Warmest Greetings,

Do SEO's Need to Be Organized and Represented?  

:: Friday, July 30, 2004 ::

Yes, there are good and bad practitioners in every field. There are people in authority who aren't what they appear to be, and are instead cheating their employees or clients. I'm thinking of Enron here, and Martha Stewart. There is little room for error when you are in a role of leadership and ownership.

How worthy and honest is the organization that accepts anyone who can afford their membership fee and is therefore not representing a true snapshot of all potentially good business people?

My friend, Bill Slawski, one of the fairest men I've ever known, writes, in regards to serious flap and discontent over an organization determined to represent and work for people in the search engine optimization and marketing professions:


     "As it is now, I'm happy to be here where I can participate in a forum to help business owners, and web designers, and people engaged in SEO, SEM, and Usability.


When I think of industry leaders, I think of people who make a difference day-in and day-out to others by providing them with forums where they can interact, support each other, and share information.


When I think of industry leaders, I think of efforts like searchenginewatch, searchengineguide, SERoundtable, and similar efforts that share news, and try to remain helpful and objective.

When I think of industry leaders, I don't think of SEMPO."


I'm not here to rub salt in any wounds. Frankly, this still-new organization, despite experiencing troubles, has an overriding majority of members and member-maybe's who want it to succeed, do better and accomplish what it set out to do. They're willing to question, even loudly, to get answers because in the end, they care.

Silence would be bring failure much faster. Silence doesn't force growth. Silence doesn't create the lessons from which better practices are born.

What prompted me to purge here today is what Bill is saying about leadership, and the qualities of a leader.

In a thread at Cre8asite Forums, a member inquired about the dedication of the Moderators, and assumed for all their time and devotion, they were getting paid. No, I posted back. No one is paid at Cre8. Sometimes people do things simply because of the passion for their field, or as Ammon Johns says,the deep desire and willingness to "give back".

I'm not saying all leaders must work for free. Certainly not! But whom do you look up to more? The person who gives with no thought of reward and teaches you something? Your mentor who tirelessly answers your questions? The consultant you hire who refuses to charge for all your follow up email questions after the job is done?

Is a leader someone who lets you see them build something, they share the boo boos and then let you in while they build it back up? Someone like this doesn't bring their ego to work with them. Someone like this asks for help.

Can any business person stand on the merit of their own business ethics and integrity without the need to join hands with others, who are not only competitors, but maybe don't do the same job as well?

I know what I like about leaders. They must have a vision and they must be able to motivate. They're excellent, compelling, effective communicators. They have learned the art of listening. They're honest, always. They understand the goals and expectations of the people they lead.

Do SEO/SEM's want leadership? Do they want to be recognized as a body of professionals performing needed services? Is there a need?

I like the approach by SEO Consultants. There's a peer review process. My correspondence with them is always fair, polite, friendly, professional and prompt.

Not everyone in SEO-land wanted or needed anything more than just a simple, inexpensive place to hang their hat.

For those who want a larger organization to represent them and provide support for their field, it sounds like there's plenty of time and room left for more of you to chip in and build what you want.

:: posted by Kim Krause Berg on 7/30/2004 02:14:24 PM

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:: Thursday, July 29, 2004 ::

For a minute or two, anchor text was all the rage, especially in SEO-Land. But, aside from keeping up with search engine algorithms, the usability of your text links is something that will rarely change. People will always need to be able to read and quickly understand your web pages.

Evolt features a good how-to article on link usability in Writing effective link text by Trenton Moss of WebCredible

Item #6, "Place important words at the front of link text" is something I already do in UsabilityEffect.com. An example is the left-side navigation, where I placed boldfaced "scan words" in front of the hyperlinked text. This has the advantage of helping my visitors, and search engines looking for keywords and pages to crawl.

Scan words, by the way, are the words people are often hunting for while searching and scanning pages they find. Those words include "free", "sale", "new", "discount", "Kim Krause" (just kidding)...


