – but they want a cohesive experience online.

Executing this cohesive experience is of course very doable and necessary, but the proper technology needs to be in place.

Express Yourself

Start Small

Structuring a retail site to present products in an inspiring manner can be done in myriad ways, so take a step back and move toward that goal slowly. From building an online community where customers share recipes, in the case of the previously mentioned mayonnaise example, to setting up sample rooms filled with products arranged in inspiring ways, a la IKEA (see image on previous page), brands should carefully consider what experience fits best with their customer base, and make incremental progress; a rip-and-replace isn’t necessary.

Consumers have become more demanding of the online shopping experience, and those who incorporate the best storytelling into their e-commerce site will secure success into the future. With a creative approach, based in the right technology at a smart pace, improving customer experience, and sales, is well within reach.

Clothing retailer Express provides suggestions and upsells through storytelling – showing online customers a head-to-toe look, similar to two of the most popular destinations on the Web (Pinterest and Polyvore).

Glenn Conradt leads CoreMedia’s global marketing efforts and manages the company’s North American operations.

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E-Commerce Growth Hacking Tools, Tech and Techniques for Web Retailers

By Peter Prestipino, Editor-In-Chief

E-commerce is nearly a $1 trillion industry, but believe it or not, there’s still room for growth. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, only 7 percent of retail sales are completed on the Internet today.

So how can your e-commerce enterprise capitalize on the opportunity provided by the undeniable shift occurring from bricks to clicks? Start hacking…. growth hacking.

State of E-Commerce By nearly every measure, the e-commerce industry is excelling. Monetate’s recent E-Commerce Quarterly report reveals that there are year-over-year increases in conversion rates (11 percent), revenue per session (47 percent) and average order value (33 percent) - despite year-overyear declines in traffic (-17 percent) and page views (-23 percent). Internet retailers increasingly recognize the need to liberally (and regularly) invest in improving their digital presence, and are leveraging the latest technology, engaging in the most edgy marketing tactics and conducting incredibly detailed data analysis to raise awareness, deepen engagement and sell products. It is called growth hacking and it is changing how e-commerce enterprises operate.

There are approximately 110,000 e-commerce websites generating revenue of “meaningful scale” on the Internet today according to a recent study from RJ Metrics. The enterprises that find a way to increase and improve their retail footprint in the digital world will be those prepared for the next great evolution of e-commerce – whatever it may be. In this edition of Website Magazine, readers will discover some of the most interesting tools, technologies and techniques for hacking their way to a successful, future-proof e-commerce business.

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Growth Hacking?

As you may be aware, growth hacking is most often used to describe the low-cost but innovative techniques employed by “lean” startups. It has not been very well defined on the whole (meaning different things to different enterprises and ‘Net professionals), but growth hackers are essentially those that take advantage of any means available in order to maximize growth. Growth hacking is not exclusive to startups – or at least it doesn’t need to be - any retailer can hack their way to a more profitable retail presence on the Web. Here’s how:

QUICK HACKS

E-Commerce Movers & Shakers Discover the enterprises making plays in the e-commerce landscape (like those below) in Website Magazine’s Movers & Shakers channel on the ‘Net at wsm.co/moveshake. Find other “Quick Hits & Hacks” throughout this article to accelerate your ecommerce success: + Dropbox acquired Predictive Edge, an A/B testing service for merchants to personalize e-commerce offerings. + Twitter acquired mobile advertising technology firm Tap Commerce, which focuses on mobile app retargeting. + Ibotta, a retail shopping app, received $20 million in funding to scale its mobile loyalty platform.

MAKE THE PLATFORM PRIORITY ONE There is no shortage of platforms from which Internet retailers can select to power their e-commerce enterprises. If retailers want to grow sales, the system they use must be a near perfect fit – for both their employees and consumers.

To guide retailers’ selection of this important component in a brand’s retail success, Website Magazine has assembled a quick guide to selecting an e-commerce platform that is “hack-worthy” at wsm.co/qgecomm.

In the past few years, of course, no e-commerce platform has captured the attention of more Internet retailers than Magento. The primary reason for its success (Magento now powers upward of 30 percent of all e-commerce sites listed in the Alexa top 1 million) according to Ben Pressley, Magento’s worldwide head of sales, is its total cost of ownership and unique flexibility. That flexibility, manifested in its Magento Connect community, is arguably the key differentiator as retailers gain access to a variety of added functionality not built into the product’s core – from back and front-end features, to marketing tools for email, search and even social.

USE SOCIAL AS A GROWTH CHANNEL There are well over 1 billion people on Facebook and nearly 500 million tweets sent each day, so why aren’t brands (merchants specifically) getting more out of their investment in social media? Perhaps it is a failure of strategy; where the focus has been more on selling and awareness than what it should be for – support.

A recent infographic (wsm.co/socialcare14) from The Website Marketing Group indicated that almost 40 percent of customers already use social for customer service. What’s more, companies realize that it is important to support their customers through social channels, with 68 percent indicating it is a necessary service channel, 55 percent feeling social is a competitive differentiator and 35 percent saying the risk of negative sentiment going viral can be reduced with social. Sounds like a growth hacking opportunity if ever there was one.

E-commerce merchants may have it the hardest when it comes to social media involvement as today’s available tools don’t really cater to the needs of the modern Internet retailer. Fortunately, that’s changing. For example, the release of a new app from Springbot for Hootsuite users was built with Magento merchants exclusively in mind. Now available in the social media management platform’s App Directory, the new Springbot application provides suggested content ideas (based on analysis of store data), multiple store/social

streams in one dashboard, as well as revenue attribution by channel (in addition to scheduling and monitoring of social accounts).

