Wordsmithing and Web Spinning

Don't Read Between the Lines--Just Read the Lines!

Like most people, I have an email account with a popular free service. Recently, I noticed something different about my email account when I accessed it from a PC. Suddenly, I could format my text, add small graphics, use bullets, and more. I was tickled to death, and looked forward to using these new features in the future.

When I accessed my account from home, however, all those nifty goodies were gone. I use a Mac at home, and I've gotten used to the "second-class citizen" treatment. So I assumed the loss of these new features was due to my Mac, but I wrote Customer Service just to be sure. Keep in mind that my email clearly stated that I used a Mac at home and asked if that was the reason I couldn't access the new features.

About twenty-four hours later, I received a reply from Customer Service that said all I had to do was click the "Color and Graphics" link at the top of the email creation form to get the new features.

I wrote back and said there was no "Color and Graphics" link available at the top of my form and again asked if the problem was my using a Mac.

Their second reply (again, twenty-four hours later) stated that my issue was probably browser-related and I should try to reinstall my browser.

Now I was getting upset. I was pretty sure I knew what the real problem was...Customer Service wasn't reading my emails! They were looking at the subject line, making a guess, and crossing me off their "to-do" list.

So I went back to the Customer Service section of their Website and looked for a way to complain about Customer Service. There wasn't one. The form used to contact Customer Service had a menu of possible problems I could choose, but "Customer Service" was not one of them. I chose the catch-all "Other," and made my complaint.

I was finally told (several hours later), that my Mac was indeed the cause of my email formatting problem, and I received an apology about my service issues. But you know, folks, by then it was too late. They already had a ticked-off customer more than willing to switch to another service.

Here is the lesson: You have to pay attention to your customers are saying. My case could have been settled in a day if they had just read my first email completely and fessed up that Mac formatting was not supported.

People are fickle--Web users even more so. Never create a reason for your clients to go somewhere else, because they will.

Thus endeth the lesson.

�

There'll Be Some Changes Made...

WS&WS debuts a new format tonight, thanks to the folks at Blogger.com. I hope you like the new look!

I'm also changing the posting schedule, going from a weekly to an "as needed" posting schedule. Honestly, I haven't seen any comments on my posts, so I'm not sure anyone is reading them anyway! (Such is life in the blogosphere...)

If you've been enjoying WS&WS and would like me to go back to a weekly schedule, just let me know. Until then, expect a new post when you see it. And remember, if you subscribe to the WS&WS Atom feed, your news aggregator can alert you when a new post arrives.

See you later!

Carolyn

More on Search Engine Optimization

I've written about search engine optimization before (see the November 2003 archive page), but a new survey shows how important it is to have a mix of search engine strategies. In addition to optimizing your content, you need to consider whether you're going to pay for search engine results by sponsoring ads.

Internet users are more likely to click on an organic search link on Google, and a paid search result on MSN, a report from iProspect finds. The online survey of 1,649 individuals, conducted by the search engine marketing firm, in conjunction with Survey Sampling International, WebSurveyor, and Stratagem Research , revealed how Internet users rely on search results -- information helpful to marketers hoping to better focus their campaign efforts.
"Searching for Balance" by Robyn Greenspan

I know that in my circle of Web folks, paying for search engine ads once smacked of "dirty pool," but today it is just another weapon in your marketing arsenal. The important thing, after all, is to help people find your site.

First, you need to consider which keywords to cover with your ads. A tool like WordTracker http://www.wordtracker.com/ can help you determine which keywords to buy. Some sites charge more for more popular keywords; WordTracker can help you find other keywords that may be just as effective, but not as pricey.

Next, you need to choose where to place your ads. Look at your site statistics to see which search engines are driving the most business to your site. Then you can decide if you want to place your ads with these sites or other sites, depending on your ad strategy. For example, say that Google is the search engine most users turn to, but MSN is the search engine most of your visitors use. You could decide to place your ads on Google in an attempt to broaden your customer base, or stick with MSN in an attempt to increase the number of visitors who find your site there.

Be sure that you clarify the terms of any advertising contract before you sign it. Are you paying for views or click-throughs? (Views means that people have seen your ad, but click-throughs mean people clicked on the link to go to your site - which is what you wanted in the first place.) Also determine the rate: are you paying so many cents per click-through, or is there a sliding scale?

Finally, follow-through with your ad once you've placed it. Are your web statistics actually showing that more visitors are coming to your site? Are you increasing the number of sales per visitor? If not, you may need to make adjustments to your campaign. Experiment with different keywords or search engines until you get the results you want.

If you have properly optimized your site for search engines and planned a good search engine marketing campaign, you should have all the visitors you need to make your site a success!

For questions about Yahoo! sponsor listings, go to http://help.yahoo.com/help/us/sponsor
To get started with Google, go to http://www.google.com/ads/solutions.html
For advertising with MSN, go to http://advertising.msn.com/home/home.asp.