Happy days!
The latest IAB Insight Report has been released by the Interactive Advertising Bureau of New Zealand and PricewaterhouseCoopers, and NZ’s Online adspend is up 43% from 2007.
Read the press release and download the report fom the internet bureau website.
Categories: digital advertising · web design
Do you really have a chance of winning that RFP that you are spending all that time on? Have you been blinded by the idea that it is an opportunity that can’t be passed up?
Responding to an RFP usually takes a lot of time and effort. Do you really think your company is going to be the best placed vendor to win this account, or are you just throwing your hat in the ring and hoping for the best? I am not saying that you should only pitch for projects you are certain you’ll win, but you really should look at your motivations for responding.
Time has never been so precious, and the more time you spend chasing your tail the worse that is going to impact on your business. I have done it – a few times, spending days (and nights) putting together a response and then missing out. Just to show you how blinded I got to the fact we were pitching for a job never going to win, the last shocker i had we missed out to a small company called Microsoft. In hindsight what was i thinking? Well – I wasn’t, I just saw the dollar signs and the high profile logo in the portfolio. I simply didn’t do the research into who else might be responding to the request.
Another thing to be wary of is RFPs that demand unreasonable guarantees and warranties, levels of support and service, and other such things that will haunt you years after the site has gone live. Stand back and look at the big picture.
In a time where work is more scarce, how you spend your time will have a huge effect on the future success of your business. It’s important to be clear on why you are responding to the RFP and make sure you are not wasting valuable time and resource on a wild goose chase.
Categories: digital advertising · web design
Tagged: request for response, RFP
IE6 I am putting a restraining order on you
Don't you know when you're no longer welcome???
I was just lamenting why some of our clients insist on keeping on with IE6. A disproportionate bumber of our clients use it was thei main browser. You’re building a new site, everything looks great in IE7, Firefox 3, Safari… then you test it in IE 6 and sweet Jesus it’s all over the show. I keep looking at the browser stats waiting for IE6 to disappear but it’s alarmingly popular (December 2008 showed 19.6% users). It’s dreadful at supporting standards, and has no support for PNGs… I mean come on!
When can we ditch the support for this browser. IE7 was released in October 2006 – what are these IT mangers actually doing? I think half the problem I personally have is that some of my clients have browser-based systems that aren’t supported by IE7, I know for example our webscanner software doesn’t work in IE7. Some Java applet issue. But seriously! This is a big fat pain in the butt. I remember years ago I used to put at the bottom of some websites “best viewed in….” maybe I need to go back to doing that?
Categories: digital advertising · web design
I just realised I wrote about A/B testing and didn’t suggest any way to actually implement the testing. I would say the easiest way to to A/B testing on your web page is to use Google Website Optimizer. It is extremely easy to use, has great reporting facilities, and best of all… it’s free.
Instead of me going on about how to use it have a look at this article which I found really helpful. There’s also some good info on that page about increasing your conversion rates too. For even more information on Google Website Optimizer, have a look on the Official Google Website Optimizer Blog.
Definitely worth a look.
Categories: web design
Tagged: Google Website Optimizer
I was just talking about this with a client and thought it might make a good post. If you’re running PPC campaigns then presumably you are also optimising your landing pages. But if you are really serious about optimising your landing pages for low cost, and increasing conversion rates, then you might want to also look at multivariate testing. Although at a lower level, you can do it the same as you do with your PPC ads, running simple split or A/B tests. A/B testing measures the actual behavior of your visitors on a live page, meaning your results are a true refection of what is working better for your site.
To run an A/B test first set your control page and let it run for a while to get some base data on performance. This page should be as close to perfect as you can get it using usual design methods. Then set up your test page, changing out elements such as headlines and copy text, subtle alterations in the layout, using different sized and coloured images etc and compare the results this page gets against your control page. Don’t make too many changes in your test page – in fact it’s better to just make one change at a time, because A/B testing is only really useful for experimenting on one clear goal at a time. When your test page starts to out perform your control page, make the better performing your control page and then experiment on your new test page to see if you can make it even more effective.
A/B testing doesn’t require a huge amount of work, but it is something you do really need to stick with to get decent results from. Really think about the change you are making and why you are making it. Don’t just change the colour of a font just to see what happens, put a bit of thought into what you might think will actually make a difference in getting people to react to the page. All it takes is time, which we’re all short of now days, but if you’re looking to increase those conversions then it is really worthwhile giving it a go.
