From the Team

How much code should a web designer know?

bwired Team — Tue, 07 May 2013 15:08:24

Has it become an industry standard to become both proficient in code and design? Most would argue yes, being skilled in both is now becoming the norm. Because of how easy it is to learn HTML and CSS, many designers have taken the initiative to learn both. And because of this more and more businesses have come to believe that all web designers come with the ability to code. But should we all harbour this thinking?

There will always be disadvantages in trying to do two things at once, but mainly this involves the needs and wants of the individual or a particular project.

Here are some common arguments against designers learning code:

- A lot of designers want to focus on design because design is already hard enough without having to take on a new skill set such as coding.

- New trends and functionality in both coding and design will take time and effort to keep up to date with. This will require more training time both in and out of work hours and, as they say, if you want to master something you'll need to spend at least 10,000 hours on it.

- Splitting your focus towards both design and code may cause you to not neccessarily become great at either.

Are these excuses enough of a reason to avoid learning how to code? The benefits could outweigh the negatives and, if gone about it the right way, it could become beneficial to the designer and the business.

5 Reasons Why Designers Need to Know Code

There are definitely benefits to having a designer who knows how to code, and these benefits affect the designer, the business and the client:

1. A web designer who knows both the restrictions and capabilities of a technology will design within those variables and use that technology to its greatest potential.

2. Designers who are able to execute their vision in the end product care about the finer details that have been put into the design.
"It’s just not practical to go back to the designer for a Photoshop mock-up every time a new section of the site needs to be designed/added."[1]

3. "A user-friendly website is not only a picnic to navigate from one page to another in a clear and concise flow of logic, but also provides a user with all the information they need without being too overbearing or cluttered. The only real way to know if a web layout works or not is learning how to build it yourself."[2]
They will be able to execute their designs exactly how they wanted it to be and not have to articulate them to a third party, meaning less miscommunication and better execution.

4. Businesses can also benefit from having a designer with coding experience. When a designer does not have certain coding knowledge, these limitations could possibly become a factor in a project not reaching the deadline, or pushing the budget because of the possible fixes that come with changing the design because certain functionality could not be achieved.

5. Small companies will also benefit from a single employee that can both code and design. They will help alleviate costs for a job that may usually need two people.

The level of skill to code doesn't have to be the same as a developer, and your knowledge level will vary depending on the type of work you’d like to do. But there is an absolute benefit to learning how to code, and you will become a better designer by doing so.

Responsive Design in 2013

Viv Trang — Tue, 22 Jan 2013 13:26:00

It’s no surprise that the use of tablets and smartphones is on the rise as Australians access the web and consume information in entirely new ways. A mobile device is not only used while on the go, but also while sitting on the couch watching television or working from your desk in the office. As a company that builds websites, this is both an exciting and daunting prospect. How can we help our clients reach their audience when the number of devices keeps changing (and desktop computers are on the decline)?

Responsive design provides an answer. While mobile applications and separate mobile websites can be useful in certain circumstances, responsive design (RD) offers many advantages over apps, in particular. In 2013, we will see an increase in responsive sites and fewer apps as the number of tablets and smartphones continue to grow and our mobile needs change.

What is Responsive Design

Responsive design is an approach to web design that allows the layout and content of a website to change according to a user’s device (e.g. iPad, Android phone, iPhone, desktop computer). In other words, one website can be accessible across many different screens without creating separate websites. Media queries are (most often) used to determine which device is accessing the site, and flexible images and fluid grids are used to change the appearance of the website accordingly.

A good designer will also make the website not only accessible, but easy and enjoyable to use on any device, such as minimising scrolling. Look at these examples of responsive design to see how the website behaviour changes according to the device used. For example, content may shift from a double to a single column or images may be removed or minimised.

3 Reasons to Choose Responsive Design Over Apps

Mobile applications will continue to play a role in 2013 but it is often not the right solution for a business. Here are some examples of why a responsive site provides better opportunities to connect with customers than a mobile app:

Avoid multiple app stores: Building an app for multiple platforms (e.g. Apple, Android, Windows) can become pricey and unproductive. The initial cost of a responsive website may be higher than an app, but the website will reach more customers at a lower cost in the long run when compared to an application requiring frequent and costly updates.
Easy to find and update: Unlike apps, which require regular updates from users, RD websites are updated in real time and the user doesn’t have to make any changes on his or her end. The website will always work on any device and when changes are made the user has no extra steps to fulfil. A website is also easier to find than an app, which requires searching and downloading.
Reliable: Responsive design allows the browser to deliver the content rather than relying on a downloaded app, which improves the reliability of your web presence. Over on Forbes, Igor Faletski discusses related research from Google:

“The three most common ways users move between devices are:

1. To search again on the second device,

2. To directly navigate to the destination site, and

3. Via email, that is, to send themselves a link to revisit later.

All these methods rely on link integrity across devices. The One Web approach ensures that the connective tissue of the web – links – always work just as users expect them to. They work in emails on smartphones; in search engines listings on tablets; in social media links on laptops; and on all devices.”

If 90% of users are moving between devices to accomplish their goals, a business wants to provide an excellent user experience on all fronts - responsive design makes that possible.

