Before reading this post, we recommend that you

As part of our Web Site Health Check promotion, we’ve been doing a fair bit of web page analysis recently. We look at the web site as a whole and how it is performing against the objectives set by the business. It’s a really interesting exercise, not because most organisations have never thought about setting objectives for their web sites, but because it gets people thinking.

A web site project does not end when the final piece of code has been written, it’s an ongoing process. It is part of your kit bag as a business and is there to support your business goals. Like other aspects of your team, it will perform better when it is coached and trained. Which I know sounds a little bit fluffy, but to make the point; when was the last time you gave your web site a performance review?

For most businesses, the web site is a major investment. It is the proverbial shop window, and often the first point of entry for interested customers. Businesses that recognise and use the Internet to contribute to their sales and opportunities already appreciate the need to track and analyse web site traffic and referrals.

Just talking about a web site health check is a great way to encourage companies to look at their web sites in a different light. In these times of economic gloom, reviewing aspects of a business is not unusual; we’re all used to sweating our assets and trying to make our investments go further. So we should also apply this same logic to the web site. The trouble is, most companies do not know how to begin this process or indeed recognise the importance of web site objectives.

On the positive side, giving your web site a performance review is easier than carrying out a review for an underperforming member of your staff. You can be as critical as you like about your web site and not have to worry a knock on the door from the HR Director.

The place to start is at the end; what is it that you would like your web site to do? If you were building a brand new web site tomorrow, what are the major objectives of the site you would use to justify the expenditure? Once everyone agrees to the objectives, it’s time to work backwards and see what aspects of your site deliver against the objectives.

You’ll probably find that there are a lot of areas that could be improved upon, some of this will be simple content tweaks, updates and making your site more relevant; whilst, other areas might need specific skills and development. The great part about this process is that you’re talking about your site and hopefully getting excited about what it could deliver.

At this stage, you’ve got the basis for an Internet Marketing Strategy. You should prioritise the changes, speak with your agency and get their feedback about some of the more technical ideas and then begin work on the changes. If you’re working closely with your digital marketing agency, they should also be contributing to your plan.

So why not book some time in your diary for your web site review? To help you on your way, please feel free to take advantage of our web site health check promotion, as this will provide you with some good information to begin your review.

Was this blog post helpful? Please feel free to comment below, or alternatively if you would like to learn more about the web site review process or how companies are using the Internet to drive business during the credit crunch, please contact us on 01635 550431.
UK Link Exchange

Businesses are going to strive hard to try and increase revenues whilst keeping an exceptionally tight rein on their marketing budgets.

So if companies are slashing their marketing budgets where are they going to focus their spend and how can companies be assured that the marketing channel they use will give them the return that they want?

In a just-released survey from eMetrics Marketing Optimization Summit more than 64% of respondents say the current economy probably won’t affect their overall marketing budgets, but most report plans to increase or maintain their budgets for Email (83.6%), Online Advertising (77.2%), Keyword Search Campaigns (75.5%), Social Media (61.8%), and Video Advertising (38.2%). eMetrics’ analysis states,

“34.5% of respondents’ marketing budgets are negatively impacted by the economy but only 10-15% of respondents are cutting budgets on online channels. This would suggest that confidence in online marketing effectiveness continues to grow.”

According to the survey web analytics have become increasingly important to senior management.

“Web analytics helps us maximize the effectiveness of our shrinking marketing dollars by pointing out our strengths and weaknesses and providing an actionable roadmap to our most impactful ROI channels online. Tough times really do call for tough measures.”

You can download the entire survey results from the eMetrics web site.

So it appears that digital marketing is the way forward as through the use of analytics it is 100% visible and that means 100% measurable!  However a question which many marketer asked themselves on a daily basis, which online channel is best for me?

Many companies through using the analytics will trial a number of different campaigns and then through the metrics work out the best return on the investment made.  As the statistic show email marketing is the most popular activity and this is because through past experience for many marketers (mine too!) email has been one of the most cost effective routes to increasing communication, prospect engagement and subsequently business.

Online Advertising and PPC is also up there in the stats and this is because again it’s so measurable. You spend a £1 you get £2 back, brilliant let’s spend £1000! Of course it’s not as easy as this and to gain the returns, you need to put some thorough research into finding the right environments to advertise and research the right keywords. This will provide you with some good solid traffic that is most importantly, targeted!

Interestingly social media and video advertising have both come a very long way in a relatively very short space of time. Companies are finally latching on to the power of social media and the advantages of video advertising becoming viral often through the social media sites and can often catapult a brand to a next level.

If I was a business owner (with a website that has been optimised) experimenting with digital marketing for the first time I would obviously do my own research, however  I would most likely start by delivering some small targeted email campaigns (researching the appropriate email marketing software to deliver my campaigns).  I would then, depending on my product/services use some of my budget to trial and deliver a PPC campaign (I would have probably employed a company to provide me with some extensive Keyword research in the first place so that I’m making sure I’m not wasting my precious marketing budget!). 

