So, I thought I would share with you, some of the unique features of Wikipedia and just what it is that makes the website so easy to use.

Jump – to / Quick navigation menu

Each Wikipedia  entry page has a vertical sub-menu towards the left of the page, immediately after the introductory paragraphs. The great feature about this is that it not only gives you an instant overview of all the types of information available on that page about the subject but clicking on any item within the sub-menu also makes the page scroll down to that part of the information within the page.  For subjects for which Wikipedia has quite a lot of information, this is especially useful and a great way to save time and quickly find the information you are looking for.

The location of this sub-menu is also quite logical – positioned after the opening paragraphs. I imagine that most users find the information they are looking for within the opening paragraphs and for those who want to delve deeper within the subject, they can use the sub menu to find their way through.

Annotations

Approx. 96% of information within Wikipedia pages is cited with the relevant source of reference via a superscript number in straight brackets which isn’t uncommon. However, clicking on a numbered reference immidiately scrolls the page towards the bottom to that source citation. What’s especially useful is that the source highlights in blue making it immediately clear  which source of reference you clicked on. This is very useful and almost essential in a site like Wikipedia which in many cases cites hundreds of references in a single article.

Images

Finally, every image listed is marked with a little “window in window” sign to indicate that clicking on an image opens it in a new page, within the same browser window. Strictly speaking, I think this signs actually indicates that clicking on the image will open a new page in a new browser window, I suppose this icon is still useful to the group of beginners and intermediate Internet users.

Progress indicator -  Let the users know where in the checkout process they are, what’s required of them and what is remaining to be done. By having a clearly marked and descriptive progress bar (ideally, somewhere at the top, placed horizontally), users will be more prepared to do what your website needs them to.

Make making changes easy – the shopping cart should display every single item clearly (think product name, any attributes, quantity, size, colour, as applicable) and as importantly, should allow them to change any aspect of it easily.  Simplest thing to do here would be to make the product name a hyperlink apart from the quantity which should be changeable within the cart itself. Having a simple ‘Change’ text and function can also give additional assurance to users that they are making an informed purchase and at will

Peace of mind – if the product comes with any sort of warranty, can be exchanged or returned for a refund, emphasise this during the checkout pages to give users an additional sense of security.

Third party accreditation – If your e-commerce site has third party SSL , then make this prominent during checkout. This will give users the confidence that their personal and financial details will be kept safe and can significantly decrease your website’s checkout abandonment rates.

Save for later – Allow users to save their cart contents and return to your website at a later time to complete the purchase.  We live in a world of distractions where we’re constantly bombarded with various things that require our “immediate” attention. Allowing users to save their cart means they’ll be more inclined to return after having made the initial commitment of having spent the time to browse your site and add items to cart. Yes, there’s a chance that some may never return, however, based on our experience of having built 00′s of online shops, I can tell you that over a 30 day period, this feature can in fact increase overall conversion rates.  You can also have a simple auto responder email set up where the user is automatically emailed within x days if they haven’t returned to checkout.

Require minimum commitment – Allow your users to checkout without having to register.  Jared Spool’s “The $300 million button” article demonstrates how one company increased sales by 45% resulting in $300 million of additional sales generated.

After sales service – If your product comes with after sales service or support, make this clear.  There may be instances depending on the product you are selling that this may not apply to you.  However, you can still show to your users that you are here to help even after the sale is made. For example, a fashion retailer may offer free advice or styling tips to use the product just purchased.   Online shoppers are much more sophisticated now and there’s a good chance that they’re making an informed buying decision in which case they may not need the support anyway. However, knowing you’re there helps give them an additional sense of security and satisfaction with their purchase.

I hope you find this useful. If you’ve got a tip of your own that has helped make a tangible difference to your bottom line, I would love to hear about it.

I have compiled a list of some more things that you can easily do towards your Ecommerce site which will not only help it differentiate itself from the competition but also improve its rankings within the Search Engines.

Create killer product descriptions - If you’re selling mass-produced  it can be difficult to stand out. One way you can do this is by supplementing your products with ultra useful product descriptions that will tip the conversion scales in your favour. Thinking about questions that customers frequently ask about the product and including this can help more shoppers make an informed decision. You can also consider adding a ‘Ask a question’ feature similar to eBay where the answers can be made visible for everyone’s benefit.  You could also add a Reviews section for the product. The main advantage of the last 2 features is that once they are setup, its a relatively easy way to be generating content on an ongoing basis.

