Launching Your EBusiness

1
Launching Your E-Business

• Chapter 10

2
Beta Testing Your Web Site

• Software companies allow users to test their
  software programs before selling them to the
  public, in order to find problems in the
  software.
• Testing its Web site with a beta launch is a good
  idea for an E-Business.
• By allowing visitors to test its Web site before
  marketing it to the public, an E-Business can get
  feedback and make changes.

3
Marketing an E-Business

• The early approach to marketing E-Businesses was,
  If we build it, they will come.
• Today, this approach is not effective.
• A web site is like a brick-and-mortar store
  built on a dead-end street with few people
  driving by
• Most conventional marketing approaches are useful
  to the E-Business.
• Some techniques and methods are unique to the
  E-Business environment.

4
Search Engines and Directories

• The reality of Web marketing
• Despite all marketing expenses, most viewers
  locate relevant Web sites through the use of
  search engines and directory services.
• 81 of those surveyed found sites this way
• Spiders software programs that automatically
  update a search engines indexes of Web pages by
  examining existing pages across the Web

5
Search Engines and Directories (contd)

• Examples of search engines and directories
• AltaVista
• Northern Light
• HotBot
• GoTo.Com
• Google
• Yahoo
• Meta search engines search other search engines
  then combine the results (MetaCrawler and
  Dogpile)

6
Search Engines

• Use a variety of methods to gather and index
  information.
• This process may take time due to the volume of
  materials to be examined.
• Some services accept submissions (SubmitIt!)
• Some may require a fee to review and index
  quickly. (p. 348-9)

7
Indexing Methods

• Different search engine sites use differing
  indexing techniques.
• This is why two different engines produce vastly
  different results at times.
• Adding Meta Tags that accurately describe the
  content is important.
• These tags are used by some indexing systems to
  help build their indexes.

8
Meta Tags

• goes here
• here, separated by a comma

9
Techniques to Improve Index Hits

• Write clear but descriptive Web page text that a
  search engine can index.
• Avoid using frames, or have an alternate
  no-frames site to help search engine spiders
  locate all Web pages at a Web site.
• Use static HTML pages for products that can be
  indexed by search engines, instead of active
  pages that are generated by the server from data
  in a product database.

10
Techniques to Improve Index Hits (contd)

• Use fewer or smaller images to keep page load
  times down.
• Provide links to complementary pages.
• Arrange for inbound links from other Web sites
  which are used by some search tools to determine
  a Web pages ranking or relevance.
• Periodically review search engine results
• Examine competitors site, including meta tags

11
Public Relations

• A public relations effort is one of the more
  cost-effective marketing tools.
• Part of the art of a public relations effort is
  writing effective press releases and sending
  those releases to the appropriate destinations at
  just the right time.
• There are many businesses that specialize in
  providing public relations services.

12
Customer Communications

• Direct communications with potential customers is
  important.
• Key thoughts interactive, immediate, optional
  (opt-in vs. opt-out)
• Usenet newsgroups and forms represent a
  significant way to disseminate news and respond
  to customer concerns.
• Portray as an industry leader
• Not for advertising, just informational

13
Affiliate Programs

• Affiliate Web sites are an important source of
  customer referrals.
• In an affiliate program, the E-Business pays a
  referral fee (usually a flat amount) or
  commission (a percentage of the sale) on all
  sales sent to the E-Business from another Web
  site.

14
Other Cost-Effective Promotion Methods

• Link exchanges
• Web rings
• Awards
• Word of mouth goodwill marketing

15
Web Ring
16
E-Business Advertising

• Conventional advertising techniques may be
  necessary.
• Including a Web address and an email address in
  conventional advertising materials is important.
• URLs are everywhere (UPS)
• This will drive potential customers to the Web
  site and promote brand awareness.
• Web based advertising can be purchased from a
  number of popular portal sites.

17
E-Business Advertising

• Banner Ads priced according to number of
  impressions (viewings)
• Click-through rate - of viewers who click on a
  banner ad to view the advertised web site

18
A Portal With Ads
19
Benchmarking a Web Site

• A benchmark is a performance-based objective for
  a businesss Web site.
• The process
• Determine the goals (increase sales, reduce
  costs)
• Set the benchmarks
• Measure the results
• Draw reasonable conclusions

20
The Benchmarks

• A brick click E-Business has historical records
  to utilize
• A new E-Business lacks historical or traditional
  data
• Look at sales, expenses, ratios, etc
• May be difficult to attribute to a single source
  or input factor

21
Measuring Web Site ROI

• Traditional financial measures available include
  ROI.
• Look at customer satisfaction and intangible
  benefits.

22
Online Measurement Tools

• Web metrics measuring web site performance
• Web servers record all of the events that they
  process to files called log files.
• A careful examination of these log files can
  reveal much about a Web sites effectiveness.
• Analysis software is available to examine logs.

23
Logging and Tracking

• Some of the information gained will be
• Number of visitors
• Number of page views
• Views per visitor (how deep visitors are going)
• IP addresses of visitor approx locations
• Referring URLs
• Browser type
• Conversion rate (dividing of orders by of
  visitors)
• Errors
• Return visitors
• Example page 365

24
Server Log
25
Web Metrics

• Third-party analysis tools
• Click trail the path a viewer takes thru a Web
  site
• Sticky web sites Web sites whose content keeps
  visitors coming back again and again without
  relying on advertising to bring them back
• Web site traffic audit providers third party
  that validates web site traffic info (amount,
  type, etc.)
• Media Metrix, Nielsen/NetRatings