“Nearly seven out of 10 customers are completing their purchases online, which means e-merchants must monitor online interactions closely to ensure rapid, efficient response,” said Don Baron, director of business development, Hootsuite. “The new Springbot App for Hootsuite streamlines marketing efforts and overall management by uncovering the social data that matters most, directly from the Hootsuite dashboard.”

QUICK HACKS

E-Commerce Video

Video commerce solution Artifi recently introduced the availability of an extension that provides a way for retailers using Magento (the Enterprise Edition) to integrate video into their users’ Web shopping experience, offering oneclick video publishing to product pages, custom video galleries and YouTube channels.

SOCIAL COMMERCE Social isn’t just about Facebook and Twitter of course; there are other networks that some progressive merchants are using to make the most of their investment. There are several interesting solutions for Facebook-owned Instagram, including 10sec, which can turn an Instagram account into an online store in less than a minute in most cases. Just take a photo of an item with Instagram, use the hashtag “#10sec,” add the price (including shipping) in the caption area and post. Customers can then purchase the item (or make an offer at a lower price) and credit card payments will be processed through the system.

10sec is clearly not the only way to process payments through Instagram; InstaOrders is another solution to facilitate e-commerce purchases through that system. While it does not manage payment transactions like 10Sec, online merchants can still collect payments through PayPal or another gateway.

To turn social followers into regular Web buyers however, merchants need to focus on removing the doubt in shoppers’ minds.

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QUICK HACKS

Lower Return Costs Online postage provider Endicia has launched a new Pay-on-Use returns offering that lets retailers avoid paying pre-paid postage for customer return labels that aren’t used. Learn more at wsm.co/payonuse.

THE ROLE OF TRUST In many ways online shopping experienced a hit as a result of the numerous security breaches in the past few years with big-name companies – and merchants are scrambling to control a potentially disastrous situation.

A USA TODAY survey found that almost a quarter of Americans have at least temporarily stopped buying online because of security concerns – the most notable breaches recognized being those at eBay and Target. A full 24 percent of those surveyed said they stopped buying anything online (in the weeks following the Target breach) because they were concerned about the safety of information they might have to enter. What’s more, 56 said they had cut back on the number of Internet sites they used in general and were only going to large, well-known companies they were confident were safe.

One of the ways that merchants have combatted the trust issue in the past is to publish badges which indicate their trustworthiness to visiting consumers. Yahoo recently announced a new Live Store badge program which aims to let merchants showcase their achievements, inspire shopper confidence and promote their most popular products with dynamic badges they can post to their websites. The program is similar to other trust-boosting services, and is meant to introduce online retailers to Yahoo’s recently rebranded Live Web Insights e-commerce analytics service (a renamed and updated version of the Lexity Web Insights application that Yahoo acquired in July 2013).

There are numerous opportunities to hack the “trust” element in the pursuit of ‘Net success – check out a few other methods to instill trust and boost confidence, including fostering social referrals, video reviews and more at wsm.co/6trustboosts – but none more so than delivering an experience custom to the end-user.

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PERSONALIZATION Trust is but one of the many factors that influence the purchase decisions of consumers. Other influential elements include pricing and shipping information that is clearly stated, a credible-appearing website, search functions, reviews and testimonials, live chat and access to social networks. If you are seeking something actionable however, personalization technologies are the virtual holy grail of available methods to hack one’s way toward satisfying the expectations of the modern consumer and grow a business, as today’s shopper is unique and increasingly expectant of a “personalized” service.

What personalization services provide is the ability to use information culled from the visitor experience as those users arrive and interact with a website. Predictive analytics service Reflektion for example, which just raised $8 million in Series B funding led by Intel capital and Nike, is able to take personalization a few digital steps further than many merchants ever imagined.

QUICK HACKS

E-Commerce Analytics in Focus

Google recently announced the beta launch of Enhanced E-Commerce for Google Analytics, a revamp of its system which aims to provide insights into pre-purchase shopping behavior and into product performance. With retailers reporting average on-site conversion rates of around 2.7 percent, even a small improvement can have a big impact on sales. Take a guided virtual tour through the system at wsm.co/eecommtour.

The platform detects trends and predicts in real-time (based on the evaluation of millions of attributes) what each customer is likely to buy next, enabling companies to drive significantly higher sales and customer engagement.

Its cloud-based applications apply patented machinelearning algorithms and technology that reduce computational overhead, providing immediate modeling at the individual level for real-time recommendations, visual sitesearch, responsive messaging, dynamic discounting and mobile optimization. As such, its e-commerce customers

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have achieved dramatic increases in sales conversion rates and customer acquisitions, especially with non-registered guests and anonymous visitors.

Personalization, of course, is a broad term to describe the technologies and tools that can be used to deepen engagement – there are many creative technologies and deployments in the digital space today. SLI Systems, for example, recently announced its new Dynamic Product Banners feature, which automatically displays merchandising banners on e-commerce product pages with items related to visitors’ current Web search phrases.

QUICK HACKS

Millennials Demand Cross-Channel A recent SDL study reveals that millennial consumers don’t care about where they are or what device they are on when interacting with a brand. Fifty-eight percent of respondents say they expect to engage with a company whenever they choose and via whichever channel they select.

Retailers’ website visitors (arriving from organic search or paid ads) are shown products related to their original search intent. The product, according to SLI-Systems’ Tim Callahan, reduces bounce rates and customers experiencing conversion rate increases of 9-14 percent.

