A website is only as good as its content and navigation. When visitors come to a site, they need to quickly get the answers to their questions and quickly find the information they need to make a decision.
Anything you do to interfere with that decision making process is going to cause your visitor to abruptly leave the site. No business wants to deliberately turn away customers, yet some sites are so poorly designed that they are doomed to failure right from the beginning.
A good example of a poorly functioning site is the website for Medicare.
In late 2005, the U.S. government enacted legislation to offer prescription drug coverage through its Medicare program. Unfortunately, the program offers multiple plans that seniors must wade through to make a decision regarding which coverage is best for their unique situation.
Also unfortunately, the government chose its Medicare website as the platform to explain the new drug benefit program and offer help for seniors on how to choose their new prescription drug plan.
It seems a logical choice to use a website to give out information, but in this case, it only compounded the problem.
Site is Difficult or Impossible to Use
Nearly two-thirds of Medicare beneficiaries who use the Internet report that Medicare's website is difficult or impossible to use in choosing a prescription drug plan under the new Medicare drug benefit, according to a recent survey conducted by Elder Law Answers (elderlawanswers) , the Web's leading elder law site.
The Web-based survey found that 63 percent of respondents had used Medicare's website to compare prescription drug plans available in their area, but most did not find the site easy to navigate.
"These findings are significant because survey respondents are already Internet users and presumably have some proficiency in using computers and navigating Web sites," said Elder Law Answers president Harry S. Margolis, Esq. "The fact that so large a share of this group is having difficulty suggests a more widespread problem."
Analyzing a Widespread Problem
So, let's take a look at medicare.gov and find out why this website is so difficult.
Problem #1 Overwhelmed by Choices
The website is confusing as soon as you arrive on the site. There are so many choices; you don't know where to begin to get the answers you need. The site has 29 text links on the main page, 17 links on the left side of the page and 41 subtopic links. A total of 87 choices on just the homepage.
Each time a link is clicked it takes you deeper into the website towards more confusion. Each page you pull up will offer another multitude of choices which lead to another page of choices. It's like being caught up in a never-ending phone tree where you just keep pushing buttons, but never get connected to a human being.
Problem #2 All Text Links
This website has taken a good idea to the extreme and turned it into a problem. Text links on a site are an excellent way to introduce information that needs further explanation. You would use the text link to bring visitors to a separate page where you can be more detailed in your communication.
However, text links do need some explanation. The correct way to use a text link is to create a small paragraph of explanation that gives the reader some understanding of your point. The reader should have enough information to be able to make a decision without clicking on the link.
Having a page full of text links with no explanation is a frustrating experience for a website visitor. In order to get information the visitor has to click text link after text link. And in the process, visitors can become lost and disoriented.
Problem #3 No Graphics
A site with no graphics and just text is boring. A website needs to be interesting to hold a visitor's attention. Graphics offer a way for the eye to relax a moment after reading text. It also helps to balance the site. Compare reading a website to reading a magazine. Aren't you more interested in articles that include pictures and colorful graphics?
Not only is it visually more interesting when a site has graphics or pictures, but it is often easier to understand. Why do you think we have road signs with pictures on them? A picture is worth a thousand words. What is confusing in the written word is often easy to understand with a picture diagram.
Fixing a Widespread Problem
In order for the Medicare website to function better it needs to:
*Dramatically cut back on the text links on the homepage. Limit the choices to eight at the most.
*It would make more sense to create a separate site for the prescription drug plan with its own URL. Part of the problem is that the site is also answering Medicare questions and that just adds to the confusion.
*Offer a small paragraph of explanation to accompany each of the text links.
*Add graphics and/or pictures to help in the explanation.
By making these changes the Medicare site will function more efficiently and the navigation will be much easier for all the visitors.
Michelle Howe, MBA, is an expert in online copywriting and author of the popular book, Turn Browsers into Buyers. Visit her website at http://www.Internet WordMagic. com for the FREE report, Five Easy Steps for Creating "I Wanna Read That" Articles.
http://www.blogdigger.com/search?sortby=date&type=rss&q=website%20software
Friday, December 08, 2006
Tuesday, December 05, 2006
Going Broke on Google Adwords?
Going Broke on Google Adwords?
You've heard the stories. Click fraud has run rampant on
Google, Yahoo, and MSN. This is evidenced by the numerous
law suits that have been filed.
One of the most notable cases occurred this year when Google
settled their own click fraud case to the tune of 90 million
dollars (http://www.bigmouth media.com/ live/articles/
google-vs-lanes- gifts--settling- for-better- or-f.asp/ 3201/).