Simply put, the more original and useful content each of your product pages have, the better it is not just for a prospect but for search engines.

Update  your site often – If you want your website to fare better in search rankings, getting Search Engines to index your site frequently is a start. One way to do this is by publishing and updating content often. Unfortunately, doing this is a challenge for many online retailers since product pages don’t evolve much once they go online. One way to overcome this by using automated tools such as Reviews or Ask a question suggested above.  Once a feature like this has been built into the site, it requires little maintenance and allows for product pages to be populated with information constantly.

Forget Keyword Density (KD) – Until some time ago, the ratio of the keyword you are targeting to the overall keyword count mattered. Now, not only is this less important but Google recommends using synonyms to keep the language style natural.  When crafting product descriptions, think of all the possible terms a user may use to search for the product instead of focusing on just the one or two. For lower competition and niche products, this has the additional benefit of increasing your chances of getting better rankings for a wider range of search queries.

Cite external references – If there’s independent research available out there that supports certain product claims made by you or the manufacturer, cite these as references. This will inspire user confidence and increase the “depth” of your product pages which Google loves to see.

Use meta descriptions – Last but not least, don’t forget to update the meta description for each product. Since this doesn’t have much of an effect on SEO, you have the room to be creative. A well written or eye-catching meta description can increase the Click-through rates within the Search Engine Results Page (SERP).

A company showreel will display your companies identity, professionalism and past work but then again a welcome video will make your website more direct and personable. Video testimonials from past clients will make your brand more appealing for new clients but an advert will give detailed information on what you offer in a very viewer friendly format… so how to make this decision? …well firstly,  If your budget will only allow you to make one marketing video it is important to look at the main goals you would like to achieve from this video. In order to do this it is important to look over your companies identity and past marketing stratergies to find the best suited type of corporate video for your company. If your website is lacking a personable quality you may want to go down the corporate showreel or welcome video route. If you have a product or service that needs more exposure this may require an advert, informercial or webvert. If you would like to build brand presence in your specific area possibly an innovative viral video is in order. Success of your video will greatly depend on choosing the right type of video for your brand so it is important to look into these videos when making your choice.

I speak to to online retailers often and it seems that the majority of them login to their Website Analytics program to check only the most popular metrics such as No. of visits,  search terms or URLs that generated the visits and perhaps,  which other websites are linking to them.  This is all good, however, this data set won’t tell you anything about a potential shopper’s behaviour – what they did once they arrived at your website, which is much more important to the bottom line.

Here are 5 other metrics that can will give you a more accurate measure of your ecommerce website’s performance and what you can do to improve each. Your other marketing efforts, online or offline, will also have a bearing on these which can help you understand what works for your customers and what doesnt.

Note: The availability of these metrics will depend on your website analytics program (Google Analytics provides most of them listed below). Also, you must have ecommerce goals set within your analytics.

