Warmest Greetings,

:: Wednesday, November 26, 2003 ::

Google gossip.

"'No one can figure out who's in charge or even what Google's licensing policy is," says a business partner.' Thirty per cent of Google's thousand plus employees are contractors, the bottom of what Vogelstein describes as "a caste system". The contractors don't have access to the Waiters on Wheels vouchers for fathers on paternity leave, or any stock options." Bill Joy spurned job at 'out of control' Google


Hope you're on their good side Chris! >>> Page and Brin's Blog

In the USA it will be Thanksgiving Day tomorrow. Despite it's origin (the Pilgrims later killed the Indians from the Tribe that fed them) the people of the USA now dedicate the day to giving thanks to family and friends, and eat gobs of food with complete abandon. They no longer kill the people that deliver the food.

I'm thankful for many things. I have a lot of friends and I like the work I do. I'm able to work from home, so my Golden Retriever is thankful he doesn't have to wait forever to go potty. I'm thankful I can feed my kids because I once a knew a time when I couldn't. It's said "what doesn't kill you makes you stronger." I think what doesn't kill you makes you a little crazy. At Cre8asiteForums, you can thank the Turkey.

Attention Ecommerce sites:

E-Shoppers Are Now E-Spenders -
Retailers Are Learning To Give Web Customers What They Want, Such As Better Integration Of Sites And Stores And Flexible Return Policies

"It seems that the virtual world's top retailers are succeeding because they've learned the simple and time-honored tradition of keeping their customers satisfied. The idea is straightforward -- at least in concept: Provide a good experience consistently, and buyers will keep coming back."

Have you ever wished there was one place that contained a list of everything you need to know to make your web store user-friendly? What is causing those mysterious low sales leads? Find help in "Please Ring Bell for Service" - A Usability Checklist for Ecommerce Websites

"BT Openworld said that the most common areas neglected by businesses are company news, product information and contact details. The study also found that incorrect location details and broken links often went unnoticed for weeks, while many firms forgot to remove information of special offers that had already expired.

According to BT Openworld, small firms are in danger of falling into a “web wilderness” and missing out on sales by failing to update their sites regularly." >>> Small.biz neglects online presence

:: posted by Kim Krause Berg on 11/26/2003 12:31:27 PM

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:: Tuesday, November 25, 2003 ::

SEO and ROI. Not just pocket change anymore.
Case Study: 3000% ROI for Macdonald Hotels

"Since launching the search engine marketing campaign, Ambergreen has maintained a sixfold increase in weekly traffic to Macdonald Hotels.

With a solid return on investment of 29:1 the campaign has extended to encompass seasonal variations and Macdonald Hotels continues to receive £29 back for every £1 spent with Ambergreen."

Google Baseball.

It's hard to travel the SEO circuit and not notice the hysteria about Google. It's SERPS (search engine results pages) have pitched high balls, low balls, fast balls, slow balls, and out of bounds balls. SEO's are tossing their bats in the air in frustration. Google searchers likely could care less what's happening on the field as long the SERPs give them something relevant to watch (use).

Google Soap Channel

So, who is going to buy the Google team when it goes up for sale, and how? (It's not if it goes up for sale. The dramatic story line now is that Google will be offering shares...) Fortune magazine looks at this in Will Google Be Giggling?

"The debate is between two possibilities. The first is that Google will conduct its IPO the bad old way, by allowing investment bankers to sell to their clients a relatively small chunk of the company at a price the bankers determine.

The second is that Google will conduct an online auction for its initial public shares, a process that would be likely to yield Google more upfront money and would be considered more fair than the current process."

Scream here.

Update Postmortem-- sifting through the rubble

"Why would Google wreck its future for a fast buck this Christmas? It would be complete madness."

"The evidence is there for the viewing, couldn't actually be any clearer. There IS a filter in place for certain phrases and it is a conscious decision on their part."

"Since many of the terms that are used in Adwords are those that have been highly optimized by spammers and others, Google is using the high bid Adwords phrases as a Dictionary in the current anti-spam filter (Post Florida as the Google watchers say). In other words, Google is assuming a correlation between SEO-spamming and high bid terms. This would also encourage such website owners to use Adwords, but this may be an incidental side-effect for Google (albeit very profitable)."

"It smells like a way of detecting (and degrading) people who have used 'organic' SEO where Google would rather they were spending money on AdWords.

Those hit are primarily people who have engaged in SEO campaigns: i.e. are potential customers proven to be knowing the value of, and/or happy to spend money to attain, good positions in search."

Recent Shift in Ranks

"Friday night, I used the "Dissatisfied with your search results? Help us improve." link to report a WPG-generated doorway page and it dissappeared within 8 hours."

"My point is, don't put it past google to eventually focus itself on trying to maximize it's profit. The day they put more focus into the Ad Words was the day the ceased to be strictly a search engine. They are now a marketing enhanced search engine."

"I'm just looking forward to Yahoo and Microsoft making their moves."

About those AdSense ads...

This Boston Globe story, As Google grows, critics emerge wonders "Do you hate Google yet?"