Categories: web design
Tagged: a/b testing, landing page, split testing
To use a CMS or not to use a CMS – that is the question. I know it seems like a no brainer doesn’t it. A few months ago I would have vehemently yelled “hell yes build the site in a CMS and give your client the power to update their own content”. It’s definitely a great way of giving structure, workflow and a suite of tools for you as the developer. I was thinking that in most cases you’d be silly not to have one if you were able to implement it. But now I am not so sure it’s always a good idea.
There is a huge selection of very good open source content management systems out there to choose from so you don't need to develop your own.
The amount of clients that we have that have opted in to the CMS and pay the extra charges in order to save in the long run, but then do not make the effort to actually update the content on the site is quite incredible. What’s more, no matter how hard we lock down the styles, implement strict style guides and keep it as simple as possible, some clients still seem to have an amazing ability to somehow manage to create content that is unbelievably dreadful.
I think sometimes the fact you don’t need not to have any technical knowledge to update content, which is the main selling point of the CMS, is actually not a good thing. It would be good also to have some small amount of design ability – the site is a visual medium after all – shouldn’t the person updating the site at least know that pink text on a black background makes you want to poke your own eyes out? And inserting 5mb images may be celver because they did it themsleves, but all of a sudden the phone is ringing because their server limit is up and their new shiny web pages keep crashing. Where does the training stop?
A CMS can often help to increase user experience and provide a great business tool for your clients, or it can just become a big expensive waste of time and still produce a lousy result.
Don’t get me wrong I am still all for implementing a CMS when it’s appropriate. And for my part, especially on larger sites, it often actually makes the process from a development perspective a lot easier. But I definitely think you need to guide clients through the first few week of running the site on the CMS. Training them up and leaving them to it is not good enough. Providing some basic design skills and file optimisatiopn skills may be necessary too. Push them to add and update content more than they think they need to, just to get into good habits and learn the how to use the CMS on their own site properly.
If your client is not realistically going to make the effort to update the site, maybe you could offer alternatives for keeping content fresh like RSS. Or build it in the CMS if it’s easier but don’t actually enable the functionality. Or maybe am I just ranting as the victim of one too many tacky clipart images being put into my (previously) lovely sites.
Categories: web design
Tagged: cms, open source, web design
Working in an agency that has a digital offering can be a strange experience sometimes. Often you’ll get web project proposals presented as one bullet point in a list of 15 advertising and marketing objectives in a client’s advertising brief. It’s very rare that you’d be talking to a marketing manager who has any sort of comprehensive IT knowledge. The website seems to have just been put on the list like it’s just another channel – which is your fault because that’s what you’ve been telling everyone it is! But it’s not is it. We just say that to win the business! So what do we do now that it’s on the agenda?
Next time you’re sitting with your client and they are going through their projected ad spend, and they mention a website, stop them there. Leave the room and go and get your Technical Director (or similar role – some sort of propellerhead anyway). I know they are usually cardigan-wearing Star Trek fans who kind of scare the client and ruin your whole company image of being cool, but it’s vital that you get the techies involved at the very start of any web project. The sooner the better. Even if they don’t say anything in the first instance (this is often preferable) it’s good to have them thinking about implications of the project right from the onset.
The reason I say this is because with the way business practices are being moved online, what used to be a brief for a simple brochure-ware site can now be developed/evolved into a powerful business tool. The client may not even realise the functionality available to them now. So although they might think they are asking for one thing, they might be actually touching on something a lot more powerful and functional than they realise. When sites come in as part of an ad spend they are often not as well thought out as a stand-alone project where you might be sent an rfp or tech spec. Cover your arse and get the geeks in from day one.
however, not all site briefs will need a techie sitting in on the meeting. A good rule of thumb is that the company website is more often that not a business tool, and a microsite is usually only required to be a branding tool. For a branding microsite I’d consider myself capable of taking a good enough brief for the boffins to get a good grasp on the requirements of the project. For a company site, I’d get the techie in, and also suggest that we just have a quick talk about it and come back to it when we have more time. Also, lately I’ve found myself writing creative briefs for sites for our clients, and presenting them back to make sure we’re all on the same page. It’s just been easier than trying to get the client to do it when often they are not capable of getting their head around what is required. I can then pass that onto the techies to do the tech spec and scope. Often it’s a lot better option than trying to make your client do it.
Categories: digital advertising · web design
Tagged: digital advertising, digital brief, project management, technical specification
Steve's top 5 web banner tips
Bit short on time today but I just had to rush out a banner for a client. While doing it I thought I’d jot down 5 quick tips that might help you with your banner designs.
Give a reason to click using targeted messages.