Google and Major Tom

How much you wanna bet Google wants in on this baby? NASA to build 10,000-processor Linux computer

I Was O-pin-in-a-ted

Still feeling my oaties after listening to Teresa Heinz Kerry speak at the Democratic National Convention (something which, by the way, none of the top USA TV Broadcasting companies like ABC, CBS and NBC felt was worthy enough to air), I wrote my blog post-rant about Google yesterday.

Brad loved it.

So did, apparently, Google, who plastered a huge image ad to the right of it.

:: posted by Kim Krause Berg on 7/29/2004 12:45:45 PM

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:: Wednesday, July 28, 2004 ::

The shit is hitting the fan in Search Engine Land.

I'm finding it impossible to get excited about Google. I don't care what their share price is. There are plenty of other investments that are affordable, easy to purchase, and come with a historical record. I'm not buying into Google hype, hope or hysteria.

I don't care if Google was down. It's not the only search engine on the Internet. To take up every newsfeed, for several days in a row, with headlines about MyDoom and Google's bad hair day, is to be obsessed and cornered between an office wall and computer monitor. My local town newspaper covered the news about Google, taking up an entire page. CNN showed screen shots of a faltering Google. The only thing that had more press this year was Janet Jackson's breast.

Show me a big ass corporation who cares about the little people who helped make it what it is.

My PC's, both the earlier ones that ended up in some computer recycling pile somewhere, and my present day ones that are in most of the rooms of my house, are all Win-doze boxes.

And yet Microsoft refuses to support any older Windows or IE browsers people may still have. Instead, you must keep shelling out money to upgrade. This is a pathetic business, and sadly, it'll keep working for them until enough people and companies finally migrate to Linux, MAC, Opera, Firefox, etc.

I once made a living as an SEO promoting web pages to Google and making sure my clients' web sites got into that engine. I founded a forum that has a Google topic for Google submission, rank and SEO support.

Google doesn't want me to buy shares. For starters, I don't make the kind of money needed to buy them. The hippie, "we're cool and democratic" attitude coming out of that corporation isn't flying with this working mom. When the competition comes, and it will, I have no loyalties to Google. Make your shares affordable and the process user friendly, please. In the meantime, I have work to do.

Other various karmic backlash is interfering with my sweetgrass and sage smoke, such as:

Optimizing Search Engine Optimization by Anil Dash of "Nigritude Ultramarine" fame.

     "There's nothing the blogosphere loves more than angry mob justice, and I probably benefitted from tapping into a bit of angry mob antipathy towards the SEO industry. Though many, perhaps even most, people in the SEO industry behave ethically, the reality is that much of the SEO industry has treated the weblog medium with an attitude ranging from crass opportunism or exploitation to downright abuse, in the form of comment spam, referral spam, and fake, content-free blogs.

So, as with all things in the blog world, we confuse an angry link with actual Fight The Power action, and this is one of the few cases where that link actually had some effect."

Mike Grehan pulled away the curtin and exposed SEMPO's Oz in Who Needs SEMPO

     "I was invited by Barbara Coll to speak at the SEMPO meeting at SES London and it seemed essential to her that I should, in fact, be a member of the organisation first.

So, a few months ago, I succumbed and joined at the lowest level for $299.

After parting with my cash I waited patiently for my welcome pack and my newsletter and frequent pinging about events and happening stuff and... Not a sausage."

Which got the widely recognized conversation at Cre8asiteForums called So What Does SEMPO Mean To You? re-charged again.

     "Maybe as someone who conducts web promotion in house, I would join an industry group that focuses upon SEO or SEM. But it would depend on a lot of factors. That group would need to show me a few things.


I would want to see a clear statement of whom the members of the organization should be.

I would want to know what benefits there might be for me in membership.

It would discourage me to see different prices for different levels of membership, with a "golden circle" that got preferential placement on the organization's web site.

I would want to see clear lines of communication developed, with people knowing the aims of the organization, and their efforts.

I would want to know what the methods for choosing leadership were, and would probably want those methods to be democratic, based upon some type of voting. Maybe an election of directors who would appoint executive officers.