In fact, Google and Yahoo have each settled a class action
lawsuit filed by marketers.
Click Fraud - What It Is
So, what is click fraud and how does it occur? Wikipedia
provides us with a definition:
"Click fraud occurs in pay per click online advertising when a
person, automated script, or computer program imitates a
legitimate user of a web browser clicking on an ad, for the
purpose of generating an improper charge per click. Click fraud
is the subject of some controversy and increasing litigation due
to the advertising networks being a key beneficiary of the fraud
whether they like it or not."
However, I would like to simplify this definition. Click fraud
is a crime, plain and simple. Cybercrime, however, is hard to
track. Law enforcement has only just recently started focusing
on the threat of click fraud.
Click fraud is now being targeted by some of the industry's
biggest names. This movement has both the American court and
government system involved. Business Week recently announced
(http://www.business week.com/ magazine/ content/06_ 40/
b4003001.htm? chan=innovation_ branding_ top+stories)
that major brands including Expedia.com and mortgage broker
LendingTree. com planned to go public with their disputes
over click fraud in late September.
Who can blame them? When it's your money that's going out the
door, you need to be asking questions. Unfortunately, Google
and Yahoo haven't come up with many answers.
They have certainly paid lip service, indicating that they have
systems in place to deter it, but the click fraud numbers
continue to rise.
The Threat to a Popular Advertising Model
The Interactive Advertising Bureau estimates that 20 to 35
percent of ad clicks are fraudulent. The multi-billion dollar
search industry is under attack and the problem is not going
away anytime soon.
Advertisers are being cheated and the search engines appear to
be sitting on the sidelines, leaving much of the responsibility
for detecting click fraud with advertisers, the majority of whom
lack the tools and knowledge to detect it.
The high level of click fraud has undermined advertisers'
confidence and some have even pulled their entire ad campaigns.
For small to medium-sized businesses click fraud effectively
erodes ROI, impacting the bottom line and future marketing
initiatives.
Click fraud is also the single biggest threat to companies like
Google and Yahoo, whose digital empires are largely dependent
on their advertising revenues. Google's $6 billion-a-year
advertising business is especially at risk. Despite the threat,
or maybe because of it, Google is saying little about click
fraud and the pay-per-click concept as a whole.
While Google maintains its silence, many advertisers and savvy
online entrepreneurs wonder where pay-per-click is headed. Click
fraud threatens to destroy the very business that Google thrives
on. In fact, click fraud losses have surpassed the total loss
attributed to credit card fraud in the U.S.
Do the current click fraud problems have the power to slow the
growth of pay-per-click search advertising or even bring it to
a screeching halt?
Well, that's hard to say, but the industry as a whole is
certainly being crippled by this problem. Pay-per-click may
not be the future. Many advertisers are now starting to look
at advertising options that offer an uncorrupted alternative.
Flat-fee advertising, pay-per-percentage, and pay-per-action
are all possibilities, but there is one alternative in
particular that deserves attention.
This search engine advertising model was first put forward by
ExactSeek.com (http://www.exactsee k.com/featured_ listings. html)
and then promoted through the ISEDN (Independent Search Engine &
Directory Network) which ExactSeek founded in June, 2005. The
model promulgated by ExactSeek and the ISEDN does not eliminate
click fraud but does eliminate the cost associated with it.
How the ISEDN Model Works
The ISEDN charges a flat fee for advertising, making click fraud
a pointless endeavor for scam artists, "paid to read" rings and
cutthroat competitors. Your competition could click on your ISEDN
listings all day long and it wouldn't cost you a single penny
more than what you originally paid.
$3-$4 provides you with an entire month's worth of advertising
across a network of 235+ search engines and web directories. If
you choose to buy in volume, you can even expect some significant
discounts.
Let's face it, pay-per-click advertising is expensive. There are
a number of companies who spend $5,000 to $10,000 per month on
paid search marketing. Competition is fierce with many keywords
costing $5 per click or more.
The problem is then compounded when you consider that 20 to 35
percent of those advertising dollars are wasted on fraudulent
clicks. Just imagine. If you are paying $1,000 dollars per
month to advertise on Google, $200 - $350 of those dollars are
wasted on click fraud.
If you want to lower your click fraud costs, you need to buy
click fraud monitoring software, which is quite pricey.
Unfortunately, few click fraud monitoring companies target
small to medium sized businesses.
The ISEDN offers an affordable alternative that charges a
one-time, flat fee. The initial cost is the only cost.