To learn more about responsive design and how your business can improve its web presence, register for our free February seminar on web design. And don't forget to ollow us on Twitter @bwired_group to get our latest blogs and event updates.

The next Facebook Pillar - Graph Search

Jason Healey — Mon, 21 Jan 2013 13:00:42

Facebook have this week announced Facebook Graph Search. The promise is quite a phenomenal one and though there is debate over the product’s name, I’m confident that the power of this offering in its ability to mine personalized data on Facebook will get appropriate traction.

Wikipedia describes the social graph as “…a graph that depicts personal relations of internet users. It has been referred to as "the global mapping of everybody and how they're related." [1][2]

So, how does it work?

The approach is very simple – enter a search term such as “See photos of my family” or “which of my friends live in Sydney” and the results come back specific to that query. New to an area? Need a mechanic? Ask the engine which mechanic your friends like and get results. The product leverages the trust that comes from the personal endorsements of friends. Naturally users will filter those results based on the strength of those connections and any other personal biases or differences. Unlike more traditional search engine, the results one person will get are not marginally different from another, especially where more ubiquitous search terms are applied.

Facebook Founder Mark Zuckerberg has described Graph Search as the next pillar of Facebook; Newsfeed and Timeline being the two most prominent currently.

So what sort of impact will it have on my privacy settings?

According to the video posts on the Graph Search page, a user’s privacy setting decisions determine the content that is searchable. In other words, if you’ve shared it to Facebook and it is public, it can be indexed and included in the results. Because each user’s account and group of friends or connections is unique to them, so too results are tailored exclusively for the searcher.

Facebook’s privacy settings are rarely described as simple, and during the course of the product’s explanation, some elements of the search results, the city you live in for example, are declared as searchable where a user’s city setting is public, while the definition of how photos will be found reads, “You can find photos you and your friends have posted or been tagged in. Others will see any photos they can see on Facebook, including photos hidden from timeline.”

Graph Search is a smart offering, a bid to broaden the reach of Facebook users creating opportunities to make new connections – after all, stimulating growth of the platform is key to its sustainability. The downside of this is of course that users will need to be even smarter about their privacy settings and what they post. It may seem cynical, but anonymity on Facebook appears set to take another sizeable hit.

How can it help my business?

The example I used earlier of finding a trusted mechanic is illustrative of a businesses’ need to ensure they have a social presence. By engaging with the Facebook community, and attracting attention through business page likes, when friends search for services and businesses using Graph Search, these are the results they will discover.

It’s also likely that businesses will need to work harder to get a “like” from a user as this realization becomes more commonplace – working on the assumption that users may feel a greater responsibility for non verbal endorsements.

Zuckerberg sees Graph Search as one of the pillars of Facebook. He has also stated that the initial product offering will continue to be developed, further harnessing the power of what should be a revolutionary search tool.

Want to know more?

A series of informative videos have been posted on the Facebook Graph Search page. Watch the clips and sign up for the beta request at the end.

References:

eCommerce, what would Jeff Bezos do?

Jason Healey — Thu, 13 Dec 2012 13:00:42

Around 18 months ago there was quite the hullaballoo about eCommerce here in Australia. Granted there have been established eComm sites in this fair land of ours from as far back as 2000, but the concept of integrity was the issue at this time. Should Australian bricks and mortar retailers be suffering from diminished trade while we shop online using overseas eComm sites, enjoying significant savings?

Retail giant Gerry Harvey was quick to voice his opinions on the matter, and even quicker to propose a solution, albeit a clumsy one. Charge GST on imported goods worth $400, rather than the now standard $1,000. The question most people, those labeled un-Australian (among other things) for seeking out a saving through offshore sellers asked, mirrored my own, “if I’m getting something for half price, another 10 percent isn’t going to hurt me, is it?” The answer is of course a resounding no!

But this piece isn’t about retailers expressing frustration over the changing tide of trade. The focus I want to steer this around to is the domestic eComm offering and ignorance of what I believe is a true fundament of best practice. If you do not have an item in stock, do not list it as available for purchase. And even worse if you do list it as available for purchase, do not bill your customers till it’s ready for shipping! Would you go into a physical store, ask the attendant for a specific item, be told it wasn’t available, could take six to eight weeks to arrive and still hand over your credit card, paying for that item not available there and then?

All online decision makers need to ask themselves the question. Would I be satisfied if I found myself in this situation? Or to put a finer point on it, would I be happy to pay for an item the seller didn’t have in stock?

Fortunately it’s not a country wide phenomenon. Many of our established brands such as JB Hi-Fi are deeply entrenched in the eComm channel, delivering terrific value on key metrics such as range, availability, transparency, customer service and responsiveness at all touch points. While the aforementioned hullaballoo was transpiring, JB were moving to a massive new warehouse to meet the demands of their expanding online trade, one which matches their every expanding bricks and mortar offering. International sellers like the Book Depository, Amazon and Asos have all capitalized on the opportunity they witnessed in this country and have secured thousands of loyal customers. But it’s not only about price. It’s about transparency, service and responsiveness.

eComm in Australia is generally considered in its infancy when compared to leading international enterprises. Despite that, good practice is just that and offering a transparent service where customers know what they are buying, when they should get it, whether their items are in stock and how much it will cost to ship are not to be considered luxuries, but a standard barometer for fair online competition.