"This was the first time we'd ever been able to make a little money with our content," Powazek said. "To be unceremoniously booted with no warning, with no recourse, was like twisting the knife."

Yes Virginia. I found other neat stuff.

Defending Organic Search - The other side of the Comscore IAB study by Gordon Hotchkiss

"This summer the IAB and ComScore released the first major study on the effectiveness of sponsored search advertising. Not surprisingly, considering the study was sponsored by Overture and Google, the report was very favorable towards sponsored search, often at the expense of organic search.

My concern is that if you don’t look beyond the numbers presented in the ComScore/IAB Study, you would assume that organic search is a waste of time and budget. For reasons I’ll go into shortly, this is simply not the case."

The Webby Report

Search Engine Strategies Conference & Expo 2003 – Münche Our friend Alan Webb, CEO of ABAKUS Internet Marketing, reports back.

"Another important confirmation involved the indexation of dynamic webpages. Mr. Schmitt confirmed that Google will index dynamic pages with up to 2 parameters, but has problems with more than that. This wasn't so well known and gives a guideline for seos planning on mod_rewrite/isapi filters."

Thanks Alan!

Stay tuned. Tomorrow I talk turkey.

:: posted by Kim Krause Berg on 11/25/2003 10:48:37 AM

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:: Monday, November 24, 2003 ::

It's not programming code. It's Rugby they care about. EN-GER-LAND!!!

"I get all my sports news from SEO forums."

We keep him around because he's funny. Harhar

"Three preserved areas of historic burned out cars were disturbed. Many locals were woken before their giros arrived. The local paper reported that hundreds of residents were confused and bewildered. They are still trying to come to terms with the fact that the damage was caused by something else instead of them. "

Some useful stuff:

Affiliate Program - "In your professional "experience" what is the best way to go about affiliate programs?"

Bad Neighborhood Question - "What allows google to know if you are a part of a farm linking system?"

Do you use article syndication? - "I'm thinking about getting article syndication software to help promote my site. Has anyone ever used this kind of software?"


Other:

More toys. Overture & Google Unveil New Advertiser Tools

Yet another monthly shocker from JN. Two Sigma: Usability and Six Sigma Quality Assurance - "On average across many test tasks, users fail 35% of the time when using websites. This is 100,000 times worse than six sigma's requirement, but Web usability can still benefit from a six sigma quality approach. "

How come I didn't get a nice little PR from Looksmart too? Looksmart does something! and in case you missed this hilarious thing from Chris:

Missing PR and Christmas Trees

New blog tool in town. Sparkpod -
"100% web-based blogging service requires no software, no web hosting, and can be set up in 5 minutes, 100% no coding." (quote from URLwire)

Dear Kalena. Hope you're feeling better soon! (But it's nice to have an excuse to rest, eh?)

If you like to give from your heart, here's something interesting to look into. Auctions For A Cause

"Our company's goal is to make a positive and significant difference throughout our communities. To accomplish this, Auctions 4 A Cause has developed a new and innovative method to raise money for charities and fundraisers called the Auction 4 Charity.

Our members are given the chance to purchase great products at 80-90% off retail prices while raising money for the charities we support through the bidding fees they pay to participate in the auctions. Every quarter Auctions 4 A Cause donates between 25% and 65% of our net proceeds to the charities and non-profit fundraising events we support."


Be forewarned. I'll be off from this Thursday, November 27 to Monday December 1 for the US holiday of food, thanksgiving, and the annual look back at an embarressing moment in our country's history.

:: posted by Kim Krause Berg on 11/24/2003 12:23:20 PM

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:: Friday, November 21, 2003 ::

Something tells me I'm going to make up for not blogging here yesterday.. .

Recommended read:

Jared Spool, as usual, writes another incredible article. This one covers an area that's difficult to get from conception to final design. Say your site objective is to present a huge shopping catalog online. How do you organize it and present it so that navigating won't be confusing? What if you want to provide services, products, information, news, and a blog. Which of these do your visitors want to see first and of them, what do you have contained inside those areas that are good starting points for drilling down? How do you prevent yourself from designing away from the path to gems? How do you know the difference between what the company feels is of vital importance and interest and what the user determines is worthwhile to them?

Jared shares techniques in The CAA: A Wicked Good Design Technique. To implement the CAA system you'll need users. For that I'm sending you to Site-Report.com where they specialize in user testing per your specs, budget and site objectives. I'm sure James Saunders, the owner, will be happy to get you started.

Search Engine Optimization:

A new SEO newsletter has made its debut, this time from SEO Works owner Peter Farber. It's organized well and he hopes to drum up original articles from writers, so drop him a line at seonews@seo-works.com. Visit SEO Works Search Engine News to see the first issue. Congratulations Peter!

Cre8asiteForums is buzzin' with Google hysteria (which I still think Google does on purpose for laughs and great PR). Here are some great conversations:

Fried egg and skillet SERPs. This is Google. On Drugs.

Bumpy rides. Article about penalizing for exact-phrase match?
"Some time age Google stated through their 'official mouthpiece' that over optimisation would cause a penalty.
Their view of over optimisation changes with the wind, this time it looks like 'internal anchor text similarity' is one the major factors. ie if your internal anchor text is too consistent and matches page title, headings etc, then down ya go."