Within this unique advertising model, the sale of any keyword or
phrase is limited to 30 advertisers. Regardless of whether a
keyword term is sold 5 or 30 times, ads rotate within the SERPs
and throughout the ISEDN. The rotation ensures that every ad
appears in the top 10 search results. In the worst case scenario,
a listing would appear on the first page of results approximately
once out of every 3 searches.
Of course, you can't expect the same exposure provided by Google
or Overture. Google alone receives millions of searches per day.
However, if you are looking for a consistent return on your
investment without wasting a penny on click fraud, then the
ISEDN provides an affordable and lucrative solution.
Not to mention, the ISEDN is growing every day. An average of
3- 5 search engines are added every week. As the network
continues to grow, your ad automatically receives more exposure.
This program gives advertisers the benefit of advertising with
smaller search engines on a massive scale without the fear of
click fraud and without the hassle of managing multiple
advertising accounts. For more information on the ISEDN, visit
http://www.exactsee k.com/featured_ listings. html.
Summing It Up
The rules in search engine advertising are shifting and the
winners are adapting.
As for Google, Yahoo, and MSN, you can definitely expect to see
some changes being made with their paid search programs in the
near future. Cybercrime is still a crime and law enforcers are
finally starting to take these problems seriously.
The pay-per-click model is inherently flawed and must be altered
to survive. Google and the other major search engines know that
their business will be crippled if they do not adapt. The
challenge for them is how to adapt and still maintain those
multi-billion dollar bottom lines.
Fortunately, there are individuals, groups, companies and
organizations more interested in finding and providing
solutions to the problem of click fraud than in propping up
a flawed concept. Those leading the fight against click-fraud,
like the ISEDN, may never see 10 figure bottom lines like Yahoo
or Google, but the revenue they do make won't be based on
fraudulent clicks and at your expense.
------------ --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- -
Kim Roach is a staff writer and editor for the SiteProNews
(http://www.sitepron ews.com) & SEO-News (http://www.seo- news.com)
newsletters. You can also find additional tips and news on
webmaster and SEO topics by Kim at the SiteProNews blog
(http://blog. sitepronews. com/). Kim's email is:
kim @ seo-news.com
This article may be freely distributed without modification and
provided that the copyright notice and author information remain
intact.
You've heard the stories. Click fraud has run rampant on
Google, Yahoo, and MSN. This is evidenced by the numerous
law suits that have been filed.
One of the most notable cases occurred this year when Google
settled their own click fraud case to the tune of 90 million
dollars (http://www.bigmouth media.com/ live/articles/
google-vs-lanes- gifts--settling- for-better- or-f.asp/ 3201/).
In fact, Google and Yahoo have each settled a class action
lawsuit filed by marketers.
Click Fraud - What It Is
So, what is click fraud and how does it occur? Wikipedia
provides us with a definition:
"Click fraud occurs in pay per click online advertising when a
person, automated script, or computer program imitates a
legitimate user of a web browser clicking on an ad, for the
purpose of generating an improper charge per click. Click fraud
is the subject of some controversy and increasing litigation due
to the advertising networks being a key beneficiary of the fraud
whether they like it or not."
However, I would like to simplify this definition. Click fraud
is a crime, plain and simple. Cybercrime, however, is hard to
track. Law enforcement has only just recently started focusing
on the threat of click fraud.
Click fraud is now being targeted by some of the industry's
biggest names. This movement has both the American court and
government system involved. Business Week recently announced
(http://www.business week.com/ magazine/ content/06_ 40/
b4003001.htm? chan=innovation_ branding_ top+stories)
that major brands including Expedia.com and mortgage broker
LendingTree. com planned to go public with their disputes
over click fraud in late September.
Who can blame them? When it's your money that's going out the
door, you need to be asking questions. Unfortunately, Google
and Yahoo haven't come up with many answers.
They have certainly paid lip service, indicating that they have
systems in place to deter it, but the click fraud numbers
continue to rise.
The Threat to a Popular Advertising Model
The Interactive Advertising Bureau estimates that 20 to 35
percent of ad clicks are fraudulent. The multi-billion dollar
search industry is under attack and the problem is not going
away anytime soon.
Advertisers are being cheated and the search engines appear to
be sitting on the sidelines, leaving much of the responsibility
for detecting click fraud with advertisers, the majority of whom
lack the tools and knowledge to detect it.
The high level of click fraud has undermined advertisers'
confidence and some have even pulled their entire ad campaigns.
For small to medium-sized businesses click fraud effectively
erodes ROI, impacting the bottom line and future marketing
initiatives.
Click fraud is also the single biggest threat to companies like
Google and Yahoo, whose digital empires are largely dependent
on their advertising revenues. Google's $6 billion-a-year
advertising business is especially at risk. Despite the threat,
or maybe because of it, Google is saying little about click
fraud and the pay-per-click concept as a whole.