If you are trying to drive traffic to your site, don’t stick all the information the user needs to know in the banner. Why would you click on a banner if you know all there is to know. You need to entice the users to click. Many designers say that a great design will get people clicking, but it’s not really true. A great message will get more people clicking. Think about the site you are advertising on. Determine why people are on that site, what are they interested in and how can your brand fulfil their needs. Then determine what message will make want to them click to come to your site. You need to give the user a reason to click on the banner!
Flashing content
Don’t have anything that you want people to read flashing. You can have content flashing to get people’s attention that is fine. But trying to read flashing text is going to give users an epileptic fit. Get their attention by all and any means, and then hit them with a clear, readable brand message or call to action.
Landing page
Make sure the page that your banner is linking to a landing page that reflects the message that was in your banner. If you have a computer deal for $899, then make sure that deal is the first thing you see when the page opens up. Don’t just dump people on your home page. You can further optimise this page as well for more targeted search results.
Include your URL
This is a battle I have with a lot of customers. DoubleClick have surveyed that many users like to ”view through” ads, meaning they will take note of the banner, but instead of clicking the banner, will manually visit the site in question after viewing an ad at a more convenient time. This can cause a bit of havoc with your metrics and is another reason where a specific landing page is very helpful. If your URL is not on your ad, how can people view through at a later date?
Brand Continuity
Your banner design should reflect the page it is directed to. It helps reaffirm your brand message, and doesn’t confuse the user by throwing up a completely different set of visual cues. I’ve been the user in a few such scenarios myself. I’ve had several browser windows open (as always), clicked on a banner, been distracted (as always), and later came back to the page that had no resemblance to the banner I had clicked. I didn’t recognise the page so I just closed the window. It only occurred to me later on what the page was. Too late – I was onto something else (as always). Once again, this is another endorsement for a custom landing page.
Categories: digital advertising · web design
Tagged: digital advertising, landing pages, SEO, tips, top 5, web banner
I just got sent this brilliant little parody of the creative and development process involved in redesigning the Stop sign. It made me laugh, but it also rang so true that it made me a little uncomfortable. I think it does an excellent job at pointing out the dangers of not nailing down your project plan, and more to the point, your project goals, before you start your build.
I would stop at this?
A project is usually considered a success if the requirements of the stakeholders are fulfilled. It’s true. Who else is going to give you grief over it? When starting a new project, you need to determine who these stakeholders are before you do anything else. A stakeholder is anyone who has a vested interested in the end product. Along with the project sponsors, the project team, content contributors, end-users, managers, and financial controllers can all be stakeholders. Nothing derails a project like a stakeholder being included late in the piece – they almost always want to stick their oar in and bugger it all up.
It’s happened to me a few times, or should I say, I have let it happen to me a few times. I have worked on a stop sign! (…metaphorically speaking). People who for one reason or another weren’t originally considered important in terms of defining the goals of the site, are included into the mix at a later date, and understandably they usually try to make some impact on the project. And as your profit margin diminishes, you are left sitting there whimpering, “I am a good person – why is this happening to me?” Step one of any new project is to make a full list of the stakeholders, and get it signed off by the sponsor.
When you are making your project plan it is important to make sure your stakeholders have as much input as possible to get clear list of goals to form the basis of your plan.
Ensuring the goals of the stakeholders are defined, realistic, documented, and then managed, will help you avoid leaving yourself open to… scope creep (*shudder*). Also, in making this list you will have to resolve any conflicting goals amongst these stakeholders. Better to do it now that half way into your build. You’ll also gain a decent idea of what criteria will be used to judge the success of the project. Once these goals outlining what is expected at the end of the project have been finalised, then get that signed off too.
Now that you’ve got the goals for the project nailed down, you can push on and write your deliverables, and development timeline, sort out your project team, and all that other fun stuff, knowing that as far as requirements go, your arse is covered.
Categories: digital advertising · web design
Tagged: account management, digital advertising, goals, project management, project plan, scope creep, stakeholders, web design
It’s been a long winter here and after months of eating chips on the couch watching movies, I have decided to get fit for summer. I was just at a spin class before, and in between thinking I might actually be sick and pass out, I thought now might be a good time to quickly whip our company website into shape as well. A Spring clean if you like.
Here’s my 5 tips on how to quickly Spring clean your website and freshen it up without undergoing a whole redesign.
That’s it. And unlike my spin classes, it won’t take very long at all to get a good result.
Categories: web design
Tagged: redesign, SEO, tips, top 5, web design, web site
Steve’s Digital Advertising Blog
