NZS.com Newsletter : February 2008

It's hard to believe we're turning our calendars to February already, but we're well into a cracker year for businesses online. Trends show continued growth in online advertising and greater consumer spending on the Web. To keep your competitors on their toes in 2008, why not give your website and your Web marketing strategy a re-fresh?

Contents:

• Top Ten Sites
• Refresh Your Web Marketing Strategy
• Ecommerce on the Rise in New Zealand
• Why Improving Your Conversion Rate Matters
• Internet Trends for 2008

More and more, New Zealanders are tuning their eyes and ears to news and entertainment online. As the top ten sites from our Media category show, forms of traditional media have taken up an online presence - radio stations stream live online, newspapers present up-to-the-minute news on the Net, and television guides are viewed on the Web.

Top Media Category Sites

Rank	Site Name	URL
1.	Classic Hits	www.classichits.co.nz
2.	Gisborne Herald	www.gisborneherald.co.nz
3.	Coast FM	www.thecoast.net.nz
4.	FreeTVGuide	www.freetvguide.co.nz
5.	Dominion Post	www.dompost.co.nz
6.	Gisborne FM	www.gisborneonline.co.nz
7.	New Zealand Herald	www.nzherald.co.nz
8.	Hawke's Bay Today	www.hbtoday.co.nz
9.	Public Notices	www.public-notices.co.nz
10.	Flava Hip Hop and RnB	www.flava.co.nz

Is it time to give your website a revamp and take a fresh look at your online marketing strategy? Here are our top tips for giving your website a fresh new face:

• Remove unnecessary clutter - take a fresh look at the design and layout of your website. Is your key information easily accessible? What aspects of your homepage and primary landing pages are most eye-catching? Is there extra information which doesn't add to the content or look of your website?
• Make sure your information is current - update your website's content regularly to reflect your most current projects and provide fresh information to current and potential clients. You might want to consider using a content management system which will allow you to easily update your website without the help of a professional.
• Define your Web marketing strategy - rethink the strategic goals for your business by defining the purpose of your Web presence and setting quantifiable, measurable goals. NZS.com offers a number of online advertising options for New Zealand businesses.
• Check your statistics - using a Web analytics tool is key to capturing your audience and finding areas for improvement in your website's design. You'll be able to access information on your site's most popular pages, keyword activity, top landing pages and valuable user statistics. Analysing this information will enable you to create a more powerful online presence.
• Focus on content - never underestimate the importance of quality content on your website. Be sure that your website's main pages contain content that presents a professional image, is easily readable and contains targeted keywords and keyword phrases.

Not sure what your website is lacking? Talk to a professional Web designer.

If you're in the business of selling, you'll be interested to hear murmurs of massive growth in online shopping within the New Zealand marketplace.

In the year to April 2007, over 1.2 million New Zealanders shopped in online stores, to the tune of NZ$1.5 billion dollars. Of these, more than 400,000 Kiwis regularly visit online shops, making six or more purchases over the twelve month period. This is an increase of 700% over the last five years.

And what do we buy online? Most of our online dollars go on airline tickets ($508 million), travel service ($233 million) and computer hardware ($233 million). The fashion industry has shown the greatest growth, with clothing and footwear sales online increasing by 886% within five years, to reach a total of NZ$149 million.

Whether your business provides goods or services, you can harness the power of ecommerce and the trend towards online shopping.

Many businesses focus on one aspect of their website's performance, when they should be tackling their Web strategy from all directions: increasing traffic, raising the average customer spend and improving 'visitor to customer' conversion rates. A higher conversion rate will mean greater long term profitability and can be achieved with ease by following the four E's:

• Easy usability - make it easy for visitors to find what they're looking for with clear navigation, fast loading pages and clean layout.
• Embracing your point of difference - think about what makes you stand out from the crowd - and from your competitors!
• Enticing your customers - make your landing pages and home page appealing with images, colour and good design, and incorporate a call to action.
• Evaluating your performance - keep a long term strategic focus, regularly reassessing your sales tactics, testing different methods and tracking your progress.

Talk to an Internet marketing specialist for further advice.

Optimising your landing pages - visitor entry points to your site - has become increasingly important in online marketing. The most effective landing pages are targeted to specific advertising campaigns, but how can you form an effective landing page strategy and increase the conversion rates for your advertising? Ask yourself:

Am I sending visitors to the right landing page?
If you're using paid advertising, ensure that the page is specific to the product or keyword that has been searched for, rather than taking your visitor to your homepage. Look at the bounce rate to determine if visitors are staying to browse your site or leaving straight away.

Where is my incoming traffic coming from?
Find out as much as you can about the major sources of your traffic and design landing pages to suit, incorporating relevant page titles and headers.

How can I ensure visitors stay on my site?
Once you've got someone to your site, you've only got five seconds to grab their attention, so keep information relevant, include discounts or special offers, and show off any points of difference you may have.

Am I communicating well with my visitors?
Make sure your written copy is accurate, interesting and concise.

Are my landing pages cluttered or clean?
Don't overwhelm visitors with too much information or clutter. Strategic use of bold text, colour, italics or larger text can help organise content for your readers.

Find out more on how your site could benefit from Web Promotion and professional Web Design services.

Getting listed on NZS.com is free and will give you access to targeted traffic. There are also advertising options for those wanting a higher profile for their business.

We're interested in your opinion, if you have anything you'd like to hear about in the newsletter, let us know.

Image from Flickr - One Lady Leaping.