An eComm solution that doesn’t offer these levels of transparency isn’t one your business needs. Virtually all businesses need a digital strategy and for retailers, eCommerce is one piece of that larger puzzle. Do it right and you build a loyal customer base. Do it wrong and watch those same customers utilize the wider reaches of the digital space to ward other potential shoppers away.

Crowd-sourcing is a really great concept. It’s not what online retailers should be practicing. And if you wouldn’t accept this sort of service yourself, why should your customers?

Proving that a picture is worth a thousand words, or is it likes?

Jason Healey — Thu, 15 Nov 2012 13:00:42

If the old “picture is worth a thousand words” adage ever required validation, two of the newer social media channels – Pinterest and Instagram illustrate the point to perfection.

Differentiated by the simplicity of their offerings, the two platforms, while reasonably similar in that both are primarily concerned with the posting and sharing of images, still maintain an offering unique to the other. Both have managed to find a niche in the dense social digital ecosystem. There is no end of data supporting the engagement rate for images being greater than for text, especially on Facebook (1), so it stands to reason that social communication channels dedicated almost exclusively to photos would have to be a success. It’s a “photos or it didn’t happen” sort of thinking.

The Instagram “What is FAQ” explains, “Instagram is a fun and quirky way to share your life with friends through a series of pictures. Snap a photo with your mobile phone, then choose a filter to transform the image into a memory to keep around forever. We're building Instagram to allow you to experience moments in your friends' lives through pictures as they happen. We imagine a world more connected through photos.” (2) Experience is the key term to pull out of that statement, the platform’s strategy being instantaneous publishing and sharing of “the moment”, right as the user experiences it.

Though a Web platform for Instagram has recently been launched, photos are still posted exclusively via the user’s smart phone, limiting (to an extent) the type of imagery that can be posted. The publisher can add text to support their posts, and in the same manner employed by Facebook, other users are able to like and comment. Hashtags work identically to Twitter posts, Instagram users delivered to a gallery of thumbnail images tagged with that term. These images can be viewed, liked, commented on and the original poster can be followed, channeling future image posts into your own feed.

Instagram reaffirms that text is no longer the primary form of online communication, and openly supports the “picture being worth a thousand words” mantra. It’s fun, instantaneous and like all good social media platforms, it brings people together through communication and the inherit empathy of common interests and associations. We all experience “the moment”, Instagram have captured a model that conveys its truest essence.

Like all Social media platforms, business and particularly eCommerce finds an approach in which to conduct financial exchange, irrespective of whether the platform intended it to do so. While Instagram users can’t add links to individual posts, containing users to the app for the duration of the engagement, the user profile can lead interested parties to an external domain where users can purchase products depicted in an Instragram feed. It’s a nice way to discover boutique wares and start/continue a conversation (or conversion) that’s wider than what Instagram set out to offer. And provided users stick to the utopian idea of sharing a moment they’ve captured on their smartphone, rather than uploading crass “banner ad” like files in a bid to sell, a certain harmony can be maintained where genuine sharing and positive engagement will lead organically to the commercial interests of posters with eCommerce as part of their digital ecosystem.

So clearly, it’s not a “me too” tool for every site on the Web, but for brands with a boutique persona, whose enterprise prospers on more quaint levels of personal engagement, it may very well be the ideal.

Conversely, Pinterest is a showcase. Fashion, style, craft, design, inspiration; the user parades those items they deem special and is exposed to opportunities they deem aspirational. It’s a state of who I want to be, vs who I am. What I am working towards, rather than what I’m doing right now. And like Instagram, the primary force of the communication is through images, though Pinterest enables users to “pin” items of interest to note boards maintained by individual users. Carousing various sites and posts of interest, clicking the “pin button” and attaching to a thematically delineated set of boards - public or private - contained on a smart URL of the profile maker’s choosing.

The Pinterest about page reads, “Pinterest lets you organize and share all the beautiful things you find on the web. People use pinboards to plan their weddings, decorate their homes, and organize their favorite recipes. Best of all, you can browse pinboards created by other people. Browsing pinboards is a fun way to discover new things and get inspiration from people who share your interests.”

Sharing tools include Repin, Like and Comment, and it’s definitely a new twist on a classic communication model like the old cork pinboard, generally contained to kitchens and office walkways. The difference of course being that users are now unlimited as to who they can expose their dreams and desires to. Whether it’s creating galleries of things we’d like on the “presents for me” board or the “wedding stuff” album that may contain links to dresses, tailors, venues and celebrants, Pinterest is clearly the leader in terms of proving itself a business application, even by virtue of the flexibility of the platform.

And it’s evident that of these burgeoning social media channels that the heavily female skewed Pinterest has cut through most aggressively, especially where Web adoption is concerned. Both models rely on ratification, without it each is but a nicely curated gallery of moments and pieces, receiving no greater degree of exposure than the physical boards of yesterday. Pinterest makes it easier for businesses to adopt and adapt to commercial ends, but does this eliminate those options for strategic magic that will shine when accomplished on Instagram?

A distillation of each suggests one should compete with the other, but the communication intents are clearly divergent. The question is how will they serve your business interests?