“Now, more than ever, the product page is becoming the entry into our site. Given the growing popularity of Product Listing Ads, customers are landing on product pages via short-tail terms,” said Glenn Edelman, vice president of marketing at Wine Enthusiast. “SLI’s Dynamic Product Banners allow us to show a full catalog of products on the detail page above the fold, allowing customers to see related products they may want to purchase.”

Product customization is another area of personalization of immense significance to the future of retail. Take Artifi as an example of a company poised to disrupt the Internet retail landscape. The SaaS-based customization engine (launched at IRCE in June 2014) - which works on both desktops and mobile devices - helps businesses deliver a better experience by allowing merchants to empower their 28

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customers through product customization. In doing so, merchants have a better chance at improving site engagement metrics and increasing conversion rates. Additionally, Artifi integrates with e-commerce platforms like Demandware, Magento and more.

MOBILE MINDED No serious merchant today dismisses the role that mobile devices play in the success of their enterprise. Increasingly, delivering the optimal experience is falling on the virtual shoulders of hosting and infrastructure providers such as Rackspace. The company recently announced that mobile commerce platform mShopper is using its dedicated managed cloud services.

Rackspace provides mShopper with global load balancing, firewalls and security features, additional app servers and a better disaster recovery solution. Increased performance capabilities also allows mShopper to improve its industry-leading load times, one of the company’s most critical key performance indicators for mobile conversions and sales. According to mShopper, since migrating to Rackspace, the mShopper load time on mobile devices has dropped more than 30 percent to 3.5 seconds or less.

If you want to hack your way to e-commerce success, focus on delivering a quality mobile experience “When 61 percent of your prospects will leave a site if it’s not optimized for mobile, having a piecemeal, poorly thought out mobile experience is no longer an option,” said mShopper CEO David Gould. “Rackspace provides us with the best-fit infrastructure to optimize performance, along with Fanatical Support that allows us to focus less on managing our cloud infrastructure and more on our core business.”

QUICK HACKS Marin Software, recently announced support for Google Shopping Campaigns, the new version of Google Product Listing Ads (PLAs) for retailers, making it the only independent digital marketing platform to offer an automated campaign creation, inventory management and feed management solution for Shopping Campaigns.

QUICK HACKS

An International PassPort Shipping is, of course, only one aspect of expanding internationally – handling payments is another, and some big names have the opportunity in their sights. PayPal (and parent company eBay) has rolled out a new site called PassPort which aims to provide merchants with statistics and information on selling internationally.

INTERNATIONAL EXPANSION There’s no shortage of opportunities for e-commerce merchants to grow their digital retail enterprises – and it often starts by looking outside of their home country.

Cloud-based multi-channel e-commerce solution GoECart recently announced a partnership with Bongo International that will enable merchants to sell both internationally and domestically. Bongo International developed a pre-built integration between Bongo’s Checkout International Business Solution and GoECart which will enable merchants to implement its International Fulfillment solution and accept international transactions from more than 220 countries without having to manage the challenges so often associated with cross-border commerce. Every international order gets shipped to one of Bongo’s U.S. destinations where it is processed for export abroad.

The partnership expands GoECart’s cross-channel fulfillment capabilities and features, which include ship-fromwarehouse, ship-from-store, in-store pickup and vendor drop-ship functionalities. The GoECart solution also supports integration with leading carriers including UPS, FedEx, Endicia (USPS) and CanadaPost for shipping rate calculation, service selection and manifest label generation.

Payments are another challenge faced today by merchants seeking to expand their digital footprint, and online retailers are now actively seeking platforms that help them do just that. Open source e-commerce software PrestaShop, which powers nearly 200 merchants, recently expanded its partnership with payment provider Authorize.net that will allow PrestaShop merchants with an Authorize.net account to process payments in multiple currencies.

“With multiple currency payment processing, we are breaking down the barriers of internationalization. As

e-commerce trends shift toward globalization, this is an important tool for taking that crucial first step,” said Christopher Machin, partner manager at PrestaShop.

To hack their way to e-commerce success, merchants will need the most powerful and innovative payment services, but they’ll also need a good handle on the optimal markets to enter.

In July, India proposed allowing foreign retailers, who manufacture products in the country, to sell via e-commerce platforms - a giant step toward liberalizing foreign investment in the country’s $13 billion e-commerce sector. The move will likely immediately benefit retailers such as Nike and others who currently sell online in India but only through local franchises or through licensing agents. The proposal, presented by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley as part of his federal budget for the fiscal year through March 2015, will also end the ambiguity around who can sell their products using online platforms.

QUICK HACKS Visa recently partnered with Borderfree, a provider of international, cross-border e-commerce solutions, to offer customers in the Middle East (including the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and others) special promotions from retailers in the U.S.

Start E-Commerce Growth Hacking Growth hacking is a creative way to explain the means by which Web workers can improve the online experience for their brands and their customers. There are a near endless supply of solutions and techniques to employ, but the only way to future proof your enterprise is to start. What are you waiting for? Let’s get hacking!

!

Want More Quick Hits & Hacks?

Discover new ways to accelerate your digital success every day at wsm.co/netfeatures.

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Software

EVERYWHERE

3

WEBINAR SOLUTIONS

TO KNOW

& LOVE

By Allison Howen, Associate Editor

Gone are the days when the only way for a business to hold a conference or seminar and deliver a message to a large group of people was to do so in person. In 2014, companies are putting technology to use and turning to webinars.

