5/4/2009 
Be a strategic design partner, or else you will not influence the design …do the research. —@Zeldman
Winning the #1 Search Engine Result for Your Key Phrase [0:07:30m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | DownloadThis newsletter will mail out the first week of each month, please visit the link below to opt-in http://lists.pixelhandler.com
- Strategies and topics relating to the happenings I experience in the race of marketing, publishing and selling on the web.
Having the top result on Google for your main key phrase just feels great! Seriously, in this time of uncertainty, being number one even for a short time is pretty cool. It is also nice when a competitor enters the market and previously held the #1 search result which you now hold.
Search engine optimization : the search query is : noninvasive neuromodulation
Recent changes in Google’s search engine results pages (SERPs) for google account holders:
Sites referenced:
- The Internet is bringing people together and making connections for personal and professional development. Being involved socially online is a way to build new relationships with like-minded individuals.
Last month I created a Ning network, at refreshoc.ning.com, and as a results was invited to join dezumo.com ; there I joined the conversations on web design and posted a forum topic "What are your favorite sites for inspiration on the topic of Web design?" Dezumo has about 293 members and has been around for about a year while the RefreshOC started a month ago and only has about 18 members. Dezumo is has a larger audience while RefreshOC is targeting a local metro area. Both were kicked off right here in Orange County. I enjoy the conversations on dezumo and am hoping the RefreshOC group will become more active as social networks become more of a source for making connections locally.
On the subject of inspiration for web design I did receive a few responses from the group, I visited the links and found some fresh sites to add to my del.icio.us bookmarks on the topic of design . While a couple people were eager to share links for inspiration sake one designer posted a note to creating new design without being tempted to follow the pack; along with this response were no links but a tip on seeking inspiration from the world around you. I am very fond of this concept of being inspired from life itself, but also find it very valuable to examine successful design concepts. Design techniques that work well should be mimicked, especially for the sake of user experience and usability.
Sites referenced:
Found on the PodSafeMusicNetwork:
Listen the track titled, The Pain Of Numbers by Get Three Coffins Ready – at the end of the broadcast!
Book Review: Web Design for ROI by Lance Loveday & Sandra Niehaus
Each year I find one or two books that really stand out. This book, Web Design for ROI, changed the way I look at current eCommerce projects and helped me identify better strategies for building web sites. This 10 minute review highlights the key points in the book that helped me learn the process for ‘conversion optimization’ – converting my site visitors into customers.
Here is my situation, I am working on an eCommerce site with over 4,000 unique visitors each month but the checkout rate seems fairly low, and the analytics show a large percentage of potential customers exiting the checkout process at the confirm stage. Also, a large volume of visitors landing on the home page bounce without entering in to key areas of the site and responding to my calls to action (buying product or completing a form).
The major shift for me will be creating a larger return on investment for my search engine optimization and marketing efforts by creating a larger percentage of goal conversions with my current volume of web site traffic.
This will have a lasting and recurring benefit since a small decrease in bounces and abandoned goal funnels will generate a higher percentage of growth without buying more traffic. This process of conversion optimization has the biggest band for my buck (or sweat) and helps with growing conversions with my current pay-per-click campaigns. Also, the strategies presented will help me communicate more effectively with my audience. The book inspired me to apply a conversion optimization beginning at my check-put pages, working my way back to the home page. After adding a secondary goal on my detail pages I noticed an increase in online sales. This optimization process creates results!