Curious to find out more? Give us a call at 1300 780 566 or email info@bwired.com.au we're always happy to have a chat with you about your business and digital strategy.

1. Image interaction rate: http://momentusmedia.com/blog/?p=858

2. http://instagram.com/about/faq/

3. http://pinterest.com/about/

Get Schmart About Marketing

bwired team — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 16:50:42

bwired attended the Schmart Marketing Conference in Melbourne yesterday and David Warwick will also be at the Sydney conference today. Have a look at the #smc12 hashtag stream on Twitter for updates and reactions from attendees, and check out the Get Schmart website for the latest updates and videos from the conference.

A Quick Round-Up

The speakers at both the Melbourne and Sydney conferences including both local and international speakers:

Jeffrey Hayzlett is best-selling author, speaker, “global business celebrity” and currently heads The Hayzlett Group, an international strategic business consulting company driving change for high growth businesses.
Shivani Gupta is the CEO of Passionate People Institute, a company dedicated to creating more passionate people across the globe.
Billy Tucker is the owner of data consultancy 57 Signals. Previously he was the CEO of Cudo Australia, one of Australia’s leading Group Buying businesses.
Rob Belgiovane is a founding partner and Executive Creative Director of Belgiovane Williams Mackay and board director of the BWM Group, the largest independent marketing communications group in Australia.
Scott Stratten is the President of Un-Marketing. He is an expert in Viral, Social, and Authentic Marketing which he calls Un-Marketing.
Dan Gregory is the founder and CEO of The Impossible Institute™, an innovation and engagement company that advises management, marketers and sales departments on what truly drives their customers, cultures and employees.

Key Tip for Marketers

Insight is essential

Insight into your customers allows marketers to truly connect to their audience in a demanding landscape where we are bombarded by messages on a daily basis. This insight will also help us understand which of the many tools and online platforms should be used to best connect with our audience rather than blindly choosing a platform and wasting time and resources.

So how can we apply “insight” in marketing? There were a few different points of view from the speakers:

Personalisation: Billy Tucker, founder and former CEO of daily deal site Cudo and currently head of 57 Signals, talked about the changing users behind our web browsers. We’re no longer talking to the “digerati” – the internet has grown up and has even reached the Luddites. More people (of all ages) are feeling comfortable with online retail and buying online, and users are getting increasingly comfortable with the death of online privacy (though this could be up for discussion). By looking for and using the right data on your customers, you can provide a personalised experience and drive conversions (that’s what it’s all about). Pretty sure something else was said, but the Scottish accent was confusing at times...

Make your audience your sales force: With an insight about your audience that is both relevant and authentic, the Australian population can become your sales force through word of mouth. For BWM, one example is the “Rabbits” campaign for Big Pond. By drawing on an insight (a parent’s fear of their child falling behind in school), BWM and Telstra came up with an idea that socialised itself and demonstrated a simple concept that is extremely effective when harnessed – word of mouth. It’s one of the most powerful media around.

Authentic: This is bandied about a lot – be authentic in social media. But as Scott Stratten said, social media doesn’t make brands authentic, but it does reward authenticity– it’s just that most of us fail to take advantage of this opportunity. The same goes in advertising and marketing in both online and offline interactions with our audience.

Because we’re bombarded with so many messages from the time we’re a kid to today, we can get cynical. Authentic communications can be a welcome and refreshing change to the low standard of customer service and tired old advertising messages we continually face as consumers. As an example, Dan Gregory cited the campaign for the reformulated Mother energy drink: “Tastes nothing like the old one!”

Social media provides an excellent tool for authentic communications, but simply entering the space just to tick off a marketing checklist is not enough – it must be planned and managed with care (and enthusiasm!). Take the time to learn about your audience (e.g. how they want to be spoken to, what information they want to hear; what communication methods they prefer) and engagement is easy.

Bridge the Gap

We're barely scratching the surface of all the great insight shared at the Schmart Marketing Conference - not to mention the many mentions of animals! Pheasants, polar bears, lions, rabbits - the list goes on! (To know what the heck we're talking about, you'll just have to go next year!)

And if you need help bridging the gap between social media, digital and traditional marketing - give us a call at 1300 780 566 or email info@bwired.com.au

10 Social Media Considerations

bwired team — Fri, 28 Oct 2011 16:40:24

The case for Social Media is generally accepted (grudgingly in some cases). Acceptance of the channel and recognition of opportunity is a first step, one that leads immediately to questions on approach, potential issues, concerns and other considerations. The following '10 Social Media Considerations' should help to frame your thinking if you are starting out, or provide a good 'cross-check' for existing participants keen to assess performance and practice.

ONE - Why Social Media? (The Market)

Social Media in some form or another is here to stay! Nielsen research in 2010 highlighted the size of the Australian audience. Over 10 million social media participants in Australia, more than 5 million Facebook accounts, 2 million of each of Twitter and LinkedIN accounts and more than two-thirds of all adults under 35 already actively participating on Social Media channels. In terms of hours spent using these platforms, Australians lead the world. With Australian consumers taking up Social Media, it is not surprising that business follows and most are either contemplating or implementing social media initiatives.

