Business Website Advice

The Monday following the US Thanksgiving holiday, last Thursday of November, was coined Cyber Monday in 2005. Does it roll onto NZ shores?

Every year online retailers note a significant jump in online sales on that Monday. After the 4 day weekend, people return to their workplace broadband and go shopping online. Watch out you productivity experts - that Monday is nigh.

Do we have a comparable Cyber Monday here in NZ? Do my local e-tailer readers with customers from the US feel the cyber Monday wave come this way?

Cyber Monday isn’t the biggest day for online sales, that happens sometime between 5 - 15 December.

Would my local retail readers please comment.

BTW cynics say cyber Monday is actually the industry fanning the fires…smoldering as they may be this year.

Use your website traffic report to make informed decisions on lots of website matters.  In general, using just a few stats, you can save money and even earn more.  Here’s how. Read the rest of this entry »

Read the rest of this entry »

Business Websites Have Special Needs

Web site visitors in tourism come with very different problems to solve than site visitors looking for gourmet relish.  Do a good job at providing what they need to solve their problem and your’re on your way to creating a Sticky Website. Read the rest of this entry »

How to judge which directory to pay for a listing?

Typical Problem in All Types of Business - Tourism too.
From my experience with business owners, it’s common to be bombarded by directory companies sending emails offering deal discounts for urgent response and confusing statistics on how much traffic they get in your category. 

All of that can be intimidating if not a bit misleading.
Simple answer - do a Google search for the ‘keyword search phrase’ your customers use to find your service or product.  There is the answer to your question! 

What directory is listed in the top 8 Google rank for your keyword search phrase?  Can you afford NOT to be in that directory?  If more than one you have to choose. Only if your own URL is there in the top 8, would you skip having a presence in that directory.

Tell me about your experience - any tricky email marketing that tempted you?  Any first hand stories we can learn from?  Post your comments below.

Policies Help Make Online Sales

Research tells us that online buyers hesitate over that “Submit” button if the basic policies are not visible.

Online Buyers get fearful
Think about it. When we buy we need to know what we’re getting in for.  Sometimes we fear the worst, hope for the best. Read the rest of this entry »