Breathe deep. Search. Chant 3 times. Breathe deep. Search....Repeat every day. Is the Google dance over?
"I'm still seeing an ongoing flux. serps change everyday and sometimes every five minutes."

THREE topics from Cre8asiteForums in today's Search Engine Forums Spotlight! I'm stoked. Thanks SearchDay (and Chris and Robert.) SearchDay #665 - Search Engine Forums Spotlight. I should be more humble, right?

Web Design:

In the old days we just got out some wood and nails. Tables
"My problem is tables. How do you get one table to go underneath another and not go along the side of the last one."

Out of SEO/SEM clients? Yahoo! Human Resources may want to talk to you. Yahoo to enter the Search Engine Optimization market

Usability:

If you want to get back "Home", don't visit the
new RoadRunner website. Cool, but not put through all the paces yet.

Kalena Jordan writes 10 Easy Steps To A User Friendly Website. Spreading the usability gospel makes my heart sing!

Mistakes has turned into suggestions for better website usability and they just keep on coming! Common Usability Mistakes. "Some sites have nothing to say, or nothing worthwhile to say. And no matter how much time and money is thrown at them trying to cover that fact up, it will always show through. And if a web site has nothing to say, then how can it ever be usable?"


Idiot news:

Anti-abortionist uses cybersquatting to protest and sees nothing wrong with invading personal property or infringing on the rights of others. Like I'm going to have any respect for his cause with THOSE tactics! Site address tricks Web surfers

Just weird:

Poor Michael Jackson. We're the same age. I left my face alone. Thank God.

:: posted by Kim Krause Berg on 11/21/2003 12:08:43 PM

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:: Wednesday, November 19, 2003 ::

I've interrupted a website testing deadline to bring you this funny tidbit about Google pointed out in Cre8asiteForums today because it's so fun to pick on a favorite search engine:

Run a search in Google for "search engine" - http://www.google.com/search?sourceid=navclient&q=search+engine

Google comes up in the #4 spot in the SERPS. Alta Vista is #1.

Run a search in Google for "search engines" - http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&ie=ISO-8859-1&q=search+engines&btnG=Google+Search

Google comes up in the #3 spot in the SERPS. Dogpile is #1.

It's safe to say Google doesn't cloak to get high rank and even all of our links BACK to their site still don't get them the number one position.

For more serious news, check out the zillion SEO blogs Daniel Bazac found in his spare time.

:: posted by Kim Krause Berg on 11/19/2003 03:10:59 PM

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:: Tuesday, November 18, 2003 ::

First off, I'd like to send Robert Clough public kudos for his family's loving care of a "dog in need" they took into their home. He gives details here in Monday's Daily Search Engine News

I live with "fart dog". It seems as though Dakota, my Golden Retriever 6 month old puppy, likes to let us know when he's around in ways humans find hard to tolerate. The Vet said "Change to a more expensive dog food." What do you think? Who has a cure for farting dogs?

Back on topic. (As if this blog ever stays focused...)

Word from Daniel Bazac of Web Design in New York is that he has joined Blog-Town and started his own SEO oriented blog called Bazac Weblog, Blog about the Search Engines and Search Engine Marketing News and Articles. I visited and found that the SEO side of Blog-Town is getting crowded with more and more interesting folks. The majority of the sites he points out are on my "Daily Travels" list, but he found more such as:

SuccessWorks by Detlev Johnson & Heather Lloyd-Martin

SageRock Web Marketing Weblog (Aren't these the folks who wrote the hilarious SEO song last Christmas season?)

and

Search Ethos Best Practices for Search Usability and SEO

Check out Danial Bazac's blog to find much more. Where in the heck he finds time to read all this stuff, I couldn't begin to guess, but he's certainly got the spirit of blogging in his soul.

Speaking of searching and linking, this is even funnier than people thinking I'm a Sex Goddess. I received an email that says "Dear Sir, We have surveyed your web site and pleased to know your company has been engaged in producing advanced-level nitrogen generator." First of all, last time I looked down, "sir"- parts weren't part of the picture.

What do "florida" and "February" have in common? How about Google? In Cre8asiteForums and other forums, people are noticing all kinds of weird things about a possible dance and time warp back to days gone by. Google does this on purpose. Haven't you figured it out yet? If we always knew what was happening over there, we'd have nothing to talk about. I mean, like, where are the furious debates about FAST and Teoma?

I'm like a lot of you in that I'm desperately trying to keep up with everything related to my work and career. Sometimes tips and reminders are found in places you'd least expect, such as this UIE seminar information page. Called Information Architecture Design Made Simple: How to Design a Simple, Yet Robust Web Site the page is about Gerry McGovern's seminar event, but it also contains great information such as

"Information architecture is not a technology issue. It is a publishing issue. Many websites have been held back because there has been too much focus on technology and fancy software. Simplicity is the key to designing a quality web site. People aren't at your site to 'enjoy' themselves. They're there to get some work done--to find some information. Customers are most happy when they get their content quickly."

