Search Logs are often not included in regular analytics package, or if they are included, they are ignored. Paying attention to your website's Search Log can help you learn more how people use your website. Pay attention to these three aspects of your search log. Your Top Search Terms - This shows how visitors think as they explore your site. See if any of the results have any patterns relating to the calendar year. Are people searching for tax information right before tax day? Are people searching for gifts and flowers around Valentine's Day? Once you figure out your top search terms, ...

A study from Constant Contact finds that after word of mouth, small businesses consider websites the most important marketing method in finding new customers. Approximately 93% of the people chose a website, while the next highest choice was email marketing at 89%. In 2009, only 78% of small businesses surveyed relied on a website to bring in new customers and only 70% thought email marketing was important. With so many businesses relying on their website to attract new customers even more than before, it is important that you keep your website up-to-date in design and technology in order to compete. If you ...

While it may be tempting to put all of the information you have about your company, its products and services on the home page for people to see right away, this is often overwhelming for visitors and can drive people away from your company. Websites should be treated like an online version of a store or business. When you walk into a grocery store, you aren't confronted with flashing lights, blaring music, and every product the store has in stock. Instead, you will see a handful of products with signs and indicators directing you to other items. In the same way, your ...

According to the survey "Website Design Strategies and Tactics, most e-commerce websites are planning a redesign of their website in 2010. Almost half of the e-commerce websites planning on a redesign are looking to create better organization with updated home and inner pages of their website. They are also looking for better search engine optimization and clearer navigation for the website. About one-third of the retailers are also looking to add video or streaming media as well as customer reviews and ratings. The main reason given by retailers for the redesign is to increase sales and attract new shoppers. It is important to keep ...

Google has recently decided that page-loading speed will be included in its algorithm for its search engine. This means that websites that take longer to load will be penalized by getting a lower ranking. If your website has a lot that it needs to load, there is a chance that people will become impatient and leave your website before it finishes. They'll be more likely to visit a different search result that loads faster and gives them the information they need. Also, a slow-loading website often means that there is a lot of coding involved. All of this coding makes it more ...

In a recent study from BIA/Kelsey and ConStat, almost all US Internet users research local products and services onilne first before making a purchase. Approximately 97 percent use online media for local shopping research, and of those 90 percent use search engines,  48 percent use Internet Yellow Pages, 24 percent use vertical sites, and 42 percent use comparison shopping sites. The report also showed that more than half of the people surveyed used an online coupon when shopping for products in the past year and almost 20 percent booked an appointment online somewhere other than a restaurant. As more and more people turn ...

With more people searching and researching companies on the web and making their purchasing decisions online, your website could easily be the first thing a potential customer sees about your business. Having a corporate website design that hasn't been updated in years conveys that your company doesn't belong in 2010. Regardless of the industry you're in, it's imperative to keep your website up-to-date. There are a few simple ways you can see if it is time for you to revamp your website. Lack of intelligent reporting and analytics - Your website is a powerful medium through which you can engage your audience. ...

Small businesses are planning on doing more online marketing in 2010, according to studies from Vistaprint and Ad-ology. Small businesses are looking to increase their marketing plans for social media (14%), online and search advertising (11%). Also, only 38% of small businesses currently have a company website, but 32% of respondents said they would be interested in building a website if they had more time and money to spend on it. In a separate survey, Ad-ology found that 46% of US small businesses did not have a website. With more small businesses becoming interested in online marketing, it is critical to have a website ...

Having a great website can easily be your best marketing tool. Potential customers can learn about your company and its products and services. Only 3% of buyers from various companies say a website has no influence at all over a purchase decision, according to a survey by RainToday.com. A professional services website has had an increasing influence on purchasing decision over the past four years. The survey reports that a website holds at least some influence over 74% of buyers' decision. This is up from 2005 where it was only 51%. A professional design with valuable content, pictures, and information can help ...

2010 is well on its way and it can be easy to get caught up in the day-to-day activities. However, with the year still new, it is important to reflect on your business' 1-to-1 marketing and see if you are effectively executing your online solutions. Here are a few things to review and see if they are being properly utilized. Review your website. Look at your website with a fresh set of eyes. Is the information you want conveyed properly to your target audience? Could new visitors quickly find information about your products and services? Are you clearly highlighting how to find ...

Having a website that loads quickly does more than just help your visitors, it also helps your organic rankings on Google. Having a site that is image-heavy and uses things like AJAX, XML, and Flash could hurt after a certain point. Google announced a Site Speed site that provides resources to webmasters to speed up their pages. A faster loading website leads to a reduction in bounce rate of the site, more leads, greater chances of conversion, reduction of bandwidth and hosting costs and more. Here are some things that could be slowing down your website load time: Slow re-direct Hosting on a slow server Using ...

Now that the holiday season is here, there will be plenty of people searching online for the perfect presents to get their friends and family. To help your site perform the best it possibly can, it is best to try to reduce shopper cart abandonment. These are generally people who you were able to draw to your Web site with marketing, but were discouraged in some way. According to the 8th Annual merchant Survey, conducted by PayPal and comScore, here are some of the reasons why shoppers abandoned their shopping cart. High shipping costs If the shipping on an item seems to double ...