Webinars are essentially seminars, or meetings, that are held on the Web. This marketing tactic is becoming increasingly popular as it enables businesses to reduce event and travel expenses while still sharing their products and messages with a global audience. Webinars offer other benefits for companies too, such as lead generation and brand awareness opportunities.

In order to experience the benefits, businesses must not only create a content plan for their webinars, but also choose the right technology to help them run and promote their events. While there are many platforms available on the market (for a complete list, visit wsm.co/webinarsolutions), the three solutions discussed here are suitable for every kind of ’Net professional, regardless of expertise or industry.

AnyMeeting – The Small Biz Star

Easy as 1-2-3!

Get your webinar up and running in three easy steps -

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AnyMeeting is an online meeting solution that is ideal for small businesses. Through the platform, Web professionals can conduct a variety of meeting types, from one-on-one video calls to a 200-person webinar.

AnyMeeting offers an assortment of features, including the ability to create custom registration forms so businesses can collect insights from attendees. In addition, the platform offers post-webinar surveys and social integrations so marketers can promote events on Facebook and Twitter.

Although not the most popular registration choice, companies can also sell tickets to their webinars using AnyMeeting’s ticketing feature. .com

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“If a presenter is seeking leads for their business by hosting informative webinars for prospective customers, they may not want to sell tickets in order to maximize attendance,” said Costin Tuculescu, CEO and founder of AnyMeeting. “However, if the content of the webinar is itself the presenter’s product, then they may want to charge for attending.”

When it comes to the actual presentation, AnyMeeting provides screen-sharing capabilities for hosts, allowing them to share anything from PowerPoint presentations to Web pages with attendees. Participants can also interact with presentations via the platform’s inmeeting chat feature or by virtually “raising their hand” to let hosts know they have a question.

AnyMeeting definitely excels when it comes to usability, but there are other sophisticated solutions on the market that also deserve a look.

ON24 – The Funnel Focuser ON24 is a webcast solution for businesses of all sizes.

The platform offers an assortment of tools to help marketers garner the best ROI from their webinars, including analytics and integrations with customer relationship management (CRM) and marketing platforms.

For instance, ON24’s real-time graphical dashboards include detailed, custom reporting on activities of each attendee, including total viewing time, content downloaded, poll questions answered, questions asked, survey results and group participation. Through the platform’s reporting, hosts can gauge the level of interest and the value of each lead. Using ON24’s Webinar Benchmark Index, marketers can even compare their webinars with those of their peers and use the data to improve the performance of their programs.

Perhaps the best capability of ON24, however, is its ability to integrate with marketing automation plat-

forms, including Salesforce, Marketo and Eloqua. By integrating ON24 with marketing automation platforms, ON24 VP of Marketing Lars Christensen notes that marketers can quickly evaluate registration data and load it into CRM systems for future sales initiatives.

“ON24 customers have near-immediate access to registration and webcast data that can provide demographic and behavioral insights,” said Christensen.

“These insights work to shorten sales cycles and can be leveraged to qualify leads more effectively and identify sales-ready opportunities.”

ON24’s reporting features and integrations make it a great solution for small and large businesses, but Cisco still may be leading the pack when it comes to scalability.

Master Web Fundamentals Web 360: Fundamentals of Web Success is the one-and-only guide to mastering all the elements critical to Web success.

WebEx – The Lead Manager Cisco’s WebEx Event Center is a leader in the webinar space thanks in large part to its scalability, reliability and robust feature set.

The WebEx platform supports up to 3,000 attendees and comes with tools to help users manage their events from start to finish. For starters, the platform offers customized forms that enable marketers to collect both personal and demographic information from attendees.

Plus, marketers can include standard and customized questions within registration forms to gather unique insights and identify the most qualified leads.

When it comes to event management, users can automate certain tasks within the platform’s Event Center dashboard to save time spent on tasks like registration approvals. WebEx also offers automated email functionality to help marketers stay connected with participants before, during and after an event.

During the presentation, WebEx provides a plethora of interactive features to keep attendees engaged. For instance, hosts have the ability to display up to five panelists at a time, or just one speaker in full-screen. Hosts can also share presentations, demonstrate products and stream video files. Moreover, speakers can interact with attendees in real-time via polling, chat and threaded question and answer functionality. If all of the aforementioned features seem overwhelming, WebEx offers collaboration services to provide clients with expert help.

Here’s what subscribers are saying about Web360: “ A must-read for any level of Internet Marketer.”

“Very impressed with both the journal as well as the no-nonsense book.”

“So much insightful information I had to reread the book, highlighting all over the place.”

To learn more, visit:

WebsiteMagazine.com/Web360

You’re Invited There are many reasons businesses should host webinars, but the challenge is finding the right technology to support the event. Outlining goals and expectations, however, can make the research process a much easier task.

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Conversion

CORNER

Conversion Mistakes NEARLY EVERY COMPANY IS MAKING

By Tim Ash

Not long ago, in the early 2000s, the concept of conversion rate optimization (CRO) was new, and few companies understood how to do it effectively, or even why they would do it. The early adopters surged ahead of their competition, and are now some of the best known and most successful brands on the Internet.

Yet despite its growth in recent years, CRO is still a relatively young discipline. That, combined with the rapid developments in technology and evolving consumer behavior, has made it difficult for even the most advanced digital marketers to fine tune their optimization programs. So, what are some of the most common conversion mistakes nearly every company is making today?