All in a day's romp:

Hey Ya! Microsoft to Sell Web Music


When you want it to rain on your parade, read The Pay or Not-to-Pay Conundrum by Kevin Ryan

"I’d like to end the debate on which form of search is best, paid or unpaid, with some common sense: Nothing in life is free and all search is paid. One pays a search engine optimization firm, specialist staffer, or analytics provider. One might also pay for URLs to be fed to a search site, or pay to bid for listing positions in direct proximity to one’s competitor’s listings. All search is paid, and all search traffic can be boiled down to a click cost.

After attending (and participating in) the recent Ad:Tech New York panels on search, it is abundantly clear to me the paid and natural search worlds are still not communicating in harmony. I overheard at least one senior online marketing executive saying, “Search is promising the world right now and that will be its undoing.” Last week’s IAB/Pricewaterhouse Coopers 2003 to-date advertising revenue report confirmed the explosive growth of search citing a 22% increase in format spending since last year. Search advertisers are becoming pill-popping junkies hooked on the immediate gratification fix."

Redesign or tortured to submission? Tackling Usability Gotchas in Large-scale Site Redesigns by Jeffrey Zeldman

"We had no intention of breaking our old URLs. Yet, midway through the redesign, it looked as if we might have to."

KeywordRanking.com's Andy Beal found this meaty article called Coming soon: Market-share wars by Bambi Francisco. It's loaded with crystal ball stuff on search engine companies, and more, like

"In Smith Barney's November Internet analysis, Lanny Baker told his clients that "product development cost, marketing expenses, and stock options all appear to be on the rise next year as Internet companies appear to be bracing for increased competition, users, customers and employers."

Um. She said "users". Is your website ready for them?

:: posted by Kim Krause Berg on 11/18/2003 03:04:45 PM

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:: Monday, November 17, 2003 ::

Drive by blog....


Today is a bit hectic but there's some interesting things to share before I zoom off to the next thing.

Fun, informative threads:

Common Usability Mistakes - You choose, everyone learns.

That Search Box is Your Friend - Still think usability has no relationship to your return on investment? (Where the heck have you been?)

Making Topical Pages - "I tried something new and it worked brillantly. I wanted to share it because I think most sites could benefit from this."

Recent Shift in Ranks - "A client contacted me yesterday, freaked because many of his top positions had suddenly disappeared."

And last but not least, you can earn $4.00 (US) for every copy of my new epub you sell. That's over 15% of the selling price!
Help webmasters of ecommerce sites get all their bases covered, and earn money from your link to Please Ring Bell For Service - A Usability Checklist for Ecommerce Websites This epub is 11 pages long, and contains 4 separate checklists with 20 checkpoints each. That's 80 checkpoints you can apply to your website. Target market: Beginning web desginers, home and small businesses who want to make enhancements to their sites, SEO's interested in offering usability checking services. It is based on my work-experience with ecommerce websites, testing websites and Internet software applications, and existing usability studies and research by Human Factors and Usability specialists.


For those keeping up with my Golden Retriever puppy, Dakota, he weighed in at the Vet's today at 60 pounds! He's about 3 weeks shy of his 6 month birthday and is in excellent health! I'll have to get some recent pics up soon so you can see his smiling face.

:: posted by Kim Krause Berg on 11/17/2003 10:38:31 AM

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:: Friday, November 14, 2003 ::

Yesterday Cre8asiteForums was all abuzz about a website review on the forums by a fantastically talented writer named Diana (Don't let her picture scare you) Lane. It was the funniest, cleverest review of any website I've ever seen!

Cre8asiteForums Review is the story of "Wilfred", who realizes he needs to build a website.

"Wondering just how to make the world aware, Wilfred reluctantly concludes that what he needs is a website. Those who've followed his misfortunes may remember that he's had his fingers burnt here before - there's a lot he doesn't know, he realises. Not least how to overcome the obstacles associated with gaining internet access for a pillar box, but where there's a will there's a way. Once he's up and running, his first task is to search the 'net for help. He finds it in the shape of the cre8asite forums ( http://www.cre8asiteforums.com/ ), created and developed by cre8pc.com."

(Note: The forums were the next development in a series of clubs and groups run by Cre8pc. Development is thanks to the moderating team and we owe a great deal to the members themselves.)

Another snip from her review:

"He's completely absorbed by the time he finds 'Writing Copy and Content for the Web', and almost doesn't hear Mrs Wilfred at his side.

'I'm leaving you.'

'Uh-huh...'

'And the children are coming too.'

'Mm-huh.'

'And I'm taking the car.'

'Probably down the side of the sofa.'

Even the sound of the front door slamming was insufficient to shake Wilfred from his pre-occupation with the forums, where he was now learning that a landing page wasn't something to be found at the top of the staircase page, and that a decent copywriter was even more in demand than a good Cucumber Raita."

I can't thank Diana enough for the great read and for reviewing the forums. I would likely have had just as much fun reading it if she hated us!