I would want to be able to see bylaws for the organization, and I would want to see them online, available to the public to view.

I would want the organization to come up with some guidelines of ethical conduct and practice, developed with the efforts of disinterested third parties from academia and the business world (professors and professionals).

I understand that Nonprofit doesn't mean that people work for free, and I would want fair compensation to be paid to the people working for the organization, and the measure of fair would probably be related to the amount of pay that people performing similar functions in other nonprofits are getting paid."

     "Maybe they need to hire someone with real experience in running a non-profit organization like AMA."

The Search Engine LowDown has more in Scandal Rocks SEMPO, Expert Suggests Board Members Should Resign


This Week, Elsewhere and Just as Important

     "My right to speak my mind, to have a voice, to be what some have called "opinionated"...

is a right I deeply and profoundly cherish.

And my only hope is that one day soon, My only hope is that, one day soon, women, who have all earned their right to their opinions...

instead of being labeled opinionated will be called smart and well informed, just like men."
--- Teresa Heinz Kerry, in her speech at the Democratic National Convention, USA

     "For alongside our famous individualism, there's another ingredient in the American saga. A belief that we are all connected as one people."
--- Barack Obama>, in his speech at the Democratic National Convention, USA

I See Into the Future of SEO, and Win an MP3 Player

New change in SEO world

Thanks Andy Beal and the gang at Search Engine Lowdown!

I told my daughter I entered a contest, hoping to win an MP3 player for her. Upon being informed that I won it, she cleaned her room!

Quick Note

Goodbye Lycos. Another search engine property rides off into the sunset.

:: posted by Kim Krause Berg on 7/28/2004 10:26:24 AM

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:: Friday, July 23, 2004 ::

A case study of sorts has evolved for SilkCharm.com, who came to Cre8asiteForums inquiring for help and suggestions. Did the site owner have a marketing issue? Or were there possible problems in the user interface itself that were having a negative impact on conversions?

The rally to help Silkcharm is an education for anyone who wants to find ways to improve their web sites. You can follow the action, and see if any of the ideas would apply to your web site, at Marketing or conversion issue?

If you're in marketing mode still, here is a free monthly newsletter from Julia Hyde that will help you stay on top of your game - Marketing Works!

     "This online search engine marketing and copywriting ezine is devoted to helping you promote your business by providing strategies, tips and resources that are proven to work."

Small businesses and startups seeking affordable or free Directories, that are also crawled by Google, may not be aware of Wow Directory. I had a very good experience with them. Fast, no hassle, and they communicate well back to the user.

I still add tools to this page - Web Tools, and take suggestions for it as well.

Speaking of which, here's a new one from the RustyBrick firm - Google Link Popularity Analysis Tool

Thanks to those who took the time to read the VERY long interview I gave to Barry Swartz, which was published yesterday. I had joked to Barry that he should call it "A Week-Long Interview With Kim". He didn't do that though.

And thanks to Robert Clough at SearchEngineGuide for featuring it yesterday in his daily newsletter. I'm, after all, still a working girl. Not a "legend". I appreciate the help from my friends, I really do.

:: posted by Kim Krause Berg on 7/23/2004 12:21:30 PM

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:: Thursday, July 22, 2004 ::

He called me a "Legend".

In an Interview with Kim Krause, Usability and SEO Legend & Expert of Cre8PC.com, Barry Swartz (aka RustryBrick) refers to me that way, and I feel it's my duty to set the record straight.

1. I can still go shopping in my local stores and not be recognized because nobody in my small town cares about web site usability. Ebay, on the other hand, is totally hot.

2. I've never spoken at or attended any SEO conference, though I've been invited, begged and bribed to.

3. My son is the family "Star", not me. He's a talented athlete, a pro at age 10 in 2 sports and now trying football because for the past 2 years, school teachers and various parents have said they've seen signs he'd be great in that too.