Not dedicating appropriate resources to CRO Change is difficult, and many marketers have found it more than a little challenging to shift their focus (and KPIs) away from traffic acquisition and toward conversion rate optimization. Even companies that want to embrace CRO are ill prepared.

Results from the Adobe 2013 Digital Marketing Optimization Survey indicated 87 percent of marketers felt their departments lacked the technical and creative resources required to conduct CRO, 86 percent lacked the necessary budget and 82 percent lacked the appropriate knowledge or training in CRO. Similar research conducted by Kampyle reported that 55 percent of companies surveyed had no dedicated full-time employees responsible for CRO. Clearly, regardless of company size or industry vertical, organizations of all types seem to be slow to dedicate sufficient resources, expertise and technology to support a mature, ongoing conversion rate optimization process.

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Not performing usability testing Usability has to do with how easy and satisfying a website is to use, whether it does what the visitor expects it to do and how proficiently a visitor can accomplish his or her task without making errors. Obviously usability is a core ingredient for conversions, yet a surprising number of organizations still do not conduct any sort of usability testing on their sites.

In 2012, usability expert Jakob Nielsen wrote that investing just 10 percent of a Web design project’s budget on usability would more than double the website’s desired quality metrics. With that kind of return on investment, it’s mind boggling that so many marketers see usability testing as a “nice to have” rather than a “must-have.”

According to Nielsen, 85 percent of a website’s problems can be identified by watching just five test subjects. With the proliferation of simple and cost-effective usability testing solutions available these days, every company with an online presence should be taking the time to watch real users attempt to complete basic tasks on its website.

Not optimizing for the entire customer journey Customers see an organization as a single unit, not a cluster of diverse departments. Yet most companies still parcel out responsibility for Web-based initiatives across different functional areas, including SEO, SEM, product management, social media, content marketing, customer support, branding, fulfillment and IT. This creates an inconsistent experience for the customer and a tremendous lost opportunity for the company.

Depending on the company and industry, a customer’s experience with an organization can include touch points ranging from blog posts, email promotions and offline advertising to Web visits, phone conversations

with sales, customer support chats and tweets, in-store visits and customer satisfaction surveys. Few organizations have embraced a truly holistic approach to optimization that brings all of these touch points into sync.

Optimizing the customer experience includes understanding all the different offline and online channels a customer will use to interact with a brand, and personalizing the messaging each individual receives based on data collected from his or her interactions. The goal is to optimize every interaction by making it relevant, compelling and consistent across channels. It’s a powerful, personal way for a business to build relationships with customers, generate brand loyalty and create brand advocates, but not many companies have unlocked the secret to doing this well.

Not being able to harness data One of the reasons marketers find it so challenging to optimize across the customer lifecycle is that they lack either the technological infrastructure or the expertise to put all of their vast website and customer data to use. Big data has been all the rage for several years, but even large enterprises find it challenging to merge disparate data sets like Web visitor behavior, past customer purchases, email engagement, etc., so that it can be used to inform future marketing decisions, more effectively target likely buyers at the moment of consideration and personalize messaging to each user.

Using data as an optimization game-changer requires a willingness to get rid of (or retrofit) legacy information systems, implement advanced Web analytics configurations, create data linkages with a robust customer relationship management system and allocate sufficient resources (financial, technological and human) to improve data analysis continuously. Younger companies are better positioned to embrace this approach because they tend to be more nimble and less restricted by “we’ve always done it this way” thinking. But there’s no doubt that harnessing big data for meaningful marketing optimization remains a challenge for many organizations.

Not operating in real-time The world spins in real-time, and customers make purchase decisions in real-time. It shouldn’t be sur-

prising that marketing optimization requires an ability to respond to customer interactions as they are happening, making the right offer at the exact moment of consideration. Examples of real-time marketing include sending a personalized email offer in response to specific Web page visits or social media activity or sending a targeted SMS message when a customer enters a retail location.

According to a 2014 report from Monetate, “organizations already carrying out real-time marketing experiences for their customers (which include delivering relevant information and product offerings across all channels and devices, personalizing interactions based on previous interactions, and tailoring offers and messages according to geography, weather and time of day) have reported a 26 percent uplift in their conversion rates.” In highly competitive industries, where companies struggle to differentiate themselves among a sea of competitors offering virtually the same product line, service and price, real-time marketing could be the tipping point for significant growth.

Shifting a marketing strategy from monthly or quarterly campaign planning to on-the-fly content and offer delivery is no small undertaking. Real-time marketing requires a more responsive (instantaneous) approach to customer messaging that depends on close working relationships between marketing campaign teams and data analysts. There is also an agility component that itself is a stumbling block for many organizations.

“

“

For all the talk about technology and data, one common theme stands out as central to most optimization advancements: a focus on customers as individuals.

The fix The traditional role of the CMO has changed dramatically, and marketing optimization has been a key driver of that change. For all the talk about technology and data, one common theme stands out as central to most optimization advancements: a focus on customers as individuals. Marketers may never be able to keep up with every new optimization trick in the book, but anyone willing to align their efforts with this core philosophy is likely to see results.

Tim Ash is the CEO of SiteTuners, Chair of Conversion Conference and bestselling author of “Landing Page Optimization.”

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Big List of Testing Resources

You’ll never believe all the testing resources at your disposal, access them at wsm.co/usability14

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Mobile

MATTERS The New Face of

Mobile App

Testing

By Dan McFall

The world is becoming more mobile by the minute and that means greater demand for faster, more efficient and easier-to-use apps.