Kalena Jordan of Search Engine News Blog caught the usability bug. "Yesterday, in my latest quest to improve my site's usability, I finally signed up for a free account with Atomz Site Search. I've known about this little gem for over a year now but never seemed to find the time to try it out. Basically it enables webmasters with sites of less than 500 pages to integrate a site-wide search tool into their web sites, free of charge.

I don't know what made me think it was going to be time-consuming and difficult, but it was neither. Within 15 minutes, I had set up a search tool on my two main sites. You can even customize the search box and search results pages to more closely match your site design. I just wish I'd done it months ago - Brilliant stuff!"

Part three of Crawling and indexing web pages offered by Chris Ridings is a must-read for anyone wanting to learn or be updated on SEO and search engines.

Yes! "Many long-time SEOs are now looking at the big picture and working with usability analysts. This ensures that their sites are crawler-and user-friendly along with being ready for sales conversions. Sites
that can be found and that are usable as well will also attract links. It just makes sense. The double impact of more traffic and higher conversions makes for happy clients and powerful testimonials, as well as satisfied searchers," writes Scottie Claiborne in her article SEO Without Usability -- An Exercise in Futility

Harvesting is for corn, not email. Recommended by a business website owner, I tried Natata Anti-spam Encoder. Within 5 minutes I had downloaded it and encoded my email address so that it won't be crawled by email harvesters.

People watching. Who knew you could learn so much? Field Studies: The Best Tool to Discover User Needs By Jared M. Spool is a great read for insight into user behavior and how to apply this to your website.

"While users can describe a process or share terms in an interview format, watching them work points out subtleties that they are unaware of."

:: posted by Kim Krause Berg on 11/14/2003 10:50:48 AM

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:: Thursday, November 13, 2003 ::

"Poor web site usability, for ecommerce sites especially, is akin to pushing shopping carts up and down store aisles, but making it too difficult for customers to grab anything off the shelves."

I wrote that today out of frustration because I'm noticing several things in my role as a website usability tester. Things like:

1. Webmasters think they know what they're website visitors want.
2. Ecommerce websites don't have a business plan with requirements that include user testing or marketing data on who their customers are.
3. Technology such as Palms with Internet connections, Wireless devices, FLASH, etc. aren't at the top of everyone's must-have list, or are even affordable in many areas of the world. So why are we designing so hard for this stuff and forgetting the majority of website visitors?
4. The emphasis is on high rankings, with little concern for what happens once the page is clicked on. (Like jumping into a pool of water in the desert and discovering it's only a mirage.)

The latter point is beautifully illustrated in a real-world example article written for Jill Whalen's Advisor Newsletter. (Keep your eye out for High Rankings Advisor: Beyond High Rankings - Issue No. 078. As of the time I put up this blog entry, the newsletter was not on the website yet, but she's pretty quick so it will be soon!)

In the newsletter, (which is largely focused on the relationship between content copywriting, usability and SEO), Scottie Claiborne of RightClickWebs writes, in her article:

"Recently, I needed to purchase some specific promotional materials.
No problem, I thought, I'll find a source online.

The industry is fairly competitive and the sites that I found in the
search engines had employed some aggressive SEO techniques to get to
the first page of the results.

The page Titles had the exact keyword phrases I searched for, and the
page copy repeated them many times. There were long links within the
content that included the keywords as well. SEO had worked well for
them -- here I was -- a qualified buyer with credit card in hand who
had found their site through a search engine.

And yet I abandoned that site (and the nine others like it) in
disgust. In fact, I was so irritated that I actually turned my
computer off and pulled out the Yellow Pages to find a local supplier."

This is why I wrote "Please Ring For Service - A Usability Checklist for Ecommerce Websites". I think it's well worth the $23.95, especially if you want to make an online sale that's twice that or much more. I can't imagine why anyone, whose income is largely generated online, (and with the holiday season here!) would not want to know how to make their websites customer-friendly.

'Nuff blab/rant. (For that, Cre8asiteForums offers Chat and Rave!, where we invite members a place to scream.)

Speaking of rants, have you seen the gray bars in websites the past 24 hours or so? It's driving people nuts in SEO forums, including PR has Gone Awol.

Joke I just make up.

"What did the website say to the visitor?"
(drum roll please)

"If you love me, you'll use me."


It's going to be one of those days. I can tell.

(An hour later...)

See? I knew I'd back to the blog with something. Robert Clough of SearchEngineGuidenoted this Cre8asiteForums thread in his newsletter yesterday, which is good because I totally missed it. How PPC is like a Poker Game.

:: posted by Kim Krause Berg on 11/13/2003 10:08:42 AM

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:: Wednesday, November 12, 2003 ::

What a surprise to see Chris Ridings use the quote you see in the header of the blog in his latest articles (actually it's going to be a series of writings) on From Web Page to Results Page

But that's not why I read the article. I always read Chris's articles because he likes to examine the world of SEO and search engines. This time he's taking a return look at how to get web pages into search results pages by offering a tutorial series with examples and tips like:

"The first thing we do is remove anything from the HTML that has nothing to do with the words we’re interested in. Remember that old wives tale about JavaScript at the top of files lowering rankings because it pushes the text down? Here’s why that’s not true. The Javascript has nothing to do with the words so it doesn’t even get consideration."

