Website Effectiveness Articles
AJAX: Hero of E-Commerce
- June 2008
- Catalog Success "E-Commerce Insights"
AJAX is today's red-hot web technology. This article covers the relevance of AJAX to catalog marketers. Let’s cut right to the chase and answer six key questions about this technology. read more...
Tuning Your Site Search to Sell
- June 2008
- Multichannel Merchant
Site search is a conversation. It’s a chance to listen to your Website customer and respond. Tuned for maximum effectiveness, your site search has the potential to be one of the most ROI-positive investments you’ll make in your site. Is your site search providing maximum return? read more...
Guerilla Conversion Tactics for Your In-House Team
- December 2007
- DM News
You can’t just buy an increased conversion rate: you work the cycle of measuring, testing and optimizing your site. Here are guerilla tactics that even lean, in-house teams can use to move the needle. read more...
The Three People You’ll Meet with Web Analytics 2.0
- October 2007
- Multi Channel Merchant
The next generation of Web analytics is less about reports and more about actions and outcomes. It's about what happens on your Website, but also about why. It's less about waiting for an elusive “big win” to justify expensive software and more about investing in people and a series of changes that can make a real difference to your Web business' bottom line. read more...
Keep an eye on the experience
- September 2007
- Multi Channel Merchant
Smart marketers understand that long-term success depends on treating customers to a great experience, one that's seamless across channels. What's the best way to do that? We look at why you need to go beyond order conversion when you track success, and how aligning your Web and print channels can improve the experience you offer your own customers. read more...
E-commerce Insights: The (Free) Benefits of Google’s Webmaster Central
- July 2007
- Catalog Success
If you’re not using Google’s Webmaster Central, you should start. Google Webmaster Central is a great bundle of free Google tools to help you understand how Google indexes your site. It’s essential to ranking well in Google’s natural rankings. read more...
Prioritizing in the Attention Economy
- July 2007
- Multi Channel Merchant
Why are you reading this article? How did it win even a few seconds of your attention? Will it give you some useful ideas for improving your company's Website? Could it help make your business more profitable? Perhaps even advance your career? Maybe it will entertain you… read more...
The Effective Website: The Seven-Minute Checkup
- June 2007
- Multi Channel Merchant
Can you evaluate the effectiveness of your Website in a mere seven minutes? We developed this Seven-Minute Site Checkup as a fun diagnostic for the free, fast-paced Medical Center sessions at last month's ACCM. read more...
The Effective Website: Lo-Fi Prototypes Yield High Returns
- March 2007
- Multi Channel Merchant
Lo-fi prototypes are simple representations of your Web pages, “site sketches” that limit their focus to the essential. Even as Web applications become ever more sophisticated, lo-fi prototypes can improve your site design process and your return on investment. read more...
The Effective Website: Keeping Your Eye on the 2.0 User
- January 2007
- Multi Channel Merchant
An effective Website pulls sales and profits from the sweet spot where business goals meet customer needs. Managing your site for effectiveness requires that your team master a steadily expanding skill set: artful merchandising, pragmatic technology, customer-centric creative, online acquisition, and the emerging science of Web analytics. And it takes a big-picture understanding of how to put those pieces together. read more...
Stephan Spencer Interview
- November 2006
- RKG Interview
Stephan Spencer is president and founder of NetConcepts, a company providing SEO services, email, and site design. As a well-respected “white-hat” SEO guru, we were delighted Stephan took the time to share his insights with us on online marketing. Alan Rimm-Kaufman: What are the biggest challenges & opportunities facing online retailers today in relation to [...] read more...
Grow Your Email House File By Improving Your Email Signup Process
- July 2006
- Catalog Success Magazine
How can you get more email signups from your site visitors? This article shines a spotlight on the email signup process at 45 leading retailers. read more...
19 Tactics For Suppressing Online Sales
- February 2006
- Catalog Success Magazine
Was your company swamped with online orders during Holiday '05? Did excessive web sales place undue strain on your business? If so, here are 19 tactics to torpedo your online conversion rate and impede your web sales. read more...
Open Content And Open Apps
- September 2005
- Catalog Success Magazine
This article describes why open content and open apps will matter to your business in the future, and how savvy catalogers can start using them today. read more...
Ten Tips for Online Testing
- September 2005
- Catalog Success Magazine
Savvy catalogers have long used testing to improve their mail businesses. As the web matures, catalogers are bringing the same discipline to their online marketing efforts. This article offers 10 tips for running direct marketing tests in the online world. read more...
Natural Search Marketing Myths
- July 2005
- Catalog Success Magazine
As cost-per-click fees have risen over the last few quarters, marketers have increased their focus on natural search efforts. To help catalogers improve their online sales, this article examines ten common misconceptions about natural search marketing. read more...
Increasing Site Conversion
- June 2005
- Catalog Success Magazine
Interested in tuning your e-commerce site to increase your conversion rate? This article aims to help folks seeking to tune sites "on the cheap." Read on for low-cost high-impact ideas on increasing your site conversion. read more...
12 Month Housefile
- June 2005
- LettDirect
Clients have asked us here at the Rimm-Kaufman Group "How fast will my catalog business grow?" We respond that growth depends on new customer acquisition and on the health of your 12 month housefile. read more...
Search Engine Optimization
- April 2005
- MarketingProfs
SEO Thought Leaders Search Engine Optimization (or SEO as it’s known in the trade) is a rapidly changing and exciting arena. In fact, the competition is heating up as companies awaken to a universe of marketing opportunities — providing your customers can find you, that is! Where is SEO heading? What are the trends? New opportunities? [...] read more...
Nine Best Practices For Organic Search Optimization
- April 2005
- The Rimm-Kaufman Group
This article provides a quick to-do list for optimizing your site's organic search. read more...
Web Page Design for Catalogers
- October 2004
- Catalog Success Magazine
Many catalogers are more experienced creating strong print pages than strong web pages. This article offers four suggestions for improving your online presentation for human visitors. read more...
Hidden Treasures of the Web
- September 2004
- Catalog Success Magazine
The web is full of hidden treasures tucked away in odd corners. The trick, sometimes, is simply knowing where these interesting spots are. For this article, I polled catalogers and e-retailers for their suggestions of lesser-known online resources, information sources, and new ideas related to e-commerce. read more...