In conclusion; do your research, there are many ways to market your company and the online spectrum has multiple channels. However one thing is clear in my head as well as many top marketing executives; is that Digital Media is certainly the way forward through these hard times when budgets are being slashed but you’re still being pressured to produce the result! 

What do you think? Do you have any new ideas to add? Please comment below or add to the debate. Please do not hesitate to contact Generate UK for more information and ideas about how to we can help you with your digital marketing in 2009.

There has been some interesting predictions this week, most notably from industry voice E-consultancy who have predicted that the expenditure in search engine marketing is likely to be nearly £2.8 billion by the end of the current year, an increase of around 25% year on year. That’s a fairly healthy growth prediction, especially if you believe the doom and gloom about the economic outlook.

So why are the well respected E-consultancy group predicting this rise? To start with, we are in the middle of an upwards curve when it comes to online spend. The growth has been evident for a number of years and will more than likely continue so for the next few years before finding a nice level.

The growth in online spend has not been without casualties, above the line advertising has been steadily slowing, in fact it is predicted that online spend will overtake television advertising spend in the next few years.. If a business has not had their marketing budget reduced, then they are most likely having conversations about where the best place to put their marketing pounds might be. This means we are getting closer to the real reason why E-consultancy are absolutely correct.

Businesses are making decisions to put more of their budget into online marketing strategies. The business decision is the fact that they can quickly measure a return on investment. They can quickly see the results of their campaigns and they know they have more chance of reaching their targeted audience who have money to spend. Altogether they have a more potent marketing weapon.

So it is a pretty safe bet that online advertising spend will continue to grow for the next few years. Although, we do think that the market will become more competitive. Traditionally agencies will extend their digital capabilities, design companies will introduce new services, which should lead to some consolidation in the market.

As competition grows, the agency fees will start to be eroded. This is an interesting debate that is waiting to happen. What parts of online advertising services can be commoditised? I’ve already seen companies offering email marketing and SEO type solutions for incredibly low fees. Is this good for the market or does it confuse our customers?

In summary, search engine marketing is in a very healthy position. There will almost certainly be more competition for each customer and that should should be welcomed. However, for the time being; measurable marketing and performance management seem to be winning out, this is why online marketing will continue with steady growth. It is the agencies who need to watch out for the recession, especially those who are not innovating and helping their clients to deliver winning campaigns.

Speaking to clients and prospects recently (within last couple of months) its been really interesting to hear their concerns in relation to their business and the so called ‘credit crunch’. I’ve read and heard so much in the press that I though it was about time to voice my own opinion.

Yes, I agree that the market isn’t great and it’s certainly not how it was back in 2006. Food prices have increased significantly with Marks and Spencer’s this week reporting a 5% decrease in sales….wow a whole 5%! Due to the ridiculous increase in fuel prices we have lorry drivers driving their HGV’s through Westminster protesting outside the Houses of Commons. House prices have reach a plato and inflation is continuing to rise at a steady rate, so I do understand why people and business owners are, and rightly so, looking over their shoulders and waiting to see what happens next. However, with that said there are still plenty of business’s out there vying for, creating and driving good business and therefore reaping the rewards. The market I believe it still pretty strong, there is plenty to play for and it the dawdling and protractive companies that will be left behind!

Many companies I’ve spoke to have had a bumper 2008 and this is set to continue. I believe that you have to be conscious of what’s going in the economy but focus on what you can do to help drive your own business forward rather than waiting to see what happens. If this means buying a new piece of software or investing into an online advertising strategy then so be it, if it will provide you with a return then do it?

The hype and media surrounding the credit crunch I believe is a bit of farce and inevitably puts the willies up businesses looking to expand or invest. It makes them think twice which isn’t always a bad thing but can additionally then stiffle their business growth. If one Managing Director of a company who I spoke to on Tuesday is puting her marketing budget on hold for 3 months as she is worried about the economy, looking at the bigger picture there will be plenty more Managing Directors like her doing the same and the end result is FACT the the economy will suffer! A vicious economic circle built up by media hype!

Working in the digital marketing sector I feel blessed at times like these as it enables me to understand what’s happening on the ’shop floor’ as normally if things are tight the first area that business’s cut back on is their marketing budget, which has never made sense to me and is another story for another time! However Digital Marketing is different in the fact that everything you do is measurable, if you spend £100 on a PPC campaign and see a return of £200 then that’s good business. On top of this I sell our professional services which makes a huge difference. Service is critical to any business and often make you stand out from the competitors.

So when when I’m trying to close business and prospects mention the state of the economy and the so called ‘credit crunch’, I suggest to them that most of it is media hype, business growth is all about taking the initiative and focusing on seeing the end results. Sell your added value services, product features and core benefits, focus on that and I think people will soon start to see the wood through the trees and change their negative perception concerning the so called ‘credit crunch’!