Your last Will and Email? MyLastEmail.com offers a chance to write down what you want to say to loved ones.

"The letters you prepare here are personal, private ‘last’ email messages that will be sent to your family and friends one day – but only after you die."

I think someone should come out with "WhatIREALLYwantedtosay.com" so we can send emails to long lost high school sweethearts and all those people we never had to courage to express the truth about how we felt about something. Or call it "YesI'mChicken.com".

How did I miss this from Andrew Goodman? Everything I Know About Marketing, I Learned from Seinfeld made me hit my "Print" button.

"I sure hope Pepsi and Hershey and the rest are paying for every impression they're receiving from Seinfeld episodes in syndication, because every time Jerry opens his fridge or Elaine "stops off for candy," this is a product placement viewers actually pay attention to."

How I know Cre8asiteForums members like the forums. posts or users?

:: posted by Kim Krause Berg on 11/12/2003 10:53:16 AM

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:: Tuesday, November 11, 2003 ::

There are days when I feel so proud of the people I work with at Cre8asiteForums, and days when I'm truly grateful that a member of the forum notices how hard we're trying over there. Today is one of those days...

From members: "Cheers to all of you at Cre8asite Forums for the poppy on the logo. You have just set a new standard for class and thoughtfulness."

"I think the Cre8 logo is the best one I've seen so far. It's got a lot of class! Congrats!"


Cre8asiteForums has placed a poppy in our logo today, to honor Veterans of war. It's a USA holiday today (Veterans's Day) and Remembrance Day in other parts of the world. From a beautiful post by Moderator "Dragonlady7":

Veteran's Day or Remembrance Day: November 11th.

"This day commemorates the Armistice signed in 1918 that ended World War I. Approximately 9 million people, soldiers and civilians alike, died in this 1914-1918 war between Germany, Austria, Italy; France, the British Empire and Commonwealth (including Canada, Australia, and New Zealand); Russia, the United States, and several other small nations caught in the middle. November 11th is a day to reflect upon the sacrifices of soldiers throughout the world, throughout history. Symbol: A red poppy is often used to symbolize this day, stemming from the incongruous sight of beautiful fields of red poppies springing up in the devastated, blood-soaked battlefields of France and Belgium."



We wanted to honor holidays and traditions from around the world. Today's poppy in our logo is an example of what we have in mind. You can learn more at Celebrations, Remembrances, and Holiday Logos

It would appear I'm in the doghouse along with Jacob Nielsen. When not to phone home

If you're trying to keep up with link building strategies, here's a gem. The Art of Advanced Link Building

This just cracked me up. Google unveils browser - media goes crazy by Andy Beal in his Search Engine Lowdown

"Knowing the brain-power of Google's employees, I bet the taskbar search was built over lunch with very little R&D involved. I can just see Sergey Brin and Larry Page, sitting down and saying "The whole world is waiting for our IPO announcement, let's launch that taskbar we have sitting around, and watch the media go crazy."

When I evaluate websites for clients, I approach it as first-time user. The needs of first-time users are often overlooked. I've seen this happen more times than I can count. Developers and stakeholders know so much about what they're creating that they forget to put in clues for those who are brand new to the site, product, idea, etc. That's why I enjoyed Optimize Your Home Page for New Visitors By Nick Usborne.

"And with returning visitors, you don't have to pay such close attention to the language. They know where to go and what to do. You can write complete nonsense on your home page, and many returning visitors won't even notice. Sloppy writing works just fine for people who don't need to read it."

:: posted by Kim Krause Berg on 11/11/2003 12:18:08 PM

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:: Monday, November 10, 2003 ::

I attend an Interfaith church and every Sunday we have a 2 hour long "Celebration". We never know what to expect from a minister that loves to dance and yesterday was no exception. We did a "Swirl Dance" whereby everyone in the congregation joins hands and, with the minister leading, we snake around the room in a series of circles, similar to a tribal dance. There's a drum in the background, and we're singing and after awhile, many of us are laughing so hard we can barely stand up!

As the circle got tighter and tighter and people were squished closer and closer together, one of my friends turns to me and says "I hope you're not claustrophobic!" Well, actually I am. But just as it seemed there was nowhere else to go in the circle, we were led out into wider and wider circles until we were back home, all standing in one large open circle again. The snake had uncoiled.

All this reminds me of website navigation.

Today's Alertbox entry from Jakob Nielsen is called "The Ten Most Violated Homepage Design Guidelines". In it he says,

"10. Don't include an active link to the homepage on the homepage"

This has always been one of the criteria in my usability tests and it's one of the check points in my new Please Ring Bell for Service - A Usability Checklist for Ecommerce Websites

The reason I don't advise web pages that link to themselves is it's confusing to visitors who are used to clicking on a link and going somewhere new. Like the Swirl Dance, you get into a groove where you're constantly moving, and each click takes you further into the adventure. Navigation should always provide a way back "Home" and that way should be easy to find. Thank heavens the Swirl Dance had a leader to guide us as we nearly got all tangled up inside the circles within circles!

