K, P, and Is, OH MY!

If you're getting started with KPIs for your website traffic, it's good to have an idea of where to start. Now, it's important to note that not all KPIs are created equal, nor should they be. Most KPIs from organization to organization are different and based on the organization's needs and it's products or services. However, there are some good baseline KPIs that can be used to get going.

This article from @DaveSnyder points out some very useful KPIs and determining their value. goo.gl/48ax61

Happy Thanksgiving!

Cross-Channel User Experience: Making it Seamless

When it comes to usability, we need to strive for a seamless user experience from device to device, from device to physical world, and from physical world to device. Providing this level of continuity allows for a better user experience and may provide a competitive advantage.

During the decision making phase, the last thing we want to do is disrupt the thought process or sidetrack the user. Many users will move from device to device (e.g., mobile device to laptop) or device to physical location (e.g., tablet to a physical store),  and making the transition seamless will be more engaging and provide for a better overall user experience; and hopefully ensuring the conversion or sale.

I couldn't agree more with an article from Janelle Estes from the Nielsen Norman Group. Consistency from one channel to another is key. We want to give the user the information they need, but make it as simple as possible and eliminate unnecessary steps along the way.

This needs to be a serious consideration if you're converting your website to responsive web design or  developing a mobile app.

Read more on this from the Nielsen Norman Group website as they provide some excellent real world examples.

http://www.nngroup.com/articles/seamless-cross-channel/

10 Surprising Social Media Stats

Came across a good read from +Belle Beth Cooper on the current status of social media. If you work at a university, this article addresses not only prospective and current students, but also older alumni. But whatever your industry, this article provides some good insight as to how you should be thinking about social media right now. Now, I'm always leery about stats, but I think these are a pretty good representation of where we stand today with social media demographics and access.

If you've been trying to get the powers-that-be to understand the need for more resources for social media engagement, this is a good one to pass along.

http://goo.gl/8AtoQV

Think Human!

We've all been hearing about the changes that Google's Hummingbird algorithm has made with Search Engine Optimization (SEO). I think the jury is still out with whether keyword matches will still help rankings. Let's face it, if people are typing in a search phrase into Google, you still want that search phrase to be on your page because when the human sees the phrase, the human will know your content is relevant to them.  It's more important than ever to think human when creating your content, not just search engines.

Alesia Krush @alesiakrush published an infographic on Search Engine Journal to give her take on the Hummingbird. It is a good read. http://goo.gl/oUz2MR

Meta Descriptions. Here's the scoop

Came across this article today from Pete Prestipino at Website Magazine that includes a video from Matt Cutts on the proper use of Meta Descriptions. http://goo.gl/VrkJ4x


Create unique meta descriptions for main content pages, never duplicate meta descriptions, and if you leave meta descriptions blank, Google will generate the associated text in the SERPs for you.

Also, when you create your meta descriptions, consider using keywords based on that page so that when users search on those keywords, those words will be bold in the SERP hopefully giving you a higher probability of click through.

Handling "Not Provided" Results in Google Analytics

This may not be new news, but Google is and has been encrypting results to protect its users. This means that when you're in Google Analytics, you may see "Not Provided" when looking at keywords used to access your site. This is a big problem for search engine marketers for results from organic campaigns.

Brad Smith provides a good article at Search Engine Land on how to combat this growing issue: http://goo.gl/U69HgE

Do the powers that be in your organization understand blogging?

I will admit, years ago when people started blogging, I didn't  see the point of keeping an online diary. My life just isn't that exciting.

Blogging certainly has evolved into an important component at the top of the marketing funnel. It provides for awareness of your organization and will drive traffic to your website. But how do you make the powers that be understand that?

Corey Eridon at HubSpot posted a nice article on the Benefits of Blogging. If your boss doesn't understand why your organization should be blogging, send her/him this URL: http://goo.gl/W81LLV

Search engines and time to first byte!

Think site speed isn't important? Of course you think it's important. No one wants to wait for anything! Google knows that fast loading sites = happy users, and therefore may impact your search rankings. Read on... http://goo.gl/3aqUWW

Web Surveys Should = Fun!

I recently began thinking about surveying target audiences to make sure we're hitting our mark with content. You know, no one wants to do a survey, really, when there' so many other better things to do online. So it has to be engaging.

That's when I came across an article that speaks about making your surveys fun. If you can put humor in your survey, it'll not only speak of who you are, but also that you care enough to make this task worthwhile.

http://blog.cup.li/how-to-create-a-fun-survey/