Responding to the differences between desktop and mobile, application testing tools are rapidly evolving to accommodate more complex apps and a wider variety of mobile devices. The mobile landscape is constantly changing in terms of the devices themselves – form factors, screen size, resolution – and the wide array of mobile operating systems. That variability makes testing mobile apps a vastly more complicated process.

Desktop and Web application testing is fairly simple when compared to mobile application testing because desktop applications are often targeted to a specific platform. Mobile application testing is more complex because of the added Web browser and device components, demanding mobile app developers ensure applications work on a variety of devices and mobile operating systems - not to mention meet the needs of an increasingly demanding user base.

In the modern mobile enterprise, it is important for users to be able to access the same information on all devices, so developers must consider the limited and varying screen sizes when creating mobile applications.

Desktops, on the other hand, have fewer screen limitations, making application testing easier to automate across multiple platforms.

Mobile apps also bring new focus on user interaction. On a desktop, users are limited to keyboard, touchscreen and mouse in terms of interaction tools.

On a mobile device, users can interact via touchscreens, device tilting, device shaking, hand waving, voice commands and multi-touch gestures. To achieve the highest level of performance, mobile applications should be tested on a variety of devices to ensure the application responds correctly to user commands. An unresponsive interaction can lead to poor mobile application quality and negative reviews in app stores.

Wired and wireless LANS support most desktop apps. Mobility, however, drives wireless-only connectiv34

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ity and introduces the complication of differing network types. As a result, mobile applications must account for 3G, 4G, LTE and others. Confirming an application works across multiple networks is a prerequisite to satisfied-user ratings.

One of the greatest differences between mobile and desktop is the speed at which mobile applications are deleted versus desktop applications. Corporate IT once had the privilege of selecting the desktop applications they wanted to install and could easily control when updates and upgrades were deployed. The mobile enterprise is similar to the Wild West. IT no longer controls when a new mobile operating system is installed – endusers in bring your own device (BYOD) environments, for example, elect when to take an operating system upgrade and when to ignore it.

When developing for mobile applications, testing for usability and performance is key. Users have a lot of choices for mobile applications and expect optimal performance of the apps they choose to download. If the user finds the application difficult to use or the application does not perform to the user’s expectations, the application risks being deleted.

Forrester Analyst Margo Visitacion notes, “Mobile apps live and die by their ratings in an App Store…

When the rating suffers, customer adoption suffers.”

Users have a very low tolerance for buggy mobile apps.

According to Compuware, only 16 percent of mobile app users will try a failing app more than twice.

The whole point of testing apps—whether desktop or mobile—is to make the user’s experience with your brand one of ease and enjoyment. Mobility requires new focus and new energy on app testing – the increased number of platform factors (operating systems, devices) and the control of what platforms are “current” by phone vendors and users, combined with greatly increased expectations for ease of use, moves mobile app testing and mobile test automation out of the “debatable ROI” category and into the “survival tool” column.

Mobile apps mean mobile users and without thorough testing, those users can prove ephemeral.

Dan McFall is the VP of mobility solutions at Mobile Labs where he works with global organizations to improve their development and QA processes around mobile device and app testing.

Increase Mobile App Exposure Submit your mobile application for review at Application Magazine - wsm.co/submityourapp

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Place your openings on the Website Magazine job board and reach a pool of quality candidates made up of tech-savvy individuals that come to WebsiteMagazine.com to stay up to date on the latest trends in the Internet industry.

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jobs.websitemagazine.com Website Magazine is the “Magazine for Website Success.” As the leading publication dedicated to improving the Web experience, our readers know a thing or two about marrying Web trends and quality technology to create profitability.

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©2014 Website Magazine

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Affiliate

INSIDER How To Create

Tenancy

DEALS

With a Media Pack

By Matt Swan, Client Strategist at Affiliate Window

For the first time, advertisers will invest more than $50 billion in digital channels in 2014, according to eMarketer, resulting in elevated competition among channels vying for a share.

Media Pack Inspiration See three media packs in action from an Internet retailer, a service provider and an information publisher at

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As a result, additional scrutiny is inevitably placed upon these channels. As the performance marketing and affiliate industry grows in professionalism, publishers that are able to produce media packs are placing themselves in a strong position to benefit from tenancy deals - where an advertiser agrees to pay for additional coverage on a publisher’s site. This is typically a fixed fee or could be based on the display model of CPM advertising. It is in addition to the cost per acquisition (CPA) the publisher will receive for generating sales.

Previously it had been difficult to justify payment for a tenancy placement. With the affiliate model primarily founded on paying only when a sale occurs, publishers ran into difficulty when trying to secure additional advertising revenue through promotional placements.

As the industry has evolved, more emphasis has been placed on analyzing the data behind online activity, and a significant amount of research has been put into the customer journey and what happens pre-sale.

As well as rewarding publishers that are ultimately converting visitors, greater consideration is given to what is happening at the top of the sales funnel, in the awareness stage. Advertisers are seeing the merits of tenancy placements and rewarding publishers for not only the sales they generate, but also the brand awareness they are able to create.

In order to benefit from potential tenancy deals with advertisers, publishers that are able to provide detailed media packs stand the best chance of selling their value to the advertisers they promote. A well-constructed media pack allows a publisher to showcase its website and provide additional insight and data to help justify running a tenancy in addition to the standard CPA. .com

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To help sell the benefits to advertisers, there are a number of elements that should be included in a media pack. The obvious starting point is defining the website, including how it is used and why it is beneficial to visitors. Additionally, it is essential to provide traffic volumes and the target audience of a site. This helps advertisers understand the potential reach and how it fits with their target audience. The greater the reach and the fit, the easier it is to justify a tenancy deal. If there is additional activity such as an email database, Twitter account or Facebook page, the size and reach of these should also be given.