If you want to learn more creative ways to make your website exciting, purchase my new ebook. It's very affordable! Or re-sell it and it will pay for itself in no time. Here's what one reader wrote about "Please Ring Bell for Service":

'Please Ring Bell for Service' emparts a great deal of sensible advice for any web site developer in the form of 11-pages of checklists that cover general usability, navigation and information architecture, content, and the shopping cart process. Much of this ebook will benefit non-ecommerce sites too, so if you don't have a shopping cart, don't think that it won't provide a real benefit.

The information provided could well have included several hundred pages of bloat, but as a busy web developer, you need to get the key information quickly. 'Please Ring Bell for Service' provides just that with enough information to back up the key points.

Invaluable references to other information on usability, such as books and web sites, are also included for those who wish to explore web site usability more.

Keep this checklist ebook on your desk. You'll find it invaluable in all web development.

Congratulation Kim, another great job done. -- James Saunders, Site Report

Please tell me what YOU think of the checklist.

:: posted by Kim Krause Berg on 11/10/2003 03:24:55 PM

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:: Friday, November 07, 2003 ::

So brand new it's still got pink skin!

I've finally written a small e-book called "Please Ring Bell For Service - A Usability Checklist for E-Commerce Websites".

Please Ring Bell For Service is better than all your yellow post-it notes and long lost responses to questions you know asked in web design forums somewhere. Now you can have a checklist to follow! You can re-use it or share it with your web designer or development team. Each item is worthy of being added to an overall set of website guidelines written specifically for your website. Covered are:

Standard Elements
Architecture and Navigation
Content
Forms and Error Tolerance

Another e-book is in editing now, and there are more planned. The idea is to keep you up to date on usability enhancements for your websites that will meet customer satisfaction objectives, first-time user needs, inspire return traffic and increase sales leads.

Please email and tell me what you think of "Please Ring Bell for Service".

:: posted by Kim Krause Berg on 11/07/2003 11:13:34 AM

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:: Thursday, November 06, 2003 ::

What what you bid for Google? Google is reported to be considering an online IPO

"Google is said to be mulling over how best to execute its introduction to the stock market. The traditional IPO route involving Wall Street and investment banks is expensive. Last year, two-thirds of US IPOs paid fees of 7%, twice the norm of other equity markets. Google has instead mooted the possibility of holding a massive online auction of its shares early next year. "


What a wonderful surprise to hear from by Bruce Hadley of Software CEO, who featured my main site, Cre8pc in a Tip of the Week article on SEO/SEM called "SEO and SEM: What works, and where to find help". They write:

"Cre8pc is an interesting site from SEO and usability consultant Kim Krause. Lots of links to SEO articles worldwide, active discussion forums, advice on writing for the Web, Web site critiques, and more. Plus, it's got personality."

It's worth mentioning that I no longer do the SEO side of things. Instead, I partner up with SEO's who see the incredible value of adding usability testing to their services. One such partnership is with Jill Whalen of HighRankings.com. Together, SEO's and I provide services that make a website visible in search engines and then usable by those who click into them. The two-pronged approach results in better ROI, return traffic, customer loyalty and user/engine-friendly web pages. (Would you like to partner with Cre8pc? Then please email YES I care about my website visitors!)

Hot Cre8asiteForums topics:

Right up my alley...Contact pages covers what to put into a Contact Us page, and why. Several webmasters resist feedback forms. How do you obtain information without scaring off customers?

"The benefit is the ability to talk to the "store manager" and being invited to do so. How many times do we walk out of a store, without buying something and had no opportunity to tell anyone why? While we can learn lessons from the brick and mortar side, the Internet allows us to reach customers with new opportunties for open communication."

It's amazing what threads get the most interest from members. Here is one example >>> Does anyone know what time it is?. (Hint: There's actually a link to something really cool in this thread.)

Great question! Negative reviews and the law

"On the site, there is one section in which users can post their own experiences they have had with any company they have been with. Some reviews are positive, some are negative.

The problem is, I've been contacted several times by hosts that want to sue if the negative reviews on their company are not taken off the site. My question is, can they actually sue for this? Should I be taking them off or leaving them on? I thought people were aloud to talk about what they wanted...freedom of speech. But one host is saying that the reviews posted on his company are 'defaming' that company."

Yes, dear. I have a wild side.
Have you all heard about the Harmonic Concordance? (Not to be confused with the Harmonic Convergence of 1987.) This time, we can look forward to a 6-pointed star of David in the sky and a total lunar eclipse of November 8/9 2003.

"Like its spiritual ancestor, the Harmonic Convergence of 1987, The Harmonic Concordance of 2003 also is a call to the Spirit of Humankind to awaken to the idea that we are, in fact, Spiritual beings sharing a physical experience. Consequently, ceremonies and celebrations in honor of this idea are now being scheduled at multiple sacred sites and pilgrimage places throughout the world."

I never feel any different after these things happen. Do you?

:: posted by Kim Krause Berg on 11/06/2003 09:03:00 AM

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:: Wednesday, November 05, 2003 ::

Am off to the Dentist but here's a few things that may trip your trigger...

