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Web Marketing Resources articles for review or free reprint
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NEW Can You Pass this Short Quiz on Being Persuasive?
by Todd Follansbee June 2010
First appeared in Web Marketing Today or you can read our version

By Todd Follansbee June 29, 2010

Abstract - In this article we provide a 5-question quick quiz to see how well you understand key persuasion principles. We then explains each of the answers, citing psychological research regarding principles that motivate people to act. Finally we offer an explanation for how these apply to your website design and approach.

NEW Get more Views for your On-site Video
by Todd Follansbee May 2010
First appeared in Web Marketing Today or you can read our version

Simple guidelines and best practices to encourage clicks on your video Calls to Action.

NEW Website Monitoring protects you from Revenue Loss
by Todd Follansbee March 2010
First appeared in Web Marketing Today or you can read our version

Simple, and often free, website monitoring offers many advantages beyond simple peace of mind. We recommend providers and best practices. (like always we do not benefit from recommendations). Nothing's more discouraging than to discover that your company's website has a broken signup form, a cart failure or an embarrassing page display.

Obvious and Consistent Hyperlinks increase conversions
by Todd Follansbee January 2010
First appeared in Web Marketing Today or you can read our version

Text hyperlink guidelines are simple to follow but we see problems with them all the time. Fundamentals are important, take a few minutes to review this article and your site to make sure you comply.

Faqs - Best practices which will cut Help Desk costs and increase sales
by Todd Follansbee September 2009
First appeared in Web Marketing Today or you can read our version

Guidelines for assembling and displaying Faqs which take a new approach to making this information work for your entire site. Also the article on this site discusses some evolving approaches to customer built Faqs. I guarantee that this article will give you the detail you need to improve your site. If you don't agree, feel free to ask me directly and I will elaborate no charge.

Why Good Navigation is Essential to your Site's Success - Intro to our Designing effective Navigation Series by Todd Follansbee April 2009
First appeared in Web Marketing Today or you can read our version

The reasons are compelling! In this short piece you can arm yourself with all the information you need to convince team members why good navigation is essential. Get committed to an exceptional User Experience.

Nav Bar Guidelines - Part 1 in our Designing effective Navigation Series by Todd Follansbee April 2009
First appeared in Web Marketing Today or you can read our version

A great User Experience starts with good navigation and good navigation begins with a good Nav Bar. Carefully follow these four guidelines and conversions should improve. Existing sites may have a hard time complying with all four but a new site should have little trouble. Any improvement will help so gather your information here and plan your redesign strategy.

Information Architecture - Part 2 in our Designing effective Navigation Series by Todd Follansbee April 2009
First appeared in Web Marketing Today or you can read our version

This article will address how to design your Information Architecture, how to present the information in your site and how to test your results.

Designing Navigation Elements - "the rest of the story" part 3 of 3 in our Designing effective Navigation Series By Todd Follansbee July, 2009

First appeared in Web Marketing Today or you can read our version Web Marketing Today is the largest, oldest internet marketing newsletter on the web - and still free.

In parts 1 and 2 of this series we explained how to improve Information Architecture and a Nav Bar which delivers a good User Experience. This article explains how to insure that the remaining navigation elements such as hyperlinks, graphic links, video links, calls to action, and offsite links, provide the correct visual cues and behaviors.

How to get compelling descriptions (Snippets) into your search results By Todd Follansbee February 9, 2009
First appeared in Web Marketing Today

Search rankings are important but the search results (Snippets) users first see on Google should be compelling and set reasonable expectations. There is much you can do to affect these results and we tell you how in this straightforward yet important conversion article. Read our extended version.

Why Good Graphic Design is Vital to Site Success By Todd Follansbee December 16, 2008
First appeared in Web Marketing Today

Site managers under estimate the importance of good graphics and a professional site appearance. We explain the impact of good graphics based on years of testing user behaviors. Good graphics are worth it and may be less expensive then you think. Here is a list of reasonably priced, excellent graphic designers. (note we do not benefit at all from these recommendations beyond some possible good will). Read our version.

Wider Screens - Wider Resolutions more design space by Todd Follansbee
First appeared in Web Marketing Today August 29, 2008

It is time to take advantage of wider screens. Increase your site width from 800 X 600 resolution but be sure to avoid some simple pitfalls. This is a more detailed version then appeared in WMT where space and images are limited. Read our version

How to make an effective call to action button by Todd Follansbee
First appeared in Web Marketing Today August 20, 2008

Calls to action are often poorly designed, worded, and positioned. This article looks at ways to improve yours and includes some simple examples. read more

Morae 201: Why Video Testing is better then Metrics testing by Todd Follansbee
First appeared in Techsmith's: News you can use - usability newsletter.

Web site and Landing Page traffic reports tell us which pages have higher exits, but not why people leave. Cart abandonment % is just a number unless you can figure out why they don't buy. Video testing tools like Morae, in the hands of a skilled tester deliver insights into the "why do customers behave this way". Both offer insights and we believe you need both tools. Compare and decide for yourself, which is better?

Morae 201: The First 8 Seconds by Todd Follansbee
First appeared in Techsmith's: News you can use - usability newsletter.

What would you say if we called your users a bunch of liars?

While lying isn't their intention (nor are we going to call them that), this article explains how users' words often "misrepresent their feelings" while their faces and bodies will reveal what they are actually thinking. Learn how to understand users' feelings and reactions to your home page by using Morae. Advanced direct user testing teaches us the why's about user behavior as well. Read it in full

Morae 201: Gaining Deeper Insights and Earning More Revenue By Todd Follansbee
First appeared in Techsmith's: News you can use - usability newsletter.