TWO - Why Social Media for You? (Your Objectives)

The best Social Media approach for you is one that achieves your objectives. Instead of letting the hype of Social Media drive your behaviour, come at the subject from a top-down strategic approach. What are your personal or business objectives? How can marketing, networking and online platforms assist? What is the best outcome for you at this current point in time? Do you need more 'discovery and awareness'? Do you need better 'engagement and interaction'? Do you just need to be better prepared for the future and signal your awareness of the channel? ... Often it will be a combination of a number of objectives, but one outcome will lead the race and help define the best approach. Ultimately you want Social Media to work for YOU! Not you working for social media.

THREE - When should you consider Social Media? (Planning)

"Since the market and platforms are rapidly changing, let's wait until things settle down" ... WRONG! Social Media is far more about networking than technology. If there was a new 'Industry Association' in your field, would you have more influence and make more connections if you joined early or if you joined after everyone else? Well there's your answer. You cannot leverage your network, spread the word to your audience or counter negative messages in the marketplace if you have no platform, no presence, no audience, no network and no experience. Build your platform and your network NOW for when you need it most ... start today! You can adjust for technology and platform changes and your network and content can be transitioned as things inevitably change.

FOUR - How to use Social Media? (Your Approach)

The best place to start is to use what you already have, what you know and who you know to make the pathway easy, gain early wins and pick off the 'low hanging fruit'. Now that was a sentence fit for 'cliche bingo'. Cliched it may be, but taking small steps and using existing material is the proven road to success. You will have content from other places that you can re-purpose into Social Media channels. You know yourself and your industry, trust your experience ... this is a network more than a technology. You will know (or know of) people who are using Social Media, connect with them and ask them for support. Pick the Social Media platform that is closest to your network, audience and objectives and make it work before expanding to others.

FIVE - How to Make Social Media Simple? (Your Tools)

Using the right tool always makes work easier. There are 'platform tools' that let you use, research and manage social media channels - ask your network what they use to make their life easier. Even more important are 'your tools', these are items that guide you. For example a statement of objectives, a policy on Social Media use, instructions, publishing schedule, monthly metrics report, resourcing model and source content - your 'internal/personal tools' will depend on your needs. Get them ready and the exercise of deploying Social Media, producing content and managing this channel in conjunction with other networking and communications activities will be a breeze. My favourite corporate tool is a 'Brand Lexicon' ... a detailed list of terms and phrases that resonate with your brand, audience and objectives and are known to trigger results. This is a great 'memory jogger' and content touchstone for creating compelling content and ensuring great search discovery. I have a methodology for building a great Lexicon but that is a topic for another day.

SIX - What should I expect? (Measurement and Return)

Most Social Media activity is a 'slow burn'. Networks take time to build, cultivate and deliver results. You have to give value to get value and the return is a compounding one. Your returns build over time as your network increases, you grow an established voice and the mechanics of the online world gain traction (search outcomes, network effects and inward links to name a few). This means although you should set clear objectives, you need to grow into them. As a guide, don't expect anything amazing in the first three to six months. Despite the 'walk before you run' caveat, make sure you set targets and measure outcomes. At the very least, this will show you what works and what doesn't. The simple road to success ... do more of what works and less of what doesn't.

SEVEN - How do I sustain Social Media? (The Long Term)

The best way to sustain your Social Media effort is to build slowly. Deliberate, considered and fully resourced but constrained effort over a longer period will be more successful that a short mad dash. The ultimate issue of ongoing sustainability depends on integration ... making your Social Media activity mainstream! Your objectives, content, resources and approach should be integrated. If your Social Media objectives are the same as your business objectives, content is shared and re-purposed, resourcing is shared and the approach dovetails into other marketing, networking, communication and technical activity, then you have a sustainable (and most likely successful) model.

EIGHT - What if my 'brand' is trashed? (Dealing with Negativity)

For some organizations, the reason for avoiding Social Media is a fear of inciting attack and hearing negative or malicious comment. The evidence does not support this and usually any 'negativity' is occurring whether you are a participant or not. The advantage of participation is an ability to influence conversation, address issues, counter malicious statements and be aware of the depth of negative sentiment. Consider five people complaining with an average individual audience of 100 followers or connections. You have built a quality Social Media network and have 10,000 followers or connections ... you carefully respond to one of these complaints. Your considered reply, audience attentiveness and message has an audience of 10,000 compared to the combined negative 500 (5 x 100) that preceded your involvement, regardless of whether you changed the individual view of the individual you replied to. You do not have this power unless you participate and build your network in advance of issues arising.

NINE - What if I make a mistake? (Learning and Transparency)

If you stick to objectives, professional behaviour and use well conceived tools as a guide (see Item Five), the risks are reduced. Most Social Media comment can be deleted or at least rescinded. If at the end of the day, you make an honest mistake, it is usually best to learn it early and the lessons won through Social Media can help stop you from continuing to make the same error in a less discoverable or more expensive manner (such as in your products, services and other communications). If your policy is clear on risk-management, professional behaviour, authorization and escalation, you will have the tools and pathways for dealing with more serious mistakes and issues. In classic risk management, the risks are generally low and certainly not worthy of discounting all of the potential rewards.

TEN - How do I get help? (Quality Support)

The great thing about Social Media is that the network can be 'self supporting' and the volume of information online is vast. Use your own filter and experience to determine what will work for you and what fits with your objectives.