From Cre8asiteForums:
And then the CEO (of a new search engine) came to visit...Australian Mooter takes on Google

"Hi I'm the MOOTER CEO.

Thanks for noticing us so quickly. We didn't get everything perfect, but figured we had to go live to figure it out. We got taken up by the Australian press a bit harder than we imagined, and have had much more traffic than expected. so apologies for the bugs! We do a fair bit of conceptual processing behind the clusters, and also do some dynamic personalization which is virtually invisible. am open to (most!) Q's."

People are venting about ODP. C'mon DMOZ it's time to give it up!

"A directory giving priority to commercial sites willing to pay for listing is a different animal from one aiming to list good and useful sites for the benefit of searchers. "

Mentionable:

Beer matters. Down the Pub with : Brett Tabke WebmasterWorld

New:

Buyers' Guide to Search Engine Optimization Firms: New 3rd Edition - Edited by Jill Whalen. On sale now.

Information architecture made as simple as possible - and no simpler, By Gerry McGovern

"Web design has been through the evolutionary period - the period of experimentation. There was a time when nobody really understood how to design a website. It was new for all of us. But the Web is not so new anymore. So much has been learned and figured out about what works and what doesn't work. Your job can be so much easier by adapting best practices."


Helpful stuff:

Why pay full price when you can get it at a discount? CouponCraze.com Helps Internet Shoppers Find Free Online Coupons And Hidden Deals

Tony Novak's Financial Tip of the Day

"Receive a free money-saving tip each day on banking, credit, budgeting, taxes, insurance, investment, financial planning, employee benefits and government benefits. Most tips reflect a response to current news items affecting consumers."

:: posted by Kim Krause Berg on 11/05/2003 10:41:50 AM

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:: Tuesday, November 04, 2003 ::

Hot Cre8asiteForums thread...

Kudos to Jill Whalen and Wed Advisor

"As to the original question, "Are the Bad Guys Winning at Google?" I voted that they were - whenever I research a product I find far too many instances of duplicate and content intended for the spiders, not for my usability."

Usability tour today...

Content management: web publishing needs real discipline

"Too many organizations take an unprofessional approach to the content they publish on the Web. Many web managers still seem to believe that if they get the technology right the publishing will look after itself. Quality publishing requires skill and discipline. Unfortunately, discipline is something many web teams are lacking."

The entire Site-Point section called Design and Layout : Usability and Information Architecture. I'm a long-time "fan" of the Site-Point gang. They work extremely hard.

The Cranky User: Tips on how to get some use out of that rotten system
"In this installment of The cranky user, the author, against his better judgment, details four ways to get some use out of poorly designed systems. Bonus points: Some ways to help improve the software in the long run."

Looking for usability gems? See Research-based Web Design & Usability Guidelines

Oddball stuff:

Google is crawling IRC?. Watch your tongue.


Gullible is good? Survey on Email shows Impact of Spam on Users' Behaviour

"The spam crisis continues to affect behaviour online but an overwhelming majority of online consumers receive offers by email and have made a purchase online or offline as a result."

NEW~!

Special offer for Home and Small Business Ecommerce sites. From now until January 1, 2004 I'm discounting my services to small and/or home businesses who are trying to make a living with their websites. If your site is under 50 pages, and you are not from a large company, and you need help diagnosing possible usability problems with your site (especially now, with the holiday season) please email kimkrause@cre8pc.com to learn how I can test your website for only $120. To learn more about the type of testing click Cre8pc Usability Testing Services.

"The statistic '59% of retail shoppers wanted more product information' is telling. This means that almost 60% of respondents are screaming, "We're not getting the information we need from the sites we visit" - and this sentiment will result in lost sales." --- Source: RankWrite, Copy Sells, Flash Doesn't: Implications for Search Engine Optimization by Heather Lloyd-Martin

:: posted by Kim Krause Berg on 11/04/2003 11:21:18 AM

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Recent Posts

I'm Too Sexy for My (Ego) Blog

Morae Customers Can Reminisce and Win Prizes

The Value of Content in Search Engine Rank

That's Me, in Step Two and Mike with Long Hair

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The Future of Website Design. It's Called a Blog.

Where are the Women Bloggers?

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Pondering Your Search Engine Marketing Navel

No Awesome Usability Experience Ecommerce Trend This Year

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"This report exceeded my expectations. After reading it a few times, I went through and highlighted those parts of your actionable advice that I want to implement right away... I ended up highlighting most of the report. Stellar job. I won't hesitate to recommend you to one of my own clients." -- Andy Hagans of AndyHagans.com

"I have implemented the most obvious changes and I suppose the fact that we've seen an immediate increase in sales/conversions is no coincidence. I'd highly recommend your service to anyone running a serious web based business." -- Steve Clay, Plumeriabay.com

"As soon as we get our hands on one of her usability studies, my clients and I have a better understanding of what needs to be done with their sites to make them the best they can be from their site visitors' perspective."
-- Jill Whalen, HighRankings.com

"This is an exemplary piece of work." -- Rand Fishkin, SEOMoz.org

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