1. Average order value – You may already know this but using your analytics program to monitor this can give you insights into the average order value trend of your product over a period of time. You can also uncover the effect of any other changes you may have made to your website which has a direct impact to the average order value. For example, last year we ran a few tests for an online retailer where we found that the average order value had gone up by 6% after the introduction of a VeriSign SSL Security seal on their website.  Another example is for an online fashion store which experienced increase in the average order value after their clothes were featured in some fashion magazines. By comparing your average order value against any website changes, you can uncover what works and what doesnt.
2. Conversion rate of new visitors -Most visitors don’t buy on the first visit.  However, this will vary from one site to another depending on other factors such as user friendliness of your site, availability of alternatives, how long visitors usually spend on research before they buy the product you sell and so on.  Your goal should be to do everything you can to encourage visitors to buy on the first visit because not every visitor will return to your site. Time bound offers work well to increase first time visitor conversions. Another strategy you could try is introducing a “impulse purchase” version of your product (a toned-down, less expensive version) – this may not always be possible and yes, that does potentially mean less revenue. However, once you have converted a visitor into a customer, there’s a better chance of selling to them again in the future.
3. Conversion rate of returning visitors – This is the group most likely to buy from you. Once you know what your average number for this group is, you should monitor it each month to make sure that any of your other marketing efforts does not have a negative impact on this. A certain percentage of your returning visitors will also be previous customers. Unfortunately, differentiaging between the two is possible in only the most advanced analytics programs. However, you can get hold of this data by doing a little bit of research (manually determining whether an order is from an old or new customer) and using this info to try out new offers. For example, if you find that a high percentage of customers visit your site often and buy from you again, you could have a Special Offer for previous customers only. Not only is this uncommon (most businesses advertise offers for new customers only) but it can encourage new visitors to buy from you as you clearly seem to be unlike other retailers hunting high and low for new customers.
4. Items per order – Similar to the average order value, you should know the average number of items per order. In some ways, this can give you indications into the quality and price competitivness of your product.  For example, if you find that the average no. of items per order has gone up without any changes to the price,  then over a period of time, this can mean that customers find your proudct priced competitively and of good quality. Ofcourse, you should validate this data by surveys or personal contact. You can also use cross selling tools to increase the average no. of items per order (For more on cross selling, see related post – What most online retailers can learn from Amazon.co.uk)
5. Abandonment rates – This is one of the biggest challenges for any online retailer – reducing the rate of visitors who add an item to cart but never complete the order (by making the payment).  This is an extremely key metric to monitor because you may be doing everything right elsewhere on your website but if the checkout process is cumbersome, a majority of your marketing efforts may be going to waste. Abaondment during checkout can happen at various stages – after adding an item to cart,  after entering the shipping info, before making payment and so on. First step is knowing the abandonment rates for the various steps during checkout.  Next, you should consider making changes or improvements to one step at a time and monitor its effect. This can help you perfect your checkout process via a series of trial and error.

For more related posts on improving the performance of your ecommerce website, see http://www.flow20.com/category/ecommerce.

Critics claim the output resolution of the C300 is HD and not 4K as Canon are suggesting as it has an output of 1920×1080 resolution, however, Canon claim, due to its 4K sampling in its 16:9 CMOS censor, higher resolution is created despite outputting to only 1080p. Cinema projectors are only able to project 2K so one has to wonder how important a higher resolution within the camera is when the output format will have to be lower than this, especially with regard to corporate video unless it is being shown at a conference where it will be shown on a projector your video’s main platform will most likely be your website. This means it will mostly be shown on a small scale the size of a postcard…if not smaller. So will your corporate video benefit from being filmed on such a high resolution format at all? The difference in resolution will be small or arguably non existent to the untrained eye if it is shown on a website.

With it being shown on this platform it is guaranteed the overall difference will not be as obvious as if it was shown on a large IMAX projector. Yet most people will be perceive the video to have a higher production value ( whether they are aware this is because it has been downscaled from a very large resolution or not). Meaning a higher resolution to your video will also raise audiences overall impressions of the quality…. consequently benefiting their overall perception of your brand.

A well-crafted and detailed safety video is one way you can minimise the risk of not just accidents happening in the first place but mitigating the severity of any claims in the event of an accident.

Safety videos explaining Healthy and Safety at work is becoming used by more organisations and watching a Safety Video as part of initial training is becoming the norm in larger organisations.

We recently finished Video Production for one such client and here are some tips we picked up along the way which can help you maximise the potential benefits of a safety video and minimize risk of a claim.

- Clearly mention that the bad practice shown in your video is a deliberate attempt and created for illustration purposes only and that this isn’t the norm.
- Always get a written confirmation from employees after watching the safety video that they have fully understood its content and that any doubts or questions or asked before signing the form.
- Your safety video should be interactive where possible. Asking employees to fill out a questionnaire at the end of the video will help in deepening their learning and further minimize the risk of accidents or compensation claims.
- Have someone from the top level management, ideally, CEO or MD to provide a closing statement at the end of the video. Depending on the type of organisation, this may be cumbersome to do on a regular basis. However, this shows deep commitment to safety in your organisation from all levels of management including the senior most.
- Involving your legal department or attorney during the production and scripting stages can fine tune and iron out any imperfections or oversights with the final product

Most professional organisations take safety at work seriously. However, going the extra mile will not only help your organisation stand out as a safety conscious brand but more importantly, make for a safer environment at work.

Before the days of the Internet and the social web, you would have done this by calling your competitors up, posing as a customer to get the information you wanted.  The other option was to physically visit their site, if it was a retail outlet to gauge their set-up,  how busy they were and so on.