In terms of a larger organization, a balance of internal resources (close to the action and message) and external resources (with broad experience and domain knowledge) delivers the best of both worlds. The other great thing about an 'internal/external' mix is support (overflow, leave, training, crisis management, two sets of eyes and multiple viewpoints). Need external support ... well you know who to call (gratuitous self promotion here).

Connect with David Warwick on Twitter @drwarwick or call the bwired offices at 1300 780 566

10 Things That Matter for Search

bwired team — Fri, 16 Sep 2011 17:09:04

The issue: It is common for web content authors to fail to adequately consider two critical requirements: being discovered and clarity of message. Here are ten key items to consider.

Our Sample Page, Ten Things That Matter and Resulting Search Outcome

Here is a page model (below). The inset box with 'Search' placed top-right is an example of the Google result that this page would create within a search results page (yes, you create the result that Google ultimately displays). The keyword that we are focused on for this example is Impact and the red-pointers are our 'ten things that matter'. You may need to keep referring to this image as we progress. The aim is to optimize this page for superior discovery within a search for 'Impact'. Control the items that you can and at least be aware of the ones you cannot.

Our Ten Things that Matter - Google Search

The advice that follows is primarily targeted at maximizing Google organic search results (non-paid). Something often called 'Search Engine Optimization' or SEO. Taking a 'Google centric' focus is also good practice for many other search models, web page construction in general (usability) and message crafting. Lets identify each of our ten items and what you can do to improve your search performance.

Item 1 - Web Page Address or URL

Your web page address or URL (Uniform Resource Locater) is what you would type into the web browser to go directly to your page. Every page has its own potential search outcomes and you need to consider (separately and in combination) every page of web content you wish to manage (tip: in a website improvement project, start with the most important pages first). The URL contains the website domain (example: www.impact.com) and the page itself (example: /impact/) combined together to form the URL. Sometimes there is other code and text (tip: get rid of it if it is not needed and ask your technical people about a 'mod re-write' even if it is).

The website domain has the strongest search power of any piece of content. You will struggle to out perform (www.keyword.com) in a search on 'keyword' so if you are creating a new website, carefully consider the name of the domain. For the rest of us, it is too late, the domain is set for better or worse. We can, however, usually control the 'page naming' section of the URL which also has significant search clout. With brevity in mind, make the name meaningful to the purpose of the page with some consideration of search relevance. Most importantly, remember that all search benefits and inbound links will become connected to this URL, if you change it later, you loose the search results (which take a long-time to build) and you break incoming links. Although there are some methods to redirect and even transfer some of the page search benefits, these are not fully effective, and your search outcomes will decline significantly and take time to rebuild. Don't change the page address (URL) unless you must, it is the online equivalent of changing your street address. Your page URL is the anchor point for all search, it forms the 'green' content element within the Google Search results, and it has a significant role to play in search discovery.

Item 2 - Page Title or Window Title

Your web page title is the most misunderstood and misused piece of digital 'real-estate'. So often we see Page Titles that simply say 'Home' - this is absolute madness. Not only is the Window Title an opportunity for short marketing text, it is one of the most important pieces of content for delivering search outcomes. The Window Title forms the Heading of your Google result. That makes it the most powerful piece of content you have at your disposal, for encouraging someone to actually click through to your web page, when they see the heading in the Google search results. As a bonus, when someone is actually on your web page they barely look at this content, as it normally appears in the browser header (absolute top) and they are already concentrating on the content or navigation. This makes the Window Title an opportunity to 'sell' the content of the page without really being part of the content of the page.

You have around 65 characters to fill the Google heading for your result. Use a number of likely and relevant search terms to build a headline that will encourage a new searcher to click through to the site page and read more. Finally, make sure your Window Titles are unique to each page in your website. If you were designing Google, how many duplicate headlines for results would you show on any list of results? So if your 'home' page is your most critical website page, why would you call it simply 'Home' - make those 65 characters work to bring an audience that matters to your content.

Item 3 - Page Heading

Not to be confused with Item 2 (Page Title or Window Title), it is common practice to have an 'in-page' heading as part of the content. This piece of content does NOT form part of the Google search results (the displayed Google search result is usually formed from a combination of Items 1, 2 and 4). Nevertheless, this is one of the first pieces of content consumed by a visitor to the page, so it needs to hold their attention and confirm that they are in the 'right place' and prevent them from going back to the search results looking for a better option (something known as a page 'bounce'). In addition, the words themselves provide Google with something to match against search terms. We call this Context. If I search on the word 'Impact', something on the page must match to this search - put simply, the page must contain the word 'Impact' or there is no 'context relevance' to the search.

Some content locations have more power than others to influence context relevance and where you are likely to appear in search results. The domain and the window title have high contextual power. This opening heading has less but is still stronger than most of the body copy and other page content. Make the heading capture the visitor and then consider including search terms that matter. Also, make sure that the Heading is classed as 'H1? in the code (ask for technical help if needed) and only use a single 'H1? heading on any individual page.