While Google maintains its silence, many advertisers and savvy
online entrepreneurs wonder where pay-per-click is headed. Click
fraud threatens to destroy the very business that Google thrives
on. In fact, click fraud losses have surpassed the total loss
attributed to credit card fraud in the U.S.
Do the current click fraud problems have the power to slow the
growth of pay-per-click search advertising or even bring it to
a screeching halt?
Well, that's hard to say, but the industry as a whole is
certainly being crippled by this problem. Pay-per-click may
not be the future. Many advertisers are now starting to look
at advertising options that offer an uncorrupted alternative.
Flat-fee advertising, pay-per-percentage, and pay-per-action
are all possibilities, but there is one alternative in
particular that deserves attention.
This search engine advertising model was first put forward by
ExactSeek.com (http://www.exactsee k.com/featured_ listings. html)
and then promoted through the ISEDN (Independent Search Engine &
Directory Network) which ExactSeek founded in June, 2005. The
model promulgated by ExactSeek and the ISEDN does not eliminate
click fraud but does eliminate the cost associated with it.
How the ISEDN Model Works
The ISEDN charges a flat fee for advertising, making click fraud
a pointless endeavor for scam artists, "paid to read" rings and
cutthroat competitors. Your competition could click on your ISEDN
listings all day long and it wouldn't cost you a single penny
more than what you originally paid.
$3-$4 provides you with an entire month's worth of advertising
across a network of 235+ search engines and web directories. If
you choose to buy in volume, you can even expect some significant
discounts.
Let's face it, pay-per-click advertising is expensive. There are
a number of companies who spend $5,000 to $10,000 per month on
paid search marketing. Competition is fierce with many keywords
costing $5 per click or more.
The problem is then compounded when you consider that 20 to 35
percent of those advertising dollars are wasted on fraudulent
clicks. Just imagine. If you are paying $1,000 dollars per
month to advertise on Google, $200 - $350 of those dollars are
wasted on click fraud.
If you want to lower your click fraud costs, you need to buy
click fraud monitoring software, which is quite pricey.
Unfortunately, few click fraud monitoring companies target
small to medium sized businesses.
The ISEDN offers an affordable alternative that charges a
one-time, flat fee. The initial cost is the only cost.
Within this unique advertising model, the sale of any keyword or
phrase is limited to 30 advertisers. Regardless of whether a
keyword term is sold 5 or 30 times, ads rotate within the SERPs
and throughout the ISEDN. The rotation ensures that every ad
appears in the top 10 search results. In the worst case scenario,
a listing would appear on the first page of results approximately
once out of every 3 searches.
Of course, you can't expect the same exposure provided by Google
or Overture. Google alone receives millions of searches per day.
However, if you are looking for a consistent return on your
investment without wasting a penny on click fraud, then the
ISEDN provides an affordable and lucrative solution.
Not to mention, the ISEDN is growing every day. An average of
3- 5 search engines are added every week. As the network
continues to grow, your ad automatically receives more exposure.
This program gives advertisers the benefit of advertising with
smaller search engines on a massive scale without the fear of
click fraud and without the hassle of managing multiple
advertising accounts. For more information on the ISEDN, visit
http://www.exactsee k.com/featured_ listings. html.
Summing It Up
The rules in search engine advertising are shifting and the
winners are adapting.
As for Google, Yahoo, and MSN, you can definitely expect to see
some changes being made with their paid search programs in the
near future. Cybercrime is still a crime and law enforcers are
finally starting to take these problems seriously.
The pay-per-click model is inherently flawed and must be altered
to survive. Google and the other major search engines know that
their business will be crippled if they do not adapt. The
challenge for them is how to adapt and still maintain those
multi-billion dollar bottom lines.
Fortunately, there are individuals, groups, companies and
organizations more interested in finding and providing
solutions to the problem of click fraud than in propping up
a flawed concept. Those leading the fight against click-fraud,
like the ISEDN, may never see 10 figure bottom lines like Yahoo
or Google, but the revenue they do make won't be based on
fraudulent clicks and at your expense.
------------ --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- -
Kim Roach is a staff writer and editor for the SiteProNews
(http://www.sitepron ews.com) & SEO-News (http://www.seo- news.com)
newsletters. You can also find additional tips and news on
webmaster and SEO topics by Kim at the SiteProNews blog
(http://blog. sitepronews. com/). Kim's email is:
kim @ seo-news.com
This article may be freely distributed without modification and
provided that the copyright notice and author information remain
intact.
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