Data should be a key component of any media pack.

As well as providing information on the volume of visitors to a site, the size of email databases, Twitter following etc., it is essential publishers showcase engagement levels. What are the site’s conversion rates and how much interaction is there on the brand’s Twitter feed, for example? Any statistics that back up the reach and engagement of marketing channels will add strength to a media pack.

Case studies should also be provided and these should be tailored to the advertiser being pitched. Include relevant examples from the sector to showcase how similar advertisers have benefited from a tenancy placement.

Be sure to include information on the number of impressions, as well as click-through and conversion rates of these placements. Anything that demonstrates a positive return on investment will instantly be of interest to advertisers receiving the media pack.

Finally, a full breakdown of the tenancy placements available and the costs associated with these should be clearly outlined.

Tenancies are becoming more widely used across the affiliate channel and a strong media pack can certainly help publishers stand out from the crowd.

With a competitive pricing model, coupled with case studies to support previous performance, publishers are well set to take advantage of additional advertising revenue from their sites.

Net

ADVERTISING Run Your AdWords

Campaign

Like the BIG BOYS

By Jacob Baadsgaard

Small businesses and startups often make the mistake of thinking they are restricted to basic or simple advertising campaigns because their budgets are not as big as their competitors.

That’s far from the truth, however. As digital takes on an increasingly larger role in the advertising landscape, it is easier than ever for a small business to compete with even its largest competitor.

Here are a few ideas to help you make your AdWords campaign look like a big player.

Sitelinks Adding sitelinks to ads will give customers more options as they research, as well as help an ad stand out visually on the results page. Ads with sitelinks can take up almost double the real estate as a traditional ad; just look at this ad from Beats.

In addition to the ad, Beats included links to their other products and some of their promotions too. This gives the customer additional choices and ensures that the Beats ad is the most obvious and appealing.

Despite these benefits, very few small businesses take advantage of the opportunity that sitelinks provide.

By spending a few minutes on the AdWords knowledge base (or within Website Magazine’s “Quick Guide to AdWords Sitelinks” at wsm.co/qgsitelinks) advertisers will experience higher click-through rates, improved quality scores and increased ROI.

Display Ads Display ads are also a very powerful tool in generating traffic to websites. Clicks from display ads are not only

significantly cheaper than text ads appearing in the search results, but also more ubiquitous. Instead of only reaching customers when they are searching online, advertisers can ensure their ads (and subsequently, their logos, products, services and promotions) are seen when users are scanning the news, shopping online or reading their emails.

Display campaigns, however, can be a little more difficult to set up than traditional search campaigns.

It is critical that the targeting criteria being used are thoroughly tested and re-tested in order to ensure that ads are only driving traffic to the site or page desired (display campaigns can often run amok if not optimized properly).

Call Extensions Chances are, clients are searching for your business on their mobile devices. With this in mind, 60 percent of searchers want directions and the call button (a.k.a. call extension pictured here) in ads served on their smartphones, according to Google.

As you can see, a customer that is searching on their mobile device can call a business with one click. This is invaluable for local businesses or any company that sells products or services. To make a customer’s experience as convenient as possible, giving them the option to call the business from the results page is a surefire way to improve conversion rates.

AdWords also gives advertisers the ability to track these phone calls, their duration and when they occurred. This is convenient, as advertisers don’t have to worry about online-to-offline conversion tracking.

While these tactics are slightly more advanced than the basics, they can provide businesses with the boost in sales they’ve been looking for.

Jacob Baadsgaard is the CEO of Disruptive Advertising and a passionate digital marketer and entrepreneur.

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Hosting

PANEL Changing the digital focus to...

SPECIALIZED WEB HOSTING

By Derek Schou, Associate Editor

Internet businesses are beginning to consider Web hosting companies that specialize in the software platform that powers their websites (while, of course, still offering an infrastructure that provides the stability their enterprise demands). Website Magazine examined three of these specialty hosting companies for three popular open-source content management systems: WordPresss, Joomla and Drupal.

Pressable - WordPress

WordPress usage has broken away from the pack since about 2010.

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WordPress is one of the most-used platforms on the Web today. Major brands like IZOD, TIME, Variety and BBC America all use the WordPress framework to build their sites. However, everything that WordPress offers its users would be worthless without a quality host to ensure the site is up and running.

Considering its popularity, it is no surprise that there are so many hosting providers advertising that they support the software. The challenge that this creates is searching through all of the different providers for the one that is not only reputable, but that also does not cost a digital arm and leg.

Whether small business or large enterprise, Pressable offers a range of hosting options for WordPress users.

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For small businesses, Pressable offers three different packages ranging in price from $25 to $90, dependent on the number of WordPress sites hosted (from 5-20) and the number of shared pages views. As far as large enterprises are concerned, Pressable offers a VIP ($750 per month) and Private Cloud ($3,500 per month) plan that companies must apply and be approved for in order to enter into a service level agreement (SLA).

With every plan, clients receive daily backups, malware scanning and removal as well as a content delivery network (CDN).

“An innate understanding of our customers and their website goals is what separates us from our competitors,” said Vid Luther, founder and CEO of Pressable.

“Our customers represent a mature and professional segment of use cases of WordPress.

