Google+

Possible competition for FB? Google prepares to join the social networking bandwagon.

Facebook as the New AOL

Even though we seem to have forgotten, America Online used to shape the way that we perceive and interact with the Internet (back in the mid to late 1990′s, in case you’ve forgotten). For AOL was a software package as much as an Internet provider: with a built-in browser that didn’t require the user to launch, at the time, Netscape Navigator or Microsoft Internet Explorer. From a user standpoint, and from the way that web pages were rendered by the AOL browser, the way we perceived and interacted with the web was dictated by the usability and marketing concerns of America Online.

In a few significant ways, Facebook is the new AOL. Users filter links to new content through their Facebook accounts, and tend to have active sessions lasting for hours. So in a very real way, the way we interact with the web now is shaped by our Facebook experience.

Agree or disagree? Comments are always welcome.

The Dangers of Subdomains

Even though it’s not a spot-on SEO issue, I took special note today of a CNN/Wired article on the security risks of subdomains (such as examples.examples.com). Although research seems to indicate that it’s easier for site visitors to remember a subdomain as opposed to a directory name on the other end of a backslash (such as examples.com/examples), CNN/Wired reports that:

Two researchers who set up doppelganger domains to mimic legitimate domains belonging to Fortune 500 companies say they managed to vacuum up 20 gigabytes of misaddressed e-mail over six months.

A doppledanger domain, of course, is one that closely mimics a legitimate web address and is designed to capture information from users who slightly misspell the legitimate address. Click here for the complete article.

 

Web Analytics and Key Performance Indicators

The good news in web analytics is that current tools can virtually tell you anything you want to know about traffic and user interaction with
your web site; the only hard part is knowing which questions to ask and which data you can safely ignore (or conversely, which data you should
focus on). With so much data literally at your fingertips, sometimes it seems that analytics packages can even tell you what your site visitors
and customers had for breakfast. Little wonder, then, that the most incisive and useful analytics programs (reporting strategies, that is, not
software) are those based on a manageable number of Key Performance Indicators, the distilled data that empowers you to measure the effectiveness
of your site and ultimately improve the user experience.

It might come as a surprise that, generally, it’s best to limit the number of measurable data to 10-15 KPIs, which allows for a laser-like focus
on true web site performance without forcing your metrics professionals to invest precious time and resources in tracking data which truly
doesn’t affect your web site’s financial performance. It’s an attitude and a precise mental set, to be exact about it, a determination to use
your metric reporting tools to answer a set of pre-defined questions instead of allowing the software itself to dictate the scope and terms of
your reports.

Here are just a few KPI’s which are generally applicable to all web sites, no matter what industry you’re in. Before we begin, though, it’s good
to remember that there are two types of metrics: those which apply to the physical performance of your web site, and those by which you measure
financial success. So, here are some metrics you can use:

• Conversion Rate: The percentage of site visitors who become customers, subscribers, or otherwise engage in a lasting interaction with your web site (and your company)
• Unique Visitors: The true number of individuals who visit your site, providing a snapshot of how busy your site truly is
• Length of Visit: How long, in average terms, that visitors remain on your site; close examination is required, because a longer length can indicate greater interaction with your site or simply that your site is difficult to use

These metrics are just the beginning, of course. Although all metrics reporting programs will share some similarities (such as the KPIs listed above), your company or business will require unique and custom metrics–because, after all, you run a unique company and a unique web site.  So get started on deciding which KPIs are important to you–and use the resulting intelligence to improve your company’s bottom line.

Facebook vs. Twitter

There’s a debate in certain circles, I’m sure, on which social networking service is most effective in generating site traffic and creating new revenue for your commercial web site. All things being equal (which, as we’ll see, are not), it seems to be a matter of common sense that any social networking strategy should include both services in an effort to reach the broadest spectrum of potential customers possible. First, though, some numbers.

• By some measures, Twitter has a total of 1.5 million active accounts.
• Facebook, on the other hand, claims a total of 750 million active users.

Additionally, it seems that Twitter and Facebook have different user bases, with Twitter focusing on sports and celebrities, while Facebook caters to businesses and to those of us not cursed by fame and fortune (or something like that). Don’t believe me? Watch ESPN Sportscenter for only a few moments and you’ll hear numerous references to Twitter, even the regular broadcast of Tweets from ESPN viewers.Twitter has actually become part of of the Sportscenter program in a way that Facebook is not part of the mainstream media. Having said that, I advise my clients to focus on Facebook–unless, of course, the Twitter demographic better suits their needs. Knowing the sports connection, you’d want your sporting goods store to have a Twitter presence, right? But all things considered, focus on Facebook instead. The potential audience is exponentially larger, and since each online relationship must be approved, most posts carry the added credibility of that imprimatur. No matter which route you go, though, don’t dive in without an editorial calender. It helps cross-promotion within you company, and helps ensure the  quality of your posts–quality, if something goes wrong, is extremely difficult to get back.