4. This is why I don't travel. His practice and game schedules take up the entire front of the refridgerator.

5. It's true I know more about SEO and Usability than baseball, but with a 10-year drilling me every day with facts and trivia, this could change.

6. I clean our "legendary" bathrooms.

7. I wear "expert" sweatpants to work.

8. Jakob Nielsen probably doesn't know who I am. Does that really matter?

9. Trying to get the usability folks to show off themselves in the Usability forum at Cre8asite is akin to looking for life on Mars. To them I say, quit hiding the water.

Still, it was nice to be able to talk about Cre8asiteForums,
UsabilityEffect.com
 Cre8pc.com
and the SearchEngineCollege.com.

If any one strong point comes out the Interview, for which I was touched to be asked by the way, I'm hoping what comes across is that I'm here to help. If I don't have the answers, I have wealth of friends and peers who do and it's an honor to lead you to their great work.

:: posted by Kim Krause Berg on 7/22/2004 10:32:48 AM

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:: Tuesday, July 20, 2004 ::

How important is interaction to the building of a brand online?

     "Brand is the 'personality' of a business or product. It is rarely about what you say, so much as how you say it, and more still about how you act on what you say," according to Ammon Johns in an enlightening discussion about branding called How Much Would You Pay For a Cup of Coffee?.


A follow up to a 2001 study has been released.

Reading Online Text: A Comparison of Four White Space Layouts, by Barbara Chaparro, J. Ryan Baker, A. Dawn Shaikh, Spring Hull, & Laurie Brady

     "Results show that the use of margins affected both reading speed and comprehension in that participants read the Margin text slower, but comprehended more than the No Margin text. Participants were also generally more satisfied with the text with margins."


Romping Around the 'Net

Learn your PageRank, Alexa standings and Yahoo backlinks in one fast, free moment: WebRanking Tool

Bill Slawski offers an excellent review and commentary on a First Monday piece about reputation and credibility in Say You Know You've Got a Reputation

Danny Sullivan defends SEO/SEM, coverage in Improving The Image Of Search Engine Marketing

     "I'm tired of the entire industry being beaten up. This is, after all, the industry that almost certainly has generated a significant part of the income that search engines like Yahoo and Google are earning -- in turn making those companies able to offer search for free."

Status check. How much better is ranking No. 1 versus No. 10? A recent study reveals the truth. By Brent Winters

Seth Godin on how a Hummer got unstuck in a traffic jam, vacuum cleaners, and how Google is getting stuck on the road >>> Rules for Off-Roading at Work

     "Google succeeded when its search engine looked radically different from Yahoo, Excite, or AltaVista, all of which were adding features to be "portals." Google didn't try to drive on the breakdown lane to catch up to the market leaders. Instead, it went off-road, radically reinventing the interface of a search engine to catch up. Google's latest updates, such as shopping service Froogle and Google Answers, are interesting because as Google adds more features, it's now driving a lot closer to the existing road."


Please Support Cre8asiteForums by visiting or purchasing from




Seeking reciprocal links from Internet marketers and copywriters for SEO Marketing and Copywriting Resources. No links pages accepted. Must be logical, subject related link placement. You can use the form here.

Seeking reciprocal links for two sections of the UsabilityEffect.com web site:

Usability Design Research

User Centered Web Design

No links pages accepted. Must be logical, subject related link placement. You can use the form here.

:: posted by Kim Krause Berg on 7/20/2004 10:25:16 AM

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:: Monday, July 19, 2004 ::

I had a clear case of withdrawal at the beginning.
 
Before leaving for a week at the seashore, I did a search in Google to get more information about areas of possible interest surrounding Ocean City, Maryland, our destination.  Sure, we had family there and were staying at a family-owned bay property.  But I would have a house full of kids ranging from age 5 on up - each with their idea of what they wanted to do.
 
None of the web sites I found were easy to use.  Most of the sites I found, by way of links from larger sites, were either no longer being updated, or the link itself was dead.  It took me about 3 minutes to quit looking, out of frustration.
 