Item 4 - The OPENING Piece Of Body Text

The first 155 characters or so of 'normal' or 'body' text on the page is generally used by Google to create the 'description' contained within the search results. The search heading uses your page title (up to 65 characters), the search description normally uses your opening body text (up to 155 characters) and the search link uses your URL. Together these items (items 1, 2 and 4 on our list) make up your 'ad' for the page as it appears in search results. In essence this opening sentence should describe the content and scope of the page, using a richness of search terms, and also continue to hold a visitor's attention when they get to the page.

Often web pages do not have opening text or the opening text is a news article, a link or something not really connected to the core purpose of the page. This is a BIG mistake. Not only do you miss creating a 'search ad' within the Google results, you have failed to introduce a visitor to the purpose of the page. Include embed animations, pictures, video and widgets by all means, provide lists and news items and links as well, but don't forget to provide at least 155 characters of introductory text first. Your quantity of web page visitors will grow and their satisfaction with the experience will be enhanced. Don't even get me started on accessibility and writing styles (website improvement material for another day's blog post).

Item 5 - The Remainder Of The Text Content

We are now into the deeper content of the page itself. This copy is unlikely to form any part of the displayed Google results (the Google Ad so to speak), it does however provide additional context for search. In less competitive areas, a single word here might be sufficient for someone to find your page. In highly competitive search areas, the context will add to that created by the URL, Page Title and Opening Body Text that we have already covered above.

Some repetition of keywords can also enhance the context, however this 'key word density' is often overstated in its importance. Don't repeat words to the point that they are annoying to the reader or they rob you of a broader message - a chance to include other terms that may be relevant. Don't let repetition make your message longer or change the structure from concise, well written, active, useful and authentic messaging. In the body of your page the art is about balance. By all means, make a list of key terms that should be included and craft your copy to include them as best as possible (quiet often my engagement with clients is to draft a lexicon - a prioritized list of keywords that should be included as appropriate within site content). Every public web page (in my humble opinion) should contain some text-based content to assist with search discovery, knowledge transfer and the stimulation of further action.

Item 6 - Image and Rich Media Descriptions

In the case of Images, these are called 'ALT Tags' and they are a text description of the image or other visual or rich-media element. They don't normally display on the page, except in some browsers while the image is loading, however you can see them in the HTML code if you choose 'View Source' in your browser. Some visually impaired audiences using 'text readers' have the descriptions read aloud, in place of seeing the image. As a result, ALT Tags are a key element in making your web page accessible and avoiding discrimination (now mandated in some countries and expected of major Government, corporate and public websites). The ALT-Tag also provides a minor boost to search context. Since it is important for accessibility and completeness, why not avail your web content of a slight additional benefit in search outcomes at the same time. This benefit is much larger when we are talking about 'image search' through Google or other image discovery tools and the traffic from people searching for image based content may be an important or additional audience channel for your web page.

Item 7 - Metadata Description

Metadata literally means 'data about data' and it is hidden information about your web page. There are a large number of metadata fields defined by W3C, Dublin Core, AGLS and other internet groups and web standards, and your technical staff should consider which are appropriate and ensure they are completed accordingly. For this search piece, we are looking at only two, the first being the Metadata Description. This is simply a description of your web page. On a page where there is no body text (see Item 4), Google may use the Metadata Description in place of body text to construct the search result description. This has encouraged some web authors and site builders (Flash and heavily visual sites especially) to drop body text from the page. Please do not make the same mistake. The Metadata Description is not an effective substitute and is not visible on the page itself, this means there is no cognitive reinforcement of the Google Result (Search Ad) by the content then experienced on a visitor's arrival to the page, increasing the likelihood of departure (bounce rate).

The simplest way to use the Metadata Description is to copy Item 4 (the opening 155 character body text description) into the Metadata Description field (assuming the text description was well drafted and can stand in as a full page synopsis). This means the opening text and Metadata Description reinforce each other. Google doesn't put much 'context' in store for metadata, preferring to use 'on-page' content, however every little bit helps get a better result and there are some search tools that make much greater use of metadata to locate content.

Item 8 - Metadata Keywords

Adding support to Item 7 (Metadata Description), keywords can be added as a list of 'recommended search' terms that connect with the context of the page. The same principles apply as they did with Metadata Description (above), Google pays only scant attention to these items but they can reinforce what you already have on the page, and they are useful for other metadata driven tools, portals and search frameworks. The best model is pick the 4 to 10 most important words within the page content that would match likely search behaviour, and then place them in the Metadata Keyword field (they must be comma separated, in priority order, used in the page content itself, and there is no point adding more than 10).

Item 9 - Google PageRank

If you have Items 1 to 8 sorted, you have created a Search Optimized web page, congratulations! Even if you have Items 1, 2 and 4 well managed, you have at least created a well constructed 'search result ad' when it appears within a Google results page. Those items will define the context (search relevance) that determines when you turn up within search and the degree of context matching that can help you outperform other web pages with the same Google PageRank. PageRank is however a critical issue, as your ultimate performance in a Google Search depends upon you having equal or superior PageRank to other web pages with similar contextual relevance. I have posted a more detailed 'Understanding Google PageRank' as it forms a whole complex conversation in its own right. For this post, let us stay with the basics.