“Our target customer is an individual or agency that builds revenue generating websites for their client. The websites they build usually have some form of e-commerce, or lead generation system that turns into sales for the client, this means the websites need to be online 100 percent of the time, and they need to load fast; we provide the platform to match those expectations.”

Joomla Wired - Joomla While not nearly as popular as WordPress, Joomla is a comparable CMS that offers many versatile features to users. One similarity between WordPress and Joomla is the competition by hosting providers to attract Web developers to use their services.

Joomla Wired is one of the many providers that offer Joomla hosting, but what sets them apart is their dedication - Joomla is all they host.

While Pressable creates a single backup of their clients’ sites, Joomla Wired creates three backups (daily, weekly and monthly), resulting in four copies of a website available for use at any time. Perhaps the most important thing that Joomla Wired offers potential clients is its 99.9 percent uptime guarantee. The company states that if a customer’s performance drops below 99 percent they will credit his or her account the cost of hosting for that month. Joomla Wired also comes with a 30-day money back guarantee.

One of the more interesting features that the hosting company offers is called “Mirrored Hosting.”

Mirrored Hosting is when there are two servers, similar in specifications, called a “Master” and “Slave”

server. The slave server holds a duplicate of all files on the master server and will kick in if the master server ever experiences any downtime.

Joomla Wired offers seven different plans in total, three for personal use and four for businesses. The plans for businesses start at $7.87 per month and go all the way up to $66.84 monthly.

Acquia – Drupal The difference in popularity between Joomla and Drupal is almost nonexistent. While both may pale in comparison to the juggernaut that is WordPress, Drupal is still the third most-used CMS on the Web today.

Much like WordPress and Joomla, there is no shortage of hosting providers that provide support for Drupal, making it difficult to find the correct one. Acquia explicitly provides cloud hosting support for Drupal websites.

?

The cloud hosting service provides three scalable plans.

The first package is titled “Developer.” This package has a starting price of $99 and can range all the way up to $1,792. The second package, “Professional,” starts at $309 and goes up to $1,943. The third, “For the Enterprise,” requires that users contact Acquia to obtain pricing. The determining factors for each plans price depends on how much RAM and storage that a professional or enterprise needs.

Like Joomla Wired, Acquia offers a 99.95 percent uptime guarantee for every website.

Take Your Time

Every hosting provider is different. Although they may offer similar services, the way in which they deliver them is what sets them apart. Taking the time to find a site’s perfect hosting match is one of the best ways Web workers can future-proof their digital efforts.

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Did You Know?

· The average hourly wage of those in data processing and hosting is $33.92. · The public cloud market will top $180 billion by 2015.

See more fun facts at webmag.co.

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COMMENTARY

Trust Your Gut? Big Data Science & the Analytics Trap

By Peter Prestipino, Editor-In-Chief

In order to achieve even a modicum of success as an Internet professional, familiarity with analytics (digital and otherwise) is proving increasingly essential - and at every level of the enterprise.

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Did You Know?

· 62% of business leaders tend to trust their own intuition. · 61% said real-world insights top hard analytics when making decisions.

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Today’s customer support specialists, for example, must understand how their own live chat performance impacts conversion, and modern digital marketers and online advertisers must measure every nuance of the pre- and post-click user experience in order to successfully optimize awareness and branding initiatives. Let us not forget the C-suite who has to bring it all together and execute based on the insights that data analysis offers.

Without knowing exactly where an enterprise is in terms of performance today (as well as where they have been) there’s simply no way to make the necessary modifications for the future; the changes and pivots that can turn around an ailing company’s less-than-desirable fortunes and put the brand being represented back on a path toward greater digital riches – or is there? The Web industry is turning to big data in droves, but they may ultimately be falling into the trap of analytics.

One of the hottest careers right now is that of the “big data scientist” who are, simply, skilled at culling through massive data sets to discover insights that may have otherwise gone unnoticed – insights that could make the difference between being in the red and laughing all the way to the bank. Regardless of the volume of traffic that your website (or application) receives, realize that you are already likely flirting with data science – but you may not need to.

A new study from Time Inc.’s Fortune Knowledge Group and global advertising agency Gyro indicates that .com

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business leaders still, for the most, just go with their gut.

Data from the “Only Human: The Emotional Logic of Business Decisions” research report showed that 62 percent of business leaders indicate that they tend to trust their own intuition, and 61 percent said real-world insight tops hard analytics when making decisions. Even with all the technology advancements of the past 20 years, we still make business personal – and that’s the way it should be; there’s often no replacement for experience.

Data science is essentially the integration of methods from statistics, computer science and other fields for the purpose of gaining insights from data – data that is, at least if you are currently tracking website and user activity, already at your disposal (within your preferred analytics account). Data science entails an iterative process of data harvesting, cleaning, analysis and visualization, and finally, implementation – a process not wholly unlike the “experience” that has for so long been valued and rewarded so highly among business professionals. Decisions based on either process can move an enterprise forward toward their ultimate aim – be that the development of a new product design, an investment in something specific or a retooling of a business strategy. So which will you choose?

Big data or your own intuition? Hopefully, it will be a balance of the two.

What’s important to understand is that the presence of big data and all the analytics processing power available today is often seen from within a silo – we don’t have the big picture so we end up making the wrong decision entirely. Enterprises that can successfully balance big data sets with executive intuition, will be those prepared for the future.

Resource Center FINELY FOCUSED INFORMATION FROM INDUSTRY SPONSORS Website Magazine’s Resource Center presents white papers and webinars from our sponsors that provide information, specifics and metrics to help you make decisions for website success.

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