Now, however, you can gain much more information, both in terms of quality and quantity in a month than you could before in perhaps, 3 or 6 months. All you have to do is become a part of the online audience that your competitors market to and all the information is sent to you at the comfort of your workplace, home and even mobile.

So, here’s a list of website tools and Online Marketing channels that you can use to stay in touch with what your competitors are up to:

• Newsletter – sign up to receive newsletter from your competitor websites.
• Facebook – become a fan
• Twitter – become a follower
• Blog – subscribe to their blog posts
• Website feeds – subscribe to their website feed, if they have one. This will keep you updated on any changes made on their website (and not just the blog, for example)
• Jobs – Visit their jobs or Careers page to see if and who they’re hiring
• News – Frequent their news page to see news/events/developments within the company

Apart from knowing what your competitors are up to, another, and maybe an even more important reason is that you can learn about how your industry is shaping up and where its heading,  innovations and developments. This can help generate ideas that you can explore within your own organisation to…stay ahead.

And, it wasn’t until recently when I came across the info Alexa has for the 2 search engines, and the differences between their demographics that got me thinking that there are certainly instances where Bing should be made a part of your online marketing mix.

Age

Bing’s main audience is between the ages of 45 and over whereas Google (and Yahoo) tend to cater to a much younger target audience.   For a product or service (Example, Saga)  that primarily caters to the older audience group, it makes sense to allocate at least a certain percentage of your marketing budget towards Bing. The quality of traffic and leads generated as well the cost-benefit and ROI from Bing, in such an instance should all be higher than Google.

This difference in the age groups of the 2 search engines also results in some other key differences which can make an impact into the overall effectiveness of your marketing strategy:

Location / Time

Not surprisingly then, a higher percentage of Bing users are likely to be using the internet from home rather than school or work. Whilst this shouldn’t have any direct implications to your Search Engine Optimization (SEO) plan, you should consider your Pay Per Click (PPC) budget allocation, if PPC is part of your marketing mix.

Most well-run or professionally managed PPC campaigns are configured so that the majority of the ads appear during the times, the prospect is most likely to visit the website and take some form of action and this will vary based on the product offered, price and so on.  For example, based on our own experience managing PPC campaigns for clients,  an expensive products, and especially services tend to get the best quality of traffic and therefore, conversions from 8:00pm – 2:00am. This is most likely due to the fact that high-income earners who could afford the service only have the spare time to research and make a purchase for leisure activities around this timeframe.

In the case of Bing and if your target market is the older age group, it makes sense to have the majority of your PPC ads running from 11:00am – 3:00pm during which time, this age group is most likely to be using the web (We don’t have publicly available stats to confirm this but this is what we have found after looking at the Google Analytics data of our various clients who serve this age group).

Education

Most probably a result of the age differences amongst the users of the 2 search engines, the education level of the average Bing user is less than that of Google.

Depending on your business offering, it may make sense to take this into account. For example, if you are offering training courses in computers, its more likely that you’ll find your target audience at Bing than Google. And yes, whilst the market size of your audience is going to be less at Bing, the quality should be higher, resulting in less Cost Per Acquisition.

Quality of leads

The default search engine for most internet users in the UK is Google. Bing is the default search engine that comes as a pre-set in most PCs.

Most tech-savvy individuals (which usually tend to be in the younger age group of 18 – 34) will immediately change from Bing to Google on their computers. This isn’t that common amongst the older age group (which to a certain extent plays a part in Bing’s market share of this age group).

Therefore, using Bing as a marketing channel to reach the older age group may keep the quality of leads and conversions higher.

Gender

Bing has a higher amount of users who are women than Google.

As with the other differences listed above, it may make sense to take this into account if your target market comprises of women primarily.

China

Bing gets 3 times more traffic from China than Google (most likely as a result of the problems Google has had with Chinese governments).

In this case, Bing can help increase the volume and quality of leads for companies who are offering products or services which may be of interest to the Chinese population.

I’m sure you can make many more inferences form the above data.  Apart from the obvious, another take-away from this is the total Return on Investment (ROI).  It is easier to carry out SEO for Bing and the Cost Per Clicks for ads are cheaper.  If your customer demographics are very similar to Bing, then the leads and enquiries you generate via Bing will be higher and the ad spend should be lower.

All in all, this could make a significant and positive difference to your marketing ROI.

PS.  Entrepreneur.com has a helpful post on this topic at http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/217201.