Google scores the importance of your web page with a PageRank score out of 10. The scale is not linear and it is harder to get from 6 to 7 than from 0 to 6 - only the most powerful web pages ever make it to 10 and let us hope that you are not trying to compete with them for your audience. At its most simple, you inherit your PageRank from other web pages that link to you (incoming links) - in other words, the more high quality pages that link to your page, the higher your PageRank ultimately becomes. There is some fine-print here, issues and other detail that is the subject of the more detailed post. If you wish, you can install the Google Toolbar into your browser and use it to tell you the approximate PageRank of any public web page. The key point is, for search effectiveness you need incoming links to your page. Your website itself should be well constructed with quality navigation and suitable cross-links between content so that PageRank inheritance is passed efficiently within your website.

You should encourage partner businesses, friends, lists, portals, directories, industry groups and other relevant websites (related to or benefiting from your content) to link to your web page. Finally, you can use Social Media to talk about your website and web content and as a result create links - these links add to the conversation, bring their own traffic and compound the effect of PageRank inheritance making your search outcomes stronger. You get direct traffic and you also lift search traffic. It is also beneficial to ask your technical support to provide a Sitemap.xml page for your website that details your page priorities and content structure - effectively another set of links specifically provided to explain your website to Google's search robot. Consider a Google Adwords (pay-per-click) program to boost search as well if it is appropriate to your website and you have a suitable budget.

Item 10 - Social Media

If you have read Item 9 - PageRank, then I have already sold you on the link-based search benefits of Social Media. In addition, most social media is web content in its own right and many of the conversations above apply in part to its optimization, especially where the end result is a piece of content with a URL of its own. Social Media also allows you to build conversations, audiences and network connection points. This all aids the reach of your content and encourages others to take up the conversation, add their voice to its promotion, and expand upon the initiating trigger. Using social media can create a number of beneficial outcomes, two of the most obvious are direct traffic to your content and additional PageRank inheritance. As if you needed any other reason to play in the Social Media space.

Parting Comment

I hope that this post helps you reconsider your online activity and create better outcomes for your content, your organization and your audience. Please subscribe to this blog for further updates and notification of forthcoming posts. Your comments on this post are most welcome...

For more on SEO and how to improve your search engine rankings, contact David by calling the bwired office at 1300 780 566 or email bwired at info@bwired.com.au.

Living in 3D

bwired team — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 15:49:49

Life is 3D so why should we be living it through technology?

It really feels like were stepping into the 'future', and its nothing like those old movies had envisaged it. Everything is moving more and more into the 3D world- movies, TV- even print ads and articles in magazines are getting in on the action. Technology has been and always will be ever-changing. There always seems like there is a way to improve something. Black and white television became colour, television had video players, progressed to DVD players, BluRay was invented and now we have 3D TV.

Is it even necessary?

I'm not dissing 3D, because I do think it is an amazing piece of engineering and it sounds like the way people are going on about it, it is as innovative as colour TV was back then.

None the less, 3D Television is very impressive. A screen that makes you feel like you're part of the action, makes you feel like your really there and makes you react to every action is something to make noise about.

And although 3D TV is an argument to stay inside more and could essentially save you money by not going out, because you can be experiencing everything you want to on a TV in the comfort of your own home, it's not even close to the real thing.

I do think 3D for certain things such as sports is a clever idea. The Nine Network has announced that they will show the 'State of Origin Game' in 3D and other sports have decided to do the same like FIFA and AFL.

There are definitely benefits to the 3D TV, just the fact that it is 3D gets people eager to see what it's all about, for now it is something new and different, but it doesn't seem like this novelty will wear off anytime soon.

3D TV looks like it will be sticking around for a while and may just be something we see in nearly every household in years to come.

Kill Switch

bwired team — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 09:50:06

There have been reports by The Age that The U.S Senate is considering a bill that will allow Obama to turn off the internet when he feels that there is a "national cyber emergency" because according to the new bill the internet is a "US National Asset".

"One of Australia's top communications experts, University of Sydney associate professor Bjorn Landfeldt, has rallied against the idea, saying shutting down the internet would "inflict an enormous damage on the entire world". He said it would be like giving a single country "the right to poison the atmosphere, or poison the ocean"

Is it even possible to shut down such a large resource? There are many people who believe that having the internet is a fundamental right that belongs to the people. What possible national security scare would be so big that the internet would have to be switched off? There will always be others ways to communicate and by the time that the scare has been located it may be too late anyway.

I don't really like the fact that under legislation America would be the sole owner of the internet. Putting this much power into one country's hands could have a devastating effect. So I think that Obama is within his rights to consider internet censorship for America and America only, similar to China not affecting the rest of the world. The internet is an enormous communication network that connects the business world, the social world and the whole wide world, reaching out to an audience of billions of people. This tool we so regularly utilise to get messages across faster, do business easier and keep in touch with others constantly can't possibly be left to one person and one country to decide when and why it should be switched off.

There are many arguments made against this proposal, the biggest that no one actually owns the internet. There is no one owner to this global network that connects the world. It really is the main connection that enables us to communicate 24/7 globally.

A large quantity of the internet is located in America so it would affect other countries that rely on the internet every day. So if it is a national emergency for America why should if effect the rest of the world?

Though there was quite a bit of media coverage over this issue, there is a lot to consider and there is information we don't know, what with political and legal issues and documents and also because we only know what we're told.

But controls in the media is a conversation for another day.