Later, when we got down to the shore, one of the first stops being for beer and wine coolers, and then after that, new boogie boards and beach towels for those who forgot to bring one, I grabbed several free publications and read, the old fashioned way, to get ideas for things to do.
 
Though I swore I wouldn't, I'd brought my laptop.  There were a few shops where I could have brought my laptop and hooked it up to the 'Net. These were tucked into small buildings with teeny tiny signs,  as if connecting to the Internet is some sort of covert operation. 
 
Every day I mumbled something about wanting to check my email, and every day the kids were fighting over the TV, or making 123 trips out back to the dock to check the crab cages, or the teenage girls were wondering when I was going to take them shopping. Again.
 
This is how I know there are no search engines at the seashore, or email, or easy Internet connections for vacationers.  Everything is targeted to a different target market.  When on vacation,  is it not logical to want to go miniature golfing, or explore the upstairs museum of sunken ship's treasures at Sea Shell City?  Is the point to burn your tootsies on hot sand,  gaze at cute lifeguards,  watch the teens try to sneak wine coolers from the fridge and walk until you drop at the Boardwalk?
 
It took awhile for me to get it.
 
I haven't had a week off, where I went "somewhere else" to rest and relax,  in 11 years.  I was grumpy for the first 3 days.  My fingers yearned for the keyboard.  There was this constant drone of noise, all day, from dawn to way past nightfall, of kids' voices.   Although he was there, I don't think I actually saw my mate until Tuesday. We'd come down the Saturday before.  By the time he came to bed, I was passed out from exhaustion.
 
Home was only a phone call away.  And we got them.  Eric's job called a few times, just like they do at all hours of the day and night, every day of the week.   Don't even get me going on what I think about that.  And, while watching my teenage charges in a clothing outlet store, I got a cell phone call from a neighbor who said it rained 4 inches that day, our pool was full and knowing the history of our finished basement, which houses my office, she was worried it was flooded. But, Eric had installed a new pumping system, which when checked out by his father (who was in charge of feeding and entertaining the cats),  we learned the house, my computers and the cats didn't drown while were away.
 
By the next Saturday, I didn't want to leave.  I would have liked to ship the kids back though.  By the end of the week, Eric and I were holding hands and flirting with each other so much the kids were getting grossed out.  The kids slept for nearly the whole 4 hour drive home (we make stops for food and "I have to go potty".)  I was wide awake, making plans in my head for my next vacation and wondering what happened in Usability and SEO-land while I was gone.  
 
I waited until Sunday to finally boot up my main computer to catch up on the news and email.  This is when I learned about Google's new picture organizer thingy called Picasa. 
 
Now, if I wanted to go to Google while on vacation, I could have been sorting all the digital pictures we'd taken.  But, who in their right mind thinks of search engines or accessing the Internet on their vacation?

:: posted by Kim Krause Berg on 7/19/2004 11:46:45 AM

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:: Thursday, July 08, 2004 ::

I'm about to leave for a vacation at the beach, and decided to leave you with something to whistle in the shower with...


On Top of Search Engines

On top of search engines, and feeling so pleased,
'Till you lost your great rankings, Blame that Pay Per Click squeeze.

Back into the web shop, your web site ignored,
It's time to uncover, why your users were bored.

Was it the poor content, or teeny font face?
Or did your cool navbar, drop them in the wrong place?

SEO, SEM, that link exchange page,
Is it really black magic, or Page Rank outrage?

Are you getting conversions? Do you know how?
Web standards and metrics, are really hot now.

Branding, desire, persuasion, and an eye for design,
Are a few of the cool ways, to increase ROI.

On top of search engines, your traffic pours in.
Usability efforts, keeps them coming again.

So, SEO ain't black magic, though it can be a pain,
Just watching web site stats, without going insane.




Sung to the tune of On Top of Spagetti

Copyright 2004 Kimberly Kopp Krause, UsabilityEffect.com/Cre8pc.com



This is second version.
Version one was published in the Your Web Site is Not a Meatball post, at the SearchEngineRoundtable

See you sometime the week of July 19th!