Abstract – Learn the reasons why and the techniques for improving how you do user testing on web sites. Understanding the psychology behind user behaviors will help you deliver better recommendations and guidelines for site improvement. There is much to learn and this article addresses some of the first hurdles to be faced.

How to design usable Flash elements so they don't distract users. By Todd Follansbee
First appeared in Web Marketing Today an eCommerce newsletter

Distracting Flash Images are hurting sales. User tests show how Flash can frustrate annoy and even hurt communication unless you follow the practical and proven guidelines. Read how

Sell to Seniors By Todd Follansbee
First appeared in Web Marketing Today an eCommerce newsletter.

Abstract – Heads of household ages over 50 possess 43% of the total US discretionary income and it will only grow. Seniors have different needs and behaviors and, before you can sell effectively to them, you need to understand the differences.

The Three Stages of Site Evolution By Todd Follansbee
Sites which are not designed with careful usability and persuasion guidelines typically follow three steps in their evolution until they are optimized. These stages are Functional, Usable and Persuasive and site success is a direct result of where a site falls in this continuum. read more-

Reducing Customer Anxiety to build Sales by Todd Follansbee
In an Internet world surrounded by phishing scams, identity theft, and viruses, everyone is concerned about the risks associated with placing an order or signing up for a newsletter or product information. Here is how to reduce customer anxiety. Web Marketing Today hosts this article read more-

How to Build Consensus for Online Purchases by Todd Follansbee
Most decisions of consequence require consensus -- travel, purchase of business equipment, education, wedding gifts, expensive clothing. The boss or business associates -- even your spouse -- often need to weigh in and reach agreement prior to purchasing. Here are simple but effective tools to ensure that consensus works to your advantage. Case study of how one site used innovative tools to build business and consensus, don't fail to appreciate the importance of this tool.This appeared in Web Marketing Today Read the WMT article or read our version

The Business Case for Courtesy By Todd Follansbee
Real world examples of how courtesy can build new business. Its simple to accomplish, your customer deserve it and here we look at the many ways you can do it, both obvious and not so obvious. Are you showing your customers the courtesy they deserve? Are you showing them what you would expect? Would your grandmother be proud? :-) Read more

Usability testing on a Zero Budget. by Todd Follansbee
Abstract - guidelines for how to do usability testing yourself for free. Originally appeared in Web Marketing Today an excellent and free Web Marketing newsletter publishing since 1995. Read the Web Marketing Today version. or the original more detailed version. If you want to see a video of a usability test visit the download page. or see a sample usability test format.

Sample Usability test. by Todd Follansbee Jan 17, 2010
Abstract - A sample usability test you can use. It accompanies the above article. Originally appeared in Web Marketing Today an excellent and free Web Marketing newsletter publishing since 1995. Read the Web Marketing today or the version on our site.

NEWLY updated Web site design is upside down! A look at Conversion Point Architecture. by Todd Follansbee

Please note: that Entrepreneur Magazine just recognized us for this design approach with a top ten web designers in the Northeast listing.
Abstract - current web site design seems completely upside down to us. We start with the business objectives, architect the sales process via a special method and when all elements are assembled we bring in the web designers. Find out the details is this expanded version of the article which originally appeared in Web Marketing Today an excellent and free Web Marketing newsletter publishing since 1995. Read in full.

The Role of profiling and learning styles in usability testing by Todd Follansbee ground breaking information on how to take your testing to the highest level. Rough notes from a recent presentation. read more.

Search tools can hurt your business. Be careful when adding it to your web site! By Todd Follansbee 2007
Abstract: People are quick to adopt search tools on a site however they often hurt business. Used wisely they can offer new solutions which can quickly improve business as well. Here is how to use Search to your advantage. We also offer some recommended search solutions. read in full

Ending Search to build Business! By Todd Follansbee
Abstract - a case study of a technique used to provide competitive information to help prospective buyers decide between products. By providing this information on their own and the competitions' products this company stopped many prospective buyers from further searching which increased sales. Read in full

What are the benefits of doing a Usability study for a site in redesign? by Todd Follansbee
Abstract – this is a longer review which will identify the reasons to do a usability study during a redesign by looking at the impact of other studies and discussing the potential for cost savings and the competitive advantages it offers. Read in full

Building a Sign up Page that Converts! By Todd Follansbee June 9 2006
Abstract - How to build successful sign up pages, common mistakes to avoid and how-to's. Read in full

Colorblindness and Usability by Todd Follansbee 1999
Abstract - this early study reviews the impact of colorblindness on usability for Microsoft, Amazon and IBM. 10% of males are colorblind and unless you follow these simple guidelines and test for this issue you may be losing thousands of dollars. Read in full

Using motivation and incentives to increase conversions by Todd Follansbee 2007
Two factors we look at in usability and conversion optimization are incentives and motivation. Whether you are looking for sales or sign-ups, you can increase your success by reviewing your site and addressing these issues. Read in Full (note the article is on the Web Marketing Today site.)

Form Confirmation will make or break your first impressions by Todd Follansbee. Handling confirmation is far more important then most people realize. Careful attention to new approaches will make life long customers and leave your competitors wondering what happened. read more.

Avoiding web site assumptions that mask your blind spots by Todd Follansbee Dec 2006
It is impossible to be objective about your site design issues without help so here are some guidelines to follow. Read in Full (note the article is on the Web Marketing Today site.)

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