:: posted by Kim Krause Berg on 7/08/2004 01:04:31 PM

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:: Wednesday, July 07, 2004 ::

"Wouldn't it be better to come clean about all this. To my mind they're more Conventions. In other words what a group of people today have decided to agree on. They don't seem to have the permanence that a solid word like Standards implies. Am I right or am I wrong?"

Great discussion in Why Aren't Standards Standard?, including comments from Bryan Eisenberg.

     "I like to recommend that when someone redesigns their site they should take the following seven into consideration:"

     "Thanks to standards changing I have to update all my client sites at the very least once a year, some more because they read something or another that it's the way to do it. Yes I have that talk with them but most don't care they want to be on top of the latest and so called greatest coding procedures."

     "Hence why Jeffrey Zeldman has been on about forwards compatability as well as backwards compatiability."

     "My problem with standards is that if everyone stuck with them all of the time, there would never be any innovation."

     "Standards are limits to creativity in web design as writing left to right is a limit to creativity in writing. There's still plenty of room for innovation in style while following the standards of communicating it."

     "I agree with you about stunting innovation. However, on most sites that I work on including my own. my objective is to increase conversions (sales, leads, registrations, etc.)"


Seth Godin responds to the outpouring of feedback on his opinion on search engine optimization in Better living through hyperbole

     "So, if I go a little overboard (as I did, intentionally, in my SEO post below) please cut me a little slack. All other things being equal, is an optimized website better than one that's not? Sure."

Aaron Wall, of Search-Marketing.info challenged Seth in SEO vs. PPC: Seth is Completely Wrong!

     "I went to a speech of his when he came to Rhode Island and I even drove to his office in New York to hang out for a day. Needless to say I am a huge fan of Seth and I will likely read every book he writes.

Seth is an internet marketing guru who started a cult following with his book titled Permission Marketing. I am part of that cult; however, his recent anti SEO post on his blog is completely wrong."

We Really Liked This Article

In Search of a Bat by Bryan Eisenberg.

Some feedback:

     "It really points out the flaws in many ecommerce sites. The problem is few of those responsible for these websites have any inclination of seeing things from the users perspective."

     "It reminded me of Kim's Why Ecommerce is Not Ready for My Daughter or Me"

Like I was gonna pass up a chance to promote my own article, ha!

Do You Have an Ebook for Sale?

Brand new >>>BowIndex.com

     "BOWIndex.com is a portal for e-books, containing both a search directory for ebooks, print on demand books and digital books, plus a book and author news and announcement service."

:: posted by Kim Krause Berg on 7/07/2004 09:42:40 AM

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:: Tuesday, July 06, 2004 ::

As expected, reaction to when Seth Godin expressed his opinion about search engine optimization is surprise, dismay, pity and a united stand for accuracy of information.

From Seth Godin interrogates SEO

     "The problem is simply that Seth just doesn't understand what SEO actually is. Not even the difference between SEO and pay-per-click."

     "It seems to me that Seth simply hasn't done 'due dilligence' on researching this particular topic. That may come back to haunt him. It only takes a couple of poorly researched articles to diminish a reputation."

     "I was a little disappointed to read Seth's post because he often does such a good job of undercutting perceptions like that one -- of illuminating areas that are unclear and filled with misinformation."

     "Clicks do not always convert to sales. Organic SEO still works.

     "Let them revel in their "the world is flat" belief."

     "SEO is far from black magic or even luck. Amazing that someone at his level would say something like this."

     "It's all a matter of perspective. To insiders the subject is illuminated. To outsiders it is dark. What is done in SEO seems like magic to outsiders, and the techniques of it seem like harnessing occult forces. Add to this the massive disinformation produced by some SEO firms, the constantly changing ranking systems, and the references to things that normal human beings never see, and you end up with what is perceived as a black art."

     "Danny Sullivan apparently emailed Seth about the article, as reported at SEW, and a follow-up piece with more clarifications will likely be out today or tomorrow."

Interesting how SEO is taking a bashing.

SEO - a bridge too far? appeared in the Usability topic at Cre8asiteForums.

     "Search Engine Optimsation and Accessibility go hand in hand; as I've written on many a post, a Search Engine Spider is, afterall, a blind user. SEO and Usability, on the other hand, I find to be two arguing siblings."

     "Usability and SEO are co-dependent.

First, the goal is to be found. This is how SEO/PPC/PPI helps. The description and title tag are critical to encouraging a click. It could be in the form of nailing precisely what the searcher is seeking, or arousing their curiosity so they click to see more.

Usability takes it from there. A site that passes usability requirements will guide the user in precise paths, to accomplish certain tasks determined by the web owners, and for which the searcher has come to do. This may be the path to fill out a newsletter subscription form, make a purchase (and therefore, present a user friendly shopping cart process), or generate qualified sales leads. It could be something as simple as learning where a company is located and how to contact them.

Accessibility increases human satisfaction. And, interestingly enough, often also for bots, which require the same information, such as informative content.

:: posted by Kim Krause Berg on 7/06/2004 11:44:41 AM

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:: Saturday, July 03, 2004 ::

I agree to some extent with Seth Godin in his The problem with search engine optimization. SEO has changed from the days of trying to accommodate every engine, directory and algorithm. The emphasis on one - Google, and the popularity contest pressure behind PageRank, removed some of the challenge and skills needed for true SEO.

It became a war game instead.

Seth Godin, on being asked to recommend an SEO, found he could not do so and he explains why. Since he did not permit comments in his blog other than trackback, Cre8asiteForums has launched a thread, Seth Godin interrogates SEO

Is SEO a black art, dying art, was never an art at all?

:: posted by Kim Krause Berg on 7/03/2004 12:07:37 PM

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:: Friday, July 02, 2004 ::

Today's blog entry is actually in someone else's blog.

It is there you will see a song I wrote. It's about web sites, search engines, conversions, and the new Cre8asiteForums forum topic, Measuring Your Success

To sing along (or see a usability consultant go off the deep end), please visit Search Engine Roundtable and the post, Your Web Site is Not a Meatball



Happy Independence Day, July 4th, USA.

I'll be by the pool drinking fruit smoothies gently spiked with Peach Schnapps, in case anyone needs me for anything.

:: posted by Kim Krause Berg on 7/02/2004 11:52:04 AM

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:: Thursday, July 01, 2004 ::

Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to chase after after every person who clicked into your web site and left.

This is the Mission Impossible that drives me nuts.

Sure, I can apply my usability test cases to a client site and find all the possible reasons for low conversions and yucky traffic, but who wants to pay me to look?

Isn't there a cheap and instant way to follow up every instance of web page abandonment and duke it out with the person who didn't buy your soap?

I'm on a mission to find out how to put myself of business in Converting the click to conversion mystery

Thank you I-Search

Andrew Goodman writes about the end of a discussion list era, and the launch of a new one, in RIP I-Search, Long Live SEM 2.0 .

:: posted by Kim Krause Berg on 7/01/2004 11:21:29 AM

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Search Engine Marketing Kit, by Dan Thies

• User Centered Design
• Usability Industry Research
• Increase Website Conversions
• Starter Ecommerce Checklist

• Web Design & The Usability Effect
• Usability and SEO Humor

Crooked sunglasses

My artistic friends love this picture.

• About Kim Krause Berg
• My Articles
• Me Again (My Fave Blog Posts)
• August 2005 : Expanding on Usability - An Interview with Kim Krause Berg
• Kim's Wish List

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

You Have No Choice But To Suck in Search Engines

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

Where are the Women Bloggers?

An SEO Ancestor's View of A-List SEO Lists

Pondering Your Search Engine Marketing Navel

No Awesome Usability Experience Ecommerce Trend This Year

Monthly Archives

It's That Book Again

Conversions Topic is New York Times Best Seller (Seriously)

Kim is a Member